The Fall of the West and the Rise of Islam: Islam Comes as Solution to the West’s Biggest Threat

Title:
Bahkan Barat Pun Butuh Islam (Even the West Need Islam)
Authors:
Sayyid Quthb, Dr. Abdullah Azzam, and Sheikh Sulaiman bin Nashir Al-‘Ulwan
Publisher:
Islamika Publisher
Edition:
1st Ed. 2009
Description:
268 pages

It’s so unfortunate to see how the West run their life like these days. The advanced civilization in the West cannot bring them to a harmonious society. The West might have invented modern utilities to ‘create’ a harmonious social system, but they can’t. They have been in a great lack of mental satisfaction when their all physical and mundane needs can be fulfilled.

In many cases, the West neglect what this book’s authors called the true “minhaj” (way of life). A car factory would certainly include manual handbook for every single car it produces. When car consumers have them, they should, at least, read the manual in order to maintain that car very well.

Sayyid Quthb believed that there is a very close relation between a social system and a system of belief (page 22). Employing the above paradigm, the car represents social system while the manual for the system of belief.

A society comes out of system of belief. Society members adjust their lives to what they believe. This also means a harmonious society is a product of good system of belief – a system of belief that is perfectly comprehensive and able to give solution to all human’s problems in worldly life. Likewise, society members’ mental satisfaction would be fulfilled when their system of belief respects highly the human value.

The West is out of the track in efforts to create a harmonious society. The West has separated social system from system of belief (secularism) as a consequence of fierce conflict between Church and society as well as Church and academics.

Chapter Three of this book discusses the early history of conflict between Church and society and academics under title “Schizophrenia yang Parah” (Acute Schizophrenia). From this then it can be concluded that there are so many Western people prefer to be atheists because they don’t see any ‘comprehensiveness’ within Christianity and other religions or ‘human-made’ systems of belief.

The Fall of the West
Christian and Judaist (Israelis’ religion) teachings – which are actually also from the same God of Islam – have biased too far away because of Israelis’ denial to Jesus the Messiah. From this denial, Israelis killed ‘artificial’ Jesus and put him at cross. Further, Israelis separated Christianity’s Holy Book from Judaism’s Holy Book – in which Christianity was actually a ‘revision’ to Judaism (page 40).

The separation then led to intense hatred between Christians and Judaists. Judaists kept torturing Christians for a long time, and therefore Christians spread their teachings underground. This situation then made the Christian teachings biased much more for limited access to the public.

Worse, a former follower of Rome ancient belief and a Christian missionary in the Europe, Paulus, then mixed Christians teachings with Rome ancient belief. As well, he self proclaimed of being ‘the messenger of Jesus Christ’ (page 42).

Since the nature of Christian teachings have biased from its authentic sources, Sayyid Quthb states that ‘Christianity cannot rule human being’ (page 40). It became more apparent when conflict between Religion and Sciences broke up in 337 AD, following the conversion of Constantine to Christianity in order to grab the authority over Rome.

Church then created their own ‘scientific’ theories about geography, history, and sciences and put them into Christian teachings (page 57). Scientists living outside the Church then appeared to criticize those theories; but unfortunately, Church labeled those scientists infidels then resulted in the burning of 32,000 scientists alive.

Then, many Western scientists in the present prefer being atheists. They reject the Christian teachings and all religions, including Islam, because of their dissatisfaction to the Church in the past.

Such an atheist social condition then lured Western think tank to formulate some other new ‘religions’ such as Marxism, Militarism, Existentialism, and Secular Materialism.

Marxism upheld economy like a God, explained history, and traced the human race (page 139). Marxism believed that the biggest problem in human being is physical starvation, but the fact reveals that people are suffering from mental starvation.

Militarism has been in existence for a long time in the history of Russia. It is probably more acceptable in many countries but it bears a big threat. Continuing pressure to society stimulates massive grassroots rebellion against the government (page 68).

Existentialism, pioneered by Kierkegaard, assumes that those living in surrender and discomfort would find the eternal value of human being (page 148). That is why; Kierkegaard tried to kill himself in so many times as he believed that consciousness to the meaning of life appears in the form of discomfort.

Secular Materialism, like in many European countries as well as the US in the present, tends to exploit all what can be done by human but neglect their human value. Secular Materialism then tends to be natured: (1) Running away from Allah (God); (2) The more chance for production and invention in many aspects of life; and (3) Reduction and the lack of meaning in life (page 152).

Those are signs of the fall of the West. If such a terrible condition goes on longer, the ruin of Western civilization would become real someday. Dr. Abdullah Azzam quoted two verses in the Quran that best represent the fall of the West,

The Rise of Islam
The biggest threat to the West does not come from either military forces or economical downturn. It is ‘mental starvation’ they are suffering that leads the West to disappear.

Dr. Abdullah Azzam fully confident wrote on this book, “Indeed, the West civilization has ruined because they fly with only one wing – that is materialism” (page 138). The West’s one remaining wing has been neglected because the West cannot feel any mental tranquility when almost all their physical needs fulfilled.

Any effort to reach that mental tranquility can only be achieved when people find ‘balance’ for materialism and spiritualism. The West might have advanced modern equipments to fulfill their physical starvation, but they do not even longer need them when they keep suffering ‘mental starvation.’

Islam believes that Allah is the creature of the universe, hence only Allah Who knows ‘what makes human feel fine and happy physically and mentally’ (page 133). Al-Quran and Hadith (notes on every single saying and deed of the Prophet Muhammad) are guidance for Muslims to ‘fly’ this life with two wings. Many Muslims feel fine because they are brave to say “Dear Allah” when they are suffering. Muslims – and those converted to Muslims – also admitted that they find happiness when they read the Quran.

It is proper when Dr. Abdullah Azzam quoted two verses of the Quran below saying,

In sciences, Islam does not limit its followers to ‘read’ the universe as long as their knowledge does not cause damage to Islam. There have been some Western scientists even acknowledge that Quran is the most scientific Holy book, in which it is impossible for human to create it. In many bookstores in Indonesia, books on Quran and sciences can also be found easily.

In economy, Islam orders all ‘economically able’ Muslims to pay zakat and shadaqah (charity) to other poor people. Islamic banking system has also now been applied in many countries like England, Malaysia, and many Middle-east countries. It is because Islamic banking system forbids ‘riba’ (usury).

Compared to human-made governmental systems, Islamic governmental system has been proven to bring harmonious society in many countries such as Arabian Peninsula and Andalusia (now Spain). Some people of the West may have known about a period named “La Convivencia” – that is a period when Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived side by side in harmony under the Islamic law.

People would also be in agreement on the greatness of the Prophet Muhammad’s leadership. The history also noted some outstanding Muslim figures like Abu Bakr, Umar bin Khattab, Usman bin Affan, Ali bin Abi Thalib, and King Abdul Aziz.

Finally, Islam is a comprehensive system of belief that would lead to a harmonious social system only after Islamic law is applied fully. Further reasons on ‘Why Islam” can be found on this book. More importantly, it is because Allah has guaranteed Islam as a blessed religion like the below verse saying,