Some
of those who have written about the history of civilization define
civilization as “a social system which helps man to increase his
cultural output.”
Civilization
consists of four main elements: economical resources, political
systems, moral traditions and science and arts. The development and
progress of a civilization requires many factors such as geographical
and economic factors, and psychological factors such as religion,
language and education. The collapse of a civilization stems from
factors which are the opposite of those which lead to its rise and
development; the most important of these destructive factors include
moral and intellectual decadence, lawlessness and breakdown of social
systems, the spread of oppression and poverty, the spread of pessimism
and apathy and the lack of competent and sincere leaders.
The
story of civilization began when man first appeared, and it is a long
chain which one civilized nation passes on to those who come after it.
Civilization is not unique to any one land or race, rather it stems from
the factors we have mentioned above. There is hardly any nation that
has not written some of the pages of the history of civilization, but
the thing that distinguishes one civilization from another is the
strength of the foundation on which it is built, the great influence
that it may have, and the benefits that humanity may enjoy as a result
of its rise. The more universal a civilization is in its message, the
more humane it is in its inclination, the more moral it is in its
direction and the more realistic it is in its principles, the more
lasting will be its impact on history, the longer it will endure and the
more it will deserve to be honored.
Our
civilization is a link in the chain of human civilizations; some
civilizations came before it and others will follow. There were factors
that contributed to the rise of our civilization, and there are reasons
for its decline, but this is not the topic under discussion here.
Rather, before we examine the wonders of this civilization, we should
discuss the serious role that it played in the history of human
progress, and how much it contributed to the fields of belief, science,
ethics, rule, art and literature, and how it had a lasting impact on
humanity of all peoples and in all places.
The
most important thing that attracts the attention of the one who studies
our civilization is that it is distinguished by the following features:
1. It
is based on a foundation of absolute oneness in belief. It was the
first civilization that proclaimed the message of One God Who has no
partner or associate in His rule and dominion; He is the Only One Who is
worshipped and He is the Only One Who is sought.
Allaah Almighty Says what means: {It is You we worship and You we ask for help.} [Quran 1: 5]
He
is the One Who honors and humiliates, Who gives and withholds, and
there is nothing in the heavens or on earth that is not subject to His
dominion and held in His grasp.
This
sublime understanding of the concept of oneness has a great effect in
raising the level of mankind and of liberating the masses from the
oppression of kings, nobles, powerful men and the clergy; in reforming
the relationship between rulers and subjects; in guiding people to
Allaah Alone, Who is the Creator of the universe and the Lord of the
worlds. This belief also had a great effect on Islamic civilization
which is virtually unique among all civilizations before or since in
that it is free from all forms of idolatry and of idolatrous literature
and philosophy in its beliefs, rule, art, poetry and literature. This is
the reason why Islamic civilization refrained from translating the
Iliad and the best of idolatrous Greek literature. It is also the reason
why Islamic civilization fell short in some of the arts of sculpture
and image-making, despite its prominence in the arts of inscription,
engraving and architectural adornment. Islam, which declared war on
idolatry and its manifestations, did not permit any expressions or
relics of idolatry from ancient times to exist in its civilization, such
as statues of great men, righteous men, Prophets or conquerors. Statues
are one of the most prominent features of ancient and modern
civilizations, because none of them took belief in oneness to the extent
that Islamic civilization did.
This
belief in oneness has an impact on all the foundations and systems
produced by our civilization. So there is unity in its message, unity in
its legislation, unity in its general aims, unity in humanity in
general, unity in the way of life and pattern of thinking. Researchers
studying the Islamic arts have noticed a unity of style and taste in
different kinds of art, so that a piece of Andalusian ivory, a piece of
Egyptian textile, a piece of Syrian pottery and a piece of Iranian
metalwork, despite the differences in their forms and ornamentation, all
have the same style and character.
2. The
second of the characteristics of our civilization is that it is human
in its inclinations and objectives, universal in its ambition and
message.
The
Quran declared the oneness of mankind despite the differences in their
races, places of origin and abodes. Allaah Says (what means):
{O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made
you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most
noble of you in the sight of Allaah is the most righteous of you.
Indeed, Allaah is Knowing and Acquainted.} [Quran 49: 13]
When
the Quran declared this universal oneness of mankind with regard to
truth, goodness and dignity, it made its civilization the factor that
brought together all the brilliant minds of all nations and peoples over
whom the banner of Islam flew. Hence, whilst every civilization may be
able to boast of its brilliant sons of one nationality, only Islamic
civilization can boast of the brilliant minds from all nations and
peoples who built it. For Abu Haneefah, Maalik, Ash-Shaafi`i, Ahmad,
Al-Khaleel, Sibawayh, Al-Kindi, Al-Ghazaali, Al-Faraabi, Ibn Rushd and
their like were all of different origins but they were among the
brilliant minds through whom Islamic civilization gave to humanity the
marvelous intellectual products of sound human thought.
3. The
third of the characteristics of our civilization is the way in which it
gave prominence to moral principles in all its systems and fields of
activity, and never abandoned these principles or used them as means of
benefitting a state, a group or an individual. In ruling, in science, in
legislation, in war, in peace, in economy, in the family; it paid
attention to these moral principles in legislation and in implementation
of laws. In this field it reached a high level that has never been
attained by any civilization before or since. The Islamic civilization
left behind a legacy in that field which deserves to be admired for it
alone, among all civilizations, guaranteed the happiness of man in the
purest sense, not contaminated with any misery.
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