A Twenty-First Century Renaissance in the Muslim World? Lessons from the History

The world of Islam awaits its over due Renaissance. At the start of the second quarter of the twenty-first century the Muslims of the world, in general, have yet to modernize and develop themselves culturally, socially and materially. This under-development and backwardness is not in keeping with the historical evolution of the World of Islam over the past Millennia and half.Through the first millennium of their history, the Muslim societies adopted scholarship, promotion of learning, culture, science, technology and a progressive attitude towards life and cultural attainments as their cardinal values and pursuits. Progressivism lay at the heart of the Muslim cultural, scientific and intellectual attainments through the glorious days of the Baghdad of the Abbasids (750-1258), the Hispanic Al-Andalus (711-1492), the Fatimids (909-1171), the Khawarzamians (1077-1231), the Ottomans (1299-1922), the Saffavids (1501-1736), The Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526), the Mughals (1526-1857) and the Sultanate of Malacca (1400-1528).
This cultural, intellectual and scientific expertise and dynamism brought, early on, extraordainary wealth and material prosperity to the Muslim societies through these glorious centuries. Within the three centuries of the arrival of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the Muslim World became a global power to reckon with. By the Middle- Middle Ages, Muslim civilization offered rare cultural, scientific and technological achievements to the humanity. This was the Golden Age of the Muslim civilization.
Even a cursory look at the fundamental elements of social organization in Muslim societies, through these glorious centuries, offers valuable lessons in how nations rise.
Justice, respect for human dignity, pluralistic egalitarianism and a relentless pursuit of knowledge and cultural achievements lay at the heart of the glorious achievements of the Muslim societies in the Medieval and Early Modern Eras.
Like the rest of the world at large, the Muslim societies of the Medieval to Early Modern Eras were autocracies. But even these autocracies provided a good social and economic justice to their subjects. Cultural tolerance and racial integration among various and diverse people has remained an important teaching of Islam since the age of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
The exalted places held by the non-Arab venerable companions of the Holy Prophet such as Venerable Sulaiman Al Farsi, an Iranian, and Venerable Bilal, an Abyssinian slave, attests to the egalitarian complexion and structure of the Muslim societies of the age.
A more detailed analysis also reveals that Muslims of those times lived far healthier, organized and cleaner lives.
Degeneration and decadence did creep in, every now and then, but the vital spirit of the teachings of Islam and the intellectual, cultural and physical energy of the Muslim communities would arrest them before they brought serious disruptions or decline.
The Muslim World has witnessed an unstoppable decline through the past three centuries. This has been in stark contrast to the historic trend of the evolution of the Muslim societies. Intellectual and scientific decline and moral decadence have been the fundamental elements of the decline of the Muslim World over the past three centuries. Wester imperialism has been a huge contributor towards the decline of the Muslim World. The central causes of the decline, however, lies within the Muslim societies and cultures.
We are, ourselves, responsible for our decline in the Modern age. Our intellectual, moral and social regression has been of our own making.
The responsibility to improve our fortunes too lies with us. In our forthcoming debates we shall discuss how can we improve the cultural, social and material conditions of the Muslim World in the present. We shall also explore what role can the teachers, intellectuals, scholars, media and the various groups of the Muslim societies, “the youth in particular,” play in bringing about a twenty-first century Renaissance in the World of Islam.