Iqbal's ideas for the restoration of Muslim dynamism

Islam seeks to develop the human minds to a total submission to Allah the Almighty. Through its divine guidance, the Qur’an ushered a large section of the masses in Arabia from the darkness of ignorance into knowledge and enlightenment of their souls. Islam grew from a humble beginning into a mighty civilizational force. Islamic civilization like all other civilizations, started to decline after reaching its pinnacle of success. Ever since the fall of Baghdad in 1258, the Muslim world has been confronted with endless problems in all fields of life. Colonization of Muslim lands by the West had created the knowledge and technological gap between them and their colonizers. Being subjected to colonization, neo-colonization, and now globalization, Muslims are lagging behind other communities of the world. The Muslim minds which once came up with great ideas, discoveries, innovation and inventions, at the moment somehow become less prolific, and experiencing a state of lethargy and malaise. In realizing the great challenges faced by the Muslims in the modern world, this research intends to re-visit Iqbal’s ideas to remedy the awful situations experienced by the Ummah

Globalization and the muslim world

History indicates that before the coming of modern globalization, the Muslims had their own version of globalization. During the Muslim era of globalization which coincides with the Golden Age of the Muslims, the West benefited immensely from the scholastic works produced by Muslim scientists and scholars. Modern globalization which started during the era of Western colonization of the East has now gone to every nook and cranny of the world. The usage of internet and other modern electronic media directly or indirectly has speeded up the process of transporting modern globalization to the world community. Modern globalization has brought about radical change in aims of education; it has marginalized local culture and language; it has caused brain drain everywhere in the world. Muslims, it seems, are perceiving globalization as identical to re-colonization. This paper intends to explore and investigate how modern globalization heralded by the west is different from Muslim globalization in the past

Iqbal’s ideas on science and the muslims

Muslims were able to embellish their civilization with great achievements in the areas of science and technology. The Holy Qur‟an not only speaks about spirituality but also on science and the natural world. The message found in the Qur‟an was the driving force in encouraging the Muslims to go into science and research. Their zeal and zest to understand the hidden message of Allah the Almighty in the natural world made them learn from people of the earlier civilizations such as the Greeks, Persians and Indians. Adopt, adapt and assimilate or integrate was the approach used by Muslims in taking knowledge from others outside the religion. During their heydays, the Muslims were the pioneers in the many areas of knowledge and science that include mathematics, medicine, algebra, alchemy, philosophy, sociology, geography, etc. The great Muslim personalities and the centers established for learning during the peak of their civilization drew Europeans scholars to learn from them. In modern times, the European renaissance movement which started in the 14th century got the impetus from the culture of learning, doing research and exploration that was shown by the Muslim scholars of the Golden Age of Islam (750-1258). All the celebrated works of the Muslim scholars in science and research came to a halt after the fall of Baghdad in 1258 which triggered the demise of the Islamic empires. The decline of the empires and the internal conflicts within the Ummah made them lag behind other nations in the areas of science and technology. This research paper intends to explore the ideas of Allama Mohammed Iqbal (1873-1938) on science and what happened in the Islamic civilization that hindered their progress in science and research. Besides that, it also intends to explore the approach advocated by Iqbal towards science and how it can be used to make this world a better place for the Muslims and others as well

Iqbal’s ego philosophy and its importance in awakening man’s spirituality

History reveals the fact that the coming of modernity and secularism has allured modern man towards a materialistic concept of life, ignoring his spiritual needs in respect of his role as the vicegerent of God. This predicament has not only marred man’s relationship with God but has also failed him toward understanding his true nature and mission in life. The large segment of humanity today is on the brink of losing its human and spiritual values, resulting in severe environmental degradation, racism, terrorism, war, poor mental health, and other psychopathological illnesses. This paper intends to explore and draw out conclusions from the philosophical thoughts of Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) with regard to his ego philosophy that explains man’s relationship with God, community and the universe (flora and fauna). Lessons drawn out from Iqbal’s ideas can be of great use in awakening man’s spirituality and improving his quality of life by establishing a harmonious relationship with God, environment and fellow human beings

Globalization and some of its impact on education and culture

In the history of Islam, the fall of Baghdad in 1258 indicates the decline of the Islamic empires. The fall of the empires also marked the fall of the Islamic civilization and intellectualism. As the Islamic empires fell one after another, starting with Baghdad, this left the Muslims in a pathetic condition, hardly able to regain the prestigious position once they held on the world stage. The internal conflicts within the Ummah, also in a way failed them in making any significant contribution during the great Industrial Revolution that happened in the West. After that, Western colonization of Muslim lands, to some extent deprived them the success of reconstructing and regaining the great civilization once they had during their heydays. Evers since the fall of Baghdad, the Muslims are constantly bombarded with challenges they have to face in maintaining their faith, culture and heritage. In modern times, after their independence, one of the serious problems they have to face is globalization. Globalization which started some time ago is an ongoing thing that cannot be stopped. It is a multi-faceted phenomenon which ramifies into all areas of the human life. Since the idea of globalization is a thing that comes from the rich and affluent countries of the West, many in the developing and third world countries welcome it with much delight as it offers them a great deal in terms of capital flow which promises prosperity. Others perceive it with a doubtful and skeptical attitude by questioning as to what are the hidden agendas of globalization. To them, globalization is a new agenda of the West to re-colonize the East. It is seen as a new approach of how the Western hegemony can be imposed on the political, economic, social, cultural and other aspects of the people in the East, particularly in the Muslim world. In the light of the present world scenario, this paper intends to explore what globalization is all about, what sort of impact it has on the Islamic civilization, very particularly in the areas of education and culture. Since globalization is irreversible, the paper also aims at discussing on how the Muslim countries should strategize in facing the ferocious onslaught of the tidal waves of globalization that have touched their shores. Keywords: Globalization, Impact, Education, Culture & Re-colonizatio

Iqbal's theory of personality: a contrastive analysis with Freud

Man being a universe on the micro-level, has been constantly researched upon from the ancient to the modern times using philosophical and scientific approaches. This study explores the developments that have taken place in the areas of human nature and personality in the West and the Islamic World. The crux of this research provides a contrastive analysis of the personality theories showcased to the world by Freud and Iqbal. The analysis of this study indicates that Freud’s views on man and personality are centered around his ideas on the human sexuality. As a result of that, he has provided a concept on man that is both pessimistic and deterministic in nature. To him, man is an intellectual beast who is doomed to fail as he is caught between the warring parties of his psychic components. In contrast, Iqbal has promoted many positive ideas about man and the latent powers of the human psyche. His theory of personality is not only dynamic in nature but also inspires man to sink into his psyche to bring the best out of him. Iqbal believed that by actualizing the good elements of the psyche, man can transform this world into a better place for the benefit of humanity

Mental health awareness among students of IIUM

Due to the phenomenal increase in issues related to mental illness in Malaysia and elsewhere in the world, this presentation appeals to the students of IIUM to pay a serious attention to their state of mental health. It has come to the knowledge of the presenters during their counselling sessions with students who go through stress, anxiety, and other mild psychopathological symptoms, that most students are not aware of the importance of maintaining a good balance in their bodily, psychological and spiritual needs. The ultimate aim of this presentation is to bring to the awareness of the students that in their pursuit of academic excellence they should not undermine the importance of enjoying a good level of mental health. It is the contention of the presenters that spirituality plays a vital role in averting all forms of mental illness

A critical appraisal of Zakir Naik’s Islamic evangelism

Though Islam is a religion against compulsion in inviting others into its fold, but it allows to a certain degree for Muslim scholars to engage in any form of peaceful, ethical and intellectual debate/discourse with people of other faith. Ever since this message was communicated through the Qur’an, there appeared in the Muslim world many intellectuals who engaged people of other faith in discussing issues related to God and spirituality. While the Muslim world still celebrates the contribution of past renowned Muslim scholars in the area of comparative religion, this small-scale research is designed to investigate the approaches, contributions and controversies that surround Naik who is a contemporary Muslim scholar of comparative religion. Even though many recognize his intellectual competency in discussing other religions, but there are people around the globe who find his public lecture provocative, cynical and disparaging towards other religions. Through this qualitative study the researchers intend to conduct a critical appraisal on Naik’s religious propagation. Besides that, the researchers will also analyze some of the criticisms hurled at him. The critical analysis of the research will objectively discuss Naik’s method of preaching, personality, style of public lecture, etc. The textual-analysis method will be employed to interpret the pertinent data of this research that come in the form of Naik’s public lectures and written documents