KARACHI, Jan 27: Without critically examining both the state of the Muslim world as well as the West, progress for Muslims is impossible, while we need to reacquaint ourselves with Arabic and Persian in order to keep alive the links with our history and once glorious past.
This was stated by Iranian scholar Dr Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi on Tuesday while delivering a lecture on ‘Revival of Islamic thought and culture’ at the University of Karachi. The lecture was organised by the varsity’s Department of Islamic Learning in collaboration with Khana-i-Farhang, the cultural centre of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Speaking in Farsi through an interpreter, Dr Azghadi, who is a professor in Tehran University and also lectures on various subjects at the Hauza Ilmia in Qom, liberally referred to Allama Mohammad Iqbal, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as well as several key points in history as he urged the audience to shun blind imitation and reject the biases peddled by many in the West.
“Why do we lag behind today and how can we return to the glory of the past? Western imperialists have always divided Islamic lands. They have also occupied our thoughts, which is much more dangerous. We follow false notions, which have left us mired in misery. We have been cut off from the past, as if we didn’t have a civilisation before the seventeenth century. The educated segment is most affected by these kinds of thoughts. They think progress is possible only through accepting Western values,” Dr Azghadi said.
Freedom from sectarianism
“Islam can solve today’s problems through a system based on values. It must be free of sectarianism. Iqbal was a Hanafi but loved the Ahlul Bayt (AS). Mohammad Ali Jinnah was a Jafari. They were both above narrow sectarianism. Today’s Pakistan needs this. You should strive for similar values to earn your rightful place in the world,” observed the professor, who is a sociologist, philosopher and political strategist.
Dr Azghadi said two great myths were major impediments in the progress of the Muslim world: the belief that all knowledge came from the West and the notion that before the European Renaissance, the whole world was enveloped in darkness and ignorance.“As long as we remain followers and don’t create knowledge, we’ll only act as photocopiers. We must critically examine ourselves and the West. This does not mean we should be prejudiced and condemn the West across the board. Islam does not teach this,” he said.
“There is a notion that unless we accept all the negatives of the West, we will not prosper. It is true that the West is alive with the spirit of inquiry, which they owe to Islam. They worked hard on it and we didn’t. But that does not mean progress comes from putting on Western clothes. It also does not mean that an aba (cloak) and amama (turban) are obstacles in the road to progress. We need to focus on using our aql and developing our fikr.”
He lamented the fact that people in this part of the world were no longer conversant with Persian. “If only you could understand Farsi, the language of your fathers, which has been snatched from you, you would recognise the sweetness of Iqbal’s verses for yourselves.”
As for the second myth, Dr Azghadi said there was a common view that civilisation and progress began after the Renaissance, as before this people lived in the Stone Age. “This may be true for the West, but not the whole world.”
As for the so-called discovery of new lands by Western powers, the scholar said this gained momentum after the fall of Andalus (Muslim Spain) in the late fifteenth century. “New lands were not discovered, but occupied. How can you discover a country that already has people living on it? Besides, the Muslims were already trading with many of these nations. The Muslims did not enslave these peoples. The West enslaved them and exploited them. They even ‘discovered’ the subcontinent!”
‘Satanic knowledge’
Dr Azghadi said when knowledge pioneered by the Muslims began to reach Europe, the Church reacted and banned the diffusion of this knowledge, terming it “Satanic.”
“This all happened in Europe. From the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, barbarism and hatred of knowledge continued. However, Islam promoted people like Bu Ali Sina and Ibn Rushd.” He cited the examples of English philosopher Roger Bacon (who educated himself through the work of Muslim masters) and Italian astronomer Galileo, who suffered greatly at the hands of the Church for their theories.
“Today the situation has changed as we are steeped in ignorance. Today the West says follow us and take what we have. But Islam stresses Tajdid-i-Fikr. Imam Khomeini urged people to be self-confident and to examine themselves to build a future on the foundation of the past.
Censoring history
“Western historians tend to censor history. Either they are silent, belittle or lie about the achievements of Muslims. However, we should not forget our history. How many of us know history? How many of us are aware of the history of the subcontinent? But we are aware of Western history. We know the history of the American president’s dog. We know the history of Hollywood and Bollywood,” said the scholar.
He observed that wherever there were Islamic movements active in the world, they were linked to Iran. “This is not true. The Muslims are awakening. When the truth of Islam reaches someone, it awakens them.”
He urged people to learn Arabic and Farsi. “Do learn English and other languages. But do not forget your own culture.”
He asked the KU administration to set up a chair for the study of Islamic cultural history as well as a chair for Farsi.
“You were aware of all these things. I just wanted to give you a reminder. We are not against the West. We are against exploitation. We are against oppression. We want respect for our beliefs and sacred symbols. We want a system based on justice. Jihad is not terrorism but the defence of rights. We condemn terrorism. We want brotherhood and unity,” Dr Azghadi concluded.
KU vice-chancellor Professor Dr Qasim Raza Siddiqui presided while Dr Ghulam Mehdi, head of the Islamic Learning Department, delivered the vote of thanks.
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