The conferences

The requirements of the aspired human civilization

I. The meaning of civilization:

It is the fruit of interaction between man, the universe and life; it constitutes of a body and soul. The body is the material achievements which manifested themselves in factories, planes, buildings; the soul is the tenets and values incarnated in the behaviors of individuals and groups.

II. The elements of civilization: 

Man: He is the basic element in building civilization; that is why Allah has onoured him and placed him above all other. Allah the Most exalted said: «And We have honoured the Children of Adam, provided them with means of transport on land and sea, and We have bestowed on them good things, and have preferred them above many of those We created». [Surat Al-Isrâ'/ the Nocturnal Trip/ 70]

He also said: «And to Thamood (We sent) their brother Salih; he said: "O my people worship Allah , you have no god other than Him, He  has created you from the earth, and made you dwell in it, therefore ask for forgiveness from Him, then repent to Him, surely my Lord near and responsive». [Surat Hood, 61]

Life: Some scholars defined it as being time. It is the span within which man is active. Allah the Most Exalted said:

«Allah is He who created the heavens and the earth, and sent down water from the skies, wherewith He brought forth fruits to be your sustenance. Allah has made the ships subject to you, so that they sail upon the seas at His command,   and he subjected to you the rivers; for you Allah subjected the sun and the moon, in constancy. And for you He subjected the night and the day». [Surat Ibrâhim/ the Prohet Abraham, 32 and 33]

«And We have appointed the night and the day as two signs, then We have obscured the sign of the night, and made the sign of the day to see, that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the numbering of years and the reckoning, and everything We have distinguished most distinctly». [Surat Al-Isrâ'/ the Nocturnal Trip/ 70]

The Universe: It is the physical expanse that is full of fixed laws and causes which must be understood and well exploited by man. Allah the Most Exalted said: «Have you not seen that Allah has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and earth, and has bestowed on you His Blessings, seen and unseen? And there are among people those who dispute about Allah without knowledge or guidance, or an enlightening Book». [Surat Luqman, 20] «Allah is He who made the earth docile to you. So walk in it! Eat of His sustenance! Unto Him will be the Resurrection». [Surat Al-Mulk- the Dominion, 15] 

III The prevailing characteristics of the western civilization:

The western civilization is the one which is based on western thought that is characterized by:

1- The incomprehensible knowledge of Deity.

- A vision that does not accord Allah due consideration.

- An unsettled vision that does not believe in an omniscient and omnipotent Deity or in a guiding prophecy or infallible divine revelation.

2- Materialistic tendency.

The universe, knowledge and behavior are explained by this tendency which denies the Unseen and thus disbelieves in Allah, His Messengers and the Hereafter, because these things are not perceptible.

The American journalist John Junter said in his book "Inside Europe": «Indeed the British people worship the British bank six days a week, and in the seventh day they turn towards the church».

3- Separation between religion and life (laicism).

This idea is inculcated in the minds of the westerns after a bitter struggle with the church that held an Inquisition to try the mind and subjugate science.

4- Struggle.

Western civilization is the one which is based on struggle and the one which ignores peace.

The western civilization knows many kinds of struggle:

- Struggle between man, himself and his innateness (nature).

- Struggle between man and his Creator.

- Struggle between man and nature.

- Struggle between man and man.

5- Superiority over the others.

Superiority is what controls the minds of the westerns. Superiority of some races over the others was the widespread theory among them. Although many scientific studies have proved the invalidity of this theory, but it still exists in the minds of the western people, and it is fueled by ideas that serve the interests of the great and important persons. This theory sanctions a reality that is oppressive and detrimental to human being.

IV. The advantages and disadvantages of the modern civilization.

a) Its advantages.

- Shortening the distances by the different means of transportation like planes.

- Saving time by using different means of communication.

- Saving energies: physical and intellectual ones.

b) Its disadvantages.

1- Moral depravity: among its manifest signs, we mention:

- The spreading of illicit sexual relation, which in its turn leads to the manifestation of phenomena like:

- Unmarried mothers.

- Abortion.

- Illegitimate children.

- Holding meeting to sanction moral depravity.

- Lethal diseases like AIDS.

2- The disintegration of the family, as seen in:

- The shaking of the marriage contract.

- The disappearance of motherly, fatherly and filial feelings.

- The hiring of wombs.

- The appearance of the homosexual relations (families).

3- Psychological unrest.

This is an inevitable result of the confusion in morals and values; it may lead to many matters, among them:

- The choice of a solitary life.

- Suicide.

4- Mental disturbance: it results in spreading insanity.

5- Crime and fear.

The spreading of fear everywhere is due to the spreading of crime and the variation of its methods.

- The western people sound the alarm:

The wise people among the western world became conscious of the inherent danger in their civilization that neglected the spiritual and moral side, and so threatens humanity's existence in present and in the future. Among those wise people we mention:

- Alexis Carrel: He won the Noble Prize in Sciences due to his book "Man, that Unknown being".

- Henry Linnick: He is an American psychologist.

- John Dewey: He is an American philosopher.

- Roger Carnegie: He is a French philosopher.

V. The requirements of the aspired human civilization:

The aspired human civilization must be based on the following points:

1) A better exploitation of the elements of civilization which are man, the universe, and life (time).

2) Benefiting from the ancient civilizations (materially and morally), and developing what is useful in the current civilization.  

3) Relying on Allah's laws in establishing civilizations, and avoiding the causes of their disappearance, as they are shown in these verses:

«… Surely Allah does not change the condition of a people unless they change what is in themselves…». [Surat Ar-R'ad/ the Thunder, from the verse 11]

«That is the Blessed Abode of the Hereafter, We shall assign it to those who do not desire to haughtiness for themselves, nor to be corruptive on the earth, and the Supreme achievement is for the Allah-fearing». [Surat Al-Qassas/ the Narratives, 83]

«… Indeed Allah does not amend the works of those who do corruption». [Surat Yûnus/ the Prophet Jonah, from the verse 81]

«Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the Aad; Iram of the pillars; the like of which was never created in any Land? And the Thamud, who hewed out rocks in the valley? And (with) Pharaoh who had pags, who were insolent in the land; and infested the land with much corruption. Therefore your Lord loosed upon them a scourge of chastisement; surely your Lord is ever watchful». [Surat Al-Fajr/ the Dawn, from 6 to 14]

«So these are their houses, fallen down, because of the evil they committed. Surely there is a sign in this for a people who have knowledge». [Surat An-Naml/ the Ants, 52] 

4- Realizing integration and equilibrium between the following parallels, without excess or negligence:

- Transmission and mind.

- Faith and science.

- The soul and the body.

- The rights and the duties.

The just and moderate civilization that Allah stated in His Book is achieved only if the above mentioned points and bases are fulfilled. The Almighty Allah said: «And so We have appointed you as a just and distinguished nation, to be witness over all people, and the messenger is a witness over you…». [Surat Al-Baqara/ the Heifer, from the verse 143]

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