The Islamic Way Of Thinking by Hasan Abdullah

Both decline and revival are products of the intellectual momentum which people initiate. The revival is expected to occur if such an effort or momentum is built upon a comprehensive thought and the people proceeded accordingly. On the contrary, the decline is expected to prevail if this comprehensive thought is absent and the people fail to consider any such thought as their frame of reference.

Therefore, any discussion or research related to the factors resulting in the current decline the Ummah is facing must address this issue. By surveying the intellectual history of the Muslim Ummah, one discovers that Muslims during the first three generations maintained Islam as the sole frame of reference. They adopted Islam the way the Prophet (saaw) instructed them to - by scrutinizing the reality through a deep and comprehensive thinking process. The Islamic Aqeedah, built through this intellectual process, became a reference for the thinking of Muslims. This Aqeedah would serve as the foundation upon which the Sahabah would build their understanding of the Islamic rules and systems to govern their lives with.

Muslims were particularly concerned about this process, and the Prophet (saaw) kept a vigilant eye in correcting any diversion in this approach. He would immediately correct the Sahabah and censor any misunderstanding that arose, regardless of its magnitude. For example, when the Prophet (saaw)

told the Sahabah that the people of Jannah were created for the Jannah, and the people of Jahannam were created for Jahannam, the Sahabah asked him, "Then why would we work?" He (saaw) told them, "You should work, and each one will proceed towards what he was created for." In this incident, the Prophet (saaw) detected a problem in their thinking when the Sahabah sought to connect their actions in a negative fashion with the Ghaib, in this case what they perceived as the being the Knowledge of Allah (swt). The Prophet (saaw) immediately corrected this misunderstanding by explaining to them that the Muslim should connect his actions with what he can comprehend and perceive, which is the Hukm Sharii, rather than with what he cannot fathom or comprehend, which is the Ghaib.

In another incident, an eclipse occurred after the death of Ibrahim, the son of the Prophet (saaw).

Some people began to mistakenly connect the occurrence of the eclipse to this incident. The Prophet (saaw) immediately corrected their understanding by explaining to the people that they should not connect any natural phenomenon with the process of life and because there is no relationship between the two. He told the Sahabah, "Both the sun and the moon are signs of Allah, and they do not have their eclipse due to the birth or death of any individual." This correction process did not just happen during the time of the Prophet (saaw) but also continued during the Era of the Sahabah. It was reported that Abu Bakr corrected the people when they incorrectly understood the following ayah:

"O You who believe. Guard your own selves. If you follow guidance, no harm can come to you from those who go astray. The return of all of you is to Allah." [TMQ 5:105].

Some people misunderstood this ayah to claim that a Muslim should care only for himself and not have any concern for others. Abu Bakr explained to them that the ayah is not an indication to stop enjoining the good and forbidding the evil (Amr bil-Ma'ruf wa nahy anil-Munkar). Instead, the ayah is ordering the Muslims not to follow such persons who commit mistakes. The ayah further mentions that the mistakes committed by such individuals will not harm the Muslims unless they follow them and commit the same mistakes. Abu Bakr, after explaining the ayah's correct meaning, also quoted a hadith in which the Prophet (saaw) said:

"You will continue performing Amr bil- Ma'ruf wa nahy anil-Munkar, and you will continue to hold the oppressor accountable and force him to cease his oppression. Otherwise, Allah will send a punishment, and you will make Du'a to Allah but your Du'a will not be answered." In another incident, Umar ibn al Khattab was reciting the ayah:

"and fruits and abba." [TMQ 80:31] A sahabi asked him, "What is this 'abba'?" Umar noticed that he was asking about something related to the Ghaib and instructed him not to do so and to be content with the ayah's general meaning of describing the bounties of the Jannah. Also, Umar realized that the general meaning of the text is clear and can be understood without understanding the meaning of the word "abba." Another example which illustrates this corrective process occurred when the Muslims faced the Romans in the Battle of Yarmuk. A Muslim who was overwhelmed by the numbers of the Roman Army stated, "Arabs are too little and Romans are too many. How great the Romans are and how little the Arabs are." Khalid ibn al-Walid replied, "You should say, 'How great Muslims are and how little the Romans are,' since the soldiers will be great by the victory and will be little by the defeat." In this incident, Khalid corrected the entire criteria of the balance of power between armies, and explained to that individual that the measure of an army's greatness should be based on its victories and not on its size.

These examples illustrate that the Prophet (saaw) as well as the Sahabah after him were very concerned about the thinking process. They would correct the misunderstanding of a certain concept in addition to addressing the way of thinking of anyone whom they needed correction. Therefore, Muslims always strove to eliminate any alien idea from Islam in order to preserve the correct understanding of Islam and eliminate the possibility of any divergence emerging. Muslims paid careful attention towards maintaining their point of view towards the life in addition to preserving their understanding of the Aqeedah, the Islamic thoughts and rules, and the mechanism through which they understood Islam.

However, by the third generation, patterns of divergence began to appear in the thinking of some Muslims when they incorporated some alien ideas into their thinking. Consequently, the understanding of Islam among Muslims gradually deteriorated. Even though Muslims are expected to maintain a high level of understanding, they failed to do so as a result of an accumulation of several factors. The three most significant factors which contributed to the decline of the thinking among Muslims were: Greek Philosophy, the Oriental or Eastern Philosophies, and the recent Western intellectual invasion.

Greek philosophy can be considered a specific outlook toward life since it has an Aqeedah as well as certain key fundamental thoughts, all of which produce a unique way of thinking based upon logic.

This philosophy was exposed to Muslims through two channels: The Christians living under the Islamic State, and the Translation movement. The Christians who were ruled by Muslims were already equipped with the Greek philosophy because Christianity became devoid of any rational thoughts and concepts and, therefore, could not be considered as an basis for building any substantial thoughts upon. Due to this deficiency, the Christians began to look towards Greek philosophy and logic in order to their system of thoughts. Unfortunately, some Muslims were influenced by the Greek thoughts as well, and they began studying Greek philosophy, thinking that doing so would enable them to intellectually face the Christians with the same tools.

They failed to realize that delving into Greek philosophy would lead them to be influenced by it.

The Muslims did not understand that any way of thinking is defined by a unique Aqeedah, which will result in the person adopting any way of thinking to ultimately be influence by the Aqeedah which shaped such a way of thinking.

An example illustrating how the Muslims relied upon Greek philosophy to substantiate their arguments was when the Christians claimed that Christ in the Word of Allah that was given to Mariam. According to their argument, since the word is one of Allah's Attributes, it is eternal because any descriptive adjective is connected to the object it is describing. And because the object in this instance is Allah, Who is eternal, then any attribute related to Allah is also eternal. The conclusion that the Christians derived as a result of this logic is that Christ is eternal and not created. To support their claim, they quoted the following from the Bible: "In the beginning, there was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Some Muslims, such as the Mu'tazilah, thought that the best method to counter the Christian argument was to claim that the Qur'an was created. According to them, saying that the Qur'an, which is Allah's Word, is created would lead to the conclusion that Christ is also created on the basis that Christ is also Allah's Word. As a result, the entire concept of discussing the Attributes of Allah influenced by this approach. The Mu'tazilah claimed that no difference exists between Allah's Attributes and His Essence, and that both are one and the same. They propagated the notion that the descriptions of Allah's Essence are not separated from His Essence. According to them, if the Attributes of Allah, which are eternal, are separated from His Essence, this would result in the existence of several eternal things, which would justify the existence of the Trinity.

To counter this claim, others such as Ahlul-Sunnah viewed such a stance as denial of Allah's Attributes. Ahlul-Sunnah claimed that while Allah has eternal attributes, they are neither a part of Allah nor separated from His Essence. According to them, Allah's Attributes are not a part of Him because the descriptions are never an integral part of the object being described. And they are eternal because no description which carries a limited meaning can be attributed to Allah's Essence.

Based on this logic, Ahlul-Sunnah concluded that the Attributes of Allah are eternal and are manifested by Allah's Essence, but they are neither Him nor something other than Him because the descriptions are not the essence which is described. Furthermore, the Attributes are not something other than Allah because they are attributed to Allah. Muslims were eventually caught in this endless spiral of sophistic argument which eventually led to conclusions that had no realistic or rational basis. The issue could have been settled from the beginning if the Muslims realized that the issue of Allah's Attributes is part of the Ghaib and is beyond the scope of rational discussion.

Furthermore, the Muslims should have acknowledged that the laws which apply to the human being cannot apply to Allah. Eventually, such an intellectual squabble led to an entire Fitnah when the State attempted to impose the opinion of the Mu'tazilah upon the Muslims by force.

What caused the Muslims to entangle themselves in these sophistic discussions was adopting the logical method of thinking in the Aqeedah. The Muslims should have built the Aqeedah through the rational thinking in order to reach the conclusion that Allah exists and that the Qur'an is from Allah, and this basis would lead the Muslims to believe conclusively that whatever Allah revealed to Muhammad (saaw) is wahi. Once this Aqeedah is established, then the wahi itself, and not the rational thinking, would serve to establish the existence of the angels, the Attributes of Allah, and other aspects of the Ghaib. Thus, the Muslims should have adopted their opinions regarding issues of the Ghaib only through the textual, and not the rational, evidence. Muslims could have avoided this pitfall by adopting the stance that the statement "Christ is the Word of Allah" does not mean that Christ is one of Allah's Attributes.1

Muslims also adopted the Greek philosophy through the translation movement, which began during the Umayyads but became more systematic and institutionalized during the Abbasid Era. Al- Ma'mun, who was influenced by the Mu'tazilah, encouraged the translation of Greek literature, and Greek philosophy was one significant source of material that the Muslims translated. As a result, many Muslims began studying this philosophy, and they were influenced by it to varying degrees.

Some of them only adopted the Greek Philosophy as a method of thinking without adopting its Aqeedah, such as the Mu'tazilah and the Mutakallimeen. Others adopted the Greek thought basis itself, which included concepts such as God's incarnation, Immanetism, and Pantheism, and were the so-called "Muslim Philosophers" such as Ibn Sina, Farabi, and others.

Although the Mutakallimeen maintained their belief in Islam, for them the Islamic doctrine ceased to function as a rational doctrine which instructed the human being to first think using the rational method and then to use the revelation as a basis for establishing the existence of realities beyond the human mind or senses. Rather, Islam was reduced to an abstract philosophy addressing issues that were beyond the human .

Thus, Isa was born in this miraculous way; in addition, the ayah indicates that he was created by Allah. We cannot draw an analogy between the Speech of Allah (whether it was sent to Muhammad through the Qur'an or addressed to Musa directly) and Isa, who was created after Allah ordered him to be created. The Speech of Allah and the nature of Isa are two different issues. Furthermore, when the Qur'an describes Isa as the Word of Allah, the meaning of the text is that Isa is just the result of the Word of Allah, which was given to Mariam. And the world of Allah is "Be" mentioned in the ayah, which resulted in the creation of Isa.

Perception in a logical and abstract manner. As a result, they introduced some philosophical issues to the Muslims such as whether or not the Qur'an is created, who created man's actions, and whether Allah's Attributes are separated from His Essence. As for the Muslim Philosophers, they did not leave a substantial impact upon the mainstream, but some Sufi movements remain influenced by their thoughts even until today.

The Greek Philosophy was a setback for Muslims which greatly impacted their understanding of Islam. What added complexity to the problem was when some Khulafah adopted the opinions of the Mu'tazilah and attempted to impose it by force. All of this led to the emergence of many groups, such as Al-Mu'tazilah, Juhamiyah, Hashawiya, and others, in addition to many philosophical movements such as Ikhwan us-Safah, which eventually produced sects such as the Druze. The emergence of such philosophical sects damaged the intellectual cohesiveness and unity of the Muslims and greatly affected their Islamic way of thinking. Muslims would begin to employ the logical method of thinking in areas beyond its scope, such as in the realm of Aqeedah or political thinking. In addition, the influence of such movements introduced to the Muslims the notions of metaphorical and even twisted means of thinking.

Two of the most significant Eastern philosophies that influenced Muslims were the Indian and the Persian philosophies. Many Persians and Hindus became Muslims, but they attempted to reconcile between their old thoughts and the new Islamic thoughts they adopted. Eventually, many of their philosophies and literature was translated into Arabic, and as a result, many of their concepts, such as Brahmanism, Dualism, and the ideas of Mazdak, spread among Muslims. Heretics (Zanadiqah)

emerged for the first time in Muslim history, some propagating the Communistic teachings of Mazduk,2 while others promoting Brahmanism,3 which is rooted in the notion of torturing the body in order to elevate the spiritual aspect. In addition to individuals, entire sects whose foundation and structure exceeded the boundaries of Islam emerged, among them the Karamitah and Hashashin (Assassins).

The rapid spread of Sufism among Muslims was one of the most evident products of the Eastern philosophies. Sufism began as a call for Muslims to detach themselves from the worldly issues, such as financial and political affairs and material enjoyments, and to focus solely on the Hereafter.

However, Sufism later incorporated many alien ideas such as Brahmanism, Incarnation, and Dualsim. Since then, Sufism evolved from a call to detach the people from the life affairs into a comprehensive philosophy with its own ideas, symbols, way of thinking, order, literature, and poetry. The Sufi thought became distinguished in its usage of distinct symbols and styles of communication that no one except the Sufis themselves could comprehend. For example, the Sufis claimed that each ayah or hadith has two meanings: One that is understood by common people (the apparent meaning), and the Batini (hidden) meaning, which only they can understand. They justified this stance on the basis that everything became unveiled to them as a result of certain practices and acts of devotion which they conducted. Below are some examples of some ayahs along with the Batini meanings which the Sufis attributed to them: Allah (saws) says, "He has let loose the two seas which meet together; between them is a barrier which none of them can transgress." [TMQ 55:19-20] Ibn Arabi, a prominent Sufi, stated regarding this ayah: "The two seas (the saltwater and freshwater seas) refer respectively to the physical body and the spirit, and they meet in the human existence.

The barrier alludes to the animalistic aspect of the human soul which prevents either of the two components (the physical body and the spirit) from overcoming the other." Allah (saws) says, "The first house erected for the people is that one in Mecca." [TMQ 3:96] According to Sufi understanding, the apparent meaning of the house is the Ka'abah, whereas the hidden meaning is the Prophet (saaw).

Allah (saws) says, "Worship Allah and join none with Him and do good to parents, kinfolk, orphans, the poor, the relative neighbor and the neighbor, the companion by your side and the wayfarer." [TMQ 4:36] Al-Tusturi says that the known meaning is the apparent meaning, however the hidden meaning is different. The "relative neighbor" is the heart, the "neighbor" refers to nature, and the "wayfarer" refers to the bodily organs that obey Allah.

Allah (saws) says, " Oh people! Fear your Lord, the One Who created you from one single soul." [TMQ 4:1] Ibn Arabi says to make whatever appears from you a protection for your Lord and make your Lord, which is your inside part, a protection for you.

The individuals who deduced the tafseers for the ayahs did not follow any defined rule or methodology and depended solely upon whim and illusion. The Theory of Incarnation is apparent in Ibn Arabi's statements when he considered that Allah is the hidden component of the human being.

Furthermore, the Sufis became attached to their shaykhs and imams, each following behaving according to a specific order, such as the Naqshabandi Order. Also worthwhile mentioning is that most of the Sufis were originally of Non-Arab descent, particularly from the Persian and Turkic regions. This turnout was a natural result of the close proximity of these regions to the centers of Persian and Indian philosophy. This geographical proximity eventually contributed to the emergence of the Bouwaihi and Safawi states in Persia and its surroundings, which helped isolate the Muslims in India and Asia from the Muslims in Iraq, Bilad as-Sham, Egypt, and other territories west of Persia. These two states served as a strong intellectual barrier which separated the two halves of the Islamic world from each other. Sufism also exerted a tremendous control on Muslim thought in India and Central Asia. Sahrourdi and Ghazali aided in spreading these ideas due to their frequent travels to areas in the Muslims world. However, in the center of the Muslim world, which consisted of Bilad as-Sham, Iraq, Egypt, and Arabia, Sufis was resisted heavily by Muslims. Some scholars such as Ibn Taymiyya and Ibnul- Qayyem greatly assisted the opposition towards Sufism. And some extreme Sufis such as Ibnul- Arabi and Al-Hallaj were executed because of propagating their belief in the Incarnation.

Furthermore, the Arabic language aided in obstructing the spread of Sufism in these territories. The situation remained relatively unchanged until some people such as the Moguls and Suljuk Turks emigrated from Central Asia to these regions. These people carried Sufi ideas to the Arabs, and by the 11th Century A.H., most of the Muslim World succumbed to the influence of Sufi thought.

Sufism stifled the thinking process in the Muslim Ummah by spreading passiveness, carelessness, ignorance, and superficial thinking among the Muslims. The Sufi philosophy changed the thinking of Muslims to one based on Fatalism which essentially ignores the cause-effect relationship that Allah (swt) established in the universe. Concepts such as depending upon others, laziness in thinking, and sanctification of certain personalities, in addition to the emergence of personal cults, are only a few of the negative impacts of Sufism, all of which ultimately resulted in the stagnation of Muslim thought. With the doors of ijtihad already closed, the presence of destructive alien thoughts spreading passiveness among Muslims, the educational centers and institutions restricted to memorizing old Fiqh books, and the rapid spread of bida' practices such as visiting the graves of the imams in a ritualistic manner, the Muslims were an easy target for the third and final factor which led to their intellectual decline: The Western invasion.

While Muslims were experiencing a state of intellectual decline, Europe began to emerge as a new intellectual power in the world. During this time, Europe experienced the Renaissance, which resulted in the emergence of Capitalism as a new ideology. The Capitalist ideology had as its foundation the Secular creed which defined the relationship between Church and State. Thinkers such as Hobbs and Rosseau began propagating the newly-emerging concepts of Democracy, Freedom, Individualism, and Liberty. Parallel to the intellectual development was the emergence of the scientific way of thinking, which Europe embraced. All of these intellectual developments ushered Europe into the Industrial Revolution. With the emergence of the Capitalist ideology and the Industrial Revolution, the West emerged as a new intellectual and material force in the world.

Muslims, content with their military superiority, were either unaware or heedless of the sweeping changes which were occurring throughout most of Europe. This contentment was further strengthened by their belief that Islam could not be conquered, the long history the Islamic State enjoyed as the First State in the world for a millennium, and their ability to defeat both the Crusaders and the Moguls. Further adding to this feeling of contentment was the fact that the Muslims were able to sweep across Europe, ultimately reaching Central France and Vienna.

Although the Ottoman State was a military giant, its political and intellectual influence was miniscule. Politically and intellectually, the Muslims were declining due to the accumulation of several internal factors, and this deterioration became more widespread and obvious during the days of the Ottoman State. The Muslims in this state of decline were ill-prepared in dealing with the sudden changes that swept through Europe, and consequently the progress that Europe experienced was a shock to the Muslims that took them by surprise. While the Muslims before continuously expanded their frontiers to new lands, the Muslims during the days of the Ottoman State witnessed the European Nations, particularly Spain, Portugal, Holland, Britain, and France, colonizing Muslim lands in different regions. In the past, the Europeans were forced to cross the Muslim world in order to trade with other nations and territories in remote areas such as China. However, with the discovery of new trade routes by Vasco De Gama, Magellen, Columbus, and others, Europe no longer depended solely upon the Muslims in this regard.

In light of such events, the Muslims began to realize their weakness and decline, but this realization was not initiated by any intellectual awareness of the situation. Instead, the Muslims reacted based on physical criteria to the material advancements in Europe and the conquering of Muslim lands. As a result, the Muslims were overwhelmed by the material advancement of Europe. Although the Muslims attempted to initiate a revival, the concept of revival in their minds was no longer an intellectual revival but was restricted to keeping pace with the progress occurring in the West. As a result of this reactionary stance towards the revival, Muslims became enchanted with the West for the first time in their history.

In their attempts to define and create the revival, the Muslims became divided into three major currents. The first current, the so-called "Traditionalists" or "Conservatives," consisted of the common masses, the traditional shaykhs and scholars, and the Sufis. They took the stance of passiveness and carelessness and paid little or no attention to the events happening in Europe.

Furthermore, they were unable to recognize the distinction between the material and the cultural aspects of a civilization. As a result, they viewed the Western civilization as Kufr in all aspects, which caused them to reject any product of the West as something from Shaytan, whether the product was intellectual, cultural, scientific or technological.

The second current which attempted to revive the Muslims was the Secular current which consisted of those who were fascinated and mesmerized by the European culture and civilization. The seeds of this current were planted with Napolean's invasion of Egypt. Some individuals started visiting Europe in order to study, and these individuals eventually began calling the Muslims to adopt the European culture and civilization in their totality. They called for such Western ideas as the detachment of the Deen from the state, the separation of Islam from life, and other Western-borne concepts such as Equality, Individualism, and Freedom. The Secular current would eventually give rise to the Turkish secular nationalists such as the Young Turks and the Union and Progress Party, as well as some westernized arabs who would form the seeds of arab-nationalist movements.

The last current were represented by the "Modernists" who propagated the idea that the Western culture has both positive and negative qualities and that Muslims should adopt from Europe anything that does not conflict with their Deen. This current started calling Muslims to bridge the gap between Islam and the Western culture by reinterpreting Islam to adapt to the modern life defined by the West.

To the misfortune of the Muslims, all of these currents were wrong in their approach. The Traditionalist current chose the path of stagnation and was not prepared to think in any aspect. And the Secular and Modernist trends considered the West as the reference point, either consciously or subconsciously. They incorrectly defined the revival as being based on the relationship between the Muslims and the West, differing only in the extent to which Muslims should emulate the West.

Furthermore, by considering the West as the frame of reference which defined their course of action, these currents, particularly the Secular and Modernist currents, made themselves easy targets for the European nations to use them as tools in their cultural and intellectual campaign against the Muslims. Both Britain and France started openly assisting the Seculars from among the Turks and Arabs. Egypt, which was occupied by Britain, became a safe haven for Seculars who were forced to leave the Ottoman-controlled territories. In addition, some Lebanese Christians emigrated to Egypt and established newspapers and journals advocating the Secular point of view. Britain and France assisted these individuals in spreading their publications to different regions of the Ottoman State.

Lord Kromer, who resided in Egypt at the time as the British Viceroy, played a critical role in this process.

The Modernist current was also supported by Britain, but the support was done covertly and with the intention of establishing its roots firmly among the masses. This Modernist stream included members such as Refaah Tahtawi, Kahyrid-Deen Al-Tunusi, Jamaal ud-Deen Al-Afghani, Abdul- Rahman Al-Kawakiby, and Muhammad Abdu. A prominent aspect of this covert support was Lord Kromer's efforts in helping Muhammad Abdu reach the position of Shaykh al-Azhar, although he was not well appreciated by the scholars there.4 The works of Muhammad Abdu and Lord Kromer eventually resulted in the establishment of a new educational and judicial system in Egypt.

Muhammad Abdu used the stagnation which gripped the Islamic world to justify his stance of modernizing Islam to mold into the Western-dominated status quo.

In addition to the Secular and Modernist currents, Britain and France also lent support to the Conservative or Traditionalist current by advocating the Sufi trend and promoting the various Sufi orders. This support was clearly visible when the Sufis in Algeria fought alongside the French government against the Muslims. In addition, the new publishing houses established in Egypt began publishing many works of Sufi literature, such as the books of Ibnul-Arabi and Al-Ghazali.

A critical analysis of these currents will reveal that all of them were incorrect for two principle reasons:

1. These movements incorrectly defined the concept of revival and its approach. The Traditionalist movement defined the concept of revival based on stagnation and passiveness.

And the Secular and Modernist currents defined the concept of revival from a purely materialistic vantage point. This outlook led them to restrict the concept of revival to dealing with the West and keeping pace with its progress, rather than dealing with themselves and identifying the factors which would create progress for the Muslims. What the Muslims should have done was to initiate a discussion about their situation, proceed to identify factors and causes that led to their decline, and then define the approach they should follow to revive themselves intellectually with the objective of restoring their creativity, productivity, and above all, the correct Islamic thinking. Unfortunately, no attempts of this nature happened.

2. Both the Traditionalist and Modernist currents failed to identify the difference between Hadaara (the cultural aspects of a civilization) and Madaneyyah (the material aspects of a civilization). For thisreason, Muslims were unable to identify what they can adopt and what they should reject from other civilizations. Because the Hadaara consists of a set of concepts about life derived from a fundamental thought or creed, then the Muslims cannot adopt anything from the other civilizations related to the Hadaara. Aspects related to a civilization or society's Hadaara include its systems, the economic and political orders, the outlook towards man and society, and the prevailing arts and philosophies.5 On the other hand, the Madaneyyah consists of the material aspects of a civilization which is not influenced by a unique point of view, philosophy or creed, such as industry, mathematics, physics, engineering, and medicine. All of these material aspects are permissible because the Sharii Qa'ida states: "The original rule for objects is permissibility, unless it is proven otherwise."6

In addition, Muslims failed to differentiate between the different types of knowledge and, as a result, could not identify what areas of knowledge they could adopt from the West and what areas of knowledge they could not. Because the scientific knowledge is acquired through the scientific methodology, which is universal and cannot be influenced by any doctrine or specific point of view, the Muslims are allowed to acquire scientific knowledge from any source. However, the Thaqafah, or the knowledge that is influenced by a specific point of view towards life is particular to any culture and is acquired by narration and deduction. Such areas of knowledge include language, history, jurisprudence, and philosophy. Muslims must exercise care in studying any cultural knowledge such as sociology, psychology, and economics because they are influenced by the point of view of others.

Based on this distinction between the universal and the particular, the Muslims were supposed to adopt the science and technology from the West and develop it further while rejecting the Western culture and point of view. However, instead of adopting this strategy, the Muslims ironically attempted to transfer the thoughts and concepts unique to the Western culture while rejecting many technological and scientific advancements which the West achieved.

These attempts to revive the Muslims failed to address the true nature of revival. Instead, they compounded the problem of the Muslims by mixing the Islamic thought with the Western thought.

Such a mixture led to more backwardness in science and technology. Further exasperating the decline was the intellectual invasion of the West, which systematically targeted specific issues in the Islamic way of thinking. Following are examples of specific issues in Islam which the West addressed and their impact upon Muslims: