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The role of Islam in the modern world

The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (s.a.w), was not bestowed for any particular tribe, time, race, ethnicity or culture rather he was bestowed for all the mankind without any exception of the above-mentioned things. This universal message of Islam makes it a complete and living religion that guides human beings through all situations and all periods of time. Islam is as complete, dynamic, practical and adaptable in nature as was fourteen hundred years ago. The power of evolution of Islam with the changing trends of time can be gauged from the fact that the European Rennaisance and the present form of the welfare state are all the fruits of the Islamic thought.

Al-Khwarizmi (the inventor of Algebra)
Al-Khwarizmi (the inventor of Algebra)


Now we study one by one how each and every field of life in the modern world has been positively impacted by Islam.

Politics and state

History is a testament to the fact that it was Islam that provided the very base for the modern nation-state. Muslims formed first such independent state in Medina under the leadership of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.a.w) where they were living side by side with Jews and Christians and all of them were enjoying religious freedom.The concept of a pluralistic state came down to the Islamic Caliphate and early Muslim empires and was then adopted by the Western intelligentsia as a remedy for their problems.

The influence of the Islamic welfare state can be gauged from the very enforcement of many laws in Europe that we derived during the time of the second Caliph of Islam, Hazrat Umar (r.a). The western nation-state began to prosper materialistically but severely degraded spiritually in contrast to the early Islamic states due to lack of recognition of religion as an important part of the state.

Education and science

Islam from its very start stressed highly on the learning of new knowledge. For this purpose, a secret learning center was established in the house of Hazrat Araqam (r.a) where the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) would teach his followers how to recite Quran and how to lead a pious life in accordance with the teachings of Islam. When Quran provides the evidence of God’s existence it does not focuses its debate on superstitions but on the real-life examples for the people to understand. Quran says,” No doubt, in the creations of heavens and earth and in the translation of day and night are clear signs for men to understand” (Surah Ali Imran). From this and other verses of Quran, we can clearly say that Quran asks people to think and not to blindly follow anyone. The very first word that was revealed by the Allah (SWT) to the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was “ Read”, which needs no explanation.

The positive impact of the teachings of Islam was visible in the coming years when Muslim world produced some of the greatest scientists and mathematicians of all time like Khwazrimi ( who is the called the father of Algebra), Ibn Sina ( one of the pioneers in the medical field) and Ibnul Haitham ( pioneer in optics). This impact was later transferred to the Western world during the period of the renaissance when the Western scientists garnered knowledge about science and technology during their interaction at Cardova and Baghdad etc. Islam is and was always in complete harmony with the changing trends in Science and technology.

Economy

Islam is not only a religion or a set of beliefs rather it is a complete code of life for all the human beings. Islam, on one hand, discusses in detail the individual life of a person but on the other hand it also thoroughly discusses the statecraft. It gives us a complete code of laws that will run the matters of the state from top to bottom. One of the important pillars of a state is the economy is Zakat which is like breathing for a country and its residents.

Islam gives a complete guideline how to collect taxes called Zakat from the rich classes and how to distribute it among poor and needy sections of the society.  When describing its economic model, Islam mainly stresses on two things; charity and usury. The charity can be classified into two types; obligatory and optional charity. The Holy Quran praises those who give charity and is described one of the pillars that keep the economy running. The Holy Quran says,” Establish prayers and give Zakat”(Surah Muzammil).

The Holy Quran speaks against the exploitation of poor and went so far that it completely bans any kind of Usury which leads towards exploitation. Allah says in the Holy Quran,” Allah destroys interest and gives increase for charities” (Surah Baqara). The Islamic economic model has a great impact on the modern which can be seen throughout the developed world in the form of low-interest rates. When interest is lowered, it compels people to invest money in businesses and in turn generates economic activity and jobs for poor. Japan, one of the developed economies, has also followed the concept of lower interest rates and the success is visible in every field of life. The system of tax or Zakat works as the engine for an economy and lesser burden to the people of the state because it is just 2.5 of the total economy.

Art and Architecture

Islam has also played a key role in promoting art and architecture in the modern world.  Though Islam teaches not to be involved in making arts that can in some way promote idolatry but on the other hand, the great artists in the Islamic world have turned their attention towards other forms of art that don’t symbolize idolatry like portraying nature and doing Calligraphy. The Islamic calligraphy, writing Quranic words in unique ways, has assumed the status of a new form of art. As far as the architecture is concerned, Muslim architects have introduced their own unique form and the Mosque has remained one of the entities that have experienced so many different variations in architecture along with the dome structure. The great mosque in Cardova and so many different mosques built by the Moghuls in India and Pakistan are a testament to the fact that Islamic architecture is a living architecture and has impacted the whole world.


From the above discussion, we can notice that the effects of Islam on each and every field of life are visible in the modern world and this discussion can be extended to other fields of life too. Comment if you have new fields of life in mind that Islam has affected in a positive way. 

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2 comments:

  1. Please explain the term 'low-interest rate' under economy heading. As a whole this concept does not apply in the economy as well as Role of Islam in the modern world.

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    1. Thanks for your comment. The term has been used in the context of conventional banking. The lower interest rates compels a common person to invest his/her money instead of depositing in bank. Islam is also against this interest. The higher the interest, the higher the probability that a common man will deposit his money in a bank.

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