Two Clashes

Two Clashes

Ever since their emergence, the Muslim mind and body have clashed with the other mind and body. That clash had ebbs and flows. Sometimes the other mind and body were in such a state of weakness and agony that you could not speak of any clash, because a living being does not clash with dead entities.

Sometimes our mind and body were in such a state of weakness and stagnation that one could not speak of any confrontation, but could only describe the situation as the Prophet (God bless him and give him peace) described it when he said: “Nations are soon going to rush toward you, as insatiable eaters rush toward a delicious meal.” Someone asked: “Will that be due to our being few on that day?” He replied (God bless him and give him peace): “No indeed, you will be numerous on that day, but you will be like the scum of the flood. God will surely remove respect for you from the breasts of your enemy and instill feebleness in your hearts.” Someone asked: “O Messenger of God! What is feebleness?” He said (God bless him and give him peace): “Love of this world and dislike of death.”27

We have become scummy in mind and body, invaded and utterly consumed by civilized and industrial nations that love this life, possess sciences and technology, hate to die and yet put people to death. As for us, we are eager to live any life, however miserable, and we hate physical death, while accepting the death of our dignity and human nature.

The constant clash had two climaxes: First, when the Muslims emerged and marched in the court of Rustam, the land of the Persians and the colonies of Byzantium, they uttered that liberating declaration for which military power opened the space of action, and the mind-liberating declaration of Truth opened the breasts of the nations. In the second climax, the clash began two centuries ago, with the conquest in which the other mind acquired superiority and brought about the dreadful current consequences. What happened to the first Muslim mind, which had a simple culture and a modest understanding of the world, when it entered the countries of others?

That is a necessary question, because the impact of Islam’s emergence and its clash with other civilizations, mentalities and philosophies are still manifest today.

We cannot know what “human” and “rights” mean for us and others, unless we make a comparison between the evolution of the Muslim mind and the other mind, leading to their current situation.

From our source and theirs, we ought to observe the most important historical phases of the two minds, until the phase wherein trends and contradictions between the two entities reached the point where coexistence was imposed willy-nilly.

The Muslim Mind on Trial , p 58-59