The primary source of jurisprudential ruling for Muslims is the Quran. The basis of change whether on a national or global scale commences with individual change. This change is based on awareness and intellectual enlightenment. The fore-mentioned predicate is based upon Quranic injunctions in addition to being a principle witnessed throughout history prior to the changing fate, destiny and direction of nations. It is asserted in the Quran that “Verily, Allah does not change the state of a people until they bring about a change in themselves”
As a fundamental principle, the primary stimulant to changing the state of a nation is dependent upon individual change. Thus it would be appropriate to deduce that if the state of an individual remains stationary over a period of time, such a state will be reflected by the society as a whole. However, if there is a motion in the state of an individual, any individual change will be respectively portrayed by the society. Therefore the change in direction of a society is dependent upon an exported change from an individual level.
Change is a natural consequence of time. The flow of time involves change and can be described like a stream moving towards the future from one moment to the next. . It is not possible to step twice in the same river. The waters of the river have already changed when you plunge into it a second time. The fact that the stone on which drops of water fall for years wears off at the point of contact,shows that a change is effected in it with the fall of each drop.
Biological developments make the nature of change evident. From the moment of birth, time in the cradle until the moment of death; every individual undergoes biological developments of bone structure, limbs, muscles, tissues etc. The development of man is not limited to biological and stretches to emotional, spiritual and intellectual development over various stages of life. Thus a correlation is exhibited between ‘Man’ and ‘Change’ as a rule of nature as opposed to mere theory or philosophical maxims.
History has taught us that nations have developed socially and economically over a period of time. The foundations laid by the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) through the Medinan constitution later led to a vast empire spanning the shores of Morocco to the Himalayas with the fruits of a welfare state being reaped by the citizens. Another example is that of Japan and Germany and their socio-economic revival following the Second World War to become leading economies in the 21st century.
Self-awareness is a major force behind the change of individual state which leads to a change in direction of entire society. The importance of self-awareness is stressed by the famous saying, or according to others, a saying of the Prophet (Peace be upon Him), “He who knows himself knows his lord”. Therefore, as the spiritual journey commences with the awareness of ones relationship with God; the journey and perceived destination for an individual which consequently acts as an objective for society commences with awareness of the current state and the requirements needed to attain the goal.
Change and intellectual reform does not necessarily come through staunch criticism. Wisdom is paramount in the modern age. A great example is that of Hassan and Hussain (May Allah be pleased with them both) who corrected a man making mistakes during the performance of ablution. They corrected him by asking him to watch if they were performing ablution correctly. Indeed the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) said: ‘A Believer is the mirror of another believer”.[Bukari] Wisdom is the key to change and intellectual reform, a necessity for the revival of the Islamic civilisation.
As for concluding remarks, it would be fair to assert change is a universal phenomenon that is evident in every aspect of human life. Time is movement; human life is entwined in biological, intellectual and emotional development. Without such change, Allah does not change the state of a person or nation which consequently leads to the destruction, backwardness or the lack of development of societies.
However, such change does not come ‘cheaply’ and requires self-awareness of individuals which evolves collectively to form and intellectual enlightenment leading to a revolution.
Doubtlessly, the need of the time for the Muslim world is hidden in the need for self-awareness which may be replicated as an Islamic intellectual enlightenment which can transform into a global Islamic revolution and movement of change. Such change will only occur if every Muslim plays their role. Without self-awareness or self-change, the expectation of Islamic revival is but an illusion.
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