Muslims or Historians, please explain what happened to Islam?

Question

I am a classical historian, so admittedly my knowledge base is limited on the rise of Islam. However, it seems to me that after Muhammed the Arab world became the most cosmopolitian, well-educated, humanitarian, accepting, artistic, and innovative people of the middle ages (in western history). Islamic heros like the Prophet and Saladin made the European Christians look... well a lot like the Islamic world looks today. Please do not try to rationalize the acts and attitudes of the current Islamic world. Intent is meaningless, perception is everything.
I simply want to know how the Islamic world went from the most civilized to the most intolerant, backwards, uneducated, neolithic culture on the planet. No matter how blind you may be, it is undeniable that the middle east was better off under its heroes.

Leave your venom in you fangs, this is how I see the Muslim world because this is what it portrays, I am simply looking for some honest insight into Islam's fall from grace.

Answer 1

Dear Questioner

I appreciate your Question and as a Muslim I myself have analyzed this factor and placing it for your sake.

The Best Period of Muslims was the period when our Holy Prophet peace be on him was among Muslims and he was guiding and leading them.

The next best was when Muslims had the Four Best of the Companions of our Prophet may Allah bless them were became the True sucessors Khaleefa of Muslims.

There after the Khilafat (Islamic Democracy) was replaced by Kingdom which resulted in masaccering Holy prophet's grand children and it changed the history towards down fall.

Still the things were not worst as there were lot of Companions and their desciples who were still working honestly for the cause of Islam.

Spain and Baghdad were the centres for Islamic Education and science, where even the Non Muslims used to study there and that period was the golden period of education among Muslims.

Another very Important factor is, the Sufis Spiritual guides worked selflessly for the sake of Islam and they were the main body to propagate Islam all over the world, while Kings were concentrating only on their own benefits.

In Russia, China, Far East and India these Sufis were responsible to preach Islam and by their efforts millions of people embraced Islam there.

There after Muslim rulers among Muslims were fighting each other, which caused the Muslim situation deteriorating.

The final Sultanate of Uthmaniya Turkish empire was holding for more than five hundred years ruling almost one third of the world.

This too became weak in the last stages and the World War I and II they were the allies of Germany and Japan and they were totally flattenened and wiped out and the countries they were ruling were all given to the Kings, Sheikhs, Emirs and Dictators who betrayed the Turkish by the British Kingdom.

So you see these Kings rulers and Dictators all over Saudi Arabia, Middle East and Egypt. While you see Muslims there you might not find Islam in proportion to them. Also these rulers and dictators did not concentrate on Educating their subjects for their own benefits and these countries are far below in Education and scientific fields.

Wahabism again ruined Sufism and enforced orthodox extremism of Islam which further created the gaps between Muslims and Non Muslims.

Unfortunately the Real Sufis have also diminished and the few practicing sufism are also weak.

Turkey went far away from Islam during Kamal Pasha the father of the Modern Turkey after World War II and it is occupied by the powerfull Christian Military right now and they preach Seculiarism over Islam and there is lot of blood shed going on if any one tries to enforce and practice Islam.

The latest in our life time is Taliban a group of selfless Muslims who were exploited encouraged trained and provided military equipment to drive away Russians from Afghanistan and they succeeded by sacrificing thousands of their lives and later they wanted to establish Real Orthodox type of Islamic Rule in Afghanistan and they went against their own Masters who trained them Militarily and the result is before you.

Another example is the downfall of the the so called Muslim Dictator who ruled his people by enforcing fear and killing to the extent that he killed his own Son in Laws who went against him. Well the country celebrated when he was hanged but they are celebrating daily by mourning over their own dead which outnumbered the dead during the regime of Saddam.

There are at least a million Widows in Iraq and Afghanistan begging on the streets with their children for basic need Food and the Christian Missioneries are exploiting this situation, while their rulers are living in palaces.

The present major problem faced by Muslims today is Sunni Shia domination and in my opinion the Shia should be allowed to form their own government in the country they are in majority as they were suppressed by Sunnis earlier.

OK Brother you are asking for the whole history, while I placed a summary before you. The main question of your's about prosperity and progress of Muslim Community and their education; it cannot achieved unless there is prevailing peace and harmoney in their countries with selfless Leadership, which is no where today.

Answer 2

Islamic heroes didn't make the European Christians look like the Islamic world today.

European Christians (in Medieval times as well as in the 17th and 18th centuries) were involved in trade, the arts and the humanities, science, philosophy, and not to mention a Reformation to separate from the abuses of the Catholic Church.

There's a book that I am planning on buying in the future titled "The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success" by political scientist Rodney Stark. The title of the book is exactly what the book itself is about. If you're interested, it's available at Amazon.

Answer 3

Well, if you look at it historically, then its pretty much true. Medieval Europe was wrought with chaos during the initial rise of Islam. When Islam witnessed its glory days, then Europe sunk deeper in darkness. You can tell because Black Death started in the 1300s. It was a steady decline unto that point. That is why the Muslims were the best of all peoples during that time. Islam came in the 600s, and it expanded rapidly thereafter.

Second of all, yes Islam has witnessed a "fall from grace" so to speak. In actuality, Islam has nothing to do with it. Some philosopher said that corruptibility of a subject is proportional to the level of intricacy in the subject. Islam is kinda like that. With a population of a billion, you always get some stupid idiot that thinks he knows it all. So you get discrepancy.

The problem is, these discrepancies are the ones you see on the media. Even Malcolm X said the media isn't to be trusted. It all depends on who you look to. If you want to confine your perception of the world to a flat screen T.V, fine. But if you want to find a real Muslim, who is the embodiment of Islam in both mind and soul, Islam has yet to fall.

Answer 4

Maybe taking things to literally and to the point that even science is not an excepted way for it counter acts their faith too often.

Yes i see what you are saying how they went to being on the Pinnacle of science to third world Nations.

Much had to do with the way the Ottomans ruled their Empire and did not allow for many new advancements. Then after their breakup after WWI it became even more cemented because now the Western powers dominated world politics and the Middle east was left to sort of decay. The Ottoman empire was broken up into today;s modern Nation's in the middle east except for Israel.

No one wanted to allow or keep these nations up to par with new inventions and were often left out of new advancements because they were not third world nations in the Western eyes.

Now that they have such a critical control of Oil many such as Saudi Arabia is hardly backwards, only places war torn as Iraq and Afghanistan is that bad, most such as Iran, Egypt, Syria and even Turkey are far from backward nations, sure not as wealthy as the USA or Britain but definitely not backwards.

I think our media does a poor representation of the Muslim world in a whole and focus more on terrorists = Muslim too often. The Muslim faith does not condone what was done on 9-11 nor does it condone the US A's actions in Iraq. only those who are extremist as in any faith see things this way I believe, fortunately most in power are not that extreme!!

Answer 5

I've often wondered about this one myself. I'm neither Muslim nor a professional historian, but I've always had an interest, and often find myself defending Islam on its track record rather than its recent past. (I'm an Agnostic, but I have appreciation of all religions)

I can only venture my opinion in that it is similar to what happened to Christianity due to its persecution at the hands of pre-Constantine Rome: They suffered injustice, hate and intollerance at the hands of those around them and simply closed ranks. Classical human response - we turn into the things that seek to destroy us.

Islam was always expansionist and while more tolerant than the Christian world, would also have much rather seen their non-muslim subjects convert. The Crusades I think convinced them that the only way they would really be safe, would be for everybody else to be Muslim as well, and that's where things started going South. I think the same thing happened to Christianity, so when Constantine offered them the entire Roman empire on which to spread their message, they were more than happy to compromise on a few points of dogma.

Answer 6

Islam does not change. Also, Islam does not have one fixed 'culture'. Where is your evidence that Islam 'is most intolerant, backwards, uneducated, neolithic culture on the planet.'? If your judgements is from Fox news, then that doesn't count. The Quran has not changed so Islam has not changed either. Muslims change, the Quran doesn't.

PS. Most Muslims are educated, civilised and tolerant.

Edit: One thing I want to say about the Muslims that can't read or write, it is probably because they are poor so they can't have access to education, just like how there are poor people in Africa that can't read or write due to living in poverty and the lack of being able to afford education. Not being able to read or write is not ignorance, its poverty. Only very few 'Muslims' have committed suicide bombings which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would look down upon, just like how Jesus would look down upon those that bomb other countries e.g. George Bush.

Answer 7

The only reason of the backwards of the Islamic world in all dimensions is because we left our religion behind our back today we are either extremists or pretending to be Muslims, Islam was powerful in the past only because of practicing the right religion.

Answer 8

I'm an artist, and one day I decided to google Islamic art to see if they at least had artists who were allowed to be free and express themselves without fear of decapitation. I was shocked at what I found! Most of their artists paint Islamic phrases and simply decorate them with embellishment and embroidery designs!

There's are no great works of abstract or realism or anything that does not involve religion! How stifling! How un-creative! I felt very sorry for them. I will admit I stopped looking after the first few boring religious art sites I visited, so there may be some beautiful, uninhibited work out there, perhaps from a muslim artist living in the west..... but .... it was pitiable.

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Answer 9

our disaster is our leaders. Everyone of them since the Amawai country started to fight for the chair of leadership. by the time they didnt care for their countries and thier people.
In 20th Century, after islamic countries took thier liberation, we had one the worst leaders in the history like the ones you see now. Muslim leaders these day are fighting Islam for thier chair because they are hired by the west to govern thier people by steel and fire. Muslims Also became chickens, they scare to face those betrayer leaders, so that God punished us and made us the most retarded people in the world. When we remove those b*t**es, we can build our civilization again.

Answer 10

Islam went the way of all cults. Once the power brokers got a hold of it fundlementalism set in & it was "all back emergency"! Like the crusaders, a barbaric "group" mentality set in to the islam mind. Beyond repair in todays world, islam is set for liquidation. Like the Titanic & Bismarck, we know where & what condition they are in but their not worth trying to salvage. Their fate is sealed.