From: irfan@maxwell.ece.wisc.edu (Irfan Alan)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: THE SCIENCE, TRUTH AND REAL CIVILIZATION - PART 5
Date: 6 Nov 1992 12:30:03 GMT
Organization: Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison; Electrical & Computer Engineering
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: wookumz.gnu.ai.mit.edu
Originator: gwydion@wookumz.gnu.ai.mit.edu

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH; THE MOST GRACIOUS AND THE MOST MERCIFUL

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THE SCIENCE,  THE TRUTH, AND REAL  CIVILIZATION, PART 5
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PART 5 of a Lecture Presenting the Islamic Point of View 
in a Dialogue with Christians.

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 CIVILIZATION

In the world of humanity, from the time of Adam up to now, two
great currents, two lines of thought have always been and will
so continue.  Like two mighty trees they have spread out their
branches in all directions and in every class of humanity.  One
of them is the line of prophethood and religion, the other that
of philosophy in its various colors.

Whenever science, learning, and mind joined the line of
prophethood and have serviced to unfold its truths, humanity has
experienced a brilliant happiness and social life.  However,
whenever the two have become separated, goodness and light have
been drawn to the side of the line of prophethood and religion,
and misguidance to the side of the materialist philosophy.

What are the foundations of civilization?  I would like to
analyze this question not by history but by analyzing the human.
Can we find something in human which acts like a seed shaping
his/her understanding of life, and then grows to a tree of
society?  Answer:  The 'I-ness', notion of 'ME'.  There are two
faces of this "I-ness"    THE FIRST FACE of  "I"  : 1) The first
face, it follows the line of prophethood.  It realizes that it
serves the purposes of creation.  It hands over all claims of
ownership to the Lord.  It accepts that His Creator is One and
All-Powerful, and does not submit to causes or false gods.  It
realizes that it is dependent, it is only recipient, not the
source.  It is not arrogant, but humble.  It is appreciative and
thankful.  It is subject to the glad tidings given in the
Qur'an:  "Truly he succeeds that purifies it." (Qur'an 91:9). 
This face submits to His Creator.  It considers the aim of
humanity is to grow their skills according to revelation, and
plant the seeds of eternal happiness while travelling through
earth.  Know our weakness and rely on the Power of our Creator. 
Know our needs and be thankful to our Sustainer.  Know our
faults and sins, and ask for forgiveness from the Most
Compassionate and the Most Merciful Forgiver.

Islam gathers everybody in one mosque regardless of color,
nation, race, or social status.  This is because Islam regards
all virtues and beauties as gifts from Allah, it does not give
real ownership to the intermediaries.  It curbs arrogance by
using the recipient face of "I-ness". THE SECOND FACE OF "I"  :
2) The second face follows materialist philosophy.  It says "It
is I that I love most, I own my life, I am the master of myself,
I am beautiful, I am better, I am close to God, my duty is
perfection."  

In this face, people like Plato, Aristotle, Ibn-i Sina and
Farabi, advocated that the ultimate aim of humanity is to liken
themselves to the Necessarily Existent Creator whose attributes
are absolute, and truly perfect.  In our time, we find millions
of Pharaohs whereas only few Pharaohs existed in old ages.  They
closed the doors humbleness and weakness, poverty and need,
deficiency and imperfection, which are the very  human
characteristics, and obstructed the road to submission.  They
could not see the broad gate of compassion and mercy, and could
not offer thanks.  Thus they became subject to the meaning of
the verse:  "And he fails who corrupts it."  (Qur'an 91:10)

Church doctrine unfortunately has a share in this face.  Because
it gives ownership to self, regards the causes as sources, it
does not curb arrogance.  Rather, it clothes the arrogance with
a sense of holiness.  It is therefore many religious Christians
show signs of arrogance and pride, rather than humbleness and
affection.. However, this is not generally true. We are told in
fact that the closest in friendship to Muslims will be those
Christians who are devoted to learning of the truth, who are not
arrogant, and who denounced the world for its own sake and
transience.

>From the beginning of the Renaissance, man in the West has been
his own point of reference, the center of his own universe, the
sole criterion by which he lives out his pathetic life.  He
wanted to dress with Holy attributes and parade like Pharaohs. 
The problem is that he is indeed deficient.  He does not fit to
his 'glorious' suit.

Unwilling to accept that his duty is to use his faculties to
understand the manifestations of the Names of the Creator, and
submit to His will, he claims those faculties and talents as his
own property.  Seeking the infinite from the finite drags him
into a fierce and often murderous competition with his fellow
beings.  Man's endless desires are heightened by the fact that
he is limited, impotent and dependent, bound one day to give up
all that he imagined was his and face annihilation.  His
limitations and deficiencies, which should serve to remind him
of his absolute dependence, he contrives to conceal
self-hypnosis.  Western man flees from ill thoughts of his
ultimate destiny, smother his innate ability to submit and love
the Creator, to recognize that man is nothing and can have
nothing of his own. 

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To be continued In$a Allah.
Your Br. Irfan in Islam.