Islam and Muslim Psyche Reason, Modernity and Orthodoxy

With the dawn of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula during the seventh century, a new civilization was born. It represented a culture of enlightenment emulating a universal human brotherhood, a life of peace with justice and truth, and a constant striving to eradicate oppression, bigotry and inequalities among human beings. The acquisition of knowledge or the quest for truth became a noble pursuit with an unyielding spirit of inquiry to unravel the secrets of the universe. The main purpose of the book is to highlight the endeavors of the Muslim scholars who kept the light of erudition aflame for centuries during the Middle Ages and beyond until the beginning of the European Renaissance. They were the torch bearers of reason, scientific thinking and creative expression. Their erudite contributions encompassed a great variety of disciplines as they wrote multi-volume works of original nature. They also assimilated notable works of the scholars of Greece, India and other countries and disseminated them through translations and commentaries. The impact of the Islamic civilization during its centuries of glory and enlightenment could be felt in its social and political institutions. Following the edicts of Islam, political authority was generally exercised with prudence being mindful of the demands of impartial justice, public welfare, and a strict code of legal protections for the people of non-Muslim affiliations. A recurrent theme of the book is that peace on earth could be established only by a fervent commitment to justice by every nation of the world. The book also calls to attention the concordance between Islam and modernity with the presumption that the Islamic doctrine can be successfully adapted to the exigencies of the changing times. The concluding sections of the book contain a narrative of the state of Muslim nations of the world presently faced with internal dissentions and a negative portrayal of Islam in the West. The lag of knowledge and predominance of extremism in some of the Muslim countries have precarious effects on their future. It is high time for Muslims to reclaim their intellectual heritage and pursue the path of reason and enlightenment both in their religious beliefs and their vision of the world community with a venerable place for them.