DUE TO ABSENCE ?

[Habeeb Rahman]

Due to Absence of Qur’an?

Decades before 521 AH, Qur'an had been compiled making its recitation and learning easy. The science of Qur’an recitation (التجويد) was developed already. And there were too many Tajveed teachers who, camping in various regions, trained the people recitation of Qur'an.

Lack of Qur’an interpreters (مفسر)?

Tafseer of Imam Al-Twabri, Kashaf, Qushairi, Ibn Majah and several renowned interpretations were there for Qur'an in move.

Want of Hadeeth?

Many authentic and genuine Hadeeth books were there on script. Apart from, Swaheeh Al-Bukhari, Swaheeh Muslim, Jami’u Swaheeh Al-Tirmudi, Sunan Abee Davood, Sunan Ibn Majah, Nasa’ee, there were Shamaaill-ul-Tirmudi, Musnad Ahmed Ibn-Hanbal. All these were taught and discussed in deep.

How was Science of Belief (عقيدة)?

The most eminent routs of Aqeeda in the Islamic world, Ash’ari way laid by Imam Abul Hasan Al-Ash’ari and Matureedhi way defined by Imam Matureedhi, were collected by AH 521.

Need of the Jurisprudence (فقه)?

The four Madhabs, Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi and Hanbali, and their Us’ool were accumulated. There were too many scholars who had deep knowledge in the four Madhabs.

Short of books in Spiritual Science (تصوف)?

Al-Lam’a of Abu Nasir, Kashful Mahjoob of Alii Bin-Usman Al-Hajweeri and Hilyathul Auliyah were among the famous books in Tasawuf.

Absence of Science, Philosophy and Scientists?

Medical science, Mathematics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Philosophy, Algebra and such several branches of science has reached nearer to the zenith of absolute accomplishment. Muslims have conducted innovations and discoveries. Too many authentic books were written down. Let us number some of the great scientists that Islam contributed to the world of knowledge by the 521^th AH.

a. Muhammad ibn Mūsa al-Ḵwārizmī: Persian mathematician, astronomer and geographer, a scholar in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. The modern mathematical sense comes from the title of a book, “ilm al-jabr wa'l-muḳābala” 'the science of restoring what is missing and equating like with like', by the Muslim mathematician Abū Jafar Muhammad ibn Mūsa al-Ḵwārizmī. His Nick name al-Ḵwārizmī is the root of the word Algorithm.

b. The three brothers Ahmad, Hasan and Muhammad: These three brothers, sons of Musa bin Shakir discovered a method of trisecting the angle by means of the geometry of motion, contributed a lot in machinery making.

c. Abu Musa Jābir ibn Hayyān: a prominent polymath: a chemist and astronomer, alchemist, and astrologer, engineer, geologist, philosopher, physicist, and pharmacist and physician. Jābir is held to be the first practical alchemist.

d. Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi: Renowned  Persian physician, alchemist and chemist, philosopher and scholar. Numerous “firsts” in medical research, clinical care, and chemistry are attributed to him.

e. Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna):

A physician and philosopher, created an extensive corpus of works during what is commonly known as Islam's Golden Age. His most famous works are The Book of Healing, a vast philosophical and scientific encyclopedia, and The Canon of Medicine, which was a standard medical text at many medieval universities.

f. Al-Ḥasan ibn al-Haytham: scientist and polymath. He made significant contributions to the principles ofoptics, as well as to a number of other disciplines. His main work is his seven volume treatise on optics Book of Optics (Kitab al-Manazir).

g. Al-Birunī (Alberonius):

"The first anthropologist". He was one of the first exponents of an experimental method of investigation, introducing this method into mechanics and what is nowadays called mineralogy, psychology and astronomy.

h. Ibn Rušd (Averroes): A master of Aristotelian philosophy, Islamic philosophy and Islamic theology.

 

i. Al-Fārābī (Alpharabius): One of the greatest scientists and philosophers of the Islamic world in his time. He was also a cosmologist, logician, musician, psychologist and sociologist. Al-Farabi spent almost his entire life in Baghdad, capital of Abbasids that ruled the Islamic world.

 

Lack of schools or universities?

By the sixth century Baghdad was the Knowledge Capital of the world. For higher studies, knowledge seekers had been arriving from every nook and corner of the world. Here are some of the universities prevalent in that age:

1. Nizamiya University, Baghdad

Imam Gazali was the principal of this institution. All the Nizamiya colleges in the country were affiliated to this University.

1. Al Azhar University, Egypt
2. Hakim Bin Abdillah College, Egypt
3. Madrasa Sa’adiyya, Nishapur
4. Educational Complex, Ma Wara'un-Nahr (Transoxiana)

 

Libraries:

1. Bait al-Hikma: A major intellectual center of the Islamic Golden Age. It is said there was one lakh of books.
2. Public Library in Egypt: there was a collection of 10 lakhs of books.
3. Public Librarary in Tripoli comprised of three lakhs of books.
4. Library of Ibn Simar in Ahwaz.
5. Library of Adad Al-Daula in Shiraz.

 

In short, none of the early mentioned aspects are the reason for deterioration of Islam. What led Islam unto its last breath was something different other than these material reasons.

That is there was absence of the Companionship and Thouheed that Prophet Muhammad T and His Swahaba asked repeatedly to keep with.

In spite of all the advancements and innovations, that we have already mentioned, the lack of willingness in seeking and accepting the companionship of a spiritual master and living as per his suggestions caused all the worst.

It was this crack that Sayed Abdul Qadir Jeelani (R.A) repaired. To rectify this insufficiency, He arose a spiritual revolution, focusing at Bab Al Azajj.  He illuminated the pious and profane of the society with the light of Thouheed.

Scholar and ignorant, rich and poor, men and women, sane and profane, drunkards and harlots, all did find solace in his holy presence. Holding his hands they took oath from Almighty Allah. He instilled the Thouheed in their hearts. Advised them not to be digressed from the Sharia. Opened the door of Bai’ath and Repentance before them. Thus their hearts sanctified and enlightened. They become qualified to achieve eternal success.

This divinely designed method to invite the whole world towards Islam, the way the star-like Swahaba practiced, the path through which Thouheed is served and oath is taken, not given a full stop with Jeelani (R.A). But, he delegated his pupils to various regions as khulafa -representatives. Thus this way of Islamic propagation turned to be a popular one, again, after a long interval. Henceforth the way was christened and become famous by the name Qadiriyya Tareeqa (الطريقة القادرية).

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani (R.A) has too many Khulafa (representatives). The divine light they were given illumined the life-way of thousands and thousands, filled with light the hearts that was enveloped with darkness. They were saviors to those who have been drenching in the unfathomed depth of deadly deeds and debauchery.

Here, within our vicinity, Kerala –India, having the golden string of predecessors to Muhammad T, has emerged Sheikh Yousuf Sulthan Shah Qadiri Chishti as a limelight, illuminating the darkened world.