The importance of history from the view point of Islam
(And We revealed this book [Quran] to you in truth, while it confirms the previous books, and it is their guardian. [Maeda: 48]
Preamble
In this article, I intend to look at the topic of “the importance of history in the awakening of a nation”. The reason for choosing this topic is the major role of history in the awakening of nations. Unfortunately, nowadays Muslims have become indifferent to understanding and studying history. And as a result, their degeneration has continued; Because they didn’t know their past and golden history, they didn’t recognize their historical identity, power and sovereignty and they left it to the wind of oblivion over generations; As a result, they accept the rule of the infidels and live humiliatingly under their banner.
In this article, I intend to discuss: the definition of history, the division of history in terms of its nature, the importance of history in Islam, the practical importance of history in treating problems, the distortion of history and finally the conclusion I got from the above topics.
What is history?
History can have two different meanings: 1. Knowledge of history (name of a science); 2. The past events of humans (which is the subject of the science of history).
Many scientists have realized this nominal similarity and have acknowledged the necessity of separating it; Because the subject of history and being aware of it are very different. In the same way, the knowledge of history is the historical memory that expresses its types, not the history itself.
It should be known this point that history is composed of several things, which are: what happens; (subject of history) and the image we make of it in our mind (knowledge of history).
Two other definitions of history:
History is a collection of events and objective facts that happened in a certain time and place and we believe in them.
second definition: history is to store, remember, initiate and understand those events and their impact on the way we deal with current events and realities.
Therefore, according to the above, history can be briefly defined in the following three figure:
First: knowledge of past events and situations and the conditions of the past; Things like biographies, conquests and biographies, which are written and will be written among all nations, are among these. Four things are understood from this definition:
1- History is the science of details, not generalities; That is, history refers to the study of personal and individual affairs, not to the study of relations and laws between nations.
2- History is a narrative science, not an intellectual one; That is, history is understood by quoting and describing the past, not by thinking and reasoning.
3- History is the science of “beings” and not the science of “becoming”;
4- History belongs to the past, not to the present.
In the idiom, this type of history is called “narrative history”.
Second: Knowing the rules and traditions governing people’s lives in the past, which is obtained from studying, investigating and analyzing past events and incidents.
Therefore, according to this definition, the historian seeks to discover the cause of events in the past in order to achieve a series of general and understandable laws in past and present events. In the idiom, this type of history is called “scientific history”. This definition makes history very useful and makes it one of the sources of human “knowledge” and gives him control over his future.
Scientific history, like narrative history, belongs to the past, not to the present; This history is the science of “beings” and not the science of “becoming”; Also, this history, unlike narrative history, is general and not partial, and it is intellectual and not purely narrative. Scientific history is actually a part of sociology; It means the sociology of past societies.
Third: philosophy of history; That is, the knowledge of the evolutions and evolutions of societies from one stage to another and the laws governing these evolutions and transformations; In other words, the science of “becoming” societies, not “being” them.
History and historiography are important as one of the dimensions of culture and civilization; Because it will not be possible to know different cultures and sciences in which culture and civilization have evolved without access to history.
The importance of history from the viewpoint of Islam
Since Islam is a complete religion, rich and has a great culture and civilization, it has paid a lot of attention to history and historiography. With a general look at Islamic sources, one can understand the importance of history; As the main source of Muslims, the Holy Quran has devoted a large part of its verses to the thoughts, habits, imitations and concepts that the ancestors believed in or practiced.
Of course, the purpose of the Quran is not only historiography and recording of events, but every story and incident has been presented with a special purpose that is the constant need of the society, and in the form of that story, it expresses thoughts and concepts that are related to our modern life.
(Before you, there were traditions; (And every people had their destinies, according to their actions and characteristics; you also have the same.) So, roam around the earth and see what was the end of those who denied (Allah’s revelations)?) [Al Imran: 137]
The problem of Satan’s hostility and irreconcilable enmity with man, the problem of selfishness and selfishness, the drunkenness of power and pride in the abundance of people in society, jealousy, the mental illness of centuries and generations, the problem of the role of science and knowledge, the use of reason for the advancement and movement of nations, the role of honesty, Trust and chastity in the progress of human beings, perseverance in the path of truth, persistence in purpose and steadfastness in life, the weakness of powers, mischief, machinations, corruptions before Allah’s providence, the sovereignty of Allah’s will over all the phenomena of creation, the sinister end of the philanderers, the jealous, the lustful, the scheming. And those who follow the path of the devil, the air of the soul, and the tyrants, as well as the prosperity and the happy end of the righteous, the sincere, the sincere, the learned, the trustworthy, etc.
By telling historical stories, the Holy Quran wants to explain the causes of declines, ups and downs, as well as the expression of the divine tradition that governs society and history, which is considered the main driving factor of history, society and civilizations.
Islamic history has been the main and true source of historians. Because Islam has a strong historical consciousness. History is the most precious, telling and undeniable document of events and incidents of human societies. Therefore, everything that the individual and the society went through in the recent and distant past with its details are available in history. Even civilization is born of history.
In today’s world, everything has value and price, the value of history is equal to the value of human life. Therefore, we should not ignore the importance of history. History is a full-fledged mirror of how our modern social structure is formed. Without the past, the present cannot have objective existence, and without the present, there will be no future. Man and society, without history and historical experiences, will return to the stone age and fall into the abyss of barbarism and brutality.
One of the things that Islam has strongly emphasized is the importance of history in teaching lessons and learning from the events that happened to the past. When a researcher looks at the Quran, he clearly sees that this spiritual book focuses more on this point, that is, the importance of the advice and lessons of history, and has made references to this issue in different places with different statements. Especially the hints of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala at the end of every historical story which emphasizes that you should understand that these stories are only for you to get advice and use it in your daily life so that you do not commit the mistakes and crimes that they committed. become Because the historical stories of the Quran – as mentioned above – have ideas that are compatible with the behavior and actions of people in all times and places. Of course, it is not possible to take advantage of these stories unless they are viewed from the Quranic point of view, not from a pure and absolute story point of view.
Although there are many texts that show the importance of advice and preaching in the Quran with words such as examples, examples, prophecies, and exhortations, we will limit ourselves to mentioning only a few, which are quoted in the following order.
Ibra means: passing from one event to another. This means that when events occur, he analyzed their consequences in such a way as to obtain a good intellectual result from it that would improve his character and actions.
After the complete narration of the stories of Moses and Pharaoh, Allah Almighty says: «فَجَعَلْنَاهَا نَکَالاً لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِلْمُتَّقِينَ»
(We made this punishment a lesson for the people of that time and the generations after them, and an admonition for the pious.) [Baqarah: 66]
(Doesn’t [this group of hypocrites learn from the history of others? Hasn’t the news [of the history] of the people of Noah, Ad, Thamud, Ibrahim, Shoaib, and Lot reached them? Their prophets came to them with clear proofs [and guided them, and they denied. And they excommunicated them and did not listen to their instructions and did not value their enlightenment and therefore they were caught in the punishment of Allah and were destroyed] and Allah did not oppress them, but they themselves oppressed themselves.) [Tobah: 70]
(O my nation! The opposition (that exists between you and) me does not cause you to increase your stubbornness with the truth and insist on disbelief and cause the same calamity to befall you as (in history) to the people of Noah or the people of Hud. Or the people of Saleh arrived, and (the place and time of destruction) the people of Lot are not far from you (and at least learn from them and purify yourselves). [Hud:89]
And he says: «إِنَّ فِي ذلِکَ لَآيَةً لِمَنْ خَافَ عَذَابَ الآخِرَةِ ذلِکَ يَوْمٌ مَجْمُوعٌ لَهُ النَّاسُ وَذلِکَ يَوْمٌ مَشْهُودٌ»
(Verily, in this (the history of people of the past) there is a great lesson for those who fear the punishment of the Hereafter. It is the day when people will be gathered (for reckoning), and it is the day when (by people, angels and fairies) It is observed (and everyone will see it and watch its scenes). [Hud:103]
And he says: «وَسَكَنْتُمْ فِي مَسَاكِنِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمْ كَيْفَ فَعَلْنَا بِهِمْ وَضَرَبْنَا لَكُمُ الْأَمْثَالَ»
(And you dwelt in the land and country of cruel people (like Aad and Thamud) and (you did not learn, although) it was clear to you how we behaved towards them (and what we brought upon them,) and we gave you examples (based on What happened in the history of some tribes and what they saw, but you didn’t get advice and you got caught today.) [Ibrahim: 45]
And he says: «أَفَلَمْ يَهْدِ لَهُمْ کَمْ أَهْلَکْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّنَ الْقُرُونِ يَمْشُونَ فِي مَسَاکِنِهِمْ إِنَّ فِي ذلِکَ لَآيَاتٍ لَأُوْلِي النُّهَي»
(Have they not realized that We destroyed many people (of different ages and eras) before them (and now they are sitting in their place) and they are walking in their places and homes? (Are you not the remnants of a destiny other than destiny Do you have ancestors?!) Indeed, in these (instructive scenes of human history) there are signs for the wise to (take warning and wake up).) [Taha: 128]
By referring to the Quranic texts, about the history and the importance of advice, admonition and byword, many small details about history are clarified. For example: Not being proud and not distinguishing because of the power and civilization of the past, as well as not despairing and worrying about the deeds of the past, I will limit to mentioning this verse in this case:
(They were a people who died and took their own way. What they earned belongs to themselves (and you will not be blamed for them), and what you earned is yours, and what they used to do is from you. You are not asked (no one is responsible for another’s actions and no one is held responsible for another’s sin). [Baqarah: 134]
What is the practical importance of history in solving today’s problems?
Here, I will give examples in a very brief form that show how advice and admonition can be taken from the past and history and how we can solve the current problems with it and act in the future by considering those events.
The first issue here is the connection between thought and reality, which is not possible at all without considering history. For example, we claim that the infidels against the Islamic Ummah left their homes barefoot and colonized our lands, killed our people, and crushed our dignity and greatness. Now, to prove this, there is no other way but to refer to the current reality and the past history, and by taking a short look at history, we see various attacks by infidels that have been made against the Islamic Ummah at different times and attempts have been made to destroy the Ummah, piecemeal and even from The scene of existence fades away.
Although the expression of all these attacks is far from the capacity of this article, we will only mention the recent war of the Ottomans: The Crusader Europeans have always been trying to bring down the glory, honor and greatness of Muslims and finally, after two to three centuries of effort, they were able to bring the Ottoman Caliphate, which was the representative and implementer of Islam, to its weakest state, and finally, after launching numerous wars, they were able to overthrow the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924.
From the history of the Romans, we can learn that in the event of confusion or division of power between the rulers and religious leaders of Christianity – keeping in mind that such an action is not possible in Islam because Islam is a political religion – it causes a kind of conflict, conflict and competition between influential forces in It becomes the society that causes killing, bloodshed and disaster and prevents the government from focusing on the basic problems of the people.
Medieval Europe and even a bit after that, where the church, without considering the practical problems of the people, was busy with legislation, selling heaven and hell, and as a result, it was legal to have endless cruelty that caused a strong reaction from the heart of the society over a long period of time. It means that violent and severe behavior can lead to public reaction.
Fixing certain thoughts and assumptions, especially in beliefs, has caused a split in the Christian community and this has facilitated the possibility of conflict, war, murder and bloodshed. An example of this is the religious wars of Europe. Therefore, in order to prevent the society from falling into the abyss of misery and civil war, it is necessary that we, taking advice from the past, preserve the basic and definitive values of a society in a single form, so that as a result of its change, people are divided into many branches. and shine against each other.
The belief that the Quran was created by Caliph Ma’mun al-Rashid, Mo’tasim Ballah, al-Wathiq, etc., caused a great sedition among the Islamic Ummah, which caused the killing of dozens of good scholars and the imprisonment of hundreds of others, including Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. He put a strong hold on the intellectual power of the nation. From this incident, we can take the advice that the caliph or the head of the Muslim government should not rely on religious and ideological issues, as well as issues that cause the ummah to differ, and issue a definitive order about it, which will cause the energy of the ummah to be divided and divide the ummah among themselves. get involved.
One of the factors that caused the weakness and eventual fall of the Ottoman government was the domination of the military over governance affairs. Because politics, which is the regulation of the internal and external affairs of the nation, is carried out by the government and the subjects, and it is the work of those who are familiar with the current reality of the nation, history, political concepts and sorrows of the nation, and also understand the world from the current point of view and Know the past accurately and then enter the political field and regulate the affairs of Muslims according to Islamic belief. The role of the military or people who fight is only to carry out their war affairs according to the orders of the rulers and political thinkers of the Islamic system; Therefore, considering the history of the Ottoman government, we take the advice that if the military dominates political affairs; Undoubtedly, the government has gone out of the depth of being political and insightful, causing severe weakness and in the long run, it will cause the dissolution of the government. This fact can still be seen in Egypt today, that after the people’s revolution, the Supreme Military Council in Egypt could not satisfy the people, which caused the people to gather again in written or freedom square.
Political events, such as the lack of government focus on the province, at the end of the 11th century AD. During this period, the most important thing that was given importance to was reading the sermon and minting coins in the name of Amir! As a result of this isolationism, the Crusaders attacked the Islamic State and defeated it.
From the time when the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, established the Islamic state in Medina (624 AD) until the end of the 11th century AD, it was expanding day by day and the rule of Islam was becoming more and more extensive, But with the negligence of the Muslims in the early 12th century and the lack of focus of the Islamic state on the provinces, the Crusaders realized the weakness of the Muslims and started their attacks and defeated the Muslims, as a result, the Muslims lost many of their regions such as: Sham, which includes Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and… After the Crusaders, the Mongols attacked the Islamic land and Muslims and occupied the center of the Islamic State and massacred approximately one million Muslims.
But Muslims have always been like ashes under the fire and whenever they come to their senses, they hit the infidels like a clenched fist, as their conquests began in the late 13th century, and the Islamic territory expanded day by day, and the Islamic State was at the top of the world powers. was placed and was the superpower of the world until the 18th century. But unfortunately, when the Muslims fell asleep again, the infidels, who were lying in wait, resumed their sinister plans and with various thoughts and concepts of infidelity, such as: nationalism, linguistics, etc., they divided the Muslim population and created a government and They divided a nation into states and nations. As a result, today we spend day and night in humiliation under their blasphemous system.
Therefore, we must learn from our past and adapt it to our current situation in order to move towards a better future.
Distortion of history
A society that has forgotten its history and historical identity has been defeated and torn apart. This oblivion, either carried out and imposed by the raiders, the aggression and coercion of the invaders, or the termite of laziness and self-cultivation, rots a society from the inside. Distortion of history has been one of the basic foundations of the occupation’s foundation and culture. Based on this idea and basis, after every great campaign and after killing and building minarets, book burning, and great and destructive culture washing, history has been a witness and observer. Because of the process of killing and slaughtering, the process of occupying and conquering the occupation has not been completed. Rather, throughout history, identity killing and culture burning have guaranteed and stabilized the survival and continuation of occupation and tyranny. History and culture are inseparable parts of each other that shape the social structure of nations and societies. Also, history and culture will guarantee continuity, survival, and social life in the future. For this reason, history and culture have always been angered by the occupying powers.
Distortion of history is actually the operation of neutralizing and destroying the ethnic pride of a person and society. If the failed society, which has tyranny and suffering from the walls of its social life, learns about the realities of authority and honor in its past, without a doubt, they will never accept the humiliation, humiliation, and humiliation imposed on them. This is why tyranny, after domination and occupation, distorts history and identity in order to prepare the souls of individuals and society to exercise its power and sovereignty. Without the distortion of history and identity, it will never be possible to apply foreign power. That is the exercise of power over societies that have enjoyed great authority and glory in the past.
In the scope of history, about the consequences of distorting history and identity, what more authentic and living document can be found from the Ottoman government?
Therefore, if all the people living in the Islamic country become aware of the authority and honor of their past ancestors and recover their past authenticity, they will undoubtedly leave the current disgrace of the rule of explosion, terror, drugs, and brutality to the dustbin of history. Repeating history will not be possible only when history is distorted and turned upside down. Because it is not possible for a person who has learned to walk with two legs to go back and start walking with four hands and feet!
Therefore, the distortion of history has been a major part of the enemies’ plan to destroy, break our pride and dignity, neutralize, and make us passive. It was after the implementation of this plan that the tyranny put the reins of humiliation on us and continued its rule and exploitation for years without concern.
Conclusion
In the end, it should be said: It is up to us, the youth, to work for the awakening of the nation within the framework of political and active groups, and to solve the problems of the society through history and origin, and to prove that the Islamic Ummah is still raising children in its bosom, which the tree They have watered the religion, monotheism and honor of the believers with their blood and are ready to guard and protect it; And let us prove that he has fought against colonialism in any form so that the world can witness that the blood of Salah al-Din Ayyubi, the great conqueror of Quds, is still flowing in the veins of young people with faith, and soon victory will come, Allah willing. Subhanahu wa ta’ala will bless the Muslims.
It is worth mentioning that although history is for learning lessons and admonitions, history is not considered a source of jurisprudence from the point of view of Shariah. Unless the biography of the Prophet of Islam, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his companions, may Allah be pleased with him, is written in the form of a narration, in this case, jurisprudential inferences can be made from it.
Therefore, jurisprudential inferences cannot be made only for historical reasons. For example, while it is obligatory to preserve the Islamic system, it is not possible to oppress the Ummah and question the necessity of preserving the Islamic system by inferring from the actions of Yazid or the caliphs who accepted the Mu’tazili theories that the Quran is a creation.
Likewise, no one has the right to come to the conclusion that because the noble companions drew their swords against each other in the Battle of Jamal, it is not possible to create political unity for the Ummah, and therefore the historical event rejects the clear texts about the ideological, political, and geographical unity of the Ummah.
It is a pity that today the great history of Islam has been erased by the colonialists, and what is written in the books are only the negative aspects and mistakes of some rulers, which are prominently shown with the motive of deception and intellectual deviation of the people. And also, some people with crooked thinking have fallen into the hands of these colonialists’ intrigues and are questioning the Shariah rulings regarding the establishment of the caliphate and the unity of the Ummah.
