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The origin and development of Islam: An essay on its socio-economic growth
248 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
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24 people want to read
About the author
Asghar Ali Engineer
73 books23 followersAsghar Ali Engineer was an Indian reformist-writer and activist. Internationally known for his work on liberation theology in Islam, he lead the Progressive Dawoodi Bohra movement. The focus of his work was on (and action against) communalism and communal and ethnic violence in India and South Asia. He was an advocate of a culture of peace, non-violence and communal harmony, and lectured all over world.
Engineer also served as head of the Institute of Islamic Studies and the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, both of which he founded in 1980 and 1993 respectively. He also made contributions to The God Contention, a website comparing and contrasting various worldviews. Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer’s autobiography A Living Faith: My Quest for Peace, Harmony and Social Change was released in New Delhi on 20 July 2011 by Vice President of India Shri Hamid Ansari.
Engineer also served as head of the Institute of Islamic Studies and the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, both of which he founded in 1980 and 1993 respectively. He also made contributions to The God Contention, a website comparing and contrasting various worldviews. Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer’s autobiography A Living Faith: My Quest for Peace, Harmony and Social Change was released in New Delhi on 20 July 2011 by Vice President of India Shri Hamid Ansari.
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September 5, 2015
Islam, as a religion and movement has always been said to be "for all the Ages". But what if one were to strip away the mystique and look at its origins as a political, social and economic movement? This is exactly what Asghar Ali attempts to do in The Origins and Development on Islam. He explores its rise and (equally rapid) fall from the texts of Muslim scholars, the Koran and a historical socio-cultural perspective to why it grew exponentially. A few takeaways:
1. All ideologies must be read with their historical context. A certain ideology is successful at a specific time and place because it suited the socio-economic condition of its time.
2. The gaining of wealth leads to it being distributed among the elite and eventually leads to corruption. Which of course, could only mark the downfall of a civilisation and the irrelevance of its ideology.
3. No matter how pure the intent of the original ideology, the tides of human nature will eventually corrupt it.
4. The Koran began as a sense-perception instructional for the Arabs but it was the Persians to (by adding the readings of Greek philosophy), expanded the text and religion's relevance and created an intellectual class that made the Koran less accessible. For better or worse.
5. The Mecca verses (first part of the Koran) expressed a gentler, more passive form of Islam. The Medina verses (second part) expressed a more proactive Islam, with more directives that are now, in the modern day, translated into laws.
This is a (must) sober read for Muslims who claim there was ever an Islamic golden age after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). It was an intellectual Golden Age, perhaps but certainly lacked its more rooted Islamic values when it comes to administration and society. And as all things, must be read and understood within its context.
1. All ideologies must be read with their historical context. A certain ideology is successful at a specific time and place because it suited the socio-economic condition of its time.
2. The gaining of wealth leads to it being distributed among the elite and eventually leads to corruption. Which of course, could only mark the downfall of a civilisation and the irrelevance of its ideology.
3. No matter how pure the intent of the original ideology, the tides of human nature will eventually corrupt it.
4. The Koran began as a sense-perception instructional for the Arabs but it was the Persians to (by adding the readings of Greek philosophy), expanded the text and religion's relevance and created an intellectual class that made the Koran less accessible. For better or worse.
5. The Mecca verses (first part of the Koran) expressed a gentler, more passive form of Islam. The Medina verses (second part) expressed a more proactive Islam, with more directives that are now, in the modern day, translated into laws.
This is a (must) sober read for Muslims who claim there was ever an Islamic golden age after the passing of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). It was an intellectual Golden Age, perhaps but certainly lacked its more rooted Islamic values when it comes to administration and society. And as all things, must be read and understood within its context.
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