Its main ideology is to liberate man from the religious and metaphysical values and expel religion from the practical aspect of man’s life. It clearly presents its materialistic viewpoint, which is cut off from the Divine, transcendent or supernatural principles and does not refer to revelation at all and is intact isolated from it.
By the end of the seventeenth century, some of the leading intellectuals, such as Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John Lock (1632-1704) attempted to formulate new principles of political and social organizations that would extricate the political state from theological issues. Religious authorities of the Church at that time were seen as a major obstacle in the development of social institutions.
Church authorities were challenged gradually but systematically by the scientist and rationalist movements. For instance, the
influence of Copernicus (1473-1543), Kepler (1571-1630), Galileo (1564- 1642), and Newton (1642-1727) revealed that the Sun was the center of the
universe and that the Earth was vast in extent. These discoveries were opposed to the Christian theologians’ theory of creation and cosmology. It
was in this context that the conflict of science and religion contributed to the emergence of secularism within the Western Christian tradition.
By the end of the eighteenth century, the Enlightenment attitude towards religion became a part of the intellectual debate taking place in Europe. The position of the philosophers on the need to remove religion from the public sphere was strengthened by developments in the socio-political
realm. The modern nation-state was emerging to challenge the political supremacy of the Church in Europe. Consequently, the development of a
political theory in Europe totally divorced the process of legislation from any reference to religious authorities. Religion became marginalized in the public affairs of the society.
The nineteenth century thinkers gave numerous arguments for the expulsion of religion from the private sphere as well. Karl Marx, for example, saw
religion as merely a reflection of the material world and derived from the hopes of human beings. He criticized religion as a tool in the hands of the
ruling class for keeping the masses under control. Religion was made to pacify humans, and reconcile them to the oppression that they suffer under
capitalist society, and hinder their awareness of revolution. His famous quotation is “religion is the opium of the masses.”
For Freud, religion is both illusion and error- an illusion because it is the fulfillment of man’s wishes and error because it cannot be
independently established on rational and scientific grounds.
Nietzsche was not interested in the metaphysical truth of either Christianity or any other religion. Being convinced that no religion is really
true; he judged all religions entirely by their social effects. Nietzsche’s famous proclamation is the “death of God,” and in his searching for a new
foundation for values, he turns to the aesthetic of human nature as the most promising alternative to religion. According to him, existence and the world are eternally justified only as an aesthetic phenomenon. Religious beliefs have no significance in the social life of modern society.
Islam and Challenges of Secularism
Syed Naquib al- Attas in his book Islam and Secularism analyses some components of secularism, which form the essential characteristics of
modernity. He mentions that secularism disenchants nature, desacralizes politics, and deconsecrates values. The disenchantment of nature implies the freeing of nature from its religious overtones. This involves the dispelling of God from the natural world, separating it from God, so that man may no longer regard nature as Divine entity, which allows man to act freely upon nature, to make use of it according to his needs and plans. Meanwhile,
desacralization of politics implies the abolition of sacral legitimization of political power and authority. This involves political modernization as the
transformation of the political order from the traditional and religious to a secular authority free from religious control. Deconsecrating of values,
according to al-Attas, means the religious values in cultures and value systems are relative and not fixed. As such, it is open to future change.
From the Islamic perspective, this is wrong because Islam has already fixed its value system or morality, which will not change throughout
ages. For example, zinÉ (adultery) was forbidden 1400 years ago and will always be forbidden until the Day of Judgment. Whereas in the West,
fornication was taboo a few hundred years back when Christianity was strong, but now, the values have changed due to secularism, and it has been
accepted as all right. The implication of these interpretations is the disappearance of religious interpretations concerning the purpose of life.
The religious consciousness of individuals in secular society is also greatly diminished, and religion has become extremely limited
to a very narrow sphere of life, and it must not intrude in the running of the state.
Secularism implies that Divine guidance, worship of God, and obedience to Him should be confined to the personal life of man and all other
affairs in this world should be determined by his own wishes and convenience. In such matters, it is irrelevant to think of what God may have
commanded, what His guidance consists of and what the Divine Books may lay down. This attitude developed into a system of life and then became the foundation of modern civilization.
The regulation of such matters is devoid of God’s guidance and commandments, and instead it is based on man’s knowledge and reasoning. The acceptance of a system formulated by man means a preference of the human’s limited knowledge and experience means the rejection of Islam as a way of life and the abandonment of Shariah.
Since secularism gives much emphasis on worldly matters, it brings the downfall of the religious institution, which leads to make the society rational,
materialistic, individualistic, and utilitarian. The goal of the secular society is to achieve happiness in the worldly life only; thus, it does not tie in with the practice of religion.
1. Social and Cultural Aspects
The impact of secularism on social and cultural aspects is seen to be related to the role of media and ICT, like TV and internet, which occupy a
central position in contemporary living. Both have adverse affects on Muslims and other faith communities primarily because they are controlled
by people who are not sensitive to religion, introducing various values which are completely alien to the teachings of religion. A new generation has been exposed to all kinds of modern Western fashions and life-styles. To them, the religious values and teachings as embedded in their scriptures have simply become irrelevant. Programs shown on TV are highly detrimental to the development of a person’s good character as they contain a lot of unethical entertainments, violence, and sex scenes. These will also affect the minds of youngsters. Such programs systematically ignore the religious and spiritual aspects of life.
With the idea of separating religion from worldly activities, secularism gives a very bad impact on the morality of people and turns them to the state
of jahilliyyah (ignorance).
The moral values among the youth are greatly being demolished under the influence of secularism. Since it minimizes the importance of religion and
excludes God’s guidance almost completely in the daily affairs of man’s life, people are free to engage in wrongdoing, and thus, immoral acts keep
increasing from day to day.
In the secularist point of view, people should forget their values, norms, and culture in order to achieve the standard of modern community. This justification is certainly invalid as we can still have a modern and developed country with a strong spirit of its own culture. Under the influence of secularism, people show less concern about their cultural values because they feel that their cultural heritage is outdated and old fashioned. Culture should be protected for the new generation because it is the only element which preserves and imparts an identity, image,
and uniqueness of each society and country.
The idea of secularism has been the major preoccupation of the group of extreme Muslim secularists who endeavor to prove the supremacy of
Western culture and civilization. Their attraction to Western culture and civilization prompted them to regard them as superior to Islam.
2. Educational Aspect
In a secular system of education, knowledge is gained through certain methods like the experimental method, experience, rational thinking, and the
scientific method. Scientism is one of the intellectual challenges posed by secularism. Scientism is the belief that science, especially natural science, is
the most valuable part of human learning, and the scientific method is the only reliable and valid way of acquiring knowledge. 27 Thus, scientism adopts an absolute perspective on reality, where it assumes that only scientific knowledge is capable of providing an accurate description of reality, and the truth. Scientism rejects other sources of knowledge, such as Divine revelation, religious experience and inner intuition, and it avoids dealing with the metaphysical, philosophical, and religious knowledge, as the truths they proclaim cannot be discovered and rationalized by the scientific method.
By the beginning of the nineteenth century, science was far more popular than religion. Writings on scientism became far more prevalent after the nineteenth century with the rise of scientific positivism, an ideology that was originated by Auguste Comte (1798-1875). Comte saw the scientific method as an absolute method of acquiring knowledge and truth, and worthy of replacing the theological and
metaphysical approaches. In this sense, Comte attempted to eliminate transcendent reality from the human consciousness in his declaration that all
questions that cannot be answered by the sciences of the phenomena as illegitimate. Scientism clearly contributed to the loss of transcendental
consciousness, and its development undermined the religious foundations of faith. The religious metaphysical elements that pointed toward the existence of a transcendent reality could not be reconciled with the immanent methods of scientism.
Scientific materialism does not differ much, in practice, from the principles of scientism. It is the belief that only objects and phenomena which can be observed and measured through scientific methods are real. Thus, scientific materialism accepts only one reality; that is the physical, empirical, and material universe. It sees all the claims of the religious and spiritual traditions of humanity throughout the ages as false.
The conception of knowledge in secular education has lost its true purpose by being unjustly conceived. Its formulation of vision and reality is not based on revealed and religious belief, but rather upon cultural tradition reinforced by strictly philosophical premises based upon speculations. 32 As
such, this knowledge projects that secular life, centered upon man and his intellectual capacity, is alone able to unravel the mysteries of his environment and existence. Consequently, man’s life will accordingly be guided by such limited knowledge as acquired by his intellectual faculties.
The objective of seeking knowledge in a secular education is simply to cultivate certain abilities of men, which will enable them to develop their country as well as to improve their standard of living. This is basically a worldly purpose alone, and is devoid of any spiritual element. As such, one can achieve success in his life, and at the same time, be an alcoholic, adulterer and atheist; and may commit any immoral act without consequence. Meanwhile, religious education gives emphasis on the teaching of adab or virtue because human action is accountable on the Day of Judgment. From an Islamic perspective, seeking knowledge is considered as an act of ÑibÉdah (religious ritual) and should be done for the sake of getting blessings from God. It should also be gained and used for a better life in this world as well as in the hereafter. That is why knowledge in Islam has been classified into two kinds. The first kind is acquired knowledge, which includes all natural and social sciences, such as
physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, psychology, politics, economics, etc. The second kind of knowledge is revealed knowledge (God-given
knowledge) and religious sciences, which include knowledge about belief, Divine injunctions, proper conduct, etc. Revealed knowledge should be the
utmost priority for any individual in the quest of knowledge since it would serve as the foundation or basis for one’s thoughts or worldview.
The secular system of education only concentrates on acquired knowledge and concerns this world alone. The result is that man is no longer concerned about who he is, where he comes from, what is the purpose of his existence, who is his God and so on. Consequently, this system produces
doctors, engineers, architects, economists, scientists, and politicians who lack religious foundation. How could we then expect these people to govern and administer the world in accordance with God’s will?
Being influenced strongly by nineteenth century Western rationalism and natural philosophy, he argued that Islam was the religion of reason and nature. The Qur’Én must be interpreted in accordance with reason and nature, and the legal and moral code must be based on nature. Nature has been declared as a close-knit system of causes and effects, which allow no supernatural intervention. In this regard, Sayyid Ahmad Khan implies that there is nothing which transcended the world of nature, and that man is the judge of all things.
In order to assert the autonomy of nature and natural laws, Sayyid Ahmad Khan not only denied the miracles, angels, and jinn, but also the bodily resurrection, the Day of Judgment, Heaven and Hell, all of which, he insisted, must be rejected on principle.
In intellectual terms, he attempted to integrate Western and Islamic thought because he believed that a Muslim’s adjustment to the modern intellectual realities was absolutely essential. Therefore, he introduced among Muslims the Western educational system in order to transform their mentality and to enable them to enter government services. His Aligarh University, modeled on Cambridge University, aimed at the liberation of ideas and the inculcation of a scientific worldview and a pragmatic approach to politics.
The implication of a dual system of education in Muslim societies resulted in a division of schools of thought into two major categories: the traditionalists and the secular-liberal intellectuals. The traditionalists are the product of the traditional system of education, well versed with traditional sciences, loyal and committed to their religion and traditions, but completely ignorant of modern knowledge. Meanwhile, the secular liberal intellectuals are the product of a secular system of education, well-acquainted with modern philosophical thoughts and ideas, exposed to
modern culture and life-styles, but completely ignorant of their own religious traditions. Between the traditionalists and secular-liberal intellectuals, there was a mediating group of Muslim modernists who made efforts to remove a dual system of education in the Muslim world. In their educational reform, they were neither content with the traditional religious education because it lacked the modern subjects, nor with the modern education because it lacked the religious subjects, which degenerated moral standards among students. Therefore, they proposed to combine both types of education, so that the Muslim intellectuals would be able to trace the Western ideas and to participate in the development of their country and society as well as to maintain their religious beliefs and practices.
3. Political Aspect
In political terms, secularism is defined as a separation of religion from state. It means religion should not interfere with or be integrated into the
public affairs of a society. This can refer to reducing ties between a government and a state religion, replacing laws based on scripture with civil
laws. Secularists would prefer that politicians make decisions based on secular reasons rather than religious ones. They deceive the people with
democratic slogans like “personal freedom,” “people governing people.” Other secular slogans like “no religion in politics and no politics in religion,”
and “religion is for God and the state is for the people” portray the rigidity of Islam. They view Islam as a religion to be practiced in ritual worships only and deny it as a code of life.
The secularist standpoint in politics was shared by ÙÉhÉ ×usayn in his political approach to his country. For instance, he said: “We seek no guidance
in our government from the Caliphate. Instead we have set up national, secular courts and enacted laws in conformity to Western rather than Islamic
codes.
The secular view in politics was also shared by ‘AlÊ ‘Abd al- RÉziq (1888-1966) in his book Al- IslÉm wa UÎËl al-×ukm (Islam and the Principles
of Government), which argued that the Prophet () had not established a formal system of government and that no such system was defined in the
Qur’Én and Sunnah. He seemed to challenge that the sources of authority in Islam are no longer valid and that democratic principles are superior to the Islamic ones. According to him, the caliphate was not an obligatory or a necessary institution of Islam.
He also rejected the theory that the Prophet was a ruler, 46 and claimed that the Prophet had no coercive authority; he was only a preacher. 47 The
denial of the role of the Prophet () as a ruler and the unnecessary institution of caliphate after him was an attempt to change the very essence of Islam. In his controversial work, ‘Abd al-RÉziq also asserted that Islam was a religion and not a state, a message not a government, a spiritual edifies and not a political institution.
Unlike Christianity which has defined for the church a certain domain, that of the salvation of the soul, Islam legislates
matters of state and social relations. It leaves human reason and experience to lay down specific institutions, theories, and laws for the Islamic state within its determined philosophy, ideals, criteria, and objectives. Although the Qur’Én does not directly ordain a state for Muslims and does not mention in detail a constitution for an Islamic state, that does not mean that there is no relationship between religion and state. The Qur’Én prescribes certain religious duties, which cannot be fulfilled without the establishment of an Islamic state, such as, levying the zakÉh, applying the ÍudËd, regulating the judicial system, etc
Islam is composed of two essential components: the creed or doctrine (ÑaqÊdah), and a system of rules and regulation founded on this doctrine (SharÊÑah). The Islamic ÑaqÊdah provides current and comprehensive answers to the fundamental questions regarding human existence and that of the universe; while the Islamic SharÊÑah provides a comprehensive law governing the affairs of human beings. Therefore, secularism is incompatible with the Islamic worldview since it separates between the two realms: the spiritual and the mundane. Secularism is only compatible with the Western concept of God, which maintains that after God had created the world, He left it to look after itself. This concept is inherited from Greek philosophy especially that of Aristotle who argued that God neither controls nor knows anything about this world. He leaves people to look after their own affairs. From the Muslim perspective, we believe that Allah is the Creator of the universe, the Owner and Controller of it; thus, His jurisdiction should not be confined to personal matters only.
4. Moral Aspect
The first question is about the sources of the knowledge of good and evil. They have no agreed answer to it; rather, they turn themselves to diverse sources like human experience, intuition, reason, etc. So, people are confronted with a confused situation. The result is that the good of one individual or group is in conflict with the good of other individuals and groups. From a religious perspective, the real knowledge of good and evil is provided by Divine guidance. It is the primary source, while all others are considered secondary sources. For example, anything which Divine guidance states to be good would receive confirmation from human experience. The principles of justice, truthfulness, honesty, and equality are all good principles mentioned by Divine revelations and have proven to be good in the application of human experience.
The second question is about the sanction behind the moral law. In response to this question, some said the moral law does not need any external
force; it is self-enforcing. Others claim that political power is the real sanction behind the moral law, and this group rests all these powers and
functions to the state. Yet another group assigns the society to be responsible for it. Again all of these replies have created confusion in the life of
humanity. In fact, we may argue that both the state and the society are not perfect and might be in error. For instance, the legalization of acts of
homosexuality by the Western society is obviously wrong and contradicts human nature. From a religious point of view, the real sanction behind the
moral law should lie in our strong faith and belief in God.
The third question is about the motive of moral conduct. It was again responded to with different answers by different schools of thought. Some said the motive is to get reward from a society in the form of esteem and to avoid punishment in the form of denunciation. Others said the motive is for
the purpose of self-perfection and pleasure. Those sorts of questions clearly show that people face moral confusion. From a religious point of view, the
feeling of ultimate purpose and fulfillment of convictions in seeking the pleasure of God and fearing His punishment in the hereafter should be the
real motive of moral conduct.
As a result of this removal of God’s guidance, people are faced with the crisis of an unstable system of morality with no standard of judgment. From
the religious point of view, the system of morality cannot be formulated by man due to his limitations and weaknesses, like prejudice, greed, selfish
desires, etc. Man’s knowledge and experience are limited. Thus, when he tries to construct his own system of morality, it will never be perfect. It will
need constant changing, updating, and modifications. The code of conduct which is provided by God through His Divine guidance, however, will always be perfect as God knows and has provided the best way for mankind.
Conclusion
Islam is not compatible with the idea of secularism despite the numerous attempts to reconcile them. We cannot compromise with secular
ways and institutions as it will lead to a dilution of Islam in all fields of activity. Muslims should have a full consciousness of their traditions, values,
and beliefs in order to free themselves from the dangerous infiltration of secular and alien influences. They do not need to look for secularism as
inspiration for progress and development since Islam itself endorses progress and development within certain limits. Islam also enjoins the use of reason. However, it is considered secondary to Divine guidance, unlike secularism, which gives no importance to Divine guidance; instead it emphasizes on human reason and self-interest as supreme values.
