Islam & The West — Part 1: Prefatory Remarks
By Ahnaf Ibn Qais
Europe's Encounter with Islam, Soft Illumination, Muted Dialogues, Cultural Fusion, Essential, Interconnected.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ شُعَيْبِ بْنِ اللَّيْثِ، حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي اللَّيْثُ، بْنُ سَعْدٍ حَدَّثَنِي مُوسَى بْنُ عُلَىٍّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ قَالَ الْمُسْتَوْرِدُ الْقُرَشِيُّ عِنْدَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ وَالرُّومُ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ " . فَقَالَ لَهُ عَمْرٌو أَبْصِرْ مَا تَقُولُ . قَالَ أَقُولُ مَا سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ لَئِنْ قُلْتَ ذَلِكَ إِنَّ فِيهِمْ لَخِصَالاً أَرْبَعًا إِنَّهُمْ لأَحْلَمُ النَّاسِ عِنْدَ فِتْنَةٍ وَأَسْرَعُهُمْ إِفَاقَةً بَعْدَ مُصِيبَةٍ وَأَوْشَكُهُمْ كَرَّةً بَعْدَ فَرَّةٍ وَخَيْرُهُمْ لِمِسْكِينٍ وَيَتِيمٍ وَضَعِيفٍ وَخَامِسَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ جَمِيلَةٌ وَأَمْنَعُهُمْ مِنْ ظُلْمِ الْمُلُوكِ .
Mustaurid al-Qurashi reported: I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: The Last Hour would come (when) the Romans would form a majority amongst people. 'Amr said to him (Mustaurid Qurashi): See what you are saying? He said: I say what I heard from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Thereupon he said: If you say that, it is a fact for they have four qualities. They have the patience to undergo a trial and immediately restore themselves to sanity after trouble and attack again after flight. They (have the quality) of being good to the destitute and the orphans, to the weak and, fifthly, the good quality in them is that they put resistance against the oppression of kings.
Sahih Muslim 2898a
Prolegomena
Perhaps one of the most storied rivalries of the past millennia, the relationship between the West & the Islamic World has been fraught with controversy, intrigue & mutual antagonisms. This is somewhat unsurprising:
Western Civilization has notions about the Good Life that, Prima facie, are entirely at odds with how the Believer orients himself:
Man’s Ultimate Identity is that he submits entirely to Allah Most High’s Dominion. This Slave-hood ennobles Man to the loftiest of heights, above all other Created Beings, even the Djinn and the Angels. Such is Man in the Eyes of the Believer.
Contrast this with Western notions, whose chief pursuits in the post-Enlightenment climate have been steeped in the ideals of Reason, Empiricism, Secularism, & Individualism. This has yielded a divergence in the past three centuries:
The rejection of Christendom, coupled with notions of advancing knowledge through ‘Scientific’ Inquiry & ‘Rational’ thought, & the promotion of sundry notions such as ‘Human Rights,’ Liberty, & Equality, have exacerbated said divergence.
Granted, this ‘West’ is not the only one, nor does it speak or account for millions in Europe, North America & elsewhere who would deem themselves ‘Men of Western Civilization.’ That said, the practical, ‘on the ground’ realities are straightforward:
'The West' of Globalism, 'Clown World' & related ills are what we have today in the Halls of Power & Influence. That prior West of Christendom, with whom Muslims & the Islamic World could, at least somewhat dialogue via reasonable terms, is Moribund.
Granted, some celebrate this matter:
Why not (these folks argue) eliminate that 'Eternal Scourge' that has plagued us since the Conquest of the Iberian Peninsula more than a millennium & three centuries ago? Western Hegemony presently provides such an opportunity, so why not take it?
First, putting aside Theological arguments (i.e., that highlight why Islam & Muslims are here to stay till the End of Times), the truth of the matter is that such a proposal is, Prima Facie, utterly Absurd for a very straightforward reason:
We now number over 2 billion worldwide. By percentage, that is around a quarter of the Global Population presently, & we comprise a Full-fledged Civilization.
Muslim Population Worldwide, Soft Illumination, Muted Harmony, Cultural Complexity, Essential, Interconnected.
This means anything short of willingness, readiness & overall ability to commit Cosmocide... will be for naught.
Second, & more practically speaking, 'The West' of Cosmopolitan Globalism currently has no will, readiness, or ability. It is beset on all sides by conflict & no longer has the privilege of 'taking the fight to their foes' doorsteps.'
On the Eastern European Steppe, the combined West (a la NATO & primarily American munitions) is being attrited away violently by the Russians, an open conflict pitting Western Civilization against Russian Eastern Orthodox Civilization.
Already (as of this writing), the Zionist Settler Colony of 'Israel' is engaged in wanton Genocide & Ethnic Cleansing against the Palestinian people. De Facto, this is another front in which the West is pitted against the Muslim world & Islamic Civilization.
Over 30,000 souls have been martyred already in the butchery. The Hubris with which many Westerners speak of the martyred is exceptionally vile nowadays, & will inevitably breed Retribution & Nemesis. Reprisal attacks can be expected shortly.
In the coming months & years, every key European, North American & Western city & town will suffer said attacks. Given the horrendous nature of border security, coupled with related security measures at airports & other transport hubs being abysmal:
It is obvious what is going to happen next. Add in now the exponentially magnified capabilities of sub-state actors & the munitions they have procured & indigenously built in the two decades since the 9/11 attacks, & you get the picture, Dear Readers!
Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Taiwan is, slowly but surely, getting armed & fashioned into an 'anti-China' whose objective will be to permanently 'box in' & hamper China's strategic standing, sovereignty & security.
This will not be allowed to stand for much longer:
The Chinese leadership is aware that Taiwan needs to be rejuvenated with the Mainland to end such a Farce. This means war with the United States & allies shortly, a de facto Clash of Sinic Civilization & the West.
This will mean three concurrent fronts:
The Western world cannot prevail in any of these without paying significant costs in manpower, resources, etc. As for prevailing in all three? Forget about it! A slow, grinding defeat via 'Death by a Thousand Cuts' is the deterministic outcome.
Third, & most importantly, the West does not even have the proper standing (moral or otherwise) to pursue such things, given its past & present evils:
Be it the murder of hundreds of millions of the unborn daily, the obsession with War, P***, Usury, & Materialism, the deracination of its people via surveillance & related evils, the inhuman manner in which soulless architecture & technology are used...
You get the idea, Dear Readers!
The matter, then, is simple. If the West had any 'Elite' or leaders of substance, it ought to be negotiating an amicable end to one or more of these conflicts & once more resolving to practise 'An Economy of Enemies' rigorously.
The problem, of course, is that the Western world is friendless, isolated, & despised, & no indication exists that its corrupt leadership will implement the steps mentioned earlier to prevent the coming deterministic calamities & Fall.
That West of Christendom, which resisted the oppression of kings, was charitable to the destitute, the weak, and the orphans, was patient with trials, troubles, and tribulations, and was always of sound mind when in battle...
That West may yet stage a comeback!
& it is for that West, this series of short essays is written.
What then of this other 'West?'
What of the ‘West’ of Hegemony & Cosmopolitan Globalism?
The Fall of the West, Neon Glow, Dark Realities, Cultural Decline, Formative, Interconnected.
For the Islamic World, writ large, there is no dialogue to be had with such a monstrosity, with its sundry malevolences. Its antihuman nature today is evident to all, & words are moot. 'To Arms!' are the best words to utter regarding said enemy...
The DOOM cometh!
Addendum: The forthcoming short essays, as noted earlier, are addressed to the part of the Western World that has not been infected with the virus of Hegemonic Cosmopolitan Globalism & is still capable of civilized conversation.
In Part 1, 'Prefatory remarks,' this was made abundantly clear so that, moving forward, the Cosmopolitan Globalists pursuing Hegemony are made aware of their inevitable defeat & DOOM.
As for Westerners willing, ready & able to engage in amicable dialogue with Islamic Civilization & the Muslim World:
Welcome!
We will have lots to discuss!
~
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I don't think anyone is talking about mass murder of an entire global religious identity; that would be as silly as talking about killing every Christian or the like.
Making generalizations is always hard because they always, always underestimate factionalism in any category. Even in the area of total European dominance, they were mostly focused on making war on one another, and so it is everywhere.
Love it. Glad to see that our views of what is ill within the West coincide. I'm interested to hear what a Muslim has to say about it, in the rest of the series!