Eighth to the Sixteenth Century - Rashid Islamic Center

Islam and Modern Science: The Colonial Era • 173Al-Afghani rejected the ideas of those materialists who attributedthe cause of all changes in the composition of the heavens and earthto “matter, force and intelligence.” He considered these ideas to be“corrupt.” He accused the materialists of undermining the veryfoundations of human society by destroying the “castle of happiness”based on religious beliefs. Al-Afghani enumerated “the three qualitiesthat have been produced in peoples and nations from the mostancient times because of religion” as being (i) the modesty of the soul,which prevents them from committing acts that would cause foulnessand disgrace; (ii) trustworthiness; and (iii) truthfulness and honesty(Keddie 1968, 146–47).These he considered the “foundations of stability of humanexistence,” which “the deniers of divinity, the nécheris, in whatever agethey showed themselves and among whatever people they appeared,”tried to destroy.They said that man is like other animals, and has no distinctionover the beasts…with this belief, they opened the gates ofbestiality…and facilitated for man the perpetration of shamefuldeeds and offensive acts, and removed the stigma from savageryand ferocity. Then they explained that there is no life asidefrom this life, and that man is like a plant that grows in springand dries up in the summer, returning to the soil…because ofthis false opinion, they gave currency to misfortunes of perfidy,treachery, deception, and dishonesty; they exhorted men tomean and vicious acts; and prevented men from discoveringtruths and traveling toward perfection. (Keddie 1968, 148)Concluding his refutation, al-Afghani praised religions, especially“the two firm pillars—belief in a Creator and faith in rewards andpunishments” (Keddie 1968, 168). “Among all religions,” he said,“we find no religion resting on such firm and sure foundations asthe religion of Islam.… The first pillar of Islam is Tawhid, [which]purifies and cleans off the rust of superstition, the turbidity offantasies, and the contamination of imagination.” Anticipatingan objection to his elucidation, he closed his treatise by saying: “Ifsomeone says: If Islam is as you say, then why are the Muslims in sucha sad condition? I will answer: When they were [truly] Muslims, theywere what they were and the world bears witness to their excellence.