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wocihac2011_human_development

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The workability of the aspect the mobility of the people who are portrayed<br />

as sparingly existing in the pre-history where the world seemed to be dominated<br />

by ancient cultures is made possible by mobilizing certain people with access to<br />

the established culture and denying of mobility people without access to<br />

established culture. The authour suggests that the trans-migrating people through<br />

the course of time occupied the barren desert of Arabia and later on contributing to<br />

the formation of Islam. Besides the established cultures of pharaoh, Babylon and<br />

so on, according to Islamic source, the Qur’an (106: 1-4), there was a forming<br />

Arab culture through trades and barter bridging the gap between the east and the<br />

west.<br />

The workability of the span of time where the religion of Islam is said to<br />

have come out from nothing other than mere inspiration and adaptation is made<br />

possible by establishing the concept of prehistory as discussed above, where<br />

there were only monotonous progress of <strong>human</strong>ity. Ironically, this denies the<br />

possibility of the existence of various cultural and religious backgrounds, and it<br />

erases the difference or diversity as recorded in the Qur’an and the Bible apart<br />

from dismissing available artefacts on ancient peoples occupying the area. In other<br />

words, Hourani’s arguments deny the existence of periods of time characterized by<br />

the differences of peoples in colour, language and tradition, and deny the<br />

existence of certain ways of communication, and the denial of self-establishment,<br />

nationhood, and so on. The fact that there were peoples involved in trades or in<br />

battles shows that there were diversities and these diversities are called culture<br />

because the diversities were intended to establish self-assertion or self-identity.<br />

The suggestion of the workability of the three aspects is intended to<br />

reinforce Hourani’s (1991:7-73) previous discussions of Islam. This is done to deny<br />

the existence of an entity related to Islam that is located outside the selectively<br />

defined culture. Thus, Islamic prophecy is said to be from <strong>human</strong> inspiration<br />

through competition, rehabilitation and morality spirits in the non-established<br />

culture of the Arabs. Apart from that, Islam is said to have benefitted from the<br />

idolatry of the pagans and previous religions of Christianity and Judaism.<br />

Specifically, on the Islamic culture Hourani (1991: 83) seems to suggest that Islam<br />

before the formation of caliphate institution and Islamic State, and before the<br />

establishment of Islamic civilization, was characterized by the marginality of the<br />

identity, religion and culture of the people who occupied the barren land of the<br />

Arabia. Their existence was not well known and they mostly depended on the<br />

strength of other contemporary established people and culture. Otherwise, they<br />

can be regarded as a splinter or a fraction of the established people and culture<br />

then, occupying Egypt, Syria and Persia. As such is complete the theory<br />

suggesting that Prophet Muhammad (saw.) is considered to be “inspired” by the<br />

other religions or cultures.<br />

“Human inspiration” factor<br />

This discussion is an expansion on the proposed idea that Islam is part of the<br />

family of spiritual or religious cultures as mentioned above, meaning that Islam is<br />

not <strong>human</strong> inspiration or ambition and Prophet Muhammad (saw) is not an inspired<br />

man. Like Jesus and other previous prophets, he is also a prophet. He did not<br />

177

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