Islam

Reinventing Tradition

This entry combines the past with the present. The Islamic utopia, which was the driver of Islamic futuhat wars in early Islamic history, is a classical pursuit of the Islamic globalization model. This model is inspired by a view of the world based on Islamic-religious precepts. In Islamic belief, the history of humankind is taught as a history of religious revelations by Allah transmitted to humanity via prophets acting as messengers of God. In this belief, Islam concludes this history of revelations for good because the Qur'ān claims to be the “final message” revealed to Muhammad. This revelation is—as the Qur'ān states—sent to Muhammad in his capacity as Khatem al-Nabiyyin (the final of all prophets; Qur'ān surah 33, verse 40). Thus, it is inferred that true religion is by definition Islam ad-din ‘ind Allah huwa al-Islam (Qur'ān 3/19). The message of Islam aims at uniting humanity in [Page 968]one global structure as a community of belief. This vision determines the Islamic definition of peace. In Islamic belief, perpetual peace is only possible under the rule of Islam. Until this utopia materializes, the globe is divided into dar al-Islam (the Islamicate) and dar al-harb (abode of war). The common contemporary term used today to replace the earlier one is dar al-kuffar (house of unbelievers) or al-Gharb (the West). In the past, Islamic futuhat, respectively jihad wars, were viewed by Muslims as wars of peace to unite humanity and free it from al-jahilliyya (ignorance). This is envisioned to be accomplished by establishing one global structure determined by Islam.

Today, a powerful and radical interpretation of the classical Islamic doctrine is the one provided by Sayyid Qutb. In his writings, Qutb translates jihad into “Islamic world revolution” that claims to free the world from the West. Qutb argues that humanity is at the brink while the West is existentially crumbling. Qutb adds, “There is only one valid abode, it is Dar al-Islam, where the Islamic state is to be established in which shari'a prevails.” In his major pamphlet Signposts for the Road, Qutb has laid the foundations for an invention of tradition that includes the vision of globalization pursued by classical Islam. This vision provides a global strategy that translates Islamic universalism into an activist Islamist internationalism for a remaking of the world along the Islamic tenets. Qutb redefines the old doctrine and gives it a new shape pertinent to understanding Islam and globalization. In the literature of Islamic studies, the impact of Qutb is acknowledged. The legacy of Qutb is revived today while he is honored as shahid (martyr). His work is the cornerstone of contemporary Islamism, the radical Muslim political ideology that is related to many revolutionary movements.

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