by Hussam Bteibet
There is a sentence that disrupted the world every time it was applied. The Noble Quran challenged the Quraish, known for their composition of literary masterpieces, with these words and left them speechless. A command that destroyed civilization after civilization:
هاتوا برهانكم
This command challenges the addressee to prove their point. It was merciless to opponents unable to substantiate their claim. Alexander the Great—undefeated militarily—built an empire expanding from Greece to Alexandria to northwest India. Already having been partial towards debate, his tutelage under Aristotle developed his mind, molding it into the genius he became. Aristotle himself inherited this intellectual tradition from Socrates, the architect of Western philosophical thought. Socrates’ method of investigation involves dialectic, whereby Socrates would discuss a topic with his interlocutor, aiming to arrive at truth. Unlike debate, which seeks to establish the validity of one view over another, dialectic aims to establish truth through dialogue between people of different opinions, with both parties open to accepting the resulting truth. Evidence based in tradition—void of logic—would have no place in the Socratic dialectic method, oftentimes leading Socrates’ interlocutor to observe the absurdity of their claim or the insufficiency of their definition.
The polytheistic, jāhilī society of the Quraish, was sent into turmoil at their inability to respond to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, calling upon all of their resources to determine how to undermine al-Amīn ﷺ—aware of their clear impotence and the growing number of converts convinced by the message of tawḥīd. The pride of Arab society was their poetry, which demonstrated their unrivaled mastery over their native tongue. If anyone was to challenge them, should they be unable to meet the challenge, it would not only be a blemish on their society and a blow to their ego, but it would also demonstrate the superiority of a foreign tongue—undermining their own intellectual tradition. When the challenges came in the Quran, time after time, the Quraish could not produce a single verse to rival revelation. This was a clear proof, to any impartial observer, of the Prophet’s ﷺ claim that this revelation was otherworldly. Their pride and stubborn clinging to tradition prevented the Quraish from submitting to the Creator and admitting defeat, resulting in them being intellectually and militarily obliterated.
The scientific revolution, built upon Ibn al-Haytham’s scientific method, abandoned tradition for external observation. Without acceptable evidence, theories would not be accepted. This methodology shaped the world as we know it today, hardened by the resistance it faced from the church.
Consider why this sentence destroyed civilizations. Humans, in general and more so in previous times, regarded their predecessors highly, which is the foundation of the power of tradition. Most people are comfortable receiving their ethics matrix from society and living in it without critical examination or scrutinization under the lens of philosophy. Thus, tradition-based societies exist based on the good will of their citizens, who think highly of their predecessors, and the extreme threat of violence for those who oppose—e.g. pre-renaissance Europe or jāhilī Quraish. Asking for proof in these societies was seen as a challenge, which was unacceptable. Conversely, when the Muslims conquered new lands, despite the previous power no longer existing to execute violence against any challenger to tradition, the citizens still had no response to this challenge to produce proof, leaving them no option besides salvation or obstinacy.
This is one aspect that makes Islamic civilization unrivaled. Islam offers both burhān and irshād. Irshād is guidance, spiritually, ethically, and morally, that teaches you how to live your life. Materialists don’t have irshād because, even when applying the scientific method, they cannot produce conclusive proof for ethical arguments; people simply differ. The end result of this difference is both hedonism, the pursuit of pleasure, and nihilism, the rejection of all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless.
We, as Muslims, must appreciate the foundation of our tradition. Clear, undeniable proofs are on our side, along with visionary guidance—guidance that transcends this world, which instructs us how to live our lives. This appreciation is a shield against intellectual destruction, even in a state of military defeat. We ask Allāh to grant us this appreciation and allow us to live according to His Guidance. Āmīn.
—summary of an excerpt from Dr. Muhammed’s introduction to al-Bidāyah fī Usūl al-Dīn
