The Rise of Islam, Past and Future

Islam is a religion practiced a great time in history in the past. It has a history of over 14 hundred years. It spread within just 23 years at the time of Prophet Muhammad SAW. And it captured the world enormously. The reason being was its universal message. Equality gave without the difference of class race and color. Justice, it provided to the world. Its message that there is only one God ‘Allah’ and there is no other God in any other form. 

As in the Quran in Surah Ikhlas, it goes as: “Say, He is Allah, (who is) One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born.” (112-1,2,3)

We can see its past by dividing it into smaller parts,

First 6 centuries

In the beginning, let say its first centuries was a time when Islam faced civil wars, attacks on the followers of Islam and hardships and tribulations they faced. It was a really tough time for Islam and Muslims. 

Islam trained its followers from the very basic. From improving their beliefs to the full development of their strong character.

Muslims struggled in the fields of science and art. The educational institutions were built. Philosophy, law and other fields of education were improved step by step. It does not mean that from the very start there was political stability. No, it was not the case. But the great thing is that such a situation does not hinder their way of progress. They kept on improving as the progress is concerned.

Next 6 centuries

After that, the followers of Islam saw another period where there was the pressure of great empires of the world around them. In this era, the process of learning declined a bit and tribalism flourished around. It was yet another difficult time for Islam and Muslims in general.

In the last two decades, Islam came under the rule of westerners. It was the time of Napolean. Islam faced yet another tough time.

Let us briefly discuss the current situation of Islam and Muslims in the world

We can talk in two ways, one being community and the second being the political situation of the Muslims in the world. 

Rise of Islam at Political Level

The wonderful thing is political Islam is on its go. When we go to analyze different countries and states we can see that the trend of political Islam is growing. Take for instance the example of Turkey, Nigeria, Arab states, Australia and Europe, there is a great change in the whole scenario.

The picture is very much clear when we go to see Casablanca, Cairo, Khartoum, Damascus, Baghdad, Tehran, Jakarta to Islamabad, there is an increased number of mosques, labor associations working for Islamic culture to prevail are formed at a rapid pace. There are Islamic student unions and groups that are becoming famous day by day. The concept of rigid Islam and things like rigid fundamentalism is now being taken in a different way. The Muslims around the globe have serious concerns about that. Islam is a religion of peace and its followers are continuously working to restore its status being a religion of peace and prosperity in the world.

Here is an excerpt to help our readers to understand what followers of other religions are thinking about the rise of Islam and its impact, here are the thoughts of Jewish Hungarian scholar “Ignaz Goldziher” he goes on saying in his diary, that,

‘The spontaneous friendliness and welcome which anyone can experience even today in Middle Eastern countries quickly made the twenty-three-year-old from a strange country and religion familiar with the ‘powerful world religion of Islam.’ ‘Moreover during these weeks I lived so much in the Mohammedan spirit that ultimately I became inwardly convinced that I myself was a Mohammedan, and shrewdly discovered that this is the only religion which can satisfy philosophical minds even in its official doctrinal form and formulation. My idea was to raise Judaism to a similar rational level. My experience taught me that Islam is the only religion in which superstition and pagan rudiments are made taboo not by rationalism, but by orthodox doctrine.’ He goes on: ‘My way of thinking was utterly sympathetic to Islam; my sympathy also pulled me towards it subjectively. I called my monotheism Islam, and I was not lying if I said that I believed in the prophecies of Mohammed. My copy of the Qur’an can attest to how I was inwardly drawn to Islam. My teachers earnestly longed for the moment of my open declaration.’

Future of the Rise of Islam

• Following the trend that is prevailing throughout the world, studies show that till 2050,
• Muslims will be equal to the numbers of Christians in the world
• Muslims will make up 10% of the overall population in Europe.
• In India, Muslims may surpass the figure of Indonesian number and they may increase a lot more as they are already in a great number over there.
• Muslims will be in greater number in the U.S, against the great number of Judaism and Christianity.

These are the few facts that show how Islam is rising in the world.  Let me close my discussion with this Hadith,

The Prophet (SAW) indicated:“Night and day will pass away until Al-Lat and Al-‘Uzza are worshipped.” 

So ‘Aishah (RA) said:  “O Messenger of Allah! I thought that when Allah sent down: ‘It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, that He may make it prevail over all the other religions, no matter how much the disbelievers detest it,’ that it would be complete. He SAW said, “There will be of that what Allah wishes.” (Muslim)