The change in societal values is considered one of the most prominent causes of political change, and the reverse relationship also holds true, where major political changes lead to significant changes in social and individual values. Islamic history is replete with many examples of this.
The Intermingling of Values Due to the Expansion of Islamic Conquests
The vast movement of Islamic conquests that the Islamic state witnessed during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) led to its emergence as a global state with multiple ethnicities, religions, and languages. The ruling Arab element became fewer in number compared to the incoming waves of people, and the moral adherence to the values of the era of prophethood and the beginnings of the rightly guided caliphs, such as asceticism in worldly matters, adherence to the highest religious ideals, and pride in them, declined. The sense of this change reached the point where Umar, in the later years of his caliphate, said, "O Allah, I have become weary of them and they have become weary of me, so take me to You." It also reached the point where a man asked Ali ibn Abi Talib during his caliphate: "Why did the Muslims disagree with you, but not with Abu Bakr and Umar?" He replied: "Because Abu Bakr and Umar were rulers over people like me, and I am a ruler over people like you!" Uthman ibn Affan warned of the dangers that would result from this rapid social openness, saying in his speech at the beginning of his caliphate: "The affairs of this nation will lead to innovation after the completion of three things among you: the fulfilment of blessings, the coming of age of your children from the captives, and the recitation of the Qur'an by the Bedouins and non-Arabs," indicating that the Qur'an would be interpreted incorrectly due to linguistic inexperience and inherited previous cultures.
The Movement of Islamic Conquests Led to a Decline in Moral Adherence to the Values of the Prophetic Era and the Early Caliphs
However, these fears did not prevent the fulfillment of rights and the spread of justice among the people of the conquered lands. The cry of Umar ibn al-Khattab still echoes through the ages when he said to Amr ibn al-As, his governor in Egypt: "Since when have you enslaved the people, Amr, while their mothers gave birth to them as free individuals?! "
The Dialectic of Islamic Unity Values and National Pride
It was not conceivable that the people of the conquered lands would completely shed their cultural heritage merely by entering Islam. Over time, intellectual misguidances and doctrinal deviations emerged, leaving their marks on some Islamic sects, theological disputes, and philosophical schools. Some of these even formed noisy sects that opposed Islam entirely and organized revolutionary movements against the state, such as the Rawandiyya, Khurramites, and Mazdakites.
Over Time, Intellectual Misguidances and Doctrinal Deviations Emerged Among the People of the Conquered Lands
The spread of Islam in those lands sometimes intertwined with the nationalist sentiments of their inhabitants and their ethnic pride in their previous global civilization before Islam. Calls for equality between Arabs and others arose, and populist and nationalist claims were sometimes concealed behind slogans of equality. The Umayyad state responded by further disseminating Islam and deepening its influence, as well as promoting the Arabic language, Arabizing state systems, and aspects of life in those regions. Some responses were characterized by increased Arab nationalism and disdain for others. However, it did not take long for these nationalist sentiments to manifest in independent states, as happened in the second Abbasid era, weakening the unity of the state and the authority of the caliphate.
National pride and religious zeal coexisted over several centuries, with neither necessarily being opposed to the other. In these independent states, prominent scholars emerged who served both the world and religion, and great centers of civilization emerged that made enduring contributions to Islam. Can history forget figures like al-Bukhari, Muslim al-Nisaburi, al-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah? Can the brilliance of cities like Bukhara, Samarkand, Nishapur, Ghazna, and Herat be overlooked? This is just in the East; what about the West, including Al-Andalus and its cities like Cordoba, Toledo, and Seville, as well as Fez, Marrakesh, and Shinqit? The great historical impact of the Almoravids, who prolonged the life of Islam in Al-Andalus for centuries, the Ghaznavids in their conquest of India, and the Seljuks who dominated Asia Minor and sowed the seeds of the Ottoman Empire, still resonates.
Political and Social Values Vary in Their Levels of Understanding and Commitment, Such as Shura (Consultation) and Freedom
Values of Political Freedom and Shura
The understanding and levels of commitment to political and social values can vary, including values such as Shura and the practice of political freedom. Some of the major events of the Fitna (civil strife) during the time of Uthman and Ali can be understood in this light. All parties agreed on the acknowledgment and pursuit of these values, but they differed in their understanding of their boundaries and the alignment between those concepts and the higher interests of the emerging state, its unity, and the stability of its political system. The revolutionaries interpreted this understanding as a pretext for a rampant revolution seeking to depose the caliph. However, the caliph did not comply, as he saw the insurgents as a rebellious group not bound by agreements and contracts, including the allegiance and deposition, while acknowledging their right to express their opinions and positions peacefully. The revolution led to his death, and with it the stability of the state and its golden age experiment, resulting in the emergence of a new political and value system.
With the Passage of Time, Diligence Diminished, Stagnation Prevailed, and the Sciences of Life Were Neglected, While the West Focused on Those Sciences
Values of Learning and the Debate Over the Most Noble Sciences
Learning is considered one of the greatest values of Muslims, and based on it, they flourished with magnificent civilization. The desire for and ability to learn vary among individuals, while collectively, sciences are distinguished between 'individual obligations' and 'communal obligations.' Muslims maintained this delicate balance between these two types of sciences during their prosperous eras. However, during periods of decline and weakness, their compass was disrupted. Some began to differentiate between noble and base sciences, placing the religious sciences at the highest levels and the natural sciences such as mathematics, astronomy, and medicine at the lowest.
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 505 H/1111 CE) said in comparing Fiqh and medical sciences: "God forbid that I equate between the two in honour and rank! " The religious sciences captivated many sharp minds, and they indeed achieved great accomplishments. However, over time, diligence diminished, stagnation prevailed, while the vibrant sciences of life, including medicine, engineering, astronomy, physics, and others, were neglected. Meanwhile, Western nations advanced by prioritizing these sciences, harnessing their political power and economic resources to support them. The nation paid a hefty price for its lag in these sciences, as it stood helpless against those who seized the crisis of knowledge and their overwhelming material strength.
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