Recently, several preachers have succeeded in delivering a religious discourse rooted in the principles of human development. This approach identifies psychological and personality issues and provides remedial solutions that combine the teachings of Islamic jurisprudence with the support of modern sciences.

Because this discourse was scientifically sound and successful, it enabled emerging preachers who studied human development to reach the upper strata of society, which were previously beyond the influence of traditional religious discourse.

It is noteworthy that preachers presenting a religious discourse enriched with the principles of human development have become stars of the Islamic preaching movement and the most influential within it. They have adapted to modernity and addressed society, especially the youth, in a language that links adherence to Islamic teachings with achieving success in society. They offer practical guidance on achieving success, overcoming failure and laziness, dispelling illusions, and fostering hope.

The preaching field has witnessed the emergence of many prominent figures in this domain, notably Sheikh Tariq Al-Suwaidan and Dr. Ibrahim Al-Feki. The latter concluded his life combining preaching with human development, gaining numerous followers in the Arab and Islamic worlds.

This leads us to discuss the importance of human development, its influential role in religious discourse, and the necessity of maintaining this integration fostered by Islamic preachers. Despite awareness by Western academic institutions and internal secular forces of this discourse’s impact—resulting in their efforts to combat, discredit, and restrict it—it remains significant, though somewhat diminished recently.

Human development aims to enhance human well-being, both individually and collectively. This overarching goal relies on tools and methodologies from psychology, sociology, philosophy, logic, and even political theories. However, within religious discourse, it becomes flawed if dominated by Western terminologies and concepts rather than grounded in Islamic texts and Quranic verses.

The Issue of Human Development in Religious Discourse

Without delving into extensive definitions of human development or the controversies surrounding it, human development is a Western human product, much like computers, artificial intelligence, modern communication tools, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals—all products of European intellect. Our Islamic world needs and uses these innovations to preserve and elevate humanity. The key lies in how to use these Western products in ways that align with Islam's higher objectives, which fundamentally aim to elevate humans intellectually and morally, placing them in the frameworks consistently emphasized by Quranic texts: contemplation, reflection, mercy, tolerance, justice, and equality.

Human development has been used effectively in religious discourse, especially after achieving remarkable success in Christian missionary rhetoric. Missionary advocates have utilized all these tools—human development, interactive modern communication sciences, and the latest artificial intelligence products. This raises a question for those rejecting the use of human development sciences in religious discourse: how can religious discourse succeed in reaching the youth, who make up more than 60% of Arab and Islamic societies and spend most of their time engaging with these modern tools?

Would Islam benefit from leaving this vast number of young people enjoying the impressive performances of missionary advocates who skillfully use human development and modern communication sciences, under the pretext that these are secular products hostile to religion and capable of influencing its core? Or should Islamic intellect always strive to develop new guidelines for utilizing all modern products generated by European research centers to ultimately adapt them for the service of Islamic religious discourse, enhancing its influence and achieving its objectives?

It seems the decisive factor here is the caliber of religious advocates addressing the discourse and using human development sciences to influence youth. These advocates must be well-trained to prioritize the language of religious discourse over human development terminology, anchoring their arguments in religious texts and presenting them as absolute truths for achieving success and happiness. They must also use the familiar frameworks of human development while avoiding the dominance of Western concepts that emphasize absolute freedom, bodily autonomy, or freedom of belief, among others.

Advantages of Integrating Human Development into Religious Discourse

Despite the challenges mentioned above, several advantages of incorporating human development into religious discourse can be highlighted:

• It enhances social skills such as effective communication, collaboration, and leadership, fostering positive interaction among Muslims and creating a message more relatable to youth inclined toward Western culture.
• Religious discourse that benefits from human development encourages Muslims to take responsibility for themselves and their communities, work towards improving their surroundings, and strive for excellence in all aspects of life.
• Employing human development within religious contexts establishes regulatory frameworks, ensuring alignment with Islamic values and preventing deviation from religious principles.

Disadvantages of Incorporating Human Development into Religious Discourse

However, the drawbacks of using human development in religious discourse can be summarized as follows:

• Secular terminology is often infused with a semblance of religious legitimacy without a precise explanation of its content or alignment with Islamic principles.
• Some religious truths and concepts are neglected or contradicted by modernist ideas, such as the punishment for apostasy, gender segregation, art, women’s freedom, and intellectual liberation.
• Religious foundations and principles are sometimes replaced with societal and humanitarian concepts, such as societal norms, ethics, and values, weakening the religious identity and Islamic values.
• Ambiguous and undefined terms like "accepting others," "tolerance," and "openness" can pose risks to religious discourse. They avoid addressing clear Islamic instructions and texts that regulate relationships between genders and rely on reward and punishment to discipline society.
• Western cultural concepts dominate human development, emphasizing the individual as the core of this culture rather than the community, promoting individualism at the expense of loyalty to the Muslim Ummah.
• Admiration and fascination with Western figures and ideas turn these figures into role models instead of Islamic symbols that have historically represented ideals for Muslims. This weakens the Islamic identity of the community overall.

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