What lead to the destruction of the Muslim Empire?

[جوري]

I wanted to know everyone's opinion on what they feel were the causes of the fall of the Muslim empire...

Also the mistakes made by Muslims today that weren't committed during the rise of the Muslim empire... what is it that today's youths are lacking as opposed to their counterparts centuries ago?

My personal opinion I felt the Mongol invasion was one... Don't think things were quite the same from then onward...

thanks

[strider]

Corrupted leaders who let go of the teachings of Islam in an attempt to satisfy their worldly desires.

[جوري]

There were pretty bad ones back then too... like Al Hajaj and mo3awya... somehow people then managed to overcome that... but now we aren't able to... why? what is different now?

[strider]

There were pretty bad ones back then too... like Al Hajaj and mo3awya... somehow people then managed to overcome that... but now we aren't able to... why? what is different now?

Lack of unity?

[- Qatada -]

Sister PurestAmbrosia, lets not say nothing bad about Mu'awiya (radhiAllaahu anhu.) Remember that he was a companion of the Messenger of Allaah (sal Allaahu alayhi waSalam.)

Once Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked who was better, Umar ibn Abdul Aziz or Mu'awiya, and he said how can you compare a companion of the Messenger of Allaah to a student of the companions? That's why its better to speak a good word or remain silent insha'Allaah. Jazaak Allaahu khayrun.

[جوري]

Thank you and advise well taken:
But be that as it may... people have had their share of unjust rulers, and still managed to come out on top... I really would like to get to the root of what is wrong now as opposed to then. I haven't bad mouthed Mo3awaya in the sense you describe or wishing to avoid, however, all history books at least what I was tought when I lived in Saudi Arabia is that his methods were less conventional than the rest of the sahaba or the khalifs at the time.

after that whole age even... there were several invasions and there were the crusades yet Muslims managed to come out on top... now they aren't... and I would just like to analyze the events that led to this point to see how it can be changed or what can be changed? Why are we so different from them?
Thank you
Jazaka Allah Khyran

[Skillganon]

I personally think is because the Muslims became negligence of their deen.
All the things the prophet said about muslims.

Also foreign interference, they are always their plotting.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

Love of this life:

On the authority of Thawbaan , the Prophet said:

“The People will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their food.” Someone asked, “Will that be because of our small numbers at that time?” He replied, “No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be froth and scum like that carried down by a torrent (of water), and Allah will take the fear of you from the breasts (hearts) of your enemy and cast al-wahn into your hearts.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is al-wahn?” He replied, “Love of the world and dislike of death.”
[An authentic hadith recorded by Abu Dawud and Ahmad]

[جوري]

Love of this life:

On the authority of Thawbaan , the Prophet said:

“The People will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their food.” Someone asked, “Will that be because of our small numbers at that time?” He replied, “No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be froth and scum like that carried down by a torrent (of water), and Allah will take the fear of you from the breasts (hearts) of your enemy and cast al-wahn into your hearts.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is al-wahn?” He replied, “Love of the world and dislike of death.”
[An authentic hadith recorded by Abu Dawud and Ahmad]

I read this hadith several times and it really makes me very sad... that is exactly where we are now... Wish we can collectively change but I don't know how change will come? Though so many people tell me they feel a spirit of change already stirring... I don't know if I believe it

[NoName55]

There were pretty bad ones back then too... like Al Hajaj and mo3awya... somehow people then managed to overcome that... but now we aren't able to... why? what is different now?

Kindly *Explain* the statement (That I marked in bold text) with evidence

[جوري]

well... I'll exclude mo3aya as per request... But Alhajjaj was a very austere ruler of Iraq... who tortured Muslims.... http://www.princeton.edu/~batke/itl/denise/hajjaj.htm

I don't know how truthful everything is on the website I provided as I just did a quick search... I can't find a decent link as I read this story so long ago and in Arabic part of my school curriculum ...I remember the story of one Muslim in particular who outwitted him even as Al hajjaj was torturing him to death... if anyone has a more credible source on him feel free to share it
thanks
wasalaam

[- Qatada -]

I think i once read that Hasan Al-Basri said that Al Hajjaaj was a trial of Allaah sent to the people because i think people had become excessive and stuff.. like if you look at the life of the sahabah compared to the time of the Umayya dynasty - you'll see a huge difference, because so much wealth has come into the ummah.


Here's a good lecture on the life of the Khulafah Rashidoon, and the Ummaya dynasty:

http://www.pleasantviewschool.com/media/

Click on Islamic History.



Mu'awiya (radhiAllaahu anhu) introduced the hereditary concept - yes. But he still worked hard to apply the islamic law. Even though there were controversial things that did occur within his lifetime. That's why the martyrdom of Ali was the end of the Khalifah Raashida [guided successors] until Umar ibn Abdul Aziz who came from the Ummaya and he was the 5th Khalifah Al-Raashid according to Sufyan Al-Thawri [recorded in Abi Dawud.]

[- Qatada -]

I've also noticed this, that since after the Prophethood and till the end of the Guided Khalifah, as time has progressed.. the muslims gradually have followed the way of the jews and christians by gradually giving up their way of life and imitating the christians and jews instead.


Look what the Messenger of Allaah himself said:

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: You would tread the same path as was trodden by those before you inch by inch and step by step so much so that if they had entered into the hole of the lizard, you would follow them in this also.

We said: Allah's Messenger, do you mean Jews and Christians (by your words) "those before you"?

He said: Who else (than those two religious groups)? -Sahih Muslim, Hadith 6448

Just compare our islamic history and the closer you come to our time - the more we have become like them [i.e. giving up our islaam for worldly pleasures and imitating the ways of the people before us.] We seek refuge in Allaah.


Here's a hadith which cheered me up though alhamdulillah:

The Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) said:

"The Prophethood will last among you for as long as Allah (God) wills, then Allah would take it away. Then it will be (followed by) a Khilafah [caliphate] Rashida (rightly guided) according to the ways of the Prophethood. It will remain for as long as Allah wills, then Allah would take it away. Afterwards there will be a hereditary leadership which will remain for as long as Allah wills, then He will lift it if He wishes. Afterwards, there will be biting oppression, and it will last for as long as Allah wishes, then He will lift it if He wishes. Then there will be a Khilafah Rashida according to the ways of the Prophethood," then he kept silent.

[recorded in Musnad Imam Ahmad (v/273)]


We're under the underlined stage, and all the events before it have occured in our islamic history. Inshaa'Allaah the rest of the prophecy will soon come into effect.


According to the hadith, the prophet (pbuh) will be followed by rightly guided caliphs and after those caliphs (Abu Baker, Omar, Uthman and Ali) will come hereditary leadership (all other Caliphs) and after that will come tyrannical rule (today) and after that will come a rightly guided caliphs yet again inshaa'Allaah.

[Muslim Knight]

There's pattern here. If we study the history of Islamic empires we tend to notice the decline whenever there's a sovereign who is always indulging in worldly pleasures (drinking, womanizing) and engaging in useless debates (such as whether the Quran was created or the word of God).

Reflects much in our ummah today where many of our youths are engaging in much TV and excessive entertainment.

[Keltoi]

The decline of the Muslim empires, like the Ottomans and Safavids, obviously didn't happen overnight. In the case of the Safavids, it started with a series of bad rulers and finished with the rebellion of persecuted religious groups. By that I mean Sunnis. I think it was in the 1700's when the Sunnis captured Afghanistan and then took the Safavid capital of Isfahan. Spelling the end of that empire.

We all know what happened to the Ottomans. They were in decline before WWI, but they chose the wrong side during that war and paid dearly for it. What damaged them even more was the European dominance of the sea trade.

[Akil]

Very generally I believe Muslim civilization began to decline when they began to reject all types of knowledge of activities not considered essentially Muslim including science, mathematics, philosophy etc. Salat is good and respectable but does not drive social or economic development.

[Keltoi]

Very generally I believe Muslim civilization began to decline when they began to reject all types of knowledge of activities not considered essentially Muslim including science, mathematics, philosophy etc. Salat is good and respectable but does not drive social or economic development.

That's true, but the primary cause of the decline of the Ottomans and the Safavids was political, not really ideological. Any great civilization must be nurtured, that is true, and in so far as intellectual creativity was stifled that didn't help. However, inner strife between princes, the growing power of the European nations, and their lack of sea trade spelled the end of them. The Ottomans could have survived if they hadn't backed Germany in WWI.

[Erundur]

1. Allah (swt)
2. corrupted leaders who cared more about expanding then internal issues.
3. Internal strife/ Arab and Non-Arab/ various ideals etc.
4. Arrogance, the feeling of superiority without realizing that Europe was increasing its knowledge.

and repeat over and over and over again.

[جوري]

Very generally I believe Muslim civilization began to decline when they began to reject all types of knowledge of activities not considered essentially Muslim including science, mathematics, philosophy etc. Salat is good and respectable but does not drive social or economic development.

lol......... I am not sure how to even begin commenting on that....
you can begin by reading this http://www.netmuslims.com/info/contributions.html
Then come tell me how Science and Math are essentially Unislamic........

[Talha777]

That's true, but the primary cause of the decline of the Ottomans and the Safavids was political, not really ideological. Any great civilization must be nurtured, that is true, and in so far as intellectual creativity was stifled that didn't help. However, inner strife between princes, the growing power of the European nations, and their lack of sea trade spelled the end of them. The Ottomans could have survived if they hadn't backed Germany in WWI.

Mr. Keltoi, I respectfully beg to differ. The primary cause of the fall of any civilization is their unrighteousness and wickedness. Allah Tala has mentioned in the Holy Quran how He liquidated so many civilizations which considered themselves as "superpowers". Look how Allah humiliated Pharoah of Egypt because he rejected Hazrat Nabi Musa (alaihi salam). Look how Allah destroyed the people who rejected Hazrat Nabi Nuh (alaihi salam), and the destruction of Sadum (Sodom) is definitely an object lesson for all. The destruction and fall of all of these societies is because they became sinful, and Allah withdrew His favor from them and caused them to shatter. This is an imminent lesson and warning for the superpower civilizations of today. No matter how high they are on the ladder of economic and military power, if it is the will of Allah for them to fall, they will come crashing down at the most unexpected moment.

أَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّن قَرْنٍ مَّكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّن لَّكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا السَّمَاء عَلَيْهِم مِّدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا الأَنْهَارَ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنْشَأْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ

See they not how many of those before them We did destroy?- generations We had established on the earth, in strength such as We have not given to you - for whom We poured out rain from the skies in abundance, and gave (fertile) streams flowing beneath their (feet): yet for their sins We destroyed them, and raised in their wake fresh generations (to succeed them).
[Al-Anam 6:6]