Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Sakran’s writing offers a remarkable discussion on the consequences of modern civil discourse. In it, he sheds light on one of the most significant phenomena observed in the Islamic arena following the historical turning point of 2001, particularly after the tragic fall of Baghdad in 2003.

Description of Civil Discourse Writers

Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Sakran accurately describes the state of civil discourse writers, sadly noting their shift towards explicit secularism. This shift involves the practical marginalization of religious texts in public life, vehement opposition to religious edicts, and engaging in disruptive criticism. These writers have become akin to court scribes, compromising their integrity by writing praise and avoiding the use of faith-based language, which they deem naive. They deliberately sidestep the unseen dimension in interpreting events. The situation has worsened to the point where they openly express concerns reflecting profound anxiety about major existential questions.

These writers have raised the banner of inflammatory commentary following every security event, using provocative language against anything “Islamic.” They have become obsessed with unfairly linking violent incidents to religious institutions and have excessively mocked every traditional achievement, while celebrating Francophone literature that reinterprets Islamic heritage through a political lens, viewing it as a result of power struggles and interests rather than ethical or religious motivations. Some have even gone as far as habitually casting aspersions on the narrations of the Prophet’s traditions, particularly those with significant historical weight, considering them sources of contemporary social confusion.

Soft Language in Dealing with Opponents of Islamic Solutions

While these writers undermine the text, heritage, and Islamic institutions, they adopt a markedly different approach towards opponents of Islamic solutions. They use a soft and friendly tone with them, acknowledging their right to freedom of expression and showing understanding towards blasphemous studies and absurd narratives. They offer constant praise for everything “Western” in a way even Westerners themselves might not, present prominent Western figures with exaggerated reverence, and project European secular experiences—such as the church’s conflict with science, the French Revolution, and the Enlightenment—onto our society in a manner unbefitting a Muslim youth. They emphasize the mistakes of the resistance more than those of the occupier and the continuous call to counter the Western military project with Gandhian-style peace, among other distressing developments.

The Reason Behind the Bias Against Islamic Visionaries

Sheikh Al-Sakran believes that the rise of these distortions has emerged from intense interactions and mutual provocations with online forums that specialize in slander and bias, disguised as intellectual critique. As a result, the new civil discourse has become driven by feelings of spite and defiance against online attacks, leading it to increasingly oppose the Islamic perspective.

Regrettably, this new discourse should not be underestimated, as it has become active and influential among culturally inclined and intellectually oriented youth. It enjoys strong support from media institutions, including newspapers and television channels. The appeal of media exposure—whether on screen or in print—is a powerful draw for young intellectuals eager to make a name for themselves. Consequently, they often conform to the conditions set by these platforms to maintain their presence and influence.

The Normative Overturn

In detailing the features of this normative overturn, Sheikh Al-Sakran describes our current reality as a scene of radical and comprehensive re-evaluation affecting the essential elements of our intellectual vision. He characterizes this situation as a sharp overturning of the “value table,” leading to an inverted “hierarchy of priorities.”

These conceptual overturns have impacted several key areas: our stance on heritage, our view of the West, our attitude towards religious institutions, our approach to opponents of Islamic solutions, our perspective on contemporary society, and our opinion of the modern Arab state…

Interpreting Scriptural and Islamic Heritage Texts through a Civil Lens

One of the main advocacies of this discourse is for a civil interpretation of “religious texts of revelation” and “Islamic heritage.” This method aims to find content that supports “civil values” and then reinterpret anything that conflicts with these values. Consequently, a jurist’s distinction within this approach is measured by their ability to provide religious justification for the products of modern civilization and reinterpret conflicting elements in various ways. This shifts the focus away from an “honest” reading of divine revelation, which should be dedicated to accurately discerning the divine intent.

The Contribution We Can Offer to the World

Sheikh Al-Sakran poses a painful question in his discussion: What real contribution can we offer the world if the best we can say to the West is that your practices and behaviors can be interpreted through some of our legal opinions, or that some evidence might suggest them? Following this question, the Sheikh elaborates on interpretive models for this phenomenon, which some critics attribute to “Western fascination”—a factor Sheikh Al-Sakran considers an outcome rather than the decisive reason.

Some critics attribute the cause to “rationalism,” but the Sheikh sees it as a phenomenon lacking a consistent theory of “sources of knowledge.” At times, it aligns with reason, at others with scriptural texts, personal tastes, or cultural norms, and sometimes it opposes all these. Ultimately, it revolves around the new cultural product, regardless of its relation to traditional sources of knowledge.

Some critics have offered a completely different explanation, suggesting that this trend is a historical extension of the “Mu’tazilite school.” However, they have missed the mark because the Mu’tazilite school was a strict religious school, one of extremism rather than leniency. In fact, the Mu’tazilites were far more honorable than the contemporary Francophone discourse.

Sheikh Al-Sakran believes that the hidden core driving these radical and sharp shifts in attitudes and perspectives is an “overestimation of the value of civilization and modernity.” In other words, the interpretive model that offers an accurate explanation for the applications of this phenomenon can be described as the “teleology of civilization” and the “centrality of modernity.”

Sources of Civil Extremism

The author then discusses the sources of civil extremism, identifying four main factors that have shaped the core elements of its growth:

1. The post-September 11 climate.

2. The influence of Francophone discourse.

3. The enthusiastic support of the media.

4. The reaction to online aggression.

Arab Secularism Before and After 1984

The author raises the question: What is the difference between Arab secularism before 1984 and Arab secularism after 1984? This was the year that marked the release of the first volume of the renowned Moroccan thinker Mohamed Abed Al-Jabri’s series Critique of Arab Reason, which ushered in a new era for the syncretic approach of Arab secularism. In other words, what is the secret behind the appeal of modern Arab secular studies that has captivated the minds of young Muslims, driving them to eagerly pursue this genre of research and scholarship?

Sheikh Al-Sakran summarizes the answer by highlighting the shift from a “direct challenge to Sharia” to a “reinterpretation of heritage” using tools offered by modern humanities. In other words, this transition represents a leap from ontological issues to epistemological ones. This shift has created a source of attraction and intrigue for the Muslim reader. However, the moment when this segment of young people transitioned between the two schools was not just a natural interaction with a specific cultural current. It was marked by astonishing intellectual upheavals resulting from the shock of the central question’s transformation between the two approaches.

The Central Question Between Islamic and Francophone Thought

The central question in the Islamic school of thought has always been the question of the “victory of Islam.” This includes the development of various “advocacy concepts” that form the fabric of this thought, such as the concept of the Islamic solution, the implementation of Sharia, spiritual purification, collective action, understanding contemporary realities, organizational plurality, educational work, forbidding evil, raising awareness within Muslim communities, revitalizing mosques, intellectual security, safeguarding virtue, Islamic media, healing the wounds of the Muslim Ummah, and preparing strength, among other Islamic concepts and longstanding relational frameworks within this discourse.

In contrast, the central question in Francophone thought has been the “question of civilization.” This led to the critique of heritage, the Islamic movement, Arab society, and the modern Arab state based on their alignment with or divergence from the “modern Western model.” The modern Western model served as the implicit, unspoken standard, even though the Maghrebian text often pretended otherwise.

This made the transition of the youth—who are the focus of this study—between the two schools not a linear, cumulative shift from one school to the next. Rather, it was more of an unfriendly intellectual resignation from the previous camp and a registration of new membership in the opposing camp.

From the Pulpit to the Defendant’s Box: The Shift in Civic Discourse

Sheikh Al-Sakran notes that the shift of Islamic discourse from the “pulpit” during the 1990s to the “defendant’s box” after September 11th eroded some of its social appeal. This transition opened the door for other discourses to gain traction—not because of their own merits, but because their steadfast competitor was no longer as dominant. Al-Sakran suggests that contemporary Islamic discourse will regain its strength and leading social role once it moves past this crisis and the severe security fallout of the September 11th attacks is mitigated.

The Law of Intellectual Succession

Sheikh Al-Sakran discusses the “Law of Intellectual Succession” to shed light on the development of civil discourse. He explains that what began as commendable efforts at renewal and independent reasoning eventually led many writers to unfortunate and regrettable outcomes, resulting in a clear division between two groups.

One group became aware of the flawed underlying premise of these studies—the teleology of civilization or the centrality of modernity. As a result, they rejected many of the conclusions that these studies reached, such as the devaluation of Islamic heritage and the undue reverence for the West. They also recognized the two favoured tools in this school for undermining heritage: politicization and a sense of indebtedness.

The second group—which is the majority—unconsciously accepted the underlying premise of these studies, which is the centrality of modernity. With good intentions, they tried to defend their faith, heritage, and nation by arguing that revelation and heritage inherently prioritize civilization and modernity. This led them to become preoccupied with interpreting Islamic heritage through a modern lens, searching within the texts of revelation and heritage for any elements that align with modern civilization, while critiquing anything that does not.

This youthful enthusiasm was further fuelled by the support of many media institutions, which were driven by a desire to settle old scores with what they refer to as “political Islam.” Media institutions are inherently political entities with their own agendas and deep biases. However, they have their own tools for attracting and utilizing individuals in ways that align with their structures, such as offering positions like newspaper columnists, opinion page editors, TV presenters, program producers, or regular guests labelled as experts on Islamic groups. These roles, particularly in an age dominated by screens, can be highly appealing to young people.

Objectives and Conclusions Sheikh Al-Sakran Aimed to Achieve

In summary, through this discussion, Sheikh Al-Sakran sought to emphasize several key objectives and conclusions, including:

The ultimate goal is servitude to Allah, while the sciences of civilization are merely a means to that end.

Genuine enlightenment comes from the divine sciences found in revelation, and true darkness and degradation stem from being deprived of the light of revelation, regardless of the advancements in worldly sciences.

The highest form of civilization is spiritual civilization, and the core purpose of human stewardship on earth is the establishment of religion.

Excessive emphasis on modernity is the source of cultural deviation and the root of contemporary intellectual confusion.

Islamists are not opposed to cultural exchange, but they distinguish between beneficial engagement and blind admiration, and they differentiate between the levels of production in different civilizations.

The discourse of humanizing Islamic heritage has led to the marginalization of the role of religious texts in shaping that heritage, reducing Islamic sciences to two main elements: previous cultures and conflicts of interest. As a result, young Muslims have become disconnected from their inspirational role models.

The excessive focus on humanism has led to the erosion of Qur’anic criteria for distinguishing based on religious identity.

The disdain for the authority of revelation, the belittling of the virtuous early generations, and the excessive praise of disbelievers are among the most prominent signs of contemporary hypocrisy, requiring spiritual fortification.

The overemphasis on relativism leads to nihilism, which in turn results in the loss of the virtues of certainty and excellence, and plunges people into doubt, confusion, and indecisiveness.

Anger for the sake of Allah and His Messenger when their sanctities are violated is a commendable value, not a sign of tension, irrationality, dogmatism, authoritarianism, or exclusion.

Reducing religious practices to mere behavioural or social benefits weakens the spirit of obedience and diminishes motivation.

Revering abstract principles while freezing their practical applications leads to a superficial, theoretical respect with no real substance, as the particular is essential in establishing the general.

Religious uprightness is not only a means to avoid the punishment of Hell but also has significant worldly benefits, such as attracting goodness and repelling disasters.

The human tendency to interpret religious texts in a way that pleases people is a significant challenge for those working in the Islamic field, particularly for those eager to win over their audience.

Exhausting all efforts and resources in preparing strength and acquiring capabilities is a firmly established religious obligation.

In conclusion, Sheikh Al-Sakran emphasizes that the call to renew the approach to interpreting religious texts in a way that opposes the methodology of the preferred generations implies dismissing and misleading those generations in the most crucial matters. It contradicts the definitive texts that affirm their guidance and insight, as virtue is inherently linked to true guidance, and there can be no virtue in misguidance.

Sheikh Al-Sakran excelled in giving this research its due, standing out with a well-structured, solid argumentation and strong evidence. He has contributed a blessed and valuable effort to the Islamic library, helping to safeguard the ummah from the specter of doctrinal deviation, the errors of the ignorant, and the schemes of adversaries. May Allah reward the Sheikh on behalf of the Muslim ummah with the best of rewards and bring widespread benefit from his knowledge and work.

The original article:

قراءة في كتاب “مآلات الخطاب المدني”

Translated by:

Arwa Jehad