According to some Muslim scholars, civilization refers to the establishment of order and coordination in the relationships between the people of society in a way that would eradicate destructive clashes to be replaced by a move towards human perfection such that people’s social life would result in the flourishment of their constructive talents and intuitions.

Foundations of Islamic Civilization

1- Monotheism and Faith in God Almighty

Belief in God Almighty is an indispensable part of man’s being to which the Holy Quran has referred as Fitrah (innate nature), 30:30. As rightly stated by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, belief and true faith in God Almighty is the focal point of the Islamic Civilization. According to him the main features of faith in God Almighty comprise spirituality and morality which emphasizesuch values as “sincerity, sacrifice, reliance on God, and faith in yourself and society. Morality entails observing virtues such as benevolence, forgiveness, assisting the needy, truthfulness, courage, humbleness, self-confidence, etc.”

2- Quran-based Foundation

The foundation of Islamic civilization is based on divine laws and commandments, which are defined and described in the Holy Quran, and no Islamic civilization would take place in the absence of this foundation. Again as elaborated by the Supreme Leader “the Islamic Ummah should achieve the civilizational status described by the Holy Quran. The main and common feature of this civilization is man’s access to all the material and spiritual capacities that God Almighty has provided in the world with the aim of man’s salvation and transcendence.

3- Science-Oriented Advancement

In the opinion of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the value of knowledge and science is a function of spirituality. This is because science sans spirituality would bring about what the Western civilization is facing today; a civilization that has managed to achieve great successes through complicated scientific methods, but has suffered the greatest losses in terms of spirituality. The emphasis on spirituality is due to the fact that advancement in science results in power, which if left alone, would lead to corruption and unscrupulousness. However, when governed by spirituality, science can cause salvation and be at the service of humanity. A clear example of misuse of scientific advancement is the inhuman nuclear bombardment and massacre of the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States of America during the course of World War II.

The Main Characteristics of the New Islamic Civilization

The characteristics of the Islamic civilization are important issues that have not been overlooked by Ayatollah Khamenei. In his opinion, the most important characteristics of the Islamic civilization comprise strong faith, knowledge, progress, dignity, justice, the power of confronting global arrogance, ethics and morality, and constant struggle against any form of injustice and oppression. In other words, the Supreme Leader of the Revolution believes that the Islamic civilization can present the human world with such qualities as true knowledge, belief, lofty ethical values, and value-based progress, which can result in the eradication of corrupt values that have been spreading in the world through false propaganda.

It seems in the view of the Supreme Leader the characteristics of a civilization reflect upon the lifestyle of the people of society, which is determined by their inclinations and the way of their thinking, and civilization-building is a process that requires a school of thought and an ideology that cater to man’s innate needs and are based on proper reason knowledge and mentality, making it possible for him to make to arrive at proper decisions.

The Ultimate Objective of the New Islamic Civilization

A glance at the views of Grand Ayatollah Khamenei would reveal that in his view the Islamic civilization should enter the scene and come up with a new thought for the elimination of any form of discrimination in society; something that all divine prophets endeavored for and guided people towards the divine straight path.

The complete formation of the Islamic civilization will only take place after the reappearance of the awaited Imam, relieving humanity from all forms of injustice and directing it towards the divine path. From among the other objectives of Islamic civilization mentioned by the Supreme leader reference may be made to availing all material and non-material human capacities, people’s governance, laws derived from the Quranic teachings, avoidance of mental petrification, everyone, and knowledge-based efforts in different areas. The Supreme Leader considers comprehensive progress as an element of the new Islamic civilization and has defined the objective of the Islamic Revolution and the Iranian nation as the establishment of a new Islamic civilization. In his own words: “We can establish the new Islamic Civilization and make a world that would be replete with spirituality and would move forward with the help of divine guidance and spirituality”.

It should be noted that in the view of Grand Ayatollah Khamenei the Islamic civilization refers to an atmosphere in which man can grow both materially and spiritually and reach a stage of perfection for which he has been created by God Almighty and live a fruitful and honorable life and be powerful in building a world where everyone can grow as per the qualities described.

The Challenges before the New Islamic Civilization

As rightly explained and elaborated by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution the most important challenge before the Islamic civilization is falling into the trap of following the Western culture and being deceived by theirworldly welfare. In his words: “The people who are enchanted by the Western culture and lifestyle think that they can provide for their growth by following in the footsteps of West; a thought that is very naïve. Some people are after material power and God Almighty, religion and ethical values are of no importance to them. These are some of the outstanding challenges faced by the Islamic civilization”. In other words, from the point of view of Ayatollah Khamenei petrification and revelry and carelessness in thoughts and action as well as love for comfort and luxury, at any cost, are some of the other challenges before the new Islamic civilization.

 

Concluding Remarks

The revival of the Islamic civilization and the establishment of the new Islamic civilization calls for a common identity. The phenomenon of the Islamic Revolution of Iran made the achievement of this requirement possible and revealed that the process of civilization-building requires time and patience. Moreover, the most important characteristics of the new Islamic civilization,which call for a lot of efforts include monotheism and belief in God Almighty, and giving importance to knowledge alongside spirituality with the aim of avoiding the deviated path of the Western civilization. It is also to be noted that the attainment of the ultimate objective of the new Islamic civilization is only possible through following the divine teachings of the religion of Islam, absolute servitude towards God Almighty, and following His commands and decrees with regards to worldly affairs.