Page 140 - The Vision of Islam

Modern Possibilities

were great opportunities for Islamic success in the field of Dawah.
He wrote:
“Europeans are willing to accept Islam if it is offered to them
in the best way. They have made a comparative study of Islam
and other religions and have found a great difference between
the simplicity of creed and deed (code of conduct) of the former
and the reverse of the latter. The nearest to accepting Islam are
the Americans, for there is no hereditary or atavistic enmity and
hatred between them and Muslim communities as there is between
Muslims and Europeans.” (Jamaluddin Afghani: Talif Mehmood
Aburya, Cairo, 1966, p. 213)
Syed Jamaluddin Afghani’s special disciple, Mufti Mohd
Abduhu,’ says that when he was in Paris, in 1884 with his master,
he proposed to leave politics and propagate religion away from
government eyes. Thus he expected result-oriented work within
ten years while a political trial of strength was wasting their best
powers. The reply of Jamaluddin was: “Yon are a defeatist” (Ibid.,
p. 50). This shows that perhaps Syed Jamaluddin was not as keen
about Dawah work as he was about Jihad.
Two revolutionary occurrences of the nineteenth century are
highly significant from the Islamic point of view. One was the
correction of the 700-year old orientalism, which in fact amounted
to the practical recognition, by the West, of the truth of Islam.
The other was the birth of higher criticism, which virtually meant
proving all religious books, except for the Quran, historically
undependable. Thus the nineteenth century afforded a surprisingly
favourable academic ground for Islamic Dawah.
It was at that same period that the movement of freedom of
thought began in earnest in Europe. This was to end the ancient
religious persecution forever. It now became possible for the
first time in history to propagate the true religion in absolutely
peaceful conditions. The Islamic call could have been taken up
most effectively in this new set of circumstances. But it was during
this period, in the 19th century, that all our reformers launched
themselves, for no apparent reason, into political battles with the
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