ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION ISLAM
Is a multifaceted religion. Islamic beliefs have a basic nature, namely monotheism which
contains complex problems. To know the real Islam is to know Islam from its various aspects. In
general, Islam has three manifestations, namely Islam as a basic normative doctrine (dogma),
namely the text of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet, Islam as an understanding of
ideologies (interpretation of the normativeness of verses) and Islam as a civilization, namely the
initiation of Islam in historical struggles. Islam is a system built from al-Islam, which is a
commitment to Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah SWT). As a system, of course, Islam has historical
involvement and manifestations in the form of law, theological thought, and culture.18 Islamic
civilization was born from the womb of Islam, namely the vision of the Qur'an which aspires to
the creation of rahmatan lil 'alamin. Islamic culture is manifested in various aspects of life that
are united by the spirit of the Qur'an and sacred traditions (e.g. thought and ijmak ulama). Islamic
culture is a unity based on divine norms even though the faces of its manifestations are religious
and have different languages, geographical locations, histories, and ethnicities. All of this forms
Islamic culture with the character of cultural diversity in the unity of the spirit, namely the spirit
of the Quran. The accumulation of various cultures inspired by the spirit of the Qur'an has
become a great Islamic civilization and even a great civilization of the world community. The goal
of Islam is to uphold a just and ethical social institution. This Islamic moral idea was then
developed in a socio-historical framework into a civilization in its various variants and
manifestations. Civilizational Islam is the face of Islam in history that gives rise to social patterns
based on the teachings of monotheism. Civilizational Islam is formed from the broad cultural life
of Muslims, both religious life and the life of Islamic society when interacting with other cultural
traditions that exist among the population who embrace Islam. As a mission religion, Islam is
naturally spread by its adherents for quantitative
e da'wah and qualitative da'wah in order to build society in a better direction. Likewise,
the historical dynamics that continue to develop have required Muslims to struggle with
traditions in the history of global culture. The impact is that Islam is developing, not only
quantitatively but also qualitatively. The face of Islam also developed due to the struggle with
other cultures so that Islam and Muslims have varied and complex identities. The mentality of
ijtihad of progressive scholars has a great merit in creating the cultural heterogeneity of Muslims
and the development of Islamic thought while remaining in a solid spirit of monotheism. Islam is
so broad that studying and understanding Islam from only one aspect can lead to a partial and
narrow understanding. From this perspective, it is necessary to study culture in addition to
normative studies of doctrine and the study of ideological-theological interpretation of sacred
doctrine. The Islamic culture of the past has a historical relationship with the face of Islam today
and also determines the face of Islam in the future. The condition of the future society will be
greatly influenced by the cultural flow of the past and the creativity of the current culture. The
evolution that occurred in Islamic civilization had a great influence in determining the face of
Islamic society in particular and the world community in general. This
Historical Paradigm Cultural studies is the study of Islam in the historical paradigm. Islam
is not only a doctrine and an ideological understanding, but also a historical fact. The history of
Islam dates back to the prophethood of Muhammad. And, Muhammad is the originator of history
for Islamic civilization. In this world, there is no history of events that form a civilization building
without historical actors. Muhammad PBUH as the originator of Islamic history and civilization
has carved out great achievements on the stage of the performance of cosmos civilization. In its
development, in the history of Islam, various kinds of intellectual creativity and intuitive
imagination have been found. All of this is inseparable from the basic foundation of civilization
whose foundation has been built by the Prophet Muhammad SAW. Intellectual creativity and
imagination intuition as an epistemological engine that carves further history becomes easy to
run and dynamic because the basic paradigm has been declared by Muhammad. The mentality
of ijtihad, reason, and intuition also develops by imbued with the spirit of monotheism taught by
Muhammad SAW. Both are intended as the process of self-existence of the community in facing
historical phenomena so as to give rise to diverse and heterogeneous cultural manifestations so
as to form a wider cultural diversity and civilization in the unity of the monotheistic principle. The
vast culture related to Islam has been diverse and heterogeneous in language, climate, historical
situation, and local or national cultural patterns. Accumulation of
These cultural manifestations become a high cultural heritage called civilization.19
Because they are related to Islam, the historical manifestations accumulated in the form of high
culture can be categorized as Islamic civilization. Thus, Islamic civilization is a process and
product of the creativity of the people within the scope of influence of Islamic values. As Islamic
civilization developed, the logical consequence was that Islam began to enter the public sphere
or what Jose Cassanova called the deprivatization of religion.20 The deprivatization of religion
has led to the glory of the spread of Islam, both quantitatively and qualitatively. This is evident in
the Islamic historicity scene. Qualitatively, the development of Islamic sciences has caused this
religion to get stronger. The mentality of mujtahid scholars in various traditional Islamic
disciplines supported by the spirit of reason and intuition has become a separate record in the
progress of Islam so that it is better able to enter the public space. Likewise, the emergence of
Muslim scientists has brought Islam to become a great world civilization. Quantitatively, the
expansion that began in the era of Umar bin Khattab and continued to become traditions in the
era of the high caliphate and even after that has been able to bloom the wings of Islam so that it
has an increasingly wide territorial and cultural area. In the era of the high caliphate in the West,
Islam had entered Spain to France and controlled almost all regions in North Africa. The eastern
wing of Islam has been able to control and occupy the former Persian colony until it enters
Central Asia and enters the heart of Malay culture.
Until now, Islam has spread to all corners of the world and there is not a single country
that does not have Muslims. In fact, Islam has colored five important regions of the world and
become the spirit of the cultures of these regions, namely Arab, Persian, Turkish, Malay, and
Black African. Today, peripheral Muslims, who inhabit areas outside the five regions, also show
remarkable indications such as the development of Islam in Western Europe, the United States,
China, Eastern Europe, and even Australia. Islam, which was born from the womb of the Land of
Arabia, has brought blessings to humans in various parts of the world. Coloring World Civilization
Islamic civilization is based on Islam as a religion revealed to Muhammad SAW. Islam has
brought the previously backward and primitive Arab nation into a developed nation since having
Islam as an identity. Islamic identity then developed and effectively colored world civilization.
Islamic identity in its development is not only dominated by Arabic culture but also Persian,
Turkish, Malay, and Black African culture. In this perspective, Islam is not only a religion that
regulates ritual issues but also a source of cultural inspiration which in an advanced stage
accumulates in the form of a high civilization in its various variants. In the framework of
civilization, Islam is seen as a dynamic force in structuring society towards civilization. The
dynamic power of Islam will have an impact on aspects of life that encompass Muslim society.
Islam will manifest in various cultural dimensions of Muslims, both related to socio-political
behavior, economic behavior, architecture, art, clothing patterns, educational patterns, ways of
thinking, mental attitudes, types of food to ideology. Everything
Islamic civilization is inspired by the spirit of monotheism which is manifested in the
accumulation of people's creativity. The creativity of Muslims is creativity inspired by the basic
values of Islam as well as the creativity of Muslims that does not contradict the basic values of
Islam. Both are basic pillars to improve human civilization. Although it has various patterns, all
forms of Islamic civilization identity have the same spirit of monotheism. Factually Islamic
civilization can be said to be a civilization that has diverse cultural patterns in the unity of the
principle of monotheism. In the history of Islamic civilization, there have been fluctuations in
civilization. Each period has distinctive characteristics that distinguish it from other civilization
periods. In general, the period of Islamic civilization is divided into three periods, namely the
classical period (650-1250), the medieval period (1250-1800), and the modern era (1800-
present).21 The classical period began with the period of laying the foundation of civilization by
the Prophet Muhammad PBUH which was continued by khulafaurrasyidin and developed in the
era of the daulah (dynasty) of the Bani Umayah. Civilization reached its peak of glory during the
Abbasid dynasty. In this classical era, rational, scientific, and philosophical methods of thinking
developed rapidly. A touch of aesthetics and philosophy has ushered in Islamic civilization at the
peak of its glory. Ulamaulama mujtahid emerged, as well as Muslim scientists have produced
works of art, philosophy, and science admirably. Meanwhile, the Middle Ages was characterized
by the attitude of jumud and taklid so that the discourse of thought weakened. The weak mental
ijtihad causes the intellectual heritage of the era
On the contrary, the heritages of the products of classical thought began to be
standardized without wanting to trace the ijtihad process carried out by their predecessors. The
creativity of science, art, and philosophy weakened. Small and provincial dynasties showed no
power to build civilization. However, in this era, there were also three superpowers who although
weak in the touch of science, philosophy and aesthetics, but had progress in the political and
military fields. The power of the three superpowers (the powder machine dynasty) could not
match the power of Europe in the end, so the Muslim countries fell to the imperialists of Britain,
France and Portugal. So, then came the era of Islamic revival which marked the beginning of the
modern era in Islamic civilization. In more detail, Hodgson22 divides the historical period of
Islamic civilization into six period
s, namely the late Sasani period and the Early Caliphate (485-692 AD), the High Caliphate
period (692-945 AD), the Middle Early Islamic period or the era of decentralization (945-1258 AD),
the Middle Middle Islamic period or the era of decline (1258-1503 AD), the period of the Powder
Machine dynasty or Powder Gun Empires (1503-1789 AD), and the modern technical period
(1789-present). From the Prophet PBUH to the beginning of the caliph of the Banu Umayah was
the era of laying the foundation of civilization (Early Caliphate) which reached the peak of glory in
the era of the High Caliphate (from the time the Banu Marwan led the Umayah to the middle ages
of the Abbasid Empire). This was followed by the era of decentralization which was marked by
the emergence of small states until entering an era of decline, namely since the destruction of
Baghdad by the commander Hulagu Khan. The decline ended with the rise of the Ottoman Turks,
Shafawi in Persia and the Mughal in India.
The era of the High Caliphate was marked by the formation of a single Islamic state that
was very extensive by making Arabic as the single language in science and culture. The written
tradition is also well carved. The Early Middle Ages were marked by the decentralization of power
which politically weakened the power of Muslims, but from the cultural side there were also
developments, namely the emergence of two languages of science (Arabic and Persian), in
addition to social institutions running outside the bonds of the caliphate. The Weakening of the
Caliph's position as the regions became autonomously independent while still recognizing the
Abbasids as legitimate caliphate (although some dynasties became fully independent) brought
Islamic civilization to the period of decentralization. The decline of the political authority of the
caliph which passed into the hands of executive leaders from various Islamic dynasties became
a new era in Islamic civilization. Although politically it looks disintegrative, there is progress in
the field of Islamic culture and civilization. This period ended after Baghdad as a symbol of the
Islamic caliphate was conquered by Hulagu Khan's forces. After the Mongol invasion of Baghdad
which ended with the fall of Baghdad (1258 AD) as the center of Islamic political and cultural
power, Islamic civilization receded and dimmed until it split into small dynasties that did not have
significant power. This also marked the Middle Middle Era, which was a period of decline. This
period is a period of crisis. Renewal in Islamic institutions and heritage was slow to give rise to
the Powder Machine dynasties which became a period of its own (the Powder Machine Dynasty
period), which was a period of material glory in the Islamic world
The dimming of the civilization of the Middle and Late Era then gained a glimmer of light
with the emergence of three dynastic powers: the Gun Powder Empires, namely the Ottoman
Dynasty in Turkey, the Shafawi Dynasty in Persia, and the Moghul Dynasty in India which had
political, military, and economic power. This era in history is referred to as the era of material
glory in the Islamic world. This glory was also ultimately unable to match the military and
economic power of Europe (especially Britain and France) so that Muslims fell in the era of
colonialism. This modern technical era is dominated by the withered face of Islamic civilization.
The entire territory of Islamic domination and M
uslim society was directly or indirectly under the grip of Western imperialism until after
World War 2, one by one, the Islamic and Eastern worlds gained independence. The historical
decline in the hegemony of Western imperialism has finally opened the eyes of Muslims to rise
from their slumber and carry out renewal. Islamic Revival The Islamic Awakening in the centers
of Islamic civilization also occurred, until Muslim countries gained independence. The spread of
Islam is increasingly effective. Islam has become a major civilization in the world, no religion has
had an important intervention in building civilization more than Islam. This is a historical fact that
can be seen empirically. The Arab, Turkish, Persian, Malay, and Black African regions have
distinctive cultural characteristics that are born from the womb of Islam with the same spirit of
monotheism. The diversity of Islamic culture with its various variants is a reflection of the
spirituality of the Qur'an. All of this started from the pattern of family da'wah which started from
the people closest to the Prophet to be able to embrace several clans (tribes). From
Giving birth to scholars The Arab civilization region gave birth to many traditional scholars
with a Sunni orientation, while the Persian region gave birth to scholars with a Shi'i orientation.
Philosophers were also raised and developed in the Persian tradition. The polarization between
Sunni and Shi'i actually originated from the case of power politics.25 However, although the
tradition of the Shi'a Persian region is different from that of the Islamic world in general, the two
schools of thought are still within the scope of Islam. From the dialectics of the two cultures,
Islam then developed to Malay. The development of Islam in Malay was centered in Malacca.
From Malacca, Islam spread to various regions of the archipelago.26 It was from the Pasai Ocean
in the Strait of Malacca that Islam spread to Pattani, Malaysia, Java, Kalimantan, and surrounding
areas, including Brunei and Singapore.27 The Malays then became a new center in Islamic
culture. The Islamic culture of Arabia and Persia had cultural and political relations in the golden
age of Islam. Arabs and Persians have had relations since the Abbasid Caliph involved Iranians
as government employees, in addition to Baghdad's proximity to
the center of Iranian culture.28 In the next phase, there was the crystallization of Turkish,
and Black African Islamic culture. Islam became a Malay identity and then became a new center
in Islamic culture. It contains Arabic, Persian, and Turkish elements. As the center of Islamic
culture which is temporal in the final position of the development of Islamic cultural variants,
Malay Islam is important to be researched. The Malay Islamic tradition can be found in Indonesia,
Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore. As a representation of
the Malays, the study of Islam in Brunei and Singapore becomes more interesting because the
two countries in the Malay region are more prosperous countries than other Malay countries.
Modernity in Singapore, and traditionality in Brunei are also important considerations for
research in the two Malay countries. An Overview of Religious Phenomena This book will present
a picture of Malay Islamic culture in S
ingapore and Brunei as well as the development of the Malay Muslim community in both
countries. This is important in the world of cultural history, namely to be able to provide an
overview of religious phenomena in Singapore and Brunei as part of Malay Islamic culture. This
book is a mosaic in completing the fragments of cultural variants as well as making a scientific
contribution to the study of Islamic cultural areas. Although it is in the form of a mosaic, this
writing can be used as a reference in cultural dialogue, both between Islamic cultures and
between Islamic culture and other cultures.
is a historical fact. The history of Islam dates back to the prophethood of Muhammad.
And, Muhammad is the originator of history for Islamic civilization. In this world, there is no
history of events that form a civilization building without historical actors. Muhammad SAW, as
the originator of Islamic history and civilization, has carved out great achievements in the stage
of the performance of cosmos civilization. In its development, in the history of Islam, various
kinds of intellectual creativity and intuitive imagination have been found. All of this cannot be
separated from the basic foundation of civilization whose foundation has been built by the
Prophet Muhammad SAW. Intellectual creativity and imagination intuition as an epistemological
engine that carves further history become
s easy to run and dynamic because the basic paradigm has been declared by Muhammad
SAW. Mental-ijtihad, reason, and intuition also develop by imbued with the spirit of monotheism
taught by Muhammad SAW. Both are intended as the process of self-existence of the community
in facing historical phenomena so that diverse and heterogeneous cultural manifestations
emerge so as to form a wider cultural diversity and civilization in the unity of the monotheistic
principle. The vast culture related to Islam has been diverse and heterogeneous both in language,
climate, historical situation and local or national cultural patterns. The accumulation of these
cultural manifestations becomes a high cultural heritage called civilization.38 Because it is
related to Islam, the historical manifestations accumulated in the form of high culture can be
categorized as Islamic civilization
The Influence of Islamic Values Thus, Islamic civilization is a process and product of the
creativity of the people within the scope of influence of Islamic values. As Islamic civilization
developed, the logical consequence was that Islam began to enter the public sphere or what Jose
Cassanova called the deprivatization of religion.39 The deprivatization of religion has led to the
glory of the spread of Islam, both quantitatively and qualitatively. This is evident in the Islamic
historicity scene. Qualitatively, the development of Islamic science has caused this religion to
strengthen. The mentality of mujtahid scholars in various traditional Islamic disciplines
supported by the spirit of reason and intuition has become a separate record in the progress of
Islam so that it is better able to enter the public space. Likewise, the emergence of Muslim
scientists has brought Islam to become a great world civilization. Quantitatively, the expansion
that began in the era of Umar bin Khattab and continued to become traditions in the era of the
high caliphate and even after that has been able to bloom the wings of Islam so that it has an
increasingly wide territorial and cultural area. In the era of the high caliphate in the West, Islam
has entered Spain to France and controlled almost all regions in North Africa.The eastern wing of
Islam has been able to control and occupy the former Persian colony until entering Central Asia
to enter the heart of Malay culture. Until now Islam has spread to all corners of the world and
there is not a single country that does not have Muslims. In fact, Islam has colored five important
regions of the world and become the spirit of the cultures of these regions, namely Arab, Persian,
Turkish, Malay, and Black African.
Today, peripheral Muslims who inhabit areas outside the five regions also show
remarkable indications such as the development of Islam in Western Europe, the United States,
China, Eastern Europe and even Australia. Islam, which was born from the womb of the Land of
Arabia, has brought blessings to humans in various parts of the world. Islamic civilization is
based on Islam as a religion revealed to Muhammad SAW. Islam has brought the previously
backward and primitive Arab nation into an advanced nation since having Islam as an identity.
Islamic identity then developed and effectively colored world civilization. Islamic identity in its
development is not only dominated by Arabic culture but also Persian, Turkish, Malay, and Black
African culture. Source of Inspiration In
this perspective, Islam is not only a religion that regulates ritual issues but also a source
of cultural inspiration which in an advanced stage accumulates in the form of high civilization in
its various variants. In the framework of civilization, Islam is seen as a dynamic force in
structuring society towards civilization. The dynamic power of Islam will have an impact on
aspects of life that encompass Muslim society. Islam will manifest in various cultural dimensions
of Muslims, both related to socio-political behavior, economic behavior, architecture, art,
clothing patterns, educational patterns, ways of thinking, mental attitudes, types of food to
ideology. All of them are cultural symbols inspired by the dynamic power of Islam as the
inspiration of civilization. Islamic civilization is inspired by the spirit of monotheism which is
manifested in the accumulation of people's creativity. Creativity of Muslims is creativity inspired
by the basic values of Islam and
Muslim creativity that does not contradict the basic values of Islam. Both are basic pillars
to improve human civilization. Although it has various patterns, all forms of Islamic civilization
identity have the same spirit of monotheism. Factually Islamic civilization can be said to be a
civilization that has diverse cultural patterns in the unity of the principle of monotheism. In the
history of Islamic civilization, there have been fluctuations in civilization. Each period has
distinctive characteristics that distinguish it from other civilization periods. In general, the period
of Islamic civilization is divided into three periods, namely the classical period (650-1250), the
medieval period (1250-1800) and the modern era (1800-present).40 This classical period began
with the period of laying the foundation of civilization by the Prophet which was continued by
khulafaurrasyidin and developed in the era of the daulah (dynasty) of the Banu Umayah.
Civilization gained its peak of glory during the period of the Abbasid Dynasty. In this classical era,
rational, scientific and philosophical methods of thinking developed rapidly. A touch of
aesthetics and philosophy has ushered in Islamic civilization at the peak of its glory. Ulamaulama
mujtahid emerged, as well as Muslim scientists have produced amazing works of art, philosophy
and science. Meanwhile, the Middle Ages was characterized by the attitude of jumud and taklid
so that the discourse of thought weakened. The weak mental ijtihad caused the intellectual
heritage of the classical era to fade. The Middle Ages did not inherit the tradition of critical,
rational and ijtihad spirit. On the contrary, the heritages of the products of classical thought
began to be standardized without wanting to trace the ijtihad process that
carried out by predecessors. The creativity of science, art, and philosophy weakened.
Small and provincial dynasties showed no power to build civilization. However, in this era, there
were also three superpowers who although weak in the touch of science, philosophy, and
aesthetics but had progress in the political and military fields. The power of the three
superpowers (the powder machine dynasty) was ultimately unable to match the power of Europe
so that Muslim countries fell to British imperialism, France, and Portugal. Then came the era of
Islamic revival which marked the beginning of the modern era in Islamic civilization. In more
detail, Hodgson41 divides the historical period of Islamic civilization into six periods, namely the
Late Sasani period and the Early Caliphate (485-692 AD), the High Caliphate period (692-945 AD),
the Middle Early Islamic period or
the era of decentralization (945-1258 AD), the Middle Middle Islamic period or the era of
decline (1258-1503 AD), the period of the Powder Machine Dynasty or Powder Gun Empires
(1503-1789 AD) and the modern technical period (1789 AD - present). From the Prophet PBUH to
the beginning of the caliphate, the Banu Umayah was the era of laying the foundations of
civilization (Early Caliphate) which reached the peak of glory in the High Caliphate Era (from the
time the Banu Marwan led the Umayah Empire to the middle period of the Abbasid Empire). This
was followed by the era of decentralization which was marked by the emergence of small states
until entering an era of decline, namely since the destruction of Baghdad by the commander
Hulagu Khan. The decline ended with the rise of the Ottoman Turks, Shafawi in Persia, and the
Mughal in India. The era of the High Caliphate was marked by the formation of a single Islamic
state that was very extensive by making Arabic as the single language in science and culture.
The written tradition is also well carved. The Early Middle Ages were marked by the
decentralization of power which politically weakened the power of Muslims, but from the cultural
side there were also developments, namely the emergence of two languages of science (Arabic
and Persian), in addition to social institutions running outside the bonds of the caliphate. The
weakening of the caliphate's position because the regions became autonomously independent
while still recognizing the Abbasids as legitimate caliphate (although some dynasties fully
independent) brought Islamic civilization to a period of decentralization. The decline of the
political authority of the caliph which passed into the hands of executive leaders from various
Islamic dynasties became a new era in Islamic civilization. Although politically it looks
disintegrative, there is progress in the field of Islamic culture and civilization. Islamic Civilization
Recludes This period ended after Baghdad as a symbol of the Islamic caliphate was conquered
by Hulagu Khan's forces. After the Mongol invasion of Baghdad which ended with the fall of
Baghdad (1258 AD) as the center of Islamic political and cultural power, Islamic civilization
receded and dimmed until it was divided into small dynasties that did not have significant power.
This also marked the Middle Middle Era, which was a period of decline. This period is a period of
crisis. The renewal in institutions and inheritance with Islamic characteristics was slow to give
rise to the Powder Machine dynasty which became a period of its own (the Powder Machine
Dynasty period), which was a period of material glory in the Islamic world.
The Gun Powder Empires were the Ottoman Dynasty in Turkey, the Shafawi Dynasty in
Persia, and the Moghul Dynasty in India which had political, military, and economic power. This
era in history is referred to as the era of material glory in the Islamic world. This glory was also
ultimately unable to match the military and economic power of Europe (especially Britain and
France) so that Muslims fell in the era of colonialism. This modern technical era is dominated by
the withered face of Islamic civilization. All Islamic territories and Muslim societies were directly
or indirectly under the grip of Western imperialism until after World War II, one by one the Islamic
and Eastern worlds gained independence. The historical decline in the hegemony of Western
imperialism has finally opened the eyes of Muslims to rise from their slumber and carry out
renewal. The revival of Islam in the centers of Islamic civilization also occurred, until Muslim
countries gained independence. The spread of Islam is also becoming more effective. Islam has
become a major civilization in the world, no religion has had an important intervention in building
civilization more than Islam. This is a historical fact that can be seen empirically. The Arab,
Turkish, Persian, Malay, and Black African regions have distinctive cultural characteristics that
are born from the womb of Islam with the same spirit of monotheism. The diversity of Islamic
culture and its various variants is a reflection of the spirituality of the Quran. All of this started
from the pattern of family da'wah which started from the people closest to the Prophet to be able
to embrace several clans (tribes). From the pattern of da'wah with a cell system, Islam developed
around the Arabian peninsula, spreading out of the Irano-Semitic region until it developed into a
major religion and civilization in the world. Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Islam was
often considered a competitor to Western civilization.
