Culture is generally used as a synonym for tahzib, tamaddun or the English word “culture.” Its core aim is to prepare people for ultimate success. It is a comprehensive way of life that extends across thought and imagination, character, conduct, family affairs, social activity, political work, civilization and sociability. It is not the culture of a nation, lineage or tribe. In its true sense, it is human culture — universal and open, regardless of tribe or language. From a worldly perspective, it seeks to establish a flawless social order and build an honest and pure society. The administration of Islamic culture is like the administration of a state. In it, Allah’s status is not merely that of an object of worship in the ordinary religious sense; in the worldly sense, He is the supreme ruler and the Prophet (peace be upon him) is His representative. The Quran is His book of law. The human being is the noblest of creatures. To uphold that nobility and prove it, the human being needs culture. Culture belongs to humans; other creatures have none. As a human being, a person’s true identity is his culture. To live, people eat food — bread, rice, fish, meat. They must eat to survive. But the act of eating bread, rice, fish or meat is not itself culture. Culture is the method of eating. The way we receive food — that is culture. In short, culture is the name of the method and process by which life is conducted.
The definition of culture
It is not possible to give a single precise definition of culture in one phrase. It needs analysis. A few definitions are quoted here to make the concept clearer. Abul Mansur Ahmad said: “What is called Culture/Refinement in English, and tahzib in Arabic, can be expressed in that sense.” Abul Fazl said: “The root meaning of Culture is cultivation — to till the land. If land is not properly cultivated, no matter how good the seed, you cannot expect a good harvest. The mind is much the same. To reap a harvest of the mind, the mind too must be cultivated.” Wakil Ahmad wrote: “Without life, there is no culture.” Badruddin Umar said: “Culture is another name for the practice of life.” In ordinary usage too, culture aims at the refinement of the mind and character. Only a culture built on greatness and beauty — in a word, on humanity — can radiate light in human life. A light that has no country, no time and no caste. In short, the outward expression of human thought is character, and the outward expression of character is culture.
Common misconceptions about culture
We commonly think of music, cinema, drama, instruments, the arts and literature as culture. In fact, these are not culture in themselves; they are vehicles of culture. They are tools used in the development of culture. Out of ignorance, we tend to call the tools and vehicles “culture.” Culture is not just custom or ceremony — it is the whole pattern of life. Eating, drinking, dressing, marrying, social manners, language, art, religion, philosophy, sports, work, recreation, science, government — every aspect of life is part of culture.
Islamic culture
Islamic culture is the culture of those who live by Islam. It is the natural outgrowth of the Islamic worldview. The Islamic worldview holds that Allah is the creator, sustainer and ruler of the universe. He alone is to be worshipped and obeyed. The Quran is His final revealed guidance. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His final messenger. Life in this world is a test, and the hereafter is the eternal abode. From this worldview flows a culture that shapes every aspect of life: the family, the economy, politics, education, the arts, recreation and social relations.
Islamic culture is not the culture of the Arab people or any one nation. It is the culture of all who follow Islam, regardless of language or ethnicity. A Bangladeshi Muslim, an Indonesian Muslim, an African Muslim and an Arab Muslim share the same Islamic culture even as they retain their local customs in matters that do not conflict with Islam. Islamic culture is universal in its principles and flexible in its local expression.
Cultural aggression
For more than a century, Muslim societies have been subjected to cultural aggression from the West. In the name of modernization, the values and customs of an alien culture have been pressed onto Muslim societies. In the name of education came miseducation; in the name of culture came the corruption of culture; in the name of entertainment came indecency and obscenity; and the scourge of drugs is slowly destroying Muslim society. At the same time, religious incitement keeps Muslims locked in mutual recrimination — all driven by the sharp foresight of falsehood. The cultural lullaby of falsehood has so dulled the Muslims that even as a roaring fire engulfs their houses, they fail to grasp that they must rise to extinguish it. That is the misfortune of Muslims. Because of the cultural assault, thousands of Muslims daily lose their Muslim identity and their faith dies. They may still be counted as Muslims in a census, but they lose the privilege of being true servants of Allah. The rules of halal and haram cannot guide them; in real life, such Muslims pay no heed to sin or virtue. Allah warns again and again in the Holy Quran: “O believers, do not die except as Muslims.” Yet under cultural assault, many believers die without being Muslim.
The importance of practicing culture
The chief cause of the Muslim community’s backwardness in the modern world is the lack of Islamic cultural practice. Islam’s central demand is the reform and purification of human thought and action, and without that, a person can be neither a true Muslim nor truly cultured. To be cultured, one must first be Muslim; to be Muslim, one must be cultured. Culture has no ideology of its own — it is the name of life’s lived practice. If life is conducted on any ideology other than Islam, the result will be narrow and incomplete. To spread Islam, the practice of culture must continue. In short, the cultivation and practice of Islamic culture is essential to the establishment of Islam.
The foundations of Islamic culture
The foundation of Islamic cultural practice is faith. Anything that conflicts with the beliefs and conduct Islam requires of a person cannot be part of Islamic culture. No appeal to strategy can justify violating that boundary. Islamic culture rests primarily on three foundations: (1) Tawhid, (2) Risalat and (3) Akhirat. Any activity that distracts people from these core convictions is non-Islamic culture; activities that awaken, sharpen and strengthen these convictions are Islamic culture.
1. Tawhid: Tawhid is the basis of faith. To believe Allah is one and unique is not enough — even the polytheists and disbelievers of the Prophet’s time held that belief. Tawhid means believing Allah is the sole sovereign, the sole provider, sustainer and guardian. He created humans for His worship and the world for them. Fear is owed to Him alone; help is sought from Him alone. All good and ill, blessing and misfortune, lie in His hand. The practice of Islamic culture must firmly fix this conviction in the human mind.
2. Risalat: For the guidance of humanity, Allah sent His Messenger with truth and direction. The task of Islamic culture is to keep the human mind from being drawn to any leadership other than the Prophet’s.
3. Akhirat: Allah sent humans into this world to worship Him. One day, life in this world will end and people will return to Allah. Those who do not live by His revealed law face eternal punishment. In every act of life, a person must ask whether what he is doing will be a means of his salvation in the afterlife or will bring upon him the severe punishment of hellfire. The work of Islamic culture is to keep the heart turned constantly toward the hereafter.
Elements of Islamic cultural practice
Islamic cultural practice includes literature, art, music, theater, recreation, sports, family life, social relations and political conduct. Each domain has its own rules under Islam, intended to keep human beings on the path of truth.
Sports and recreation
Through physical sport, a person can train his body and prepare himself even for jihad. Islam permits sports under certain conditions:
1. Sport must not lead to missing or delaying the prayer.
2. Sport must not involve gambling, alcohol or indecency.
3. Players and spectators must keep their speech free of abuse and obscene language.
4. Dress must be modest and within the bounds of Sharia.
5. The game must not become a pretext for quarrels, obscene dancing or lewd displays.
6. Men and women must not play together.
7. Sport must be physical, constructive, educational and recreational.
If these conditions are kept, there is no objection to sport. If they are violated, even in part, the game becomes haram, and that should not be the goal.
Patronage of cultural workers and artists
Islamic culture is so important that an Islamic revolution is impossible without a cultural revolution. If Islam wins in a region on the strength of popular opinion alone, without prior cultural cultivation, its victory will not last. Culture nurtures the dreams of the human heart. When that nurture is misdirected, people stray. Poets, writers and artists are the engineers of the cultural revolution. They are the eyes of society and the gardens of civilization, and political leaders are the gardeners. The more the gardeners tend the garden, the more flowers of the heart bloom in society. A community that neglects this garden is cut off from the fragrance of humanity. Those who want a beneficent Islamic society should give proper patronage to poets, writers and artists. The more such patronage, the greater the variety that will flower.
Specific recommendations for supporting artists:
1. Islamic organizations should give priority to cultural activity in their planning.
2. Every organizational program should include more cultural practice.
3. Build public opinion on cultural matters.
4. Establish a separate cultural department at every organizational tier.
5. Allocate adequate funding for the cultural department.
6. Continue financial assistance to artists in need.
7. Arrange the training and infrastructure they require.
8. Create a suitable environment for cultural practice and research.
9. Hold an annual gathering of cultured artists from across the country to exchange views.
10. Set annual targets for this sector at the start of the year and publish regular reports.
11. Encourage businesspeople to engage with this sector on a commercial basis.
12. Build public opinion and arrange publicity to give this sector a commercial form.
Every change of mindset in history has shown that political leadership has driven change, but cultural workers have created the climate for that change. Cultural workers are the muezzins of their age, and political leaders are the imams. To bring about an Islamic revolution in the modern era, cultural workers must be brought into the field. Until then, people will not rush out of their homes crying “Labbaik, labbaik,” nor stand in ranks behind any leader.
Culture is inseparably bound up with the lives of Muslims. Every conscious Muslim should therefore play an enthusiastic role in expanding regular cultural activity. Without that effort, anti-culture will destroy Islamic culture. This destruction is not clear even to many leaders and workers of the Islamic movement, let alone the broader Muslim community. Without practice and patronage of culture within the Islamic movement, the consequences for the nation will be ruinous. Escape from that ruin demands the cultivation, dissemination and spread of Islamic culture. It is the demand of the time and the demand of faith.
Writer: Rafiqul Islam, columnist and banker.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report