Islamic Golden Age and the Maldives - An Analogy
"Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter."
This is an African proverb coined by Chinua Achebe—a celebrated Nigerian writer—in response to a 1994 interview question closing in on his early interest in writing. While an oft-quoted proverb, its profound context and continuation is seldom ever recounted: Achebe invoked the proverb to portray his love for stories and the disillusionment he felt towards his childhood fascination with Western tales that contrasted superior white saviors with ignoble foreign savages. He seamlessly fused this proverb with his own beautiful expression: "once I realized that, I had to be a writer. I had to be that historian. It’s not one man’s job. It’s not one person’s job. But it is something we have to do, so that the story of the hunt will also reflect the agony, the travail—the bravery, even—of the lions".
This sentiment remains relevant, since history and current affairs are still narrated in a Eurocentric light. To exhaustively wash away white supremacy from history’s fabric is an everlasting task humanity must steadfastly endure. In this writing, however, I want to succinctly underscore the Islamic golden age’s shrouded glory—and why this era thunderously resounds with present-day Maldives.
The Island Nation and the Islamic Golden Age—What’s the Connection?
Our constitutionally one-hundred percent Muslim community rests at a critical crossroads with 2023 on the rapidly approaching horizon. The political elite are converging for their last stand—eclipsing the truth and dyeing the archipelago in a pink and yellow amalgam. Neighboring colonial powers sit quietly behind the veil, sharpening their fangs while awaiting the opportunity to strike. The sun sets swiftly on the sunny side of life, ushering in an eternal starless night. Looming climate disasters will crush us—and the ruling class seeks to bleed out everything there is to gain for themselves from this nation before jumping ship. Is this our destiny as a culturally rich, technologically advanced, academically gifted and economically promising nation?
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it"—so the saying goes. While many junctures in history align with our situation, none reverberate at a more harmonious frequency with today’s Maldives than the Islamic golden age’s rise and fall. As a technologically, academically, culturally, and industrially flourishing Muslim society, we ought to learn from similar civilizations from the distant past. Rather than comprehensively teach history in this short writing, I will endeavor to draw a few important historical highlights for you—the reader—to form your own conclusions and guide your own research.
What was the Golden Age of Islam?
The Golden Age is not an expression thrown around lightly by historians. To encase a civilization in a golden age is to raise every societal pillar—every industry, sector and socioeconomic component—to the skies. Leaders alone cannot craft a golden age; every single person must individually thrive and contribute to collectively smith such an era.
As the 11th century dawned upon the Islamic world, the Ummah was ready to reap the wisdom and ingenuity sowed by their forefathers in the past four centuries. Madrasas and observatories were arrayed across the peninsula; worldly knowledge by the thousands—from Greece to India and China—were translated to Arabic; every industry was equipped with state-of-the-art technology; and the common man was imbued with literacy, skills and financial security that helped them think beyond survival and necessities. Islamic architecture—from mosques to madrasas—wore geometric patterns and designs, epitomizing the Ummah at its scholarly peak.
A short article can scarcely do this era any justice. Each Shaykh, engineer, mathematician, philosopher, translator, diplomat, trader, artist and other great individuals deserve their own article, biography, documentary and book. These Muslim inventors and pioneers graced us with wisdom, knowledge and innovations that we take for granted—and attribute to the West. Islamic thinkers have fathered countless innovations and breakthroughs in diverse scholarly disciplines and societal components—including medicine, law, robotics, astronomy, steam power as well as concepts like algebra and algorithm.
إِقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ – “Read in the name of your Lord who created (all things)” (96:1)
At the Islamic golden age’s summit, scholarly pursuits were highly regarded by the Caliphs and Emirs. Translators and educators were rewarded fortunes. Children were taught literacy skills, religion, sciences and the arts from a very young age. Several Madrasas—like Al-Azhar and Al-Qarawiyyin—are recognized as the world’s first universities. The Bayt al-Hikmah (House of Knowledge) in Baghdad housed blossoming dreams and minds, with legion books to nourish their curiosity. Scholars, practitioners, engineers and physicians worldwide migrated to Islamic cities like Baghdad, Cairo, Morocco and Al-Andalus—and the Muslims welcomed them, exchanged knowledge and treated them with dignity. Many migrants peacefully converted to Islam.
Consequently, Baghdad was the largest and most developed city in the world at the time. Muslims played a significant role in preserving ancient knowledge from Greece, India, Rome and Egypt. Without their contributions, the world would have lost many ancient scriptures.
Every great practitioner, engineer and scholar generated by the Islamic golden era owes their fortune to the burgeoning education industry at the time. Collectively, they transformed a desert peninsula with scarce resources into an economic, cultural, commercial and academic supercenter not through education alone, but through unity and compassion as well.
Imagine what people can do if they were not so busy struggling to survive under inhumane conditions, trapped in games played by the ruling elite and fighting among themselves over political parties. Unfortunately, these were the factors that betokened the golden age’s downfall.
Unity
With every era, prevailing political ideologies are used to interpret Deen. Today, the Ummah is littered with divisive sects and ideologies—democratic Islam, liberal Islam, conservative Islam, Salafi Islam, Sufi Islam; the list goes on. Sectarianism defeats our purpose. It soils the holy message and buries us in Fitna. Believers should only follow the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the Quran as it is, without a filter or ideological lens. We are Muslims. Our religion is Islam. We should demonstrate our faith through good examples and tolerance, not hatred and violence. We should not ideologically translate or modify our religion to suit political narratives.
Our forefathers practiced the unfiltered values set forth by Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ) in the Quran and Hadith. They compelled different sects to cooperate with one another under one Ummah, and they welcomed foreigners without regard or animosity for their race, creed, nationality or culture. Different people coexisted with one another, shared their knowledge and lived in relative peace. Indeed, it was not perfect—as our Dunya pales in comparison to the Hereafter—but it verged on the borderline.
It was this unity that shielded the Ummah from invading forces. When believers divide themselves into political factions and sects—and fight among themselves—our Ummah is rendered vulnerable. Modern-day political theorists call this tactic divide and conquer.
Foreshadowing a Tragedy
Although common Muslims were flourishing with avant-garde infrastructure, world-class education, cultural evolution and economic prosperity; the ruling elites were locked in their own worlds riddled with power-games. After the 11th century, political affairs started molding away. The Ummah’s unity attained by their forefathers began to crumble.
Several Emirs, Caliphs and Sultans were at greater odds with one another once again, and Fitna proliferated. Politically, they divided themselves and their citizens into sects once again.
Over the centuries, some Caliphs and Sultans built relationships with the Mongols and Crusaders. These leaders appealed to these foreign powers to defeat their own local rivals. Surely, bowing before foreign powers to crush your own flesh and blood will not produce any rotten fruit, no?
Surely, dividing your own people and pitting them against one another cannot have negative consequences, right?
Baghdad’s Darkest Hour
After receiving tributes from Islamic rulers for years, the Mongols resolved to rein in the Arabian Peninsula under their command. The Islamic leaders were divided, and their defenses were scattered. One by one, Arabian strongholds fell to the Mongols and Crusaders.
The Mongols first demanded Baghdad’s surrender, but the Caliph outrightly declined. When the Mongols—joined by the Crusaders—began their march towards Baghdad, the Caliph failed to bolster the city’s defenses or call for help until the last minute. During Baghdad’s final days, the Islamic world did not budge—either because they were already annihilated, busy battling the crusaders or simply wished to see Baghdad fall with the misguided belief that this will help them gain power.
In her darkest hour, Baghdad was all alone.
When her children and elderly cried for mercy as they were indiscriminately slaughtered, they were all alone. As her scholars’ blood stained the Tigris river red while the Bayt al-Hikmah was razed to the ground, they were all alone. As her women were dragged from their homes and violated amid ensuing death and chaos, they were all alone. In 13 days, the Islamic golden age let out its parting cry. The Arabian Peninsula never recovered, and history had forgotten the golden age until much later.
With the Abbasids Caliphate buried in the sand, other Arabian dynasties fell right afterwards—either to the Mongols or to the Crusaders. Only a few books, accounts and artefacts survived. There certainly were more powerful dynasties that followed—like the Mughals, Timurids and Ottomans—but their reigns were characterized by might, not growth. Renaissance and Enlightenment era Europeans either discovered or rediscovered progress made during the golden age and credited themselves for these developments and discoveries. We became a historical footnote and their modern scapegoat for conflict. Why is Bayt al-Hikmah’s demise not recounted with great despair, regret and sorrow as one would retell the Library of Alexandria’s violent downfall?
Tomorrow
Here we stand at another historical convergence. The Middle East is drowning in conflict, world leaders are threatening one another with mass destruction again, and we are caught in-between. The Ummah is divided. Our homeland is divided. Us Maldivians are divided into colors, trained to violently bark at our enemies’ colors. Common citizens are barely able to pay their bills, feed themselves, shelter themselves and protect themselves. Our leaders scream and shout buzzwords like “climate change, tharaggee, reform, nationalism, jobs, anti-corruption” and more as 2023 creeps upon us. Foreign military and economic presences grow ever stronger behind the curtains, to our oblivious ignorance.
Today, I will not describe our beaches, oceans and islands in jeweled adjectives or decry our leaders using grand hyperboles. You and I have heard these descriptions enough to sicken us at this point. We know our country possesses great potential. We know our country is beautiful. We know our leaders are corrupt. We know they are selling our countries out and leaving us for dead. We know this, we have heard this enough and we are exhausted.
Today, instead, I will urge you to think about the Islamic Golden Age—and what we could learn from its history. There are so many elements I could not cover—though I aim to in the future—but I want us all to think about this era’s rise and fall. I want us all to assess where we stand and where we are headed. I want us all to contemplate what our political divisions will lead us all into. Above all, I want us all to unite—in peace, compassion, curiosity and faith.