What are the steps we can take to revive true Islamic culture?

The moral goals behind the pillars of Islam and the pillars of emaan when implemented in our life produces a moral culture, a culture which is most concerned about the moral upbringing of its generation and moral policies of its government. So its main concern is about morality. It is not concern about technology, though technology is also beneficial but to sacrifice morality for technology is morally wrong. This distinguished the Muslim civilization of the past, it wasn’t the technology because the earliest civilization of Arabia had no technology. Technology was in Rome, Persia, India, Africa but not in Arabia, so what disguised is the early seed of guidance was its moral uprightness. People stood firm for a moral way of life. That is a distinguish characteristics of Islam, it is a moral based civilization. That’s what Prophet meant when He said,

"I was sent to perfect good character." [1]

Western civilization dominates and globalizes its culture, mainly by its technology which is presented in an immoral package. So the technology is coming but the package is immoral. Hence, our civilization is suffering, because we want the technology but we can’t separate it from the package and we end up taking the package along with it. The only way forward for Muslims is to go back to that moral foundation and rebuild an Islamic moral culture. And one way to do so is to understand the principle of Islamic morality. For that we have to know pillars of Islam and emaan because these are the foundations, which provide everything else. On the other hand we have to remove the obstacles, which prevents us from realizing the true Islamic culture in our life, in our civilization. Those obstacles have built up over the generations to the point that now we are unable to recognize them as obstacles. They have become so much a part of Islam that now we can’t distinguish Islam and ‘mislam’. We think everything Muslims do is Islam but in fact there are so many things which Muslims do is ‘mislam’ or not Islam. Our challenge is to realize what is not a part of Islam and to remove it. One way is to apply the true teaching that is Qur'an and Sunnah with Islamic morality. Allah (سبحانهُ وتعالى) in Surah Al Imran, verse 104, summed up that responsibilities saying,

"And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful."[2]

Commanding good and prohibiting evil is the establishment of morality. This has to be seen in the context of Islam, because today we have people in the world who command good what they perceive as good and prohibit what they perceive as evil, but it is not based on believing Allah. So even though it expresses good but its consequence is evil because the foundation of believing in Allah is missing. Same thing is also missing in western civilization. The core and most important element in human life is missing. Yes we have that civilization where many of the people say we believe in Allah or God. Christians believe that god was a man, so that belief is not belief in Allah or God. Because if we accept their belief then other people who believe that God is a stone, plant or tree - we have to also believe in them. What is the difference between stone, animal, man and planet? They are all, created by Allah. So here the essential element is missing. Islam offers that element to the world. But in order for us to be able to properly present it we have to ourselves find it. And to find it we need to do two things:

1. Applying the knowledge that we know. Of course to apply knowledge first we have to have knowledge, that is why Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim." [3], because the way forward can’t be established without knowledge. That means correct knowledge from the Qur'an & Sunnah and as it was understood by the generations who lived it, who were there at the time of revelation.
2. At the same time we have to begin a systematic process of dismantling what is known as cultural Islam.

I’m taking about Islamic culture that is the Islamic moral culture. That is, in one hand we have what the Prophet called to, but we have on the other hand shaytan calling us to cultural Islam.

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​References:

[1] [Malik Muwatta Book 47, Number 47.1.8]

[2] [Quran 3:104]

[3] [Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 74]