A Manifesto for the Muslim World

Popular sayings attributed to Albert Einstein include:

• "You cannot solve a problem with the same level of thinking that created it."
• "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

As a humble student of Islam, I am completely stripped of any claim to possessing a magic wand or a genie in a bottle capable of rewriting the fate of Muslims, for such a thing is impossible. Nevertheless, I still feel inspired to offer my own droplet into this ocean of discourse which, if God wills, may benefit my brothers and sisters in faith. Even this humble droplet would not have been possible without the transmission of spiritual grace (fayz) from the heart of my mentor to my own, for which I remain indebted to him for eternity.

With humility, I say that much has already been written about the problems of Muslims, and most of it is accurate and factual; therefore, we need not invest further time in reiterating those discussions. Instead, we shall focus on a solution worth no more than two cents. No false promises or unrealistic hopes are attached to this proposal, and many may not agree with it in the first place.

Education possesses many dimensions - the type, the quality, the quantity, the methodology, the approach, the purpose, the intention, the passion, the mission, the vision, and so forth. Each dimension, when rightly positioned in its proper place, yields - or is far more likely to yield - desirable results. Let us discuss each aspect one by one.

Mission & Vision: To produce a generation of Muslims who are professionally skilled, intellectually competent, morally sound, ethically refined, religiously inspired, and spiritually elevated individuals.

Passion: To become top professionals by day and saints by night.

Intention: To become vicegerents of God, slaves of His Beloved ﷺ, and servants of humanity.

Purpose: To end the decline of Muslims in every permissible (halaal) sphere of life.

Type: An institute in which there exists no bifurcation between religious and secular sciences can elevate Muslims beyond their current condition.

Quality: Academically rigorous, intellectually stimulating, spiritually purifying, transformative in character, refining in personality, factually sound, morally nurturing, ethically disciplined, and energetically challenging.

Quantity: The nourishment of the mind, heart, and soul is a gradual process. All learning should ideally remain confined within official academic hours, with minimal dependence upon homework; otherwise, students risk becoming overburdened and emotionally exhausted.

Methodology & Approach

• Train teachers both intellectually and spiritually so they may help students grow into Sir Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal's mard-e-momin - the ideal Muslim of the future.
• Develop innovative teaching methodologies and strategies through which students acquire the perfect balance between a brilliant mind and a purified heart (qalb).
• Impart to teachers a profound understanding of the philosophical, spiritual, and revolutionary dimensions of Islam.
• Build strong networks with scholars, professors, and intellectuals as part of a broader strategy to establish CIU as a respected international academic "brand."
• Develop comprehensive academic content to teach students that:
  1. Islam is not confined merely to Shariah (law) and Tariqah (path), but encompasses an entire civilization with political, economic, administrative, and social dimensions.
  2. Science and technology are not merely contemporary necessities but among the hallmarks of Islamic civilization.
  3. Muslims should aspire not only toward eternal Paradise but also toward becoming leaders of humanity in this world.
  4. Figures such as Imam Ghazali, Ibn al-'Arabi, Jalaluddin Rumi, Shah Waliullah, Sir Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Wasif Ali Wasif, and many others are intellectual and spiritual giants whose works deserve to be studied, understood, and followed even in the modern age.
• Islamize the existing syllabus in such a manner that no contradiction appears between Islamic Studies and other academic disciplines.
• Compose a book on ethics and morality titled CIU Shadow as an essential tool for the tarbiyah (nurturing) of students.
• Introduce Pearson programs to significantly improve students' proficiency in the English language.
• Launch magazines under CIU Publications in order to engage positively with the widest possible audience.
• Promote a grand vision of Global Muslim Unity so that students develop love for all Muslims irrespective of sect, school of thought, nationality, language, or social category.
• Explain Iqbal's concept of Khudi (selfhood) according to the intellectual level of students so they may genuinely strive toward its realization.
• Introduce Iqbal's The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam as an essential Muslim response to modernity.
• Inculcate the importance of Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages, for they contain some of the greatest intellectual and spiritual treasures in Islamic history.
• Teach the works of Wasif Ali Wasif as an essential component of the curriculum in order to demonstrate the universal, human, pure, practical, enlightened, elevated, mystical, and philosophical essence and spirit of religion.
• Conduct critical analyses of Western thought so students evolve into original thinkers rather than blind imitators of the West.
• Organize workshops and short courses on writing so students may develop into internationally published authors.
• Teach students that, within the Islamic worldview, art and literature must inspire humanity toward noble and transformative deeds.
• Teach faqr (spiritual detachment from worldly excesses) as practiced by the saints throughout fourteen centuries of Islamic history.
• Instill within students the realization that the greater objectives of Islam can only be achieved if Sunnis and Shias rise above sectarian divisions and work together for a common cause.
• Remove the vast library of misconceptions and misunderstandings surrounding Sufism (Tasawuf).
• Muslims should travel to the West to acquire expertise in science, applied sciences, and technology, yet return to their own lands to teach and uplift their brethren in faith.
• The salaries of academicians should reflect the worth of their knowledge, sacrifice, and intellectual labor.
• Cultivate within students a worldview through which the lens of the seeker becomes so clear that he develops equal reverence for research laboratories and the tombs of saints.
• Their training should equip them with the art of loving Muslims irrespective of schools of thought.
• Their learning should make them deeply concerned for the condition of non-Muslims who remain alien to, distant from, or opposed to Islam.
• Teach the youth that God intervenes most profoundly in the lives of those for whom He wills the Hereafter. This is why the plans of seekers are often frustrated more intensely than those who remain heedless of Him.
• Inculcate within the youth the importance of the spiritual teaching often quoted in Islamic tradition: "Love of the world is the root of many evils."
• Give the youth a worldview through which they remain least dazzled by the glitter and glamour of the modern West.
• Teach students the importance of seemingly small acts, such as the saying of the Prophet ﷺ: "Your smile for your brother is charity."
• Equip them with the insight that, although exceptions may exist, the journey toward God is immensely difficult without a guide, mentor, teacher, or spiritual master with whom one shares a deeply personal relationship.
• Make them aware that many frauds and exploitative groups operate in the name of religion and spirituality. Such people should be viewed as thorns upon the path rather than reasons to abandon the path itself.
• Let them understand the immense distinction between reverence for saints and idol worship.
• Only that degree of devotion to God and His Beloved ﷺ can truly be called love which remains unconditional.
• The entire Ummah must begin the process of revival through collective repentance (tawbah).
• While intellect is a remarkable tool for understanding the analytical dimension of Islam, it remains insufficient for comprehending its experiential domain.
• Inculcate profound love for the Ahl-e-Bayt (the family of the Prophet ﷺ).
• Students should understand the importance and relevance of both dimensions of Jihad - the inner struggle and the outer struggle.
• Convey to the Muslim generation that no revolution can occur without its prerequisite: the revolution within one's own six-foot body.
• Encourage students, irrespective of their professional fields, to keep copies of the Qur'an and Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim beside them.
• Encourage students pursuing Islamic Studies to immerse themselves in Sufi literature in order to attain the higher ideals of faith.
• The youth should remain crystal clear upon the reality that, at a deeper level, the worldviews of Islam and modern Western civilization differ profoundly; superficial similarities should not deceive them.
• They should neither seek God exclusively through Western methods nor pursue worldly success through purely spiritual methods. Both realms possess principles and sciences of their own.
• They must understand that spirituality detached from Islam may offer psychological wellbeing, yet Islam alone promises ultimate salvation in the Hereafter.
• Their minds must become convinced that survival in the modern age is possible without surrendering to wholesale Westernization.
• Invite Muslim speakers to discuss the importance of treating parents, spouses, siblings, relatives, friends, elders, juniors, servants, and subordinates with excellence and dignity.
• Arrange talks by practicing Muslims regarding the importance of disconnecting oneself from the ruthless and materialistic rat race.
• Invite Muslim CEOs and professionals to lecture on maintaining integrity while working ordinary professional lives.
• Instill within youngsters the realization that many conflicts, contradictions, and confusions arise when human beings attempt to become passengers of both boats simultaneously - the world and the Hereafter.
• Prepare three intellectual armies of students: one to answer the objections of atheists, one to address the doubts of confused Muslims, and one to guide seekers of spiritual depth.
• Revive the tradition established by Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه of holding open gatherings for questions and answers.
• Female students should aspire to embody the faith, dignity, knowledge, sacrifice, purity, and spiritual excellence of Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra رضي الله عنها, Sayyidah Khadijah al-Kubra رضي الله عنها, Sayyidah Aisha رضي الله عنها, and Rabia al-Basri رحمها الله.
• Teach both males and females that there is no Islam without haya (modesty, chastity, and moral shame) of the eyes, ears, tongue, hands, mind, heart, and sexual organs.
• They should understand that the sweetness of faith cannot truly be tasted while one remains enslaved to pornography.
• Physical activities such as sports, games, and exercise are essential before age begins to diminish the body's strength and vitality.
• Revive the culture of poetry and the art of calligraphy.
• The only competition truly worthy of encouragement is the competition in righteous deeds.
• Befriend those who respect your values, principles, and ideals.
• Give others the benefit of the doubt, yet judge both the sin and the sinner rigorously when the sinner is one's own self.
• Students should aspire to become leaders who think not merely for their own countries but for the welfare of the entire Ummah.
• They should not recognize Israel as a legitimate state.
• They should feel profound pain for the atrocities committed in Gaza and other suffering regions of the Muslim world.
• They should advocate nuclear strength, preparedness, and strategic self-reliance before moments of crisis arise.
• God loves a powerful Ummah more than a weak one.
• Teach students Islam in such a manner that they naturally aspire toward sacrifice, courage, dignity, and martyrdom (shahadah) in the service of truth.
• Let the youth perceive life as a journey toward unveiling God, and death as the lifting of all veils.