Before we ask ourselves what it takes to revive the Muslims,

we must ask ourselves two fundamental questions:

1). Do we care whether or not the Muslims revive?

2). What does it take to revive a nation?

If the answer to the first question is ''no,'' then as far as that individual
is concerned, the case is closed, and there is nothing further to be
said. Nothing can be built upon apathy; it is just dead material that has
no capacity to produce. And any such individual who does not care
about the Muslims might as well save himself or herself the time and
not even bother to discuss the issue; after all, one who invests time
and resources in discussing an issue that he or she does not care
about is cheating himself.

However, if the answer to this question is that we do genuinely care

about the affairs of the Muslims, then before we bounce theories and
speculate as to why the Muslims are in this situation, we should ask
ourselves: What is it that any nation (Muslim or otherwise) requires in
order to revive and achieve progress? Once we address this issue,
when we can ask ourselves: Do the Muslims have the tools to revive
once again, and are these tools attainable?

Understanding what it takes to revive a nation requires an

understanding of the human being. The human being is distinguished
from all other creations in the sense that he possesses the capacity to
think and adopt ideas, and these ideas become the basis upon which
he understands things, conducts his affairs, and proceeds through life.
A human being who possesses clear thoughts based upon a clear and
solid foundation will proceed through life in a positive manner.
However, a human being who possesses ambiguous thoughts built
upon shaky ground will either stagnate or regress. Similarly, nations,
as collection of individual human beings, are defined by certain
thoughts and ideas that they carry, and these thoughts will produce a
unique outlook and unique culture for every nation. A nation that
possesses a clear basis will progress because it will have a well-defined
reference which it can refer to with confidence whenever a problem or
issue arises demanding a solution, and a clear thought basis will
produce the vision and the motivation to progress. However, if these
thoughts are not clear and crystallized, then such a nation will be
devoid of a clear reference, and as a result it will either stagnate or be
unable to address new problems or issues, or it will scramble for
solutions in a haphazard fashion.

Therefore, revival of a nation will occur through a revival of the

thoughts and ideas that the nation possesses. Throughout history, one
can see the impact of a clear idea in transforming a nation or a group
of people. Before Islam, the Arabs were a silly people steeped in
tribalism, idolatry, and backwardness. However, upon adopting Islam,
they became the most powerful nation in the world within a
generation, and within a century, they produced a civilization that
achieved unparalleled heights in science, technology, and many other
disciplines, and they were able to convey their culture and way of life
to most of the known world at the time. Similarly, Europe during the
Middle Ages was steeped in darkness, stagnation, and backwardness.
However, upon adopting the Capitalist ideology, with Secularism as its
doctrine, Europe blossomed into a world power. Also, Russia was for
the most part a feudal, agrarian society, even until the 20th century.
However, upon adopting the Communist ideology, they were able to
elevate themselves from a primarily feudal, agrarian society to a
technological juggernaut that began the Space Age - all within a
generation.

The examples of Europe and Russia illustrate how adopting an idea -

even one that is incorrect - can lead to revival. However, only by
adopting the correct idea will the revival be comprehensive and truly
positive for all humanity. While Europe and Russia experienced revival,
because the ideas that they adopted were not correct, their revival
was only felt primarily in the materialistic aspect of life such as science
and technology. In addition, the revival they experienced brought with
it severe oppression, injustice, and misery. And because the systems
that were established in both societies were built upon incorrect ideas,
then they were ill-equipped to solve all the problems of humanity in a
correct and productive fashion.

In this regard, the Muslim Ummah is unique because not only do the
Muslims possess a clear idea, which is Islam, but this idea is the
correct idea for humanity. Thus, the Muslims do possess the tool to
initiate a revival once again. All that is needed from us is two things:

1). To have the confidence that Islam is the correct idea and that it can
solve the problems of humanity. We must remember that this
confidence is something that comes naturally by virtue of being
Muslims. We are Muslims because we believe that Allah the Creator
exists and that Islam is the system revealed by the Creator to
humanity. If we do not have the confidence that Islam will work, then
perhaps this means that we believe that Islam is incorrect, or worse,
that we have doubt as to whether Allah exists or not. And if this is the
case, then we must prove to ourselves that Allah exists without a
doubt and that Islam is the system from Allah. And the fact that we are
Muslims means that we are convinced that Allah exists and that Islam
is from Allah, and as such, Islam is the correct solution for humanity.

2). To understand the Islamic system, the Islamic ideology, and the
Islamic culture. Simply having the correct idea will not produce a
revival; all it means is that we have the potential for revival. However,
it is through understanding the idea that the revival will occur. And this
requires education as well as fostering continuous discussion and
dialogue among Muslims so that we can develop and nurture this
understanding. And this process is something that all of us can
contribute to in some fashion or another.

Let us remember, above all, that the process of building the thinking of
an entire nation is not something that can happen overnight. This
requires extensive time and effort, and sometimes the slow pace will
cause us to become impatient and demand quick results or even to
give up entirely. Both avenues are equally dangerous. Giving up will
cause stagnation and eventually will kill us altogether. And rushing to
take premature action or hastening towards quick results will exhaust
us, which may cause us to give up. Examples of this were the attempts
in Sudan, Iran, Afghanistan, and other areas, where Muslims rushed to
establish Islam without building the Muslim Ummah, not to mention
that those who spearheaded such movements themselves lacked a
clear understanding of Islam as a complete system of life. The result of
these projects were disaster stories that caused many Muslims to
despair, and despair is now our worst enemy more than anything else.

May Allah give us the guidance to understand His Deen so that we can
worship Him correctly and fulfill our responsibilities in the best possible
manner.