al-Ilmaniyya - Nashatuha wa Tatawwuruha
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al-Ilmaniyya: Nashatuha wa Tatawwuruha (Secularism: Its Origin and Development) is an academic study by Saudi scholar Safar al-Hawali that examines the historical genesis of secularism in Western Europe, its philosophical dimensions, and its manifestations and ideological impact within the modern Islamic world.
Background and Composition
The book originated as a master's thesis submitted by al-Hawali in the field of Islamic creed (ʿaqīdah) at the College of Sharia in Mecca. The research was supervised by Egyptian author and thinker Muhammad Qutb, following the introduction of contemporary intellectual currents into the graduate curriculum by Muhammad Amin al-Misri.
Al-Hawali chose the subject because of the ambiguity surrounding the term "secularism" among modern Arab and Muslim intellectuals and because the practical separation of religion from public life had spread throughout contemporary Muslim societies without being systematically analyzed from an Islamic doctrinal standpoint.
Conceptual Framework and Etymology
Al-Hawali argues that the Arabic translation al-ʿilmaniyya is misleading, as it erroneously suggests an association with ʿilm (science or knowledge). Citing Western lexical and encyclopedic definitions of secularism, he asserts that the accurate translation of the concept is al-lādīniyya (irreligion) or al-dunyawiyya (worldliness), defining it functionally as the separation of religion from governance and public life, or organizing society independently of divine guidance.
Structure and Content
The book is structured into five principal parts (abwāb):
- Part One: The Religion of Europe: Examines Christianity in Europe, arguing that ecclesiastical distortions, superstitions, and theological corruptions created the conditions that prompted European thinkers to turn toward irreligion.
- Part Two: Causes of Secularism: Analyzes the direct catalysts for the emergence of secularism in Europe, highlighting church tyranny, the conflict between ecclesiastical authorities and natural sciences, the French Revolution, and the rise of Darwinism and evolutionary theory.
- Part Three: Secularism in European Life: Covers the implementation of secular thought across six domains: governance and political theory; economics (including physiocracy, capitalism, and communism); the secularization of science and removal of teleology; sociology and ethics; literature and the arts; and the subsequent marginalization and crisis of Christian religious institutions.
- Part Four: Secularism in Islamic Life: Traces the penetration of secularism into Muslim societies across two chapters. The first addresses its root causes, dividing them into internal religious deviation and external colonial planning by Western powers, orientalists, and missionaries. The second chapter outlines its manifestations in governance and legislation (such as legal secularization in Ottoman Turkey and modern Egypt), education and culture, and social spheres, including modern women's liberation movements.
- Part Five: The Islamic Ruling on Secularism: Evaluates secularism through the principles of Islamic creed, arguing that secularism fundamentally contradicts Islam because it replaces divine legislation (ḥukm bi-mā anzal Allāh) with man-made laws and compromises exclusive divine sovereignty in worship.
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