Season 01 - The Fall and Revival of Muslim Civilization

7 episodes4h in totalLatest October 20, 2023

What is the meaning of existence? What is the source of being? What is our purpose in life? These are some of the most fundamental questions that human beings have asked throughout history. These are also the questions that metaphysics, the highest and most noble branch of philosophy, tries to answer.

Metaphysics is not just an abstract or academic pursuit. It is a vital and practical endeavor that shapes our worldview, our faith, and our civilization. It helps us to understand who we are, where we came from, and where we are going. It helps us to connect with our Creator, our fellow creatures, and our environment. It helps us to balance reason and revelation, matter and spirit, human and divine.

But metaphysics is also a lost and forgotten art. It has been neglected or distorted by modern philosophy and science, which have reduced being to physical phenomena or linguistic constructs. It has been challenged or corrupted by various ideologies and movements, such as atheism, materialism, relativism, and postmodernism, which deny or deform the reality of being and its source. It has been misused or abused by some religious groups or ideologies, which have imposed dogmatic or fanatical views on others.

How did this happen? How did metaphysics fall from its lofty status to its lowly state? How did it affect the rise and decline of Muslim civilization, which was once the beacon of knowledge, wisdom, and culture in the world? How can metaphysics be revived and restored as a vital human endeavor that can enrich our understanding of ourselves and our world? How can it lead to a balanced and harmonious civilization that respects both reason and revelation, matter and spirit, human and divine?

These are some of the questions that we will explore in this five-video-series on Fall and Revival of Muslim Civilization. We will draw from the enduring texts of Islamic tradition and current scholarship to examine the history, development, and significance of metaphysics in Islamic thought and practice. We will base our discussion on a remarkable article by Hamza Yusuf, one of the leading proponents of classical learning in Islam and president of Zaytuna College, a Muslim liberal arts college in Berkeley, California. The article is titled “Is the Matter of Metaphysics Immaterial? Yes and No” and it was published in Renovatio, the journal of Zaytuna College.

Join us in this journey of discovery and reflection as we delve into the fascinating world of metaphysics and its impact on Muslim civilization.

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