Seminars, Conferences. Addresses Keynote Address to the International Seminar on Malik Bennabi Anwar Ibrahim The dominant theme me comes across in Bennabi’s writings is how essen- tial it is to cultivate ideas. He argued that proficiency and efficacy in nurtur- ing ideas is a vital sign of intellectual and cultural development. In elaborat- ing the role of ideas in the development of civilization, he went to the extent of saying that a civilization ptospers only by the depth of its guiding ideas. I am in accord with Shaykh Diraz of al Azhar when, writing in his pre- face to Bennabi’s book The Qur ’anic Phenomena, he praised him for the =ti- tude of his judgment, the zeal of his conviction, the precision of his terminol- ogy, and the beauty of his style. Apart from their profound intellectual impli- cations, the pronouncements of Bennabi c a w deep personal meanings for me. These attributes of Bennabi’s writings make him one of the most erudite intellectuals of the Muslim world. Moreover, what I discern in these attributes is that they rightly portray him in his totality. To me he is not an intellectual or a recluse, simply captivated by the bliss of his own awakening and without an organic link with his faith. Most assuredly, his pen symbolizes his faith, his convictions, and his ideological strategy. More than anything else, it serves as a constant reminder of the inevitability of the inner struggle for both personal and collective evolution. Civilizations do not become great, acquire power, or wane by some myster- ious flux of nature. A civilization is the translation of ideas into intellectual ca- pacity and material means to organize one’s environment. Ideas make the prac- tice of power possible. Ideas devise the practical tools for living in the world. And ideas question whether we have attained our goal or failed our potential. Bennabi tells us that those who do not have the moral courage to grasp the guiding ideas of their civilization have not only the repetition of history but their irrelevance to the mamh of time as their future. The Qur’an, the raison d’2tre of the ummah, is not a mere invitation; it is the imperative to think and Anwar Ibrahim is the f i i minister of Malaysia This address was given during the inkma- tional seminar on Malik Wi, organized by the Institute for Policy Research Malaysiq University of Malayq the University of Science Malaysia; and Berita Publishing. It was held at the University of Malaya Institute of Advanced Studies, Kuala L u m p , Malaysia, during Safar 22-25,1412/September 1-4 1991. 422 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 9 3 reflect, to discuss and debate, to use ideas to be active in history. It binds us to the duty to change the world through the power of ideas. Yet thought, de- bate, and the originality of the intellect have as little currency in the Muslim world as when Bennabi wrestled with their absence four decades ago. Bennabi lived at a time when the Muslim world was under the claw of colonialism. The uniqueness in Bennabi’s experience of colonialism is that he neither succumbed to its brutality nor was he allured into a denial of self- identity. This integrity of mind and body seems to have given him a superb intellectual command to synthesize a vast array of ideas, both historical and ccmtemporary. Bennabi looked at the Muslim of the colonial era and said unequivocally that you have brought on your own colonization and colonisibilittf. You colo- nize yourseAf. It is due to the melancholic intellect of the post a1 Muwahbdin man that the Muslim ummah continues to languish in the miserable paucity of guiding ideas. Our postcolonial state of mind is no better than what it was during the time of Bennabi. Today, we must have the moral comge to acknowledge that political independence has dtessed the subject in new clothes and renamed it, without altering basic relationships. We have crossed the border of physical occupation of our lands, but our minds are the most fertile ground for the distortion of alien ideologies. The challenge of Bennabi as manifested through a juxtaposition of political versus intellectual independence is yet to be answered. We have yet to prove that our political independence is synonymous with the liberation of our minds. True independence awaits us when we cease to blame our pmblems on other people. True independence is taking on the task of changing things for ourselves, becoming the architect of our future through the labor of our own ideas. True independence will arrive when we come to know that the ummah is fimt and foremost a moral concept of how to coexist in the free flow of ideas amongst other communities. When Bennabi argued for intellectual independence, he did not altogether shun the Western intellectual tradition. Instead, he engaged himself in an inci- sive analysis of the same and, with a remarkable ability, demonstrated the in- ner dynamics of that tradition. He elaborated upon the social reciprocity of scholarly p d t s in the West. Therefore it must be understood that Muslim intellectual independence is not equivalent to a seclusion from the wider world of knowledge. On the contrary, a pluralistic discourse is integral for its genesis as well as actuality. Without doubt, Bennabi’s ideas have stood the test of time and are as rele- vant today as they were four decades ago. However, what is significant is whe- ther or not we have undestood the relevance of t h m ideas. For instance, it is legitimate to ask Are we cognizant of the role of ideas in the advancement Seminars, Conferences, Addresses 423 of our civilization? Is the Muslim intellect better equipped to deal with con- temporary problems? Has Eennabi’s message instilled a new sense of m o d and intellectual holism in us? We have nothing to fear from ideas, whatever their source. We reject neither the West nor modernity; we question both and would contribute to them through the intellectual quickening of our civiliza- tion. This should be the means we use to transcend tradition in peaceful syn- thesis. It is the genuine inner struggle of conscience that will liberate our intellect for constructive thought. The social canvas across the Muslim world is one of moral bankruptcy, poverty, illitemcy, totalitarianism, and stagnation. Physical independence alone is not a panacea for all these ills. More than the monetary resources, it is the wealth of Muslim intellect that can begin to carve new avenues of social growth and a respectable rank in the community of nations. Despotism is not manifested in political terms alone. Centuries of mental numbness have given birth to an intellectual totalitarianism in the Muslim world. It is most pronounced in our tesistance to change. This status quo is nothing more than a disguised apology. Those Muslim intellectuals who la- ment the absence of intellectual f d o m as an excuse for their own infirmity should be reminded of the intellectual struggle in places like Eastern Europe. The truth is that a pervasive lethargy has consumed our abilities and we are a living witness to our own slow but steady dissolution. Against the backdrop of a continuum of civilization, we simply complete our transition from a pas- sive consumer to a dissipative s t r u c k . Adjustment to change q u i r e s a mental ability. It calls for a metamor- phosis of our intellect. While we are p r e p a d to condemn our fellow Muslims on trivial issues, we remain curiously silent on major problems confronting the ummah. The voice of the Muslim intellect, which Bennabi held as the authen- tic voice of the ummah, is strangulated. We stand ready to sacrifice the verity of the discourse at the altar of political efficiency. This we do at the cost of augmenting any efforts in improving the basic living conditions across the Muslim world. We find but little intellectual tenacity in dealing with the acute problems of economic disparity, social injustice, basic education, fundamental necessities of life, personal f d o m , and other issues of greater significance. In this theater of intellectual r e p , we are no bigger than living cadavers whose fate is determined by unsparing forces of the global order. The ummah will be true to its guiding ideas and inner struggle of con- science when it becomes a community that c a m for its own welfare because it c a m for all people. True independence comes when we can chetish ideas and tolerate, promote, and stimulate the development of our men and women of ideas. True freedom and independence will not come without breaking down the bars of the self-impad restsaints we have made for outselves. The 424 The American Joumal of Islamic Social Sciences 9 3 enemy of us all is the limitation of our imagination, the timidity of our con- viction and the inhibition we impose upon the inner stmggle with conscience. Bennabi declared social and economic independence to be contingent upon the independence of ideas. In his words: "A society which does not make its own guiding ideas can make neither its collsumer goods nor its equipment. It is not by means of ideas imported or imposed that a society can develop. We must recovet our intellectual originality before we can regain our political and eccmomic independence." These words of l3ennabi are of enduring significance. They pmvide a fresh stimulus to the gmwth of new ideas in the Muslim world. They serve as a constant reminder that a civilization is created not through the instru- ments but through the framework of ideas, because instruments are servile to ideological influence. Bennabi stands as a testimony that men and women of ideas matter and are the quickeneB of civilization. It is an indictment of our parochialism that Bennabi has been neglected because he wmte in French. It is an even greater indictment that he is neglected b u s e he was an individual thinker and not the ideologue of a movement. Neither is sufficient teason for original thought Bennabi reminds us that past, present, and future are joined in this mo- ment. In this moment we must commence the reconstmction of Muslim civili- zation. The imperative is to think so that we can act practically and appropri- ately. Only in our faith can we find the guiding ideas to liberate our minds. Only through a collective inttospection applied to today's world can we meet the challenge of our time and call oulselves free members of the ummah. The subservient intellect cannot blossom into enduring ideas. It cannot as- sume the mle of a catalyst that stimulates social evolution. The message of Bennabi, in essence, is the inculcation of an intellectual tradition that is sub- missive neither to political authority nor to ideological prestige. It stands on its own, sustained by the unflinching power of faith. To me, this is the great- est message of hope for Muslim resilience in the face of our colonial legacy. Thus, in spite of our present predicament, Bennabi has delineated a strategy for Muslim survival, one in dire need of gaining social authentication. to be marginalized.