Allama Muhammad Asad and Occidentalism: An Analytical Study
علامہ محمد اسد اور اکسیڈنٹلزم(Occidentalism): ایک تجزیاتی مطالعہ
Abstract
This article presents a comprehensive and analytical study of Occidentalism in the context of the intellectual and scholarly contributions of Allama Muhammad Asad. Allama Muhammad Asad is one of the great thinkers of the twentieth century who deeply understood the relationship between Western civilization and Islamic thought and gave it a critical perspective. He not only examined the intellectual and cultural trends of the West, such as materialism, secularism, individualism and scientific egoism, but also considered their effects as the main cause of the decline of human morality and collective values. On the contrary, he presented Islam as a comprehensive and balanced system of life that encompasses the material and spiritual aspects of human life simultaneously.
This research makes it clear that the criticism of Western civilization in Asad’s thought is not simply reactionary but has a scientific and argumentative basis, in which the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah have a central position. In this regard, he acknowledged the positive aspects of Western thought, but at the same time pointed out its fundamental philosophical flaws. His writings reveal a balanced and constructive perspective on East-West relations, which is not based on mere negation, but calls for dialogue, understanding, and the revival of Islamic civilization.
The aim of this article is to reintroduce the intellectual heritage of Allama Muhammad Asad in the context of modern intellectual and cultural challenges so that contemporary Muslim societies can respond to the Western intellectual invasion on an intellectual level and rebuild their intellectual identity. Thus, this study not only provides guidance for Islamic civilizational revival but is also an effective scholarly effort to understand the intellectual relations between the East and the West.
Keywords: Allama Muhammad Asad, Occidentalism, Western Thought, Islamic Civilization, Intellectual and Cultural Invasion, Materialism, Secularism, Islamic Revival, Critical Studies, East-West Relations, Quran and Sunnah, Intellectual Identity
