⫷ Western Ideas and Emerging Religious Deviations ⫸
In the past, the objections raised against Islam and religion by Orientalists, missionaries, and Western intellectuals were clear and straightforward, making them easier to address and respond to. However, today, Western thinkers have adopted a new method: they seemingly praise religion but present a distorted conception that, in reality, amounts to altering the very essence of faith.
This approach is not exclusive to Islam; it is being applied to other Eastern religions as well. For example, the Hindu society gradually accepted Western interpretations without critique, to the extent that their own authors began labeling Western definitions as “authentic Vedanta.”
These ideological deviations began taking root during the Renaissance and have since deteriorated further in modern Western thought. The theories propagated by Orientalists and Western thinkers have infiltrated Muslim societies, as evidenced by countless examples that appear daily in newspapers.
French Muslim scholar René Guénon (Shaykh Abdul Wahid Yahya) highlighted the Western-distorted narratives of Eastern religions in his writings. Through his research, we can outline the Western ideas that have contributed to the distortion of Islamic concepts.
Certain Orientalists approached Islamic scholars and posed questions in such a way that it was impossible to grasp the full context. Later, they used the scholars’ responses to support their own assumptions. For example, French Orientalist Henry Corbin established such influence in Iran concerning Sufism and rational sciences that the publication of Sufi texts was entrusted to him.
Below is a comprehensive list of ideological deviations introduced into religion under the influence of Western thought:
All these ideologies aim to distort the true message of Islam and reshape the Muslim mindset according to Western frameworks. To protect ourselves from these influences, it is essential to strengthen our understanding of Islamic knowledge and recognize the cunning tactics of Western thought.
◈ Changing Tactics of Western Thought
In the past, the objections raised against Islam and religion by Orientalists, missionaries, and Western intellectuals were clear and straightforward, making them easier to address and respond to. However, today, Western thinkers have adopted a new method: they seemingly praise religion but present a distorted conception that, in reality, amounts to altering the very essence of faith.
This approach is not exclusive to Islam; it is being applied to other Eastern religions as well. For example, the Hindu society gradually accepted Western interpretations without critique, to the extent that their own authors began labeling Western definitions as “authentic Vedanta.”
◈ Distortions of the Western Mindset
These ideological deviations began taking root during the Renaissance and have since deteriorated further in modern Western thought. The theories propagated by Orientalists and Western thinkers have infiltrated Muslim societies, as evidenced by countless examples that appear daily in newspapers.
French Muslim scholar René Guénon (Shaykh Abdul Wahid Yahya) highlighted the Western-distorted narratives of Eastern religions in his writings. Through his research, we can outline the Western ideas that have contributed to the distortion of Islamic concepts.
◈ Deceptive Tactics of Orientalists
Certain Orientalists approached Islamic scholars and posed questions in such a way that it was impossible to grasp the full context. Later, they used the scholars’ responses to support their own assumptions. For example, French Orientalist Henry Corbin established such influence in Iran concerning Sufism and rational sciences that the publication of Sufi texts was entrusted to him.
❖ Deviations Arising from Western Thought
Below is a comprehensive list of ideological deviations introduced into religion under the influence of Western thought:
① Distorting the Fundamental Concepts of Religion
- Abandoning one or two of the three core elements of religion: beliefs, worship, and morals.
- Considering beliefs (ʿAqā’id) as non-essential to religion and labeling Islamic beliefs as dogma.
- Believing that changes in beliefs over time are acceptable.
- Viewing beliefs merely as sources of emotional comfort, rather than seeking their truth.
② Distorted Notions of Worship and Morality
- Treating acts of worship as mere rituals.
- Reducing religion to just ethics or social welfare.
- Considering Sufism solely a means of moral training.
- Referring to religion as a social institution and a means of organizing society.
③ Misrepresenting the Relationship Between Religion and the World
- Considering material and external progress as the pathway to intellectual and spiritual development.
- Defining the purpose of religion as limited to worldly welfare (social welfare).
- Restricting religion to national service and social improvement.
- Referring to religion as philosophy or merely an emotional experience.
④ Rationalism and the Infiltration of Scientific Theories
- Viewing Revelation (Waḥy) as unnecessary and giving human intellect the authority to amend beliefs.
- Claiming that religion is a product of primitive and underdeveloped human minds.
- Treating religion as a cultural and civilizational product that must be adapted to changing circumstances.
- Offering rational explanations for miracles and spiritual phenomena—or outright denying them.
- Attempting to subordinate religion to science.
⑤ Injecting Western Notions of Equality and Communism into Religion
- Confusing the Islamic concept of equality with Western democracy and communism.
- Describing Sufism as an early example of humanitarianism and communism.
⑥ Misinterpretation of Islamic Teachings
- Altering religious rulings under the guise of introducing “simplicity” into the religion.
- Declaring Sharīʿah inapplicable to modern circumstances.
- Viewing all matters from a human perspective and ignoring the superiority of revelation.
- Accepting incorrect beliefs in the name of “broadmindedness” in religious principles.
⑦ Framing Islamic History and Philosophy within a Western Template
- Interpreting Islamic sciences through Western scientific and philosophical principles.
- Viewing Islamic jurisprudence like man-made legal systems.
- Presenting Islamic Sufism like Western mysticism and restricting it to emotional states.
⑧ Modernist and Atheistic Ideologies
- Attempting to innovate religion using Western thought as the benchmark.
- Completely separating religion from worldly affairs or subordinating it to them.
✦ Conclusion
All these ideologies aim to distort the true message of Islam and reshape the Muslim mindset according to Western frameworks. To protect ourselves from these influences, it is essential to strengthen our understanding of Islamic knowledge and recognize the cunning tactics of Western thought.
