The book is promoted as a telling of world history from the perspective of the Islamic world, from the time of the Prophet to the fall of the Ottoman (Uthmaniyyah) empire until the present days. The author's contention is that many history books are written by western writers which tell world history from a western perspective. Reading western history books, you get no real understanding why Islamic culture and countries are the way they are now today.
The book sought to remedy this. It sets out to tell the stories of the rise and fall of the Islamic
empires and the history of the rest of the world from the perspective of those Islamic empires; and along the way, explain why many parts of the Islamic world of today is in chaos and many more are lagging behind scientifically, technologically, socially, politically and economically.
The introduction chapter breaks down the age of modern history from Islamic civilisation perspective. This gives the reader an outline of the history. It skips the history of pre-historic men and pre-Islamic civilisation. Since Islam began in 6 AD, there is no Islamic perspective for those history. If you are interested in those history, reading any history books by any writers will do. (In fact I will also do a review later of another world history book to complement this book. If you are Muslim and interested in not just Islamic history but also world history, you should read both books.)
To illustrate the point that this book is from Islamic perspective the author made a comparison on how Western historian versus an Islamic historian would divide history.
Typical Age of history by Western historian.
1. Birth of Civilisation (Egypt and Mesopotamia)
2. Classical age (Greece and Rome)
3. The Dark Age (rise of Christianity)
4. The Rebirth: Renaissance and Reformation
5. The Enlightenment (exploration and science)
6. The Revolutions (democratic, industrial, technological)
7. Rise of Nation-States: The Struggle for Empire
8. World Wars I and II
9. The Cold War
10. The Triumph of Democratic Capitalism
Age of history from Islamic Civilisation perspective.
1. Ancient Times: Mesopotamia and Persia
2. Birth of Islam
3. The Khalifate: Quest for Universal Unity
4. Fragmentation: Age of the Sultanates
5. Catastrophe: Crusaders and Mongols
6. Rebirth: The Three-Empires Era
7. Permeation of East by West
8. The Reform Movement
9. Triumph of the Secular Modernists
10 The Islamist Reaction
Hence, the chapters of "Destiny Disrupted" are arranged according to the Age of Islamic history above.
(Side note: If you notice, both historical age above correspond to what Ibnu Khaldun called "pattern of history", but this is subject for another post.)
The first chapter was crammed with a summary of the history of ancient civilisation up to the point of the fall of the Western Roman Empire around 5 CE. This chapter set the context within world history for the beginning of Islam.
The second chapter is when the story starts, in Mecca, with the birth of Islam. From here on and throughout subsequent chapters, the author moved on to detail out the rise, conflict and eventual fall of the Islamic empires.
The writing is detailed, the sequence of events and narrative are easy to understand.
The analysis of events and its cause and effect, are enlightening and provides casual readers with an understanding of the multitude of complex events that are refreshing and honest.
For example, to illustrate why the Industrial Revolution started in Europe and not in the Muslim world (nor in China), the author analysed the history of the invention of the steam engine (and geared machinery in the case of China).
Europe was not the first civilisation that invented the steam engine. The steam engine was first invented by the Arab Muslim (and the Chinese first invented geared machinery).
But the invention of the steam engine did not spark an industrial revolution in the Muslim world, but did in Europe, which led to Europe becoming the world leaders in technological innovation and modernisation. (And this advancement in technology, is one of the reasons that makes them the powerful nations that they are today.) The author clearly explained why this is so in a carefully detailed analysis of the social, political and economic environment in both societies that led to this different result. (*See also footnote.)
This kind of analysis and many more will lead you to understand the tapestry of events and history; step by step, by historical event to the next, like a domino effect; that culminate in the situation where the Muslim world are today.
The author's analysis showed that before the West came to colonise the Middle East and the Far East, the Islamic civilisation collapse has started from within and when the modern West came with their superior firepower and ships, the so called Islamic Golden Age was no more and did not have the capacity or capability to withstand the assault, either technologically, militarily, economically or politically.
It is time that we stop blaming the West for our failures as a nation or as a civilisation.
Yes, they colonised us.
But that is the past.
We are now free.
But unfortunately for us in Malaysia, when we embraced Islam, we also unwittingly inherited the scars of civilisation's collapse that happened in the Middle East. The collapse of the Umayyad (Umayyah), Abbasid (Abbasiyyah) and the Ottoman (Uthmaniyyah) empire. We blame the west for the fall of the caliphate, without even analysing the history, and take it upon ourselves to "avenge" the long gone civilisation instead of focusing our efforts in not repeating history. By analysing and understanding history, we can move on and improve and ensure mistakes of the past are not repeated.
This book is a must read for all history buff, especially history of the Islamic Civilisation. Also, a must read for any Muslim that is ready to re-examine his perspective, to be open minded and be critical of his own historical perception and be honest in trying to understand historical baggage, shape a new way forward for the betterment of his children and grandchildren.
I recommend this book 5/5.
*Footnote: The author did not discuss this in his book, but the invention of the printing press has similar effect. When Gutenberg invented the printing press, the Islamic empire at the time (the Ottoman) knew about the invention.
However, the invention was rejected and was not adopted for wide use in the empire until 250 years after its invention.
Coincidentally, the Islamic empire adopted it 250 years late, and now many of the Muslim world are in a situation similar to the western world was 250 years ago.
More or less than 250 years ago the US was in the midst of a war with the British empire (American Revolutionary War), France was in the midst of a bloody revolution (the French Revolution) while also at war with the UK (the Seven Years War). The Western world was fighting, internally, and with each other then, and now 250 years later, the Muslim world are in the same situation; we are fighting, internally, and also with each other. Look at current world news, and you will see that I am right. All because the printing press was adopted 250 years too late.
Am I over-simplifying history?
Why is the printing press important?
Why was it rejected by the Ottoman?
This will be discussed in future post.
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