Imagine yourself in a large theatre. In it you are seated alone in the first row. No one is near you and no one else is there in the theatre with you. As you look up upon the grand stage you see many interesting things. In one corner of the stage at the back you see a simple man meditating in a cave. While in the opposite area you see a group of men with crescents on their shields fighting with men with crosses on their breast plates. Looking further towards the middle a group of men are seated in a circle debating and arguing under a domed roof. The noises of crying and weeping turn your head towards the front of the stage where a group of women and children are lamenting over the fallen body of a saintly man. You begin to stand up and look further onto the stage where many more specific scenes unravel before your eyes. Not being able to retain everything that is unfolding you earnestly try to uncover the connection between the events while understanding its significance and meaning personally.

The history of Islam and the events that have come to pass are similar to the analogy above. Many different events, be it from the intellectual, to the social, to the political and the moral all have been a part of our history. Some of us tend to acquaint ourselves with one specific aspect while some associate with other aspects. However, history and specifically within the Islamic realm, two things must be noted.

First, the events that occur are all interdependent. One event does not occur in a vacuum. Rather one event helps to bring about another or indirectly affects another. In this respect, history is unravelling, a causal pattern, that began when our Lord said `Be' and ends when the trumpet is sounded. Yet, history is not only a process of unfolding events it is also a field of knowledge. For example, our Lord states in verse 10 of Surah Muhammad,  "Have they not travelled in the land to see what happened to those before them ? ... ". In other words, historical events occur in order to teach. It is from past events that we must learn, what to or not to repeat. The vices and virtues that lead to salvation or to eternal damnation taught explicitly through history.

Thus, the history of Islam is about uncovering the connections between events within the Islamic world and outside it and how those events have shaped the present and the future. But it is these historical events that also teach us what to repeat and what to avoid. We may choose to fall within this causal pattern or learn from them and alter our future. The choice is ultimately ours to make.

Contributed by Sayyed Askari Raza