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Malik Bennabi (1905-1973): Some Notes regarding His Thoughts on Ideas

and Civilisation
A Reflection by: Hilman Fikri Azman

A. Introduction
Born in the same year of the death of a great Muslim reformer Muhammad Abduh, Malik
Bennabi was considered by many as the 20th century civilisational thinker, who contributed a
lot of writings and thoughts in the academic realm of Islamic intellectualism. Renowned as
the Muslim worlds first social philosopher and social scientist since Ibn Khaldun, as claimed
by Mohamed Tahir el-Mesawi1. Malik Bennabi searched for universal laws and fundamental
principles that govern human societies and civilizations and determine their destiny in
history.
Malik Bennabi really influenced some of my thoughts, and moulded my ideas on the
concept of civilisation. Eventhough his academic background was engineering, however all
his books are related to the field of social science, be it culture, history or civilisation. His
concern about the decline of Muslim civilisation led him to analyze its causes and provide
solutions. Rather than address the dilemma with economics, politics, and ideology, he
emphasized the role of ideas as a catalyst for the growth of civilisation.
B. Muslims, Not Islam
He rejected the Western assumption that the very foundation of Islam was responsible for the
Muslim decadence. Instead, he argued that the backwardness should be attributed to the
Muslims historical application. The problems lay not in the Quran or Islamic faith, but in
Muslims, who made themselves colonisable. Islam was supposed to improve the quality of
life of its followers, and he reasoned that the religion had encouraged critical thinking,
inquiry and free will, all of which had enabled Muslims to create a great civilisation. Bennabi
believed that Muslims must first change their spiritual condition before successfully changing
society or civilisation. It is echoed align with the Quran :
Verily, never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change what is in
themselves.
(Surah al-Rad, verse 11)
Therefore according to Bennabi, social change is most probably the premise of a good
civilisation. He was optimistic for the possibility of Muslims to experience their own
Renaissance, which will lead toward the birth of a new civilisation. The concept of
civilisation itself was the principle theme of his books. Unlike other Arab intellectuals,
Bennabi did not use the term Taqaddum (development) or Nahah (renaissance) to indicate
civilisation.2 Instead, he consciously and carefully choose the term Harah (civilisation) to
denote a broader historical concept of the social phenomenon of human life.

In the introduction part of Malik Bennabi, The Problem of Ideas in the Muslim World as translated by Mohamed Tahir elMesawi (Selangor: Budaya Ilmu Sdn Bhd, 1994).
2
Fawzia Bariun, Social Change as Seen by Malik Bennabi in The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, vol. 8, no.
1, (1991), p. 189.

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C. Competent Personality for an Ideal Society

However, the social change, as Bennabi believed it, must start within the soul of the
individual through the refinement of the soul (Tarbiyat al-Nafsiyah). The aim of this change
is to transform man from a sole individual (Fard) to a functional person (Shakh) in a society.
This transformation is essential as it allows him to modify the primary element to connect
him to the human race and activate the elements of social inclinations within himself that
connect him to the society.
In his equation of a civilisation (man, soil and time), Bennabi stressed on the major
role of man in a civilisation. A man, or a person to him, is not a mere mammal to breed
species. Rather it is a more complex being who starts and produces civilisation, and who is at
the same time, the product of a civilisation. That is among other qualities that differentiates
us from other creatures. We as human beings have purposes, or telos, as Aristotle said it.
In spite of influenced by the spirit of his predecessors, Malik Bennabi disagreed with
his past reformist, Muhammad Abduh, on his theological approach to reform the Muslim
ummah, especially through the compiled-lectures book, the Rislat al-Tawd (The Theology
of Unity)3. For Bennabi, the real problem is not how to teach Muslims in their faith, but
rather on how to restore the effectiveness and the social functions of that faith, so that the
Tawd is relevant to solve the contemporary problems. In other words, the problem is not
how to prove Gods existence, but how to make him sense that His existence fills up his soul
as a source of energy.4 Bennabi argued that the theological argumentation put forward by
Abduh was a mere replacement of psychological problem with a theological problem, which
did not help to encounter the urgent issue of religions social function to overcome the
obstacle of civilisational progress.
D. The Momentum of Civilisation
The Messenger SAW transformed the foundations of social relationships in the Arab society
from the tribal-based society to the idea-based civil Islamic culture that combined different
social strata and ethnic groups. As the founder of a newly-born society and civilization, Nabi
Muhammad SAW realized that an urban development should replace the nomadic and tribal
culture of the Arabs at his time. His city of Madnah was the nucleus to transform a Muslim
civilisation, as well as the model of a good city-state as portrayed by al-Farabi in his magnum
opus in politics, the Ar Ahl al-Madnat al-Filah.
The term civilization first appeared in Muslim cultural traditions in the 14th century
writings of Ibn Khaldun. He introduced the concept of Harah and Umrn, comparable
with the Western term civilisation, and Ilm al-Umrn (the science of civilisation). Ibn
Khaldun viewed civilisation as a necessary state where humans dwell and settle together.5 His
concept underlies the dynamic character of the phenomenon in the course of human
development.
The concept of civilisation was further developed by Malik Bennabi. He had selected
the term Harah wisely to refer to civilisation. In other terms and words of the Muslim
world, the term Umrn as well as Madaniyyah, or its other derivations were used. It
3

Abduh, Muhammad. The Theology of Unity as translated from Arabic by Ishaq Musaad and Kenneth Cragg (Kuala
Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust, 2004).
4
This idea was further developed systematically by a post-modernist Muslim philosopher, Hassan Hanafi in most of his
works, most noticably in Min al-Aqdat Il al-Thawrah.
5
Ibn Khaldun. Muqaddimah. 2 volumes. First edition. (Dimashq: Dar Yurab, 2004).

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is inferred by the sociologists, that the more words a culture uses as synonyms, the more
important to the culture the idea or the concept represents. Bennabi defined civilisation as the
sum of those moral and material means, which enable a society to provide each of its
members with all of the social services needed for them to progress.6 In his thoughts, the
formula of Man (Insn) + Soil (Turb) + Time (Waqt) marks the beginning of a civilisation,
and therefore significant for the reversal of the Muslim decline. For Bennabi, Man is the
central force in any civilising process, and without him the other two elements lack value.
But what actually do this formula signified?
The word Turb is literally translated into soil, or earth. It was created for man, to
help him perform his duties. It also emphasises the concept of vicegerency (Istikhlf) for man
is responsible to manage this world and develop it for the benefits of the coming generations.
The word soil in its broader sense also denotes the raw materials, including land as the main
resource for mans nourishment. All human civilisation started with agriculture, and
utilization of natural resources is essential to human existence. Eventhough it is necessary for
man to utilise the natural resources, but Bennabi never meant that man should exploit the
natural resources because that would lead to the cultivation of the materialistic psychology of
the society. Soil has socio-political meaning, which implies ownership. It also means the love
of homeland and hope for its prosperity.7 The word Waqt is easily comprehended, since every
civilization grows in a certain period of time. According to Bennabi, we should not use time
only to perform a task, but we should perform the task in the shortest possible time, to
enhance the progress.
Finally Insn, the most important element among the three components of civilisation.
It is Insn who played the major role of civilisation, not ideas. He is the mover of a
civilisation. If he pauses, the society and history will pause too. Insn is the constructor of
civilisation, and at the same time the product of a civilisation. Based on this equation, the task
of the Muslims now is to create (or find, if possible) the person who would be able to utilise
the soil and time prudently, with their own creativity to move the society and realised the
ultimate goals set by them.
Civilisation is very important to Malik Bennabi. He used to admire his previous
reformist predecessors, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and Muhammad Abduh, but to him they
were considered failed, as they had never designated civilisation as their target. The
reformists were also seen lacked of scientific and methodological thinking, as they did not
provided a sound and clear outline, or methodologies on how to achieve the ultimate goal.
Bennabi also criticised the fact that they frequently criticised the colonials and the enemies of
Muslims, but ignoring the internal factors of Muslims disintegration. Bennabi also
considered their efforts were directed toward various political issues instead of examining the
overall historical situation.8 Therefore, it is important for Muslims to understand their
position now in the timeline of history. The cycle of history as expounded by Ibn Khaldun
should be comprehended to relate their problems to the sequence of their particular history,
so that they would be able to move in the right direction.
6

Bennabi, Malik, The Problem of Ideas in the Muslim World as translated by Mohamed Tahir el-Mesawi (Selangor: Budaya
Ilmu, 1994), p. 26.
7
Alwi Alatas, Malik Bennabi on Civilization, retrieved March 14, 2013.
http://www.hoggar.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1021:malik-bennabi-on-civilization-alwialatas&catid=94:hoggar&Itemid=36
8
Alwi Alatas, Malik Bennabi on Civilization, retrieved March 14, 2013.
http://www.hoggar.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1021:malik-bennabi-on-civilization-alwialatas&catid=94:hoggar&Itemid=36

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In developing his ideas on civilisation, Bennabi indicated the balance between spiritual
and material aspects that were vital in human life. The attention given to both spiritual and
material factors are crucial to create balance and liveliness in human society, as well as to
generate solidarity and unity. Therefore, he believed that every civilisation has three definited
stages to be followed, which he identified as the Spiritual, Rational and Instinctive stages.
The Spiritual stage starts when religious ideas enter to the realm of mankind, and it
later subjugated the human instincts. Mans animal soul was suppressed and disciplined to the
function of religion. As a result of this, the spiritual potency controls the individuals life. It
organises relationship between man, until they become integrated with each other. In short, as
mans animal soul9 was discplined by religion, he may progress and build civilisation. That is
why according to Bennabi, religion is the most important catalyst for the equation of a
civilisation. He gave example of the timeframe from the starting of revelation to the
Messenger Muhammad SAW until the Battle of Siffin to indicate an example of a Spiritual
stage. During this period, the Muslim societys life was mostly spiritual-based. Bennabi
maintained that only the Spirit give humanity the opportunity to progress to form a
civilisation. When the Spirit is gone, the civilisation will fall.
At the highest density of the Spiritual stage, it was the kind of civilisation when man
optimises his faculty of intellect and indulges in creativity. Religion now has a larger role to
change the society, rather than mere functioning in the depth of souls. As religion rises and
spreads, it meets new contexts and challenges, that stimulated the creativity of man to adapt.
As a result, civilisation can now cope with new problems and necessities, creating new orders
and standards. Later, the spiritual phase decline with the societys developments, the rise of
material problems and the expansion of the civilisation. Exploitation of raw materials and the
natural resources for the benefits of man increasing, result in the advancement of science and
art. This situation move the civilisation into the second phase, that is the Rational stage.
The Rational stage was considered the peak of any civilisation because it is the most
progressive stage of society in the historical timeline. All activities started to be dominated by
reason, for the purpose of mans nourishment, thus accelerating the civilisation toward the
peak of its cycle of civilisation. As civilisation shifts into the rational phase, the society
enjoys its well-developed relations network, but suffers from certain defects. This defects, to
be expounded in psychological terms, is that the individual no longer has full control over his
vital energy while performing his social functions. Reason would not be able to discipline the
instinct effectively as the religion did it in the first stage. Therefore, parts of societys forces
and energies have fallen into inactivity and others have declined. Instinct started gradually to
gain freedom, and societys influence over the individual decreased. When civilisation started
to lose control over its activities, the instinct will then fill in the vacuum and dominate the
spiritual as well as the rational dimension.
The civilisation later move on to the third stage, that is the Instinctive stage. In this
third phase, the social network dissolves. The religious ideas or reason has lose its functions
and no longer control individual instincts. It was marked by disintegration, weakness, chaos,
lawless and corruption. Instincts are gradually liberated as the control of the soul decreases
gradually. Thus, society enters the darkness of history as the cycle of its civilisation is
coming to an end.
9

Refer to al-Ghazalis elucidation on the classification of souls (the vegetative, animal and rational souls) in his al-Jawhir.

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E. The Coloniser and Colonisability

Bennabi denied the superiority of the West. He took an independent objective stand on the
issue of the Western colonialisation during his time. He himself neither feel inferior due to
the colonised Muslims lands, nor he felt superior to the West. Influenced by the thoughts of
Ibn Khaldun, Bennabi viewed the rising power of the West and the declining of the Muslim
ummah as something natural in the historical context. Align in the same thought of Ibn
Khaldun and Toynbee, Bennabi also believed in the lifespan of civilisation. Human societies
are subjected to the law of birth, growth and decay.10 He criticised the Muslims who tended
to examine the West in a simplistic dichotomy viewpoints: either too holy and superior, or
too blasphemous and corrupted.11
Bennabi criticised some of the Muslim modernists for their apological approach in
modernising the ummah by imitating the West. The tendency to follow the West and
unselectively borrow its inventions to modernise the society is not a good solution. In fact, it
may harms the society and loses its identity.12 Acquiring civilisation never means a blind
imitation to the Western model, or sacrificing the Eastern unique identity, culture and history.
Simply borrowing the means and views of the developed states to improve the backwardness
of the Muslim ummah is a simplistic and a careless policy, and it will not work properly.
Bennabi said the historical process paved the way for colonisability. Colonisation is
not the main reason for the present situation in the Muslim world, but our vulnerability to be
colonised is one of the many secondary factors. Therefore, Bennabi viewed the declaration of
independence is not the solution to this problem, as long as the colonisability in the Muslim
world still exists. It is true that the Europeans came as the colonisers, not the modernisers.
But to remain in a state of weakness and disintegrated with each other would help
accelerating the process of colonisation. Hence, to solve the current problems faced by the
Muslims, the Islamic spirit should be revived again to discipline and control the instinct of
the Muslim society. Islam can be revived by revisiting our fundamental ideas in the Quran.
Malik Bennabi claimed that the Quran was definitely able to create a new intellectual
atmosphere conducive to the progress of different disciplines of sciences, hence building up a
civilisation.

10

Fawzia Bariun, Malik Bennabi: His Life and Theory of Civilization (Kuala Lumpur: Percetakan ABIM, 1993), p. 122.
Fawzia Bariun, Malik Bennabi: His Life and Theory of Civilization, 1993, p. 123-124.
12
Bennabi, Malik, Asal Usul Masyarakat Manusia, Rangkaian Hubungan Sosial as translated by Muhammad Uthman ElMuhammady (Kuala Lumpur: ITBM, 2009).
11