HISTORY AND CIVILISATION

DEFINITION

INQUIRY OR
RESEARCH
TARIKH,
AKHBAR, SIRAH

ASA BRIGGS
"HISTORY REFERS TO EVERY ASPECT OF
HUMAN ACTIVITIES STARTING FROM THE
BEGINNING OF THE RECORDED TIME UP TO
WHAT CAN BE READ IN TODAYS NEWSPAPER"
HISTORY IS A DISCIPLINE WHICH IS IMBUED WITH
THE SPIRIT OF INQUIRY AND RESEARCH AND
RIGOROUS STUDY IN THE PAST

EDWARD HALLET CARR

"IT IS THE RESULT OF THE INTERACTION
BETWEEN THE HISTORIAN AND HIS
FACTS, A PERPETUAL DIALOGUE
BETWEEN THE PRESENT AND THE PAST"

HUMAN BEINGS AND THEIR LIFE.

HUMAN ACTIVITIES.
HUMAN EXPERIENCES IN THE
PAST TO THE PRESENT DAYS.
AREAS OF INTEREST

SCOPE OF HISTORY

HUMAN LIFE; POLITICAL, SOCIAL, ECONOMIC,

PHILOSOPHY, CULTURE, PSYCHOLOGICAL,
MILITARY, ENGINEERING, MEDICAL, CULINARY,
ASTRONOMY, ZOOLOGY, BOTANY, ARTS,
ARCHITECTURE, ETC.
history&civilisation

THE HOLY QURAN CONTAINS MANY IMPORTANT

NARRATIVES WHICH ARE OF GREAT HISTORICAL
VALUES AND SIGNIFICANCE.

Islam is a historical
religion and
according to Quranic
Concept of History,
morality is a lesson
which can be learned
through the study of
history

HISTORY IS NEITHER FICTION NOR FABLE BUT

ITS SUBJECT MATTER IS A LIVING REALITY,
MAN AS THE VICEGERENT OF ALLAH AND
OCCUPIES A CENTRAL PLACE IN THE SCHEME
OF ALLAH IN THIS UNIVERSE.
THE QURAN HAS THE GREATEST MORAL
VALUES BECAUSE IT IS A BOOK OF WISDOM
AND GUIDANCE.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
THERE IS A DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE CONCEPT
OF THE WORLD OF CHRISTIANITY AND THE WORLD
OF ISLAM. THEIR RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHIES
DIFFER MAINLY BECAUSE THE DISCIPLES OF THE
CHRIST ALTERED THE BIBLICAL TEACHINGS AND
MIXED FACT AND FICTION. WESTERN SCHOLARS
DEFINE MAN AS RATIONAL ANIMAL AND
ESSENTIALLY CONSIDER HIM TO BE A SINNER.

HISTORIOGRAPHY

HISTORIOGRAPHY EXAMINES THE WRITING OF

HISTORY AND THE USE OF HISTORICAL METHODS,
DRAWING UPON SUCH ELEMENTS AS AUTHORSHIP,
SOURCING, INTERPRETATION, STYLE, BIAS, AND
AUDIENCE

AS HISTORY IS A STUDY OF THE PAST, IT

IS THE HISTORIANS FIRST TASK TO LOOK
FOR THINGS THAT SURVIVED FROM THE
PAST, WHEREVER THEY CAN BE FOUND
HISTORY-HOW
IT IS WRITTEN

THEN, THEY MUST GO ON TO MAKE SURE

THAT THESE REMNANTS OR RELICS ARE
GENUINE ARTIFACTS
FINALLY, THE HISTORIANS MUST GIVE
MEANING TO THESE REMNANTS OF THE
PAST BY INTERPRETING THEM. THEY
MUST SHOW HOW THESE REMNANTS ARE
RELATED TO ONE ANOTHER. BY DOING SO,
A MENTAL PICTURE IS MADE OF THE PAST.

PRIMARY SOURCES, WHICH ARE EITHER WRITTEN OR

ORAL, ARE EYEWITNESS OR CONTEMPORANEOUS
ACCOUNTS BY THOSE WHO WERE PARTICIPANTS OR
OBSERVERS LIVING DURING A PARTICULAR
HISTORICAL ERA
SECONDARY SOURCES, ON THE OTHER
HAND, SUCH AS HISTORY TEXTBOOKS OR
POPULAR MAGAZINE ARTICLES, ARE
MATERIALS BASED ON PRIMARY
SOURCES

PRIMARY SOURCES CARRY GREATER

WEIGHT THAN SECONDARY SOURCES
WHEN JUDGING THE VERACITY
(TRUTHFULNESS) AND ACCURACY OF
FACTS

ORAL EVIDENCE E.G;

MYTHS, LEGENDS,
SAGAS, CHRONICLES,
STORIES.

VISUAL EVIDENCE E.G; COINS, PAINTINGS, FILMS, DRAWINGS,

PHOTOS, ENGRAVINGS, CLOTHES.

WRITTEN EVIDENCE E.G; LETTERS, DOCUMENTS,

DIARIES, POSTERS, MAPS, NEWSPAPERS,
MAGAZINES, BOOKS, NOTES, MEMOS, ACTS AND
LAWS, REPORTS.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL
EVIDENCE RUINED
BUILDINGS, BURIAL SITES,
ALL THE ITEMS FOUND ON
THESE SITES SUCH AS
BONES, TOOLS, KITCHEN
UTENSILS, WEAPONRIES,
POTTERIES, CHARCOAL.

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE ANY OBJECT THAT

SURVIVED FROM THE PAST OR COLLECTED
BY THE MUSEUM LIKE VEHICLES,
FURNITURE, STATUES, CARVINGS

LANDSCAPE EVIDENCE E.G; PLAN OF

SETTLEMENTS, BRIDGES, ROADS, FARMS,
FIELDS, WOODLAND.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE SAME EVENT IN

HISTORY BE INTERPRETED IN DIFFERENT WAYS
BY TWO DIFFERENT HISTORIANS?
IF YES, THEN WE CAN SAY THAT HISTORY IS
HIGHLY INTERPRETIVE

HISTORICAL CRITICISM

HISTORIANS BASIC DUTIES

1. READ AND COLLECT MATERIALS
2. VERIFY THE MATERIALS: AUTHENTIC
OR FAKE
3. SELECT AND INTERPRET MATERIALS
4. WRITE DOWN HIS FINDINGS
5. PUBLISH HIS WORKS
The issue of subjectivity and objectivity: A historian should be objective and fair
in his judgment.

CIVILIZATION

LITERAL: IT CAME FROM THE LATIN WORD CIVIL WHICH

MEANS DEALING WITH HUMAN SOCIETY; LIVING TOGETHER
AND DEVELOPING MECHANISM TO COPE UPON IT AND TO LIVE
WITH EACH OTHER TO FORM A SOCIETY. THIS, EVENTUALLY
LEAD TO CIVILIZATION

TECHNICAL: IBN KHALDUN REFERRED TO IT AS (UMRAN/

TAMADDUN/HADHARAH) WHICH MEANS A CONTINUOUS
STATE OF GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT, PROGRESS, AND
PROSPERITY OF A SOCIETY LIVING IN A CULTIVATED
LAND WITH A SOCIAL/ CIVIC LIFE

COMPONENTS OF CIVILISATION
Physical & Material development - advanced technology
Economic means
Political stability
Moral principles and regulations - established law and
order
Consolidation of sciences and arts
Unique and distinguished features- strong foundation that
affects humanity

UNIQUENESS OF MUSLIM
CIVILISATIONS
Foundation of Tawhid (The belief in the oneness of
Allah)
Unity of mankind (Equality and brotherhood).
Priority to moral principles (Ethics and morality
physical & spiritual).
Emphasis on knowledge (Rational thinking; roles of
learning institutions)
Principles of religious tolerance (Respect to other
religions; freedom of religion)

MAJOR
CONTEMPORARY
CIVILISATIONS

SINIC CIVILISATION
Sinic It describes the common culture of
China and the Chinese communities in
Southeast Asia and elsewhere outside China
and related cultures of Vietnam and Korea.
Dated back to 1500 BC.

JAPANESE
CIVILISATION
Japanese It is also known
as Far Eastern civilisation,
the offspring of Chinese
civilization. It emerged
between 100 and 400 AD.

HINDU CIVILISATION
Hindu or Indian/
Indic existed since
1500 BC, the culture
extend beyond the
core state of India.

ISLAM
CIVILISATION
Islamic Originated in
Arabia in 600 AD. It later
spread rapidly to all other
world continents

ORTHODOX
CIVILISATION
ORTHODOX IT IS CENTRED IN RUSSIA,
A DESCENDENT OF BYZANTIUM.

WESTERN CIVILISATION
Western It has 3
major components:
Europe, North
America, and Latin
America. Dated
back in to 700 or
800 AD.

LATIN AMERICA
CIVILISATION
Latin America It is an
offspring of European
civilisation; distinct
identity from the West.

AFRICAN CIVILISATION
African Sub-Sahara and South Africa as the
core state; slowly developing own identity. In
the North is Muslim civilisation.

REFERENCES
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