The word ‘technology’ is no longer an alien term to the majority of people. Today, we see that when people speak of ‘new technology’, people would often refer to Information Technology or I.T.
Of course, this is not generally true, because I.T. is not the only new technology around. Technological breakthroughs have been made in the areas of medicine, genetics, agriculture and others.
Yet, the stark reality remains, I.T. is part and parcel of today’s life that almost every person is ‘touched’ by it. In mid-1995, there was an estimated five million Internet hosts with approximately 30 million individual users worldwide.
If this data were to be extrapolated, the Internet would touch the lives of every person in the world by the year 2005 (Daniel J. Kurland, “The ‘Net, The Web And You”, 1996).
Computers have been around since the 1940s. ARPAnet – which is believed to have been developed in the late 1960s – gave birth to the concept of linking computers together, something that is now commonly referred to as the Internet. Silicon chips have been in use since 1971 and since then things are getting miniaturised.
So, if I.T. has been around for several decades now, what is ‘new’ about this technology? The fact still remains that today’s I.T. applications are being developed continuously and are still new in comparison. What is new today may be old tomorrow. Such is the speed in which this technology is developed.
With more and more advancements, there has been an on-going debate on the implications of new technologies for society. In the early 1980s, there was an almost hysterical reaction towards the impacts of advanced technology.
Stereotypical views in those days include the idea that computers will replace people in manufacturing, office automation will result in the redundancy of clerical and administrative work, and that robots will do everything for humans.
This is simply not the way it turned out.What transpired following the I.T. revolution is what is being dubbed as “The Age Of Information”. In “The Age Of The Smart Machine: The Future Of Work And Power” (1988), Shoshana
Zuboff wrote, “Activities, events, and objects are translated into and made visible by information when a technology informates as well as automates”.
Today, we see that I.T. is a factor that never failed to be taken into account when a decision is to be made. And it would certainly look odd for a company or an organisation, even a small one, not to have at least an e-mail account. Bigger companies or organisations would usually have web sites as well.
If the concept of I.T. applications were to be taken several steps further, then we would come across uses in everyday life uch as smart cards, digital libraries, e-commerce, telemedicine, video conferencing, and many more. The list continues to grow at a phenomenal rate.
Hence, technology today plays a very crucial role in our lives more than ever. It is as if technology is the king in our lives.
Islam views technology as a branch of knowledge. Everyone is aware of the utmost importance that Islam has placed on the attainment of knowledge. The same rule applies to technology.
The first verse revealed in the Quran more than 1400 years ago to Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) was an instruction to read. Islam stresses the significance of knowledge, not only in the matters of God, but also in understanding the world around us.
Before Francis Bacon wrote the now-famous phrase “For also knowledge itself is power” in 1597, Islam has already recognised this very fact. This can be seen in the countless verses in the Quran as well as many Hadiths that touched on this matter.
Technology should be viewed as a tool to enhance knowledge. Technology should never be allowed to be the “king” that dictates the running of our lives.
But the dilemma remains. For how much longer do Muslims want to remain as end users of technology? In order to be an ummah that is strong, Muslims should strive to develop new technologies, and not just use them.
It is noted that it takes some time for new technologies to arrive to the Third World. The fact of the matter is, most Muslim nations are in the Third World. By the time the new technologies finally arrive, it would have already deemed to be obsolete.
Therefore, it is important for Muslims to learn and take heed from the history of Islam. The rise of Islam to prominence was mainly due to the love for knowledge. The decline, on the other hand, was a result of Muslims disregarding or forgetting the importance of knowledge.
If one were to paraphrase Bacon’s famous quote, today we live in an information society where “information is power”. An undisputed fact is that, in this day and age, information coupled with knowledge are the keys that open the door towards opportunity and advancement.
This is made possible with technology. Hence, Muslims should grab this chance to receive new technologies, master them and consequently develop new ones.
Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) has continuously stressed the importance of knowledge. One famous Hadith said that Muslims should seek for knowledge even to the extent of travelling to China.
Fascinatingly enough, today with just a click of a mouse button, the Internet will bring China to your home.
With the advancement made in the area of technological inventions, knowledge becomes accessible for everyone and is available everywhere and is ready to be accessed at all times.
The notion of the classic classroom scenario where students attend classes and listening to the teacher teaching using a chalk and blackboard is already considered old-fashioned.
The classroom of today can be envisioned as the world itself. Geographical and political boundaries are blurred by I.T. What is needed of a student is a means to access his study material using his computer.
There is no doubt that technology has played a crucial role in our lives today. The effects that technology has on people are great.
We find that we have to re-examine the way in which we think and the way we respond to daily challenges. We will find that the new millennium will bring forth an even more astonishing change in every aspect and every sense of the word.
Are Muslims ready for this change? Ready or not, the change will come. If Muslims are prepared, then the change will not be a shock. As a matter of fact, Muslims can benefit from this change.
However, if technological advancements catch Muslims unaware, then the Muslim community would be in considerable difficulty.
This is the reason why Muslims should be proactive as opposed to being merely reactive to changes. The advent of the Information Age and the rapid technological breakthroughs should be viewed and accepted positively.
Having said that however, Muslims must also be aware that not all technological advancements are good for the ummah. With knowledge, we would be able to differentiate between the positive and negative aspects of technologies. Without knowledge, the ummah is open to risk of absorbing both aspects blindly.
The key to success and strength lies in the ability for Muslims – both as an ummah and as a nation – to absorb, apply and develop technologies. Failing to do so would result in Muslims to be left behind even further this time.
Looking back at history, we can learn a great deal from the great scholars, thinkers and intellects of Islam who has a deep love for knowledge and technology. They use technology for the betterment of mankind and not let technology dictate their every decision.