Isn't it better not to read and understand Islamic history?

Question

.Without history,living life is all about following Quran and Sunnah.But when we read history,we are exposed to stories of hate,wars,inheritence issues,and stuff...which in turn will lead to development of hatred in between or within your own people.

So isn't it better not to read history and trying accept things as such?Of course i understand that people hate Sahaba,Aysha(ra),Issue of ALi(ra)..But isn't that all subsidary issues.Isn't Allah and His Prophet(pbuh) our only concern.Waht is need for loving or supporting sahaba,waht is need for fighting over issue of hier,when nobody we are fighting for is alive.They have passed away and what matters them to is only heave,which upon we ahve no control..

Are we all just playing drama??

Just my thoughts.What is your opinion..

Salam.

Answer 1

I think that we shoudl read the history to learn it. It's our religious history. However, I think we shoudl learn the lessons from our history, as well. We should see what created the Sunni Shia divide and try to fix it. Yes, it's our history, but we can learn from it. We can live in peace and show the world what true Islam is. The world will never know how peaceful Islam is while we are saying things like "Your guy killed my guy hundreds of years ago!" Astaghfurallah.  

Answer 2

I disagree.

I think ALL muslims should read history of Islam, only then they can understand how Islam was imposed on people and how many wars it took, I think if a country from the west today did the same, they could do it in one war, wipe out muslims, and force muslims out of Islam, afterall who doen't give into terror and bloodshed,  and have the cheek to say a god said it's ok.

Answer 3

historians have always been biased,read shia scholars and read sunni scholars,,both are oceans apart...too confusing..both claiming to follow authentic sunnah.. !!  

Answer 4

Of course there will be biased historians. To find an unbiased record of history is really rare.

If we do not study the history, as one said above, we are doomed to repeat it.

Answer 5

Ignorance is never good......

Answer 6

Without knowing the past, you can't build your future.  

Answer 7

Those who do not learn from the lessons of history, are doomed to repeat it.

Learning history is crucial to understanding the present and future.

love for all, hatred for none

Answer 8

The study of Pre Islamic Arabia and the onset of Islam from the prophet Adam all the way to Muhammad(Peace be upon them all) and the history of the Islamic spread across Northern Africa, into Iran and China in the East, and into Europe in the West should be studied in Islamic schools so Muslims might gain a better understanding of their Muslim ancestors and our dead military heros like General Saladin.  Studying the history of Islam is an important key point in learning about our religion and figuring out where we went wrong, and making sure we don't make those same mistakes in the future.

Answer 9

Any open-minded person embarking on a study of Islam, its history, especially if using books written in European languages, should be aware of the seemingly inherent distortions that permeate almost all non-Muslim writings on Islam.  At least since the Middle Ages, Islam has been much maligned and severely misunderstood in the West.  In the last years of the Twentieth Century, it does not seem that much has changed even though most Muslims would agree that progress is being made.  I feel that an elegant summary of the West's ignorance of Islam and the motives of Orientalism are the following words by the Swiss journalist and author, Roger Du Pasquier...One is forced also to concede that Oriental studies in the West have not always been inspired by the purest spirit of scholarly impartiality, and it is hard to deny that some Islamicists and Arabists have worked with the clear intention of belittling Islam and its adherents...

So the point here is, there's nothing wrong with studying Islamic history, but it's very important from which source you study its history, the authenticity of that source, and most importantly, you have got to 'understand' and not interpret history out of context.  

Answer 10

"The most violent element in society is ignorance." - Emma Goldman

I agree with these words wholeheartedly. The past continues to influence the present and in order to understand the modern world, we need the past to help us realize why it's this way in the first place. With this knowledge, I feel we all have better tools for the future.

Plus history always has it's interesting aspects anyway :)