"I do not feel that the West has really become less condescending toward foreign cultures than the Greeks and Romans were: it has only become more tolerant. Mind you, not toward Islam—only toward certain other Eastern cultures, which offer some sort of spiritual attraction to the spirit-hungry West and are, at the same time, too distant from the Western world-view to constitute any real challenge to its values."

21 likes

Source: Muhammad Asad (1954). “The Road To Mecca”, p.10, The Book Foundation

About the author

Muhammad Asad

Philosopher, Writer

Muhammad Asad was a Jewish convert to Islam, renowned for his influential translations and interpretations of the Quran, emphasizing understanding and spirituality.

All quotes by Muhammad Asad →

Same author

More quotes by Muhammad Asad

See all →
Muhammad Asad Philosopher, Writer

"Islam appears to me like a perfect work of architecture. All its parts are harmoniously conceived to complement and support each other; nothing is superfluous and nothing lacking; and the result is a structure of absolute balance and solid composure."

Read quote
Muhammad Asad Philosopher, Writer

"Every age requires a new approach to the Qur’an for the simple reason that the Quran is made for all ages. It is our duty to look for deeper meanings in the Quran in order to increase our knowledge and experience. The Quran wants your intellect to be always active and trying to approach the message of God. God himself dedicated this book to people who think."

Read quote
Muhammad Asad Philosopher, Writer

"If water stands motionless in a pool it grows stale and muddy, but when it moves and flows it becomes clear: so, too, man in his wanderings."

Read quote
Muhammad Asad Philosopher, Writer

"We (Muslims) have no right, in our present misery, to boast of past glories. But we must realise that it was the negligence of the Muslims - and not any deficiency in the teachings of Islam - that caused our present decay."

Read quote
Muhammad Asad Philosopher, Writer

"It is not enough to say, 'We are Muslims and have an ideology or our own': we must also be in a position to show that our ideology is vital enough to withstand the pressure of the changing times, and to decided in what way the fact of our being Muslims will affect the course of our lives: in other words, we must find out whether Islam can offer us precise directives for the formation of our society, and whether its inspiration is strong enough in us to translate these directives into practice."

Read quote