ISLAM DAN MODERNITAS

Abstract

Islam pernah mencapai masa kejayaan melalui Dinasti Umayyah II di Andalusia dan Dinasti Abbasiyah di Baghdad yang menjadi pusat peradaban dunia dalam bidang ilmu pengetahuan, filsafat, kedokteran, sastra, hingga ekonomi. Periode ini dikenal sebagai The Golden Age of Islam, ditandai dengan tumbuhnya semangat keilmuan, toleransi, dan rasionalitas. Namun, seiring perkembangan zaman, terjadi pergeseran paradigma dalam kehidupan umat Islam, khususnya di era modern. Kecenderungan mistik, dogmatisme, dan penolakan terhadap rasionalitas semakin menguat, sementara pendidikan dan ilmu pengetahuan justru tidak lagi menjadi prioritas utama. Pergeseran ini terjadi akibat kombinasi faktor internal seperti minimnya ijtihad, dominasi pemahaman tekstual, serta konflik internal umat, dan faktor eksternal seperti globalisasi, pengaruh kolonialisme, stigma pasca 9/11, serta kemajuan teknologi. Melalui kajian historis dan sosiologis, artikel ini menguraikan dinamika perubahan tersebut sekaligus menawarkan refleksi untuk mengembalikan semangat intelektual Islam agar tetap relevan dan adaptif terhadap tantangan zaman.

Kata Kunci: The Golden Age of Islam, Umayyah II, Abbasiyah, Modernitas, Rasionalitas

Abstract

Islam once flourished as the heart of global civilization during the reigns of the Umayyad II Dynasty in Andalusia and the Abbasid Dynasty in Baghdad. This era, often referred to as the Golden Age of Islam, was marked by a deep reverence for knowledge, rational inquiry, cultural openness, and scholarly excellence across disciplines such as science, philosophy, medicine, literature, and economics. In contrast, the modern era has witnessed a significant cultural and intellectual shift. A growing tendency toward religious dogmatism, mystical literalism, and resistance to rational discourse has emerged, especially among Muslim communities in regions like Indonesia. Education and intellectual achievements, once the hallmark of Islamic identity, have gradually lost their central role. This transformation stems from both internal challenges, including the decline of critical religious thought, rigid textualism, and sectarian divisions and external pressures such as colonial legacies, globalization, Islamophobia, and the rapid advance of digital technology. By drawing on historical and sociological perspectives, this article explores how these factors have shaped the contemporary Islamic worldview and invites a return to a tradition of critical thinking, intellectual openness, and cultural engagement rooted in the rich legacy of classical Islamic civilization.

Key words: The Golden Age of Islam, Umayyah II, Abbasiyah, Rationalism, Modernism