Konsep Kejatuhan Peradaban/ Malek Bennabi dan Realiti Sejarah Pasca Muwahhidun Malek Bennabi’s Concept of the Decline of Civilization and the Historical Reality of the Post-Muwahhidun Era

This study explores Malek Bennabi’s thoughts on the decline of civilizations and evaluates his ideas against the historical realities of the post-Muwahhidun era. The concept of civilizational decline stems from Bennabi’s understanding of the speculative philosophy of history, which aims to uncover universal historical laws to explain the fall of Islamic civilization. Bennabi’s framework emphasizes the cyclical nature of civilizations, driven by the interaction between the realm of man, the realm of ideas, and the realm of objects. By comparing Bennabi’s perspective with thinkers such as Ibn Khaldūn and Arnold Toynbee, the study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of his framework in interpreting civilizational dynamics. Through a critical analysis of the post-Muwahhidun era, the study examines the factors behind the decline of civilization, including colonizability (Qabiliyah Li Isti’mar), the distortion of religious ideas, and the erosion of social networks and cultural crises that contributed to the fall of Islamic civilization. Extending Bennabi’s theory of civilizational decline with a focus on the post-Muwahhidun era, his assertions are evaluated against historical developments such as the cultural and intellectual achievements in Andalus and the Ottoman Empire. These historical realities challenge his claims of total stagnation in Islamic civilization after the Muwahhidun period. The findings highlight the importance of contextualizing Bennabi’s critique within broader historical realities and affirm the potential of his ideas for addressing contemporary challenges in civilizational revival.