The Muslims, Recent Understanding of Civilization

The pioneering understanding of civilization, which Ibn Khaldun has introduced in Muqaddimah, was a dim of light which did not receive attention in Muslim world for several centuries. A century later, a new understanding of civilization emerged among European thinkers, which was developed during 17th and 18th and flourished maturely in 19th and 20th centuries with publication of books on the history civilizations and theories of civilization. The problem of this research is when the new understanding of civilization emerged among Muslim thinkers and when they resumed totalk about concept of civilization? Reviewing literature of works by Muslim thinkers on civilization has come to conclusion that latter understanding of civilization in Islamic world was formed in 19th century by thinkers such as Tahtawi, Malkam Khan, Akhundzade, Tunesi, Syed Ahmad Khan, Ameer Ali, Sayyid Jamāl, AqaKhan Kermani, Talibov, etc. These thinkers have, in various works, discussed the definition of civilization, its significance and the necessity of being civilized.