Has Western philosophy offered true conceptions of existence, and is the wholesale transfer of Western civilization to the East viewed as a means of reform?
It is understood that the question is about modern Western philosophy, as ancient philosophy did not present a correct conception of existence, and it was criticized by scholars like Ibn Taymiyyah in his books. As for modern Western philosophy, it arose in conflict with the erroneous views of the Church, which led to the emergence of the principles of secularism and modernity. For details, one can refer to books such as "Al-Wahiy wal-Insan" (Revelation and Man) by Muhammad Al-Julaynd and "Al-Ilmaniyyah Nash'atuha wa Tatawwuruha" (Secularism: Its Origin and Development) by Safar Al-Hawali. The questioner is also referred to the book "Al-Salafiyyah bayna al-Aqidah al-Islamiyyah wal-Falsafah al-Gharbiyyah" (Salafism Between Islamic Creed and Western Philosophy) by Hilmi Murad and "Al-Islam wal-Hadarah al-Gharbiyyah" (Islam and Western Civilization) by Muhammad Muhammad Hussein. It is not permissible to transfer Western civilization in its entirety to Muslim lands, but there is no harm in distinguishing what is beneficial from what is harmful, so as to benefit from the former and guard against the latter.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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