Why are most of the Muslims fundamentalists?
Short Answer
A 'fundamentalist' is simply someone who follows the fundamentals of their field. A doctor who follows medical fundamentals is a good doctor. A Muslim who follows the fundamentals of Islam — peace, justice, honesty, charity — is likewise a good Muslim. The negative connotation was artificially attached to the word by Western media.
Detailed Explanation
A 'fundamentalist,' by definition, is a person who follows the fundamentals of a particular field. A doctor who follows the fundamentals of medicine is a good doctor. A mathematician who follows the fundamentals of mathematics is a good mathematician. A scientist who follows the fundamentals of science is a good scientist. One should not paint all fundamentalists with the same brush.
The distinction lies in which fundamentals are being followed and their impact on society. A fundamentalist robber harms society, while a fundamentalist doctor who saves hundreds of lives benefits society. The label depends on the field and nature of its application.
According to the Webster's Third New International Dictionary, the word 'fundamentalism' was first used to describe a movement among Protestant Christians in America in the early part of the 20th century. The earlier church held that the complete message of the Bible was from God, but Protestant Christians went further and insisted that every word and letter of the Bible is from Almighty God. The word originally carried no negative connotation.
The first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary defined a 'fundamentalist' as 'a person who strictly adheres to the ancient teachings of any religion.' However, the second edition published by Clarendon Press added a telling revision: 'a person who strictly adheres to the ancient teachings of any religion, especially Islam.' The deliberate insertion of the words 'especially Islam' meant that whenever anyone hears the word 'fundamentalist,' they immediately think of Muslims — an editorial decision reflecting media bias, not linguistic accuracy.
The fundamentals of Islam call for justice, honesty, kindness, compassion, charity, and serving humanity. The Qur'an calls Muslims to enter into Islam wholeheartedly and completely. In this sense, every Muslim should be a 'fundamentalist' — extremely honest, extremely just, extremely kind, extremely merciful.
As Dr. Zakir Naik argues: there is not a single fundamental teaching of Islam which is against humanity as a whole. There may be certain teachings that non-Muslims misunderstand due to lack of context, but the moment the logical reasons behind that teaching are explained, the beauty and practicality of that Islamic teaching becomes apparent. The question is not whether one should be a fundamentalist, but a fundamentalist in what direction.
Qur'anic References
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً
Ya ayyuhal-ladhina amanu udkhulu fis-silmi kaffah
“O you who believe, enter into Islam wholeheartedly.”
Read in Qur'an Reader →Hadith References
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar
بُنِيَ الإِسْلاَمُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلاَةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ وَالْحَجِّ وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ
Buniya al-Islamu 'ala khamsin: shahadati an la ilaha illallah wa anna Muhammadan Rasulullah, wa iqamis-salah, wa ita'iz-zakah, wal-hajj, wa sawmi Ramadan
“The Prophet said: 'Islam is built upon five pillars: the testimony that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger, establishing prayer, giving Zakaat, performing Hajj, and fasting in Ramadan.'”
Narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab
إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِكُلِّ امْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى
Innamal-a'malu bin-niyyat, wa innama likulli imri'in ma nawa
“The Prophet said: 'Actions are judged by intentions, and every person will get what they intended.'”