i found an answer earlier in one of Mabsoot's posts. Submitting to Allah is one thing. Being well-educated and socially well-off is another. However, mostly due to personal reasons, muslims try to hinder one of their own whenever one is progressing towards betterment. in order for their own families to progress, muslims have undermined their own societies. sticking to old ways has resulted in technological and economical impedence.
in order to be progressive, should young muslims become secular? after all, secularism has helped non-muslims go forward. otherwise they used to subjugate women through witch-hunts, torture people through the grand inquisition, perform lobotomies, and drink cow urine. only until they became secular, did they achieve scientific progress.
assalamu alaykum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh
A Muslim is indeed someone who submits to Allaah alone.
This is the definition that is based upon the Qur'aan and Sunnah. It is what the early generation of Muslims defined a Muslim to be. "Muslim" in Arabic literally means someone who submits to the will of Allaah
By doing so, we are in no need for anything else. It does not mean we close our minds to developing and going forward in terms of societal well-being, wealth, education, awareness and so forth.
Rather, Islaam encourages growth in all directions that have a positive effect upon the world, not just for Muslims, or even humans, but, for the animals, the environment and so forth.
"You are the best of people among all peoples, for you command Al-Maruf and forbid Al-Munkar, and you submit [in belief] to Allah." 3: 110
This is why, it is of uptmost importance for Muslims to really obey Allaah and His Messenger, to learn and get a deeper understanding of Islaam. If we gain our understanding of the Qur'aan and Hadith from the early Muslims, ( as the Prophet Muhammad (salalllahu alayhi wa salam) commanded us to do, then we would be on the middle way, not falling to any extremes. Knowing, the rights and responsibilities we have to all people, whether they are of the opposite gender, our neighbours, non-muslims, even as was said before, to the animals, environment etc
)
Wasalamu alaykum