Why has the civilisation of the Muslims fallen behind others?
Question

                In these times we notice that the West has advanced far ahead of us in many things but Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “O Children of Israel! Remember My Favour which I bestowed upon you and that I preferred you to the Alameen (mankind and jinns)” [al-Baqarah 2:47]. Have these many blessings that Allah bestowed upon the descendants of Ya‘qoob ceased in our time, or will they continue until the Day of Resurrection? If they have ceased, then why are they advanced so far ahead of us in this world and at this time in so many things? What are we Arabs lacking or what is hindering us from being better than them in our thinking, inventions and manufacturing?
Praise be to Allah.
    It is not fair for anyone who wants to examine the causes of 
    any nation’s decline to focus only on some outward aspects of its decline 
    that everyone can see, because achieving cultural advancement is a huge 
    process in which innumerable interrelated factors play a role; these factors 
    are accumulated throughout the years and penetrate deeply in all aspects of 
    life, which leads to raising the level of communities little by little. 
    Humans can hardly feel this progress because it is like the light of dawn; 
    it keeps coming out until its light spreads over the horizon. 

    The Holy Qur’an tells us some of the aspects of material 
    advancement that were – and still are – a means of trials and tests, of 
    which no one understands the great wisdom behind it and the great impact it 
    has on historical dynamics except Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. 

    Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation 
    of the meaning):

    “On the Day when those who disbelieve (in the Oneness of 
    Allah Islamic Monotheism) will be exposed to the Fire (it will be said): 
    "You received your good things in the life of the world, and you took your 
    pleasure therein. Now this Day you shall be recompensed with a torment of 
    humiliation, because you were arrogant in the land without a right, and 
    because you used to rebel and disobey (Allah)”

    [al-Ahqaaf 46:20]

    “Do they not travel in the land, and see what was the end 
    of those before them? They were superior to them in strength, and they 
    tilled the earth and populated it in greater numbers than these (pagans) 
    have done, and there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs. 
    Surely, Allah wronged them not, but they used to wrong themselves.

    Then evil was the end of those who did evil, because they 
    belied the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, 
    Messengers, etc.) of Allah and made mock of them.”

    [ar-Room 30:9-10]. 

    Al-‘Allaamah Muhammad Rasheed Rida (may Allah have mercy on 
    him) said:

    The first Muslims’ belief in the Oneness of Allah (Tawheed), 
    their knowledge of Him, their love for Him and their reliance on Him are 
    what purified their souls, honed their ambitions and gave them a sense of 
    pride and power; that enabled them to establish truth and justice, and 
    motivated them to conquer lands, rule nations, ransom them from spiritual 
    and intellectual slavery to soothsayers, rabbis, monks and clergy, liberate 
    them from the injustice and tyranny of kings, establish the foundations of 
    civilisation, and revive and develop different branches of science and 
    technology. They were able to achieve all of that in an unprecedented manner 
    that no other nation on earth had ever achieved or even come close. Gustave 
    le Bon, the famous sociologist, said: Mastery of different branches of 
    science and technology was not possible for any rising nation in less than 
    three generations: the first generation clings to the past; the second 
    generation started the process of freeing themselves from blind following; 
    and the third generation is the generation of independence and hard work. 
    (He said that this applies to all nations) except the Arabs; they are the 
    only ones who were able to lay the foundation of science and technology in 
    the first generation. 

    I say: The cause of that was the teachings of the Qur’an, 
    which taught them to be independent in thinking and to avoid blind 
    imitation. It taught them to be prepared to lead mankind in spiritual and 
    worldly matters alike. But all of that disappeared for subsequent 
    generations, after the demise of the Islamic caliphate and after Arabic 
    civilisation ceased to flourish, when power shifted to the non-Arabs who had 
    nothing of Islam except superficial traditions and were not strongly 
    connected to the guidance of the Qur’an.

    Tafseer al-Manaar, 11/173 

    We cannot ignore the impact of conspiracies, both internal 
    and external, against our ummah throughout the ages, which led to its 
    enemies getting ahead of it in material matters. But our thought and the 
    thought of our ummah is far above feelings of defeatism, relying on others 
    in order to achieve revival, and feeling overwhelmed in the face of great 
    responsibility, the responsibility of being in a leading position in 
    relation to other nations. As for our enemies among the Israelites, they 
    excelled at making the most of every opportunity and they strove hard in 
    engineering events that had a global impact. They strove persistently for 
    decades until they achieved what they wanted and reached a position of power 
    in our times. But that has nothing to do with the verse (interpretation of 
    the meaning): “O Children of Israel! Remember My 
    Favour which I bestowed upon you and that I preferred you to the Alameen 
    (mankind and jinns)” [al-Baqarah 2:47], because 
    this verse speaks of previous blessings that Allah had granted to the 
    Children of Israel throughout history, and is meant to remind them of that. 
    Among these blessings are what is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, where Allah, 
    may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): 
    “And (remember) when Moosa (Moses) said to his people: ‘O my people! 
    Remember the Favour of Allah to you, when He made Prophets among you, made 
    you kings, and gave you what He had not given to any other among the Alameen 
    (mankind and jinns, in the past)’” [al-Maa’idah 5:20]. 

    Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

    Here Allah, may He be exalted, reminds them of previous 
    blessings that He bestowed upon their fathers and forebears, and the favour 
    He bestowed upon them by sending the Messengers from among them, revealing 
    the Books to them and favouring them above all other nations at that time. 
    End quote.

    Tafseer al-Qur’an al-‘Azeem, 
    1/255 

    However, we regard our current situation with optimism that 
    motivates us to advance further and succeed by striving harder to use all 
    possible means, both spiritual and worldly. The foundation of that is the 
    righteous individual who always remembers that Allah, may He be glorified 
    and exalted, is watching him in all situations. Such individuals are a 
    constructive factor in the reform of communities and families; they do not 
    wait for the revival to be presented to them on a golden platter or hope 
    that programs will be set up for them to achieve that. Rather they hasten to 
    take the initiative and strive hard to do all that is good and beneficial, 
    putting their trust in Allah in the hope that He will bless their deeds, no 
    matter how small, and reward those who do good for their good deeds. Allah, 
    may He be exalted, knows who is trying to spread mischief and who is 
    striving to do good, and the followers of His Messengers will prevail and be 
    victorious if they take the measures that lead to victory and advancement. 
    Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the 
    meaning): 

    “Indeed, they planned their plot, and their plot was with 
    Allah, though their plot was a great (one, still) it would never be able to 
    remove the mountains (real mountains or the Islamic law) from their places 
    (as it is of no importance).

    So think not that Allah will fail to keep His Promise to 
    His Messengers. Certainly, Allah is All-Mighty, - All-Able of Retribution”

    [Ibraaheem 14:46-47]. 

    And Allah knows best.