The word "history" is derived from the Greek noun "historia" meaning "inquiry or research".Aristotle regarded it as a "systematic account of a set of natural phenomena,whether or not chronological ordering was a factor in the account."The term "history" has now come to be applied to accounts of events that are narrated in a chronological order, and deal with the past of mankind.
Learning by inquiry about the past of mankind was later developed into a discipline by the Greek historians Thucydides and Heredeotus(who is popularly known as "Father of History").E.H. Carn defined history as an "unending dialogue between the present and the past."Will Durant called history "a narrative of what civilized men have thought or done in the past time."
The study of history is informative as well as instructive.It is a mirror in which passing cultures and civilizations are reflected clearly with comments of historians.[Culture means "the customs,beliefs,art,music, and all the other products of human thought.".It indicates attitudes to life.Civilization means an advanced stage of human development marked by a high level of art,religion,science, and social and political organization.It indicates the developed political organizations like government communications,industry,commerce,roads,buildings, etc].The world has two periods of history-the prehistoric time (before six thousand years) when writing was not possible to record events and the historic time during which recorded events were available.
History is important because it helps us to understand the present.If we will listen to what history has to say,we can come to a sound understanding of the past that will tell us much about the problems we now face.
Firstly,by reading world histories like "The outline of History" by H.G Wells and "Peoples and Nations" by Mazour we gain a bird's eye-view of the rise and fall of all great civilizations and empires from the ancient Egyptian,Persian,Chinese,Greek and Roman to the end of the British Empire in the 20th century.
Secondly,history is a study of great and unusual individuals.It is a fact of history that the able leaders take a country to the greatest heights of progress.Who can't understand the fact that the Quaid-e-Azam and Liaquat Ali Khan,by force of their personalities and ability,won Pakistan for us.The history of the world is but (only) biography of great men."
Thirdly,the history of the world or for that matter of different countries is also the history of ideas.According to H.G Wells in "The outline of History" the history of the world is,in essence (in actual reality),a history of ideas.If we look at religious history,or at the progress of religions through the ages,it is ideas of prophets (like those of Jesus Christ and Hazrat Muhammad(pbuh),of saints(like Gautama Buddha and Hazrat Data Baksh) and of religious scholars (like Maulana Maudoodi and Imam Khomeini) that have determined the courses of events and social movements.
History in fact gives us to understand the growth in consciousness of man in society through the ages.Our ancestors (forefathers) were conscious of scientific,philosophical,social and other truths relevant to their age just as we are conscious of these in ours.History,in this sense,is a study of the changing rainbow of consciousness from period to period.
Fourthly,the true history of a country helps us to understand the condition (state) of a society from bottom to top (vertically as far as the different classes are concerned) and from one place to another,geographically,politically and socially (horizontally as far as different institutions,cities,towns,factories,offices, etc. are concerned).
One of the greatest benefits of studying history is that it allows us a chance to learn about who we came from.The people of the past are those who came before us, and it is interesting to see how some of the thoughts,attitudes, and practices of today can differ so drastically from those throughout history.On the other side of that coin,it can be fun to learn about ideas that began 100 years ago that are still a modern day issue.An example of this would be to look back at the suffragettes of the early 20th century who paved the way for the modern day equal rights movement.They were fighting to make sure that women could be treated as equal citizens of our country,including the right to vote,own property,or hold credit.In fact,it was not until the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 that women were allowed to possess a credit card in their own names (not attached to a father or husband's account).The equal rights movement is still a current hot topic 100 years later.
History seen as study of the past is an integral part of many education systems across the world.Many countries spend huge amounts of money and resources to uncover their past.Every year new and new historical sites are uncovered,excavations on those sites are conducted and the results are studied by archaeologists throughout the world.
A successful historian is in fact one who writes history without favoring any country,class,class or individual and without opposing any-he should be impartial.
