Where is the Muslim Activist?

Praise be to Allah (SWT) and peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

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Allah has indeed purchased from the believers their lives and wealth in exchange for Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah and kill or are killed […] [At Tawbah, 9:111]

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As for those who struggle in Our cause, We will surely guide them along Our Way. And Allah is certainly with the good doers. [Al-Ankabut, 29:69]

Have you been so conditioned by the kufr ideology that we are reticent to engage in activism, that we hesitate to engage in battles for justice? Why don’t any of the verses where Allah (SWT) promises Jannah to those who fight for His cause no longer have any effect on us? Why do we resist activism? Why are we allergic to the calls of activists?

The answer lies in the way the world around us has moulded us. We are not born with an aversion against fighting for what is right. On the contrary, we are conditioned to see Islam through the individualistic ideology prism, which devoid our life of the essence of faith. Islam has become a selfish quest: we are far more interested in our personal redemption while ignoring the critical situation of our Ummah, believing that these quests will veer us away from our journey towards proximity with Allah (SWT).

Numerous young Muslims have unfortunately yielded to an “Islam” which finds itself outside of societal change. Unfortunately, many Islamic societies on campus, in Mauritius and elsewhere, are promoting a quietist Islam. Our prayer rooms have become caves, where we escape from the world – contrary to the Mosque of Madina, the Model Mosque, where the first Muslims changed to the world.

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You are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allah. […] [Al'i Imran, 3:110]

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The believers, both men and women, are guardians of one another. They encourage good and forbid evil […] [At Tawbah 9:71]

Are we able to recognise ourselves in these verses? Or is Allah (SWT) talking about creatures from another world?

Each human being is born in a particular context, growing up with the imprints of the ideologies that form his/her environment.

As we grow, the ideologies around us form our perceptions. In today’s world, the dominant ideology is that of a secular one, mainly guided by neoliberalism, and no longer a lifestyle linked to the Creator.

Neoliberalism promoted individualism, competition and personal interests and is present in all aspects of our lives. It is not only an economic theory but a vision of the world which dictates our aspirations, habits and our concept of success.

This ideology is inescapable, it is present in all libraries, podcasts on personal development, media and public narratives. We are taught to love ourselves, and to love ourselves more than others. It needs to be noted that modern capitals such as Dubai are no exception to neoliberalism but rather its incarnation. It is a lifestyle that forces us to forget about the horrors of the world. A heaven for greed and superficial life with unending visits to shopping malls, a distraction from the genocide.

Islam: A Call for Justice and Collective Responsibility

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He is the One Who has sent His Messenger with true guidance and the religion of truth, making it prevail over all others, even to the dismay of the polytheists. [At Tawbah, 9:33]

Since its beginnings, Islam was much more than an ensemble of beliefs: it was a call for justice. The first generations of Muslims were not passive believers, but active agents of change. The Prophet’s (SAW) companions, personalities such as Mus’ab ibn Umair and Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) were motivated by the mission of transforming society for the better.

Islam’s message had inculcated a sense of mission and responsibility to right the wrongs of society into them. Islam was and remains a liberating force, offering a collective mission transcending individual spirituality.

How do we otherwise explain the fact that young companions had become heads of state, politicians, generals, ambassadors, administrators and governors? They were all young, aged from 8, for Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) to 26 for Umar ibn al Khattab (RA).

The Gap Between Faith and Activism

When the genocide in Gaza came to light, numerous Muslims felt the urgent need to react. They asked themselves how they could maximise their impact. However, there were also those who, despite their prayers and fasts, seemed disconnected from the fight for justice. It looked like they were immune to activism.

It is a tragic deformation for Islam. A faith that has no Ummah, no collective conscience, is incomplete. Our prayer rooms are too often caverns of isolation rather than engagement centres. We fall into the trap of believing that activism is the duty of leftist movements, from which Muslims should keep their distance.

The Muslim activist is engaged in the fight on the ground to make Allah’s (SWT) ideology prevail. Activism is no stranger to Islam, is it in fact an integral part. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his companions have illustrated their engagement in favour of justice, and it is our duty to carry on this legacy. In a world dominated by personal interests and passivity, the call for activism is more than urgent.

It is legitimate to have concerns about how activism impacts faith. The fear of compromising Islamic principles is real. This is why, for Muslims, activism cannot be individualistic – it needs to be a collective effort based on Islamic ethos.

It is urgent for the Ummah and those who, out of conviction, away from those who have let themselves be trapped or corrupted by the kuffar (those who are opposed to the Islamic ideology), to identify and question the ideologies which make them reticent to act and to make sure that our activism is in line with our faith and does not weaken our conviction.

In parallel, we need to better understand and adopt the fundamental concepts of our deed: hisbah (invitation to righteousness and forbidding what’s wrong), submission, sacrifice and jihad, among others.

Let’s not be a product of neoliberalism. Let’s be a product of the eternal message of Islam. Coming back to activism should be our priority to arm ourselves against Allah’s (SWT) enemies.

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O believers! Respond to Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. And know that Allah stands between a person and their heart, and that to Him you will all be gathered. [Al Anfal, 8:24]

May Allah (SWT) help and guide us.