⭑ Systemic Oppression, Individual Struggle, and the Need for Knowledge ⭑
Written by: Muhammad Asif
Some people believe there is no need to address the current system as a problem. They assume:
➤ It will improve on its own,
➤ It’s not a serious issue, or
➤ The focus should lie elsewhere for now.
But such assumptions reflect a failure to grasp the system's entrenched power and its deep-rooted influence. This mindset underestimates the system’s dominance in shaping minds and societies.
Imagine a child who ignores his mother or father’s words, but is deeply engaged with TV shows or advertisements.
Why does this happen?
➤ A parent’s voice is a single individual’s effort.
➤ But the TV show is a product of thousands of intelligent minds, working within a coordinated institution.
These institutions include:
✔ Production houses
✔ Artists, writers, and directors
✔ Advertising firms and branding experts
✔ Media professionals and academic consultants
This institutional synergy creates programs that irresistibly attract the human psyche, especially in children.
Clearly, an individual cannot compete with such a massive institutional framework. Hence:
➤ Moral lectures or small-scale reform alone are insufficient.
➤ You cannot dismantle a system through individual emotion or sincerity.
➤ Only a system can counter a system.
While a small group can reform individuals, protecting entire nations from systemic pressure is beyond their reach.
Systems, regardless of how we feel about them, continue to grow and operate on their own trajectories.
Systems cannot be overturned by violence or brute force because:
➤ They are built upon epistemological frameworks—structures of thought and worldview.
➤ To challenge a system intellectually, you must present an alternative epistemology.
➤ Intellectual authority must confront intellectual authority.
During Islam’s era of political dominance:
✔ Even minimal scholarly efforts were enough to defeat major ideological threats.
In times of political decline, however:
➤ Even significant academic work has limited effect,
➤ Because it lacks the backing of political or systemic authority.
Due to the political subjugation of Muslims, we face a binary choice:
① Present Islam as it truly is, demanding the sacrifice of carnal desires from the modern individual.
② Reformulate Islam to conform to modern desires, which ultimately results in a distorted version of the religion.
The Prophet ﷺ described this era with the following words:
“A time will come when practicing religion will be like holding a burning ember in one’s hand.”
(Hadith)
This oppressive environment creates a state of restlessness in a sincere believer, who then cries out:
“مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ؟”
“When will the help of Allah come?”
Ignoring the systemic nature of modern oppression is not only naive—it is dangerous. The system we live in is:
✔ Deliberate
✔ Strategic
✔ Backed by layered knowledge and institutional strength
Therefore:
Individual effort alone is insufficient.
Only knowledge-based systems can confront and replace oppressive knowledge-based systems.
And only through understanding, strategy, and Divine reliance can we seek to reverse this tide.
Written by: Muhammad Asif
❖ Ignoring the System: A Critical Mistake
Some people believe there is no need to address the current system as a problem. They assume:
➤ It will improve on its own,
➤ It’s not a serious issue, or
➤ The focus should lie elsewhere for now.
But such assumptions reflect a failure to grasp the system's entrenched power and its deep-rooted influence. This mindset underestimates the system’s dominance in shaping minds and societies.
✿ A Simple Analogy: Why Children Ignore Parents for TV
Imagine a child who ignores his mother or father’s words, but is deeply engaged with TV shows or advertisements.
Why does this happen?
➤ A parent’s voice is a single individual’s effort.
➤ But the TV show is a product of thousands of intelligent minds, working within a coordinated institution.
These institutions include:
✔ Production houses
✔ Artists, writers, and directors
✔ Advertising firms and branding experts
✔ Media professionals and academic consultants
This institutional synergy creates programs that irresistibly attract the human psyche, especially in children.
◈ Why Individual Effort Falls Short
Clearly, an individual cannot compete with such a massive institutional framework. Hence:
➤ Moral lectures or small-scale reform alone are insufficient.
➤ You cannot dismantle a system through individual emotion or sincerity.
➤ Only a system can counter a system.
While a small group can reform individuals, protecting entire nations from systemic pressure is beyond their reach.
Systems, regardless of how we feel about them, continue to grow and operate on their own trajectories.
✦ Systemic Reform Requires Intellectual Counterpower
❖ Not with Bombs, but with Knowledge
Systems cannot be overturned by violence or brute force because:
➤ They are built upon epistemological frameworks—structures of thought and worldview.
➤ To challenge a system intellectually, you must present an alternative epistemology.
➤ Intellectual authority must confront intellectual authority.
◈ Historical Lessons: Political Power and Intellectual Resistance
During Islam’s era of political dominance:
✔ Even minimal scholarly efforts were enough to defeat major ideological threats.
In times of political decline, however:
➤ Even significant academic work has limited effect,
➤ Because it lacks the backing of political or systemic authority.
Case Study: The Denial of Hadith (Inkār-e-Ḥadīth)
- In the past, Muʿtazilite rationalism posed an even more complex challenge than today’s liberal discourses.
- The support of the Islamic state was key to countering it effectively.
- In modern times, despite unprecedented scholarly output, such ideological threats continue to persist.
- As Ahmed Javed points out:
“The epistemology of every era imposes an external pressure that decisively shapes the internal world of man.”
✿ Muslim Subjugation and the Psychology of Coercion
Due to the political subjugation of Muslims, we face a binary choice:
① Present Islam as it truly is, demanding the sacrifice of carnal desires from the modern individual.
② Reformulate Islam to conform to modern desires, which ultimately results in a distorted version of the religion.
Result: The Burden of Practicing Faith
The Prophet ﷺ described this era with the following words:
“A time will come when practicing religion will be like holding a burning ember in one’s hand.”
(Hadith)
This oppressive environment creates a state of restlessness in a sincere believer, who then cries out:
“مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ؟”
“When will the help of Allah come?”
❖ Conclusion
Ignoring the systemic nature of modern oppression is not only naive—it is dangerous. The system we live in is:
✔ Deliberate
✔ Strategic
✔ Backed by layered knowledge and institutional strength
Therefore:
Individual effort alone is insufficient. Only knowledge-based systems can confront and replace oppressive knowledge-based systems. And only through understanding, strategy, and Divine reliance can we seek to reverse this tide.
