Modern Civilization: Enslavement to Capitalism Disguised as Freedom
A Critical Analysis of Secularism’s Hollow Promises and Religious Decline
Modern civilization promotes the idea that a person is completely free to fulfill their desires. However, this claim is false.
In this system, freedom merely means that an individual should possess desires that contribute to capital accumulation. Any desire that does not lead to an increase in capital is deemed meaningless and irrelevant.
In the current system, an individual’s value is measured by their ability to contribute to the accumulation of capital.
Likewise, the fulfillment of a person's desires is dependent on their purchasing power.
As a result, individuals are compelled to align their moral priorities and desires with those that enhance their financial capability and productivity.
It is no coincidence that, under the current social system, people adopt societal standards in their personal lives and raise their future generations accordingly.
This occurs because the modern system exerts subtle pressure on individuals to conform to collective standards to maintain social success.
When personal life is severed from social life, it begins to feel purposeless and insignificant.
Those who say religion should be confined to personal life are, in fact, advocating for its complete removal from human life.
The exclusion of religion from personal life in Western societies and the weakening of religious individuality in the Muslim world both indicate this reality.
The survival of religion in personal life depends on its presence in collective life.
Where religion becomes irrelevant in social spheres, it withers away in personal spheres as well.
This phenomenon has been witnessed in the West and continues to manifest in the Muslim world, where religious individuality is constantly under struggle and conflict.
Definition of Secularism:
At its core, secularism considers the question of the afterlife to be unnecessary.
In a secular framework, the question of whether a social system offers more opportunities for righteousness or sin is considered meaningless.
The moment good and evil are discussed, religion transitions from private life into public life — which contradicts secular ideology.
In an Islamic system, the central question is:
Does the collective life bring people closer to Paradise or to Hell?
Is it encouraging Ma‘ruf (virtue) or promoting Munkar (evil)?
This forms the basis of evaluating social systems in Islam.
Where secular democratic values like freedom and equality are promoted, the concern for the afterlife continues to fade from individual lives.
Only those values remain alive in personal life that are respected in collective life.
In today's system, religious knowledge is increasingly devalued, while scientific knowledge is elevated.
The reason is that the current collective system revolves around scientific disciplines, and religious sciences are viewed as irrelevant.
The concept of freedom in the modern system is, in reality, enslavement to capital.
An individual's desires, values, and morality have been subordinated to their ability to generate wealth.
Under the influence of secularism, religion has been removed from collective life, resulting in the erosion of religious values in personal life as well.
According to the Islamic worldview, the purpose of a social system is to bring individuals closer to Paradise — a concern that secularism dismisses entirely.
A Critical Analysis of Secularism’s Hollow Promises and Religious Decline
❖ Claim of Freedom: Reality or Deception?
Modern civilization promotes the idea that a person is completely free to fulfill their desires. However, this claim is false.
In this system, freedom merely means that an individual should possess desires that contribute to capital accumulation. Any desire that does not lead to an increase in capital is deemed meaningless and irrelevant.
❖ The Standard of Human Worth: Ability to Increase Capital
In the current system, an individual’s value is measured by their ability to contribute to the accumulation of capital.
Likewise, the fulfillment of a person's desires is dependent on their purchasing power.
As a result, individuals are compelled to align their moral priorities and desires with those that enhance their financial capability and productivity.
❖ Social Norms Enforced on Personal Life
It is no coincidence that, under the current social system, people adopt societal standards in their personal lives and raise their future generations accordingly.
This occurs because the modern system exerts subtle pressure on individuals to conform to collective standards to maintain social success.
❖ Link Between Personal and Social Life
When personal life is severed from social life, it begins to feel purposeless and insignificant.
Those who say religion should be confined to personal life are, in fact, advocating for its complete removal from human life.
The exclusion of religion from personal life in Western societies and the weakening of religious individuality in the Muslim world both indicate this reality.
❖ The Decline of Religious Values: A Historical Reality
The survival of religion in personal life depends on its presence in collective life.
Where religion becomes irrelevant in social spheres, it withers away in personal spheres as well.
This phenomenon has been witnessed in the West and continues to manifest in the Muslim world, where religious individuality is constantly under struggle and conflict.
❖ Secularism: A Worldly-Restricted Ideology
Definition of Secularism:
At its core, secularism considers the question of the afterlife to be unnecessary.
In a secular framework, the question of whether a social system offers more opportunities for righteousness or sin is considered meaningless.
The moment good and evil are discussed, religion transitions from private life into public life — which contradicts secular ideology.
❖ The Islamic Perspective
In an Islamic system, the central question is:
Does the collective life bring people closer to Paradise or to Hell?
Is it encouraging Ma‘ruf (virtue) or promoting Munkar (evil)?
This forms the basis of evaluating social systems in Islam.
❖ Secular Values and the Erosion of Afterlife Consciousness
Where secular democratic values like freedom and equality are promoted, the concern for the afterlife continues to fade from individual lives.
Only those values remain alive in personal life that are respected in collective life.
❖ Preference of Scientific Over Religious Knowledge
In today's system, religious knowledge is increasingly devalued, while scientific knowledge is elevated.
The reason is that the current collective system revolves around scientific disciplines, and religious sciences are viewed as irrelevant.
✦ Summary
The concept of freedom in the modern system is, in reality, enslavement to capital.
An individual's desires, values, and morality have been subordinated to their ability to generate wealth.
Under the influence of secularism, religion has been removed from collective life, resulting in the erosion of religious values in personal life as well.
According to the Islamic worldview, the purpose of a social system is to bring individuals closer to Paradise — a concern that secularism dismisses entirely.
