❖ Ghamidi Thought: Intellectual Inquiry or Submission to Desires (Ahwā)? ❖
During a discussion, a participant praised Javed Ahmad Ghamidi for his intellect and ability to address contemporary issues. He claimed that modern minds are impressed with Ghamidi because he interprets religion in light of the present age.
However, I responded that what Ghamidi presents is not a solution, but rather an acceptance of modern challenges as natural and inevitable. His ideas do not resolve issues, but normalize them—and this appeals only to those who have already internalized these modern norms.
One could liken Ghamidi’s worldview to a philosophical form of Stockholm Syndrome.
Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological condition in which a victim begins to sympathize with and love the oppressor. It starts with resistance, but as hope fades, the victim resigns, and eventually adopts the mindset of the oppressor.
Ghamidi’s intellectual position reflects this syndrome:
The mindset of Ghamidi's supporters stems from this defeated intellectual posture.
Ahwā is a state where a person becomes a slave to personal desires, abandoning divine truth.
In Ghamidi’s framework, the dominance of Ahwā is evident:
According to Ghamidi:
He claims the state's role is only to prevent the violation of rights. However:
These questions remain unanswered. In practice, nahi ‘anil munkar is reduced to what secular ideologies define as evil, not what divine guidance defines as evil.
The fundamental issue with Ghamidi’s thought is that it absorbs the spirit of every age and then presents it as Islamically legitimate.
This is not true inquiry (taḥqīq)—it is submission to desires (ahwā).
The Prophet ﷺ said:
اَمَّا بَعدُ؛ فإنَّ کلَّ مُحۡدَثَۃٍ بِدۡعَۃ، وکلَّ بِدۡعَۃٍ ضَلَالَۃٌ، وکلَّ ضَلالۃٍ فی النَّار۔
“Verily, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.”
Ghamidi’s thought is not a liberation of reason, but a bondage to contemporary ideologies, rebranded as "rationalism".
His followers suffer from the same confusion, readily accepting every new idea as "truth", unaware that they are departing from divine guidance and entering into cultural assimilation.
◈ Ghamidi Thought: Solution to Modern Challenges or Concession to Them?
During a discussion, a participant praised Javed Ahmad Ghamidi for his intellect and ability to address contemporary issues. He claimed that modern minds are impressed with Ghamidi because he interprets religion in light of the present age.
However, I responded that what Ghamidi presents is not a solution, but rather an acceptance of modern challenges as natural and inevitable. His ideas do not resolve issues, but normalize them—and this appeals only to those who have already internalized these modern norms.
➤ Ghamidi Thought and the Intellectual Stockholm Syndrome
One could liken Ghamidi’s worldview to a philosophical form of Stockholm Syndrome.
Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological condition in which a victim begins to sympathize with and love the oppressor. It starts with resistance, but as hope fades, the victim resigns, and eventually adopts the mindset of the oppressor.
Ghamidi’s intellectual position reflects this syndrome:
- He consistently blames Muslims while presenting the West as superior.
- His reinterpretation of Islam is shaped by the psychological effects of Muslim defeat in the face of Western dominance.
- In his framework, Islam and Western ideologies are portrayed as non-conflicting, which results in a distorted representation of Islamic teachings.
➤ Ghamidi’s Followers: A Defeated Mindset
The mindset of Ghamidi's supporters stems from this defeated intellectual posture.
- They accept only what aligns with Western thought.
- Though they take pride in their "rationality", what they follow is not reasoned inquiry but submission to contemporary trends—which Islam labels as “Ahwā” (vain desires).
◉ Ahwā: Following Desires Instead of Truth
Ahwā is a state where a person becomes a slave to personal desires, abandoning divine truth.
In Ghamidi’s framework, the dominance of Ahwā is evident:
- Book and Sunnah are set aside.
- The consensus and methodology of the Salaf are neglected.
- Islam is reconfigured to fit the cultural and ideological moods of each era.
➤ Contradictory Position on State Authority and Moral Policing
According to Ghamidi:
- The use of force to prevent wrong (nahi ‘anil munkar) is solely the right of the state.
- But when the state implements religious principles, he denies it that same authority.
He claims the state's role is only to prevent the violation of rights. However:
- What are these rights?
- Who defines them?
- On what basis are they determined?
These questions remain unanswered. In practice, nahi ‘anil munkar is reduced to what secular ideologies define as evil, not what divine guidance defines as evil.
✔ Ghamidi Thought: Reason or Ahwā?
The fundamental issue with Ghamidi’s thought is that it absorbs the spirit of every age and then presents it as Islamically legitimate.
This is not true inquiry (taḥqīq)—it is submission to desires (ahwā).
The Prophet ﷺ said:
اَمَّا بَعدُ؛ فإنَّ کلَّ مُحۡدَثَۃٍ بِدۡعَۃ، وکلَّ بِدۡعَۃٍ ضَلَالَۃٌ، وکلَّ ضَلالۃٍ فی النَّار۔
“Verily, every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.”
Conclusion
Ghamidi’s thought is not a liberation of reason, but a bondage to contemporary ideologies, rebranded as "rationalism".
His followers suffer from the same confusion, readily accepting every new idea as "truth", unaware that they are departing from divine guidance and entering into cultural assimilation.
