By Dr. Muwahib Saleh Mahdi – College of Islamic Sciences – University of Karbala

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

“And when We saved you from the family of Pharaoh, who afflicted you with the worst torment, slaughtering your sons and sparing your women. And in that was a tremendous trial from your Lord.”

Astonishment leads to melting, then to obliteration. This is what happens to peoples whose culture is robbed—invaded through the arts and what is called ‘culture’—so that they become enamored with an imported culture, melt into it, and emulate it until they vanish and their traces are erased. This is what Western policy today imposes on Eastern peoples: they disseminate symbols through the arts that leave them mesmerized, and from several versions. Do you know that Michael Jackson, the renowned, was the fifth version, achieving more than his predecessors and becoming famous because of the way youth were dazzled by him and melted into him, to the extent that they fashion a copy of him from themselves, and he is still being emulated to this day?

This is the pipe with which colonial states, such as America, blow a cold cultural war to shatter the backbone of weak countries by breaking their cultural foundation. One of the pioneers of colonial exploration, when he went to India, found that their adherence to their customs, religions, and culture was strong. He returned to Britain and said, “We cannot colonize them before breaking their backbone—that is, their culture.” The same statement was made by Ramsefeld after the end of the Gulf War (the field wars ended and the cultural wars began).

John Erdman, in his book “Liberals on Demand”—a researcher in Middle Eastern affairs—spoke about America’s policy, stating that it recruits from among the intellectuals of nations who are proficient in their own languages yet influenced by American culture, for the purpose of Westernizing their peoples’ culture. Come to our reality today: what is the role of the true intellectual? Now we have the greatest occasion, namely Muharram and Safar—a huge intellectual project that Ahl al-Bayt intended to be the intellectual foundation for their followers, and they affirmed it (“knowing his right”) in every place. Whoever truly knows us, our truth is indeed true; we are facing today’s crisis. We have strayed far from taking advantage of this opportunity and have paralyzed the intellectual.

Just as Saad Ibrahim did when he sought to contribute to renewing the religious discourse—he excluded the scholars from both the general and the elite, brought in the liberals, and held a conference. Its most prominent outcomes were, first, the demolition of all old interpretations of the Qur’an and the writing of a new one; and second, the exclusion of the narratives, hadiths, and the Sunnah. Thus, recommendation after recommendation passes the agenda for stripping away the Islamic identity, as is done through the (2030) framework that America seeks to impose on all educational institutions worldwide, which also serves to force Western culture.

This is an old project whose agenda was established in 1957, as discussed by Abdul Rahman Badawi in his book “Encyclopedia of Orientalists,” when he spoke of the establishment of colleges in English in Calcutta. Even though Badawi—the non-religious philosopher—says, “From here began the destruction.” Mahmoud Shaker, in his book “Abatil wa Asmar,” spoke about “Kromer,” the cultural consul in Egypt, saying, “As for Kromer, he established a colonial education system,” which persists to this day, even though Kromer is long gone, his remains have crumbled, yet his system remains.

To those who read this excerpt, I issue a call: let us not waste the time and space in these next two months by neglecting to hold intellectual seminars alongside heartfelt discourse. This is because youth come to listen and seek answers to extricate themselves from the doubts that have overwhelmed their mobile devices with segments marketing atheism and with cold responses that neither enrich nor benefit them in any way.

In truth, the Muslim scholars and the intellectuals of the nation have had an impact on either the triumph or the betrayal of Islam; Ibn Hazm dedicated a chapter in his book “Al-Milal wa al-Nihal” titled “The Impact of the Weakness of Muslims in Cementing Atheism.” And we all know that the harm caused by a nearby ignorant in religious matters is greater than that inflicted by a distant enemy from abroad. Thus, our intellectuals today neither support nor dismantle [this issue] because they are paralyzed and marginalized. Meanwhile, others who have mastered affective expression are given more time.

Moreover, the authored books have focused on behaviors rather than beliefs—for example, the topic of Tawhid and issues of divine lordship. If we refer to Abdul Rahman Boui’s encyclopedia—even though he is among the foremost skeptics—in his book “From the History of Islamic Atheism,” he states that atheism becomes entrenched in the prophecies, not in God. Therefore, let us call for an intellectual awakening to restore the platform and decrees to their true role, and let us propose the methodology of Ahl al-Bayt in confronting intellectual and doctrinal deviation. Today, currents of thought assault the youth, leaving them perplexed about matters of religion and religiosity; they must be addressed in four areas: fitrah, the spirit, the mind, and the self.

As for the fitrah: there is no doubt that it believes in the divine existence, and it compels a person to sense and affirm that existence. As for the spirit: it drives a person toward transcendence that facilitates communication with the divine. As for the mind: its stance on the issue of divinity, religion, and piety passes through three successive stages.
First: Submission stemming from the fitrah, which is usually supported by upbringing.
Second: Rational inquiry, initiated by the self-evident principle that for every existent there is a creator according to the law of causality, and therefore, if God created existence, then who created God? This inquiry has driven many thinkers to doubt and has induced obsessive thoughts in the mind of the obsessive personality.
The fate of a person at this stage depends on the interaction among the four systems that influence this issue; he may either advance to the third stage or be lost amid doubts and obsessions.

Third Stage: Mental Stability, based on the accumulation of logical evidence for the existence of God. The mind overcomes the doubts of the second stage when it realizes the concept of the “First Cause,” the Necessary Existence.

As for the soul (specifically, the soul that commands evil): its role is negative in the belief system, as it encourages the intellect.

1. They present to the youth a form of skepticism, which suggests that the central criterion in evaluating any person is their accomplishments, not their intentions or beliefs. Faith or disbelief is seen as a personal matter between the individual and God and has no bearing on the evaluation of a person’s character in the human and social sphere. Therefore, evaluation is based on the level of a person’s achievement for humanity. If their achievements are great, they are considered a great person, regardless of whether they are a disbeliever or an atheist. This doesn’t detract from their value or greatness, and it doesn’t prevent their praise or from teaching future generations to respect and honor them.

However, the Qur’anic logic differs from this perspective. It holds that a person’s value lies in their work and achievements tied to faith, not just any accomplishment. There is a significant difference between glorifying the achievement itself and glorifying the person behind the achievement. Sometimes we evaluate the achievement in itself, regardless of the person, saying, “This is a great achievement,” and there’s nothing wrong with this. At other times, we evaluate the person’s character, praising them and teaching the next generation to admire them based on their achievement. This is where the Qur’anic logic intervenes and rejects it when applied unconditionally. The Qur’an asserts that the value of a person is based on their achievement rooted in faith. Allah says: “Do you consider the providing of water for the pilgrims and the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque to be like the one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, and strives in the cause of Allah? They are not equal in the sight of Allah.” The verse clearly shows that the criterion for preference and respect is the work based on faith, not just any achievement. Allah also says: “And those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert, which the thirsty one thinks is water. But when he reaches it, he finds it to be nothing.”

2. Some might argue that knowledge, in and of itself, is a high human value. A scholar is considered valuable in society, regardless of their behavior or actions. The Qur’an aligns with this rational perspective when it says: “Allah raises those who have believed and those who have been given knowledge in degrees,” and, “Say, ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?'” Therefore, we must respect anyone who contributes knowledge to humanity, whether they are disbelievers or sinners.

However, we respond by saying there is a difference between material value and objective value. The material value of knowledge refers to its impact in the material world, such as contributing to the improvement of life’s quality and uncovering the secrets of nature. Objective value, on the other hand, refers to the comprehensive value of knowledge, which serves as a means of discovering natural truths, a path to God, and a motivation for virtuous actions and moral values. Knowledge that encompasses all three aspects is the knowledge with objective value. Therefore, a scholar who restricts their use of knowledge to material contributions only is respected from this perspective alone. But the scholar who utilizes their knowledge for all three purposes—material, spiritual, and ethical—holds the comprehensive objective value.

Just as knowledge leads to faith, it also leads to righteous deeds and divine, virtuous behavior. Notice the verse where Allah says: “Is the one who spends the night in worship, prostrating and standing in prayer, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord, equal to the one who does not? Only those who possess reason will reflect.” The clear implication of the verse is that those who “know” are those whose knowledge leads them to worship, prostration, and standing before Allah, not just to material contribution. Hence, the meaning of the verse we opened with—”Allah raises those who have believed and those who have been given knowledge in degrees”—is that honor and status are given to those who combine both faith and knowledge, not just knowledge alone.