Breaking the Inertia: Islam, Social Conditioning, and the Need for Sacred Activism
Recently, I gave several talks to university students in the UK on the obligation of activism. Here are my notes.
Why Do We Resist Activism?
Many of us feel a reluctance toward activism, a hesitation to engage in struggles for justice. Why is this? The answer lies in the way the world around us shapes us. We are not born with an aversion to standing up for what is right—instead, we are conditioned to see Islam through the lens of an individualistic ideology that strips the essence of the faith away from our lives. Islam has become a selfish pursuit; we have become more interested in personal salvation as we ignore the plight of our ummah, believing such pursuits may detract us from seeking nearness to Allah. I have found many young Muslims have sadly succumbed to an ‘Islam’ that sits outside of societal change. And, sadly, many Islamic societies on campus promote a quietist Muslim. Our prayer rooms have become caves, where we escape the world – not the model of the Masjid in Madinah – where early Muslims changed the world.
The Weight of Social Conditioning
Every human being is born into a particular context, carrying the imprint of the ideologies that shape their environment. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) famously said, “No child is born but that he is upon natural instinct. His parents make him a Jew, or a Christian, or Magian.” While this hadith directly speaks about religious affiliation, it also highlights the broader reality of social conditioning.
Some socialists argue that human beings are primarily products of their environment. However, Islam presents a different narrative. It teaches that we are born with an innate fitra—a natural disposition towards recognising God, goodness, justice, and beauty. This intrinsic nature, however, is fragile; it requires revelation for guidance and is vulnerable to being overpowered by external influences.
As we grow, the ideologies surrounding us shape our perceptions. The hadith speaks of Judaism, Christianity, or polytheism, but this principle extends to all-encompassing worldviews, religious or not. In today’s world, the dominant ideology is no longer a religion but a secular framework, primarily guided by what is called neoliberalism.
Neoliberalism and Its Grip on Our Lives
Neoliberalism, the ideology that prioritises individualism, competition, and self-interest, permeates every aspect of our lives. It is not just an economic theory—it is a worldview that dictates our aspirations, habits, and understanding of success. It is what pushes us to climb academic and professional ladders, shaping our dreams in its image.
Thinkers like Ayn Rand championed the virtue of selfishness, arguing that the central purpose of life is the pursuit of excellence through rational self-interest. Robert Nozick’s concept of self-ownership reinforces the idea that we are sovereign over ourselves, detached from collective responsibilities. Francis Fukuyama, after the Cold War, even declared that history had ended, suggesting that neoliberalism had triumphed as the ultimate ideology.
This ideology is inescapable—it dominates bookstores, self-help podcasts, media, and public discourse. We are taught self-love – to love ourselves above others. However, when people step into societies that have resisted or remain unaffected by neoliberalism, they either reject it or experience a transformative shift in perspective. It is crucial to note that modern capitalist hubs like Dubai, that many young Muslims aspire to when making life choices, are not exceptions to neoliberalism but rather its epitomes. It’s a lifestyle that forces you to forget the horrors of the world. A paradise of gluttony and superficial living. Where a genocide dampens out endless visits to the mall.
Islam: A Call to Justice and Collective Responsibility
From its earliest days, Islam was more than a set of beliefs—it was a call to justice. The first generations of Muslims were not passive believers but active agents of change. The companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), figures like Mus’ab ibn Umair and Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra) were driven by a mission to transform society for the better.
The message of Islam instilled in them a sense of purpose, a responsibility to rectify societal wrongs. Islam was and remains a liberating force, providing a collective mission transcending personal spirituality.
How else can you understand how young companions became statesmen, politicians, generals, ambassadors, administrators and governors? I would like you for a second to ponder on the average age of the majority of Sahabah when they embraced Islam:
1. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (8 years old).
2. Zubayr ibn al-’Awwam (8 years old).
3. Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah (11 years old).
4. Al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam (12 years old).
5. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (14 years old).
6. Sa’id ibn Zayd (under twenty).
7. Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (17 years old).
8. Sa’ud ibn Rabi’ah (17 years old).
9. Ja’far ibn Abi Talib (18 years old).
10. Suhayb al-Rumi (under twenty).
11. Zayd ibn Harithah (about twenty).
12. ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (about twenty).
13. Tulayb ibn ‘Umayr (about twenty).
14. Khabbab ibn al-Arrat (about twenty).
15. ‘Amir ibn Fuhayrah (23 years old).
16. Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr (24 years old).
17. Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad (24 years old).
18. ‘Abdullah ibn Jahsh (25 years old).
19. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (26 years old).
20. Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (27 years old).
21. ‘Utbah ibn Ghazwan (27 years old).
22. Abu Hudhayfah ibn ‘Utbah (30 years old).
23. Bilal ibn Rabah (about 30 years old).
24. ‘Ayyash ibn Rabi’ah (about 30 years old).
25. ‘Amir ibn Rabi’ah (about 30) 26. Na’im ibn ‘Abdullah (about 30).
27. ‘Uthman (30 years old), and.
28. ‘Abdullah (17 years old), and.
29. Qudamah (19 years old), and.
30. Al-Saib (about 20, all four being sons of Maz’un ibn Habib).
31. Abu Salamah ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Asad al-Makhzumi (about 30) 32. ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Auf (about 30).
33. ‘Ammar ibn Yasir (between 30 and 40).
34. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (37 years old).
35. Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib (42 years old).
36. ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Harith (50 years old).
How did these young men live a life that is far from ordinary? Because the Islam that was fostered by the Prophet (saw) was transformational.
The Disconnect Between Faith and Activism
When the recent crisis in Gaza erupted, many Muslims around me, including myself, felt an urgent need to respond. We asked ourselves: What do we have, and how can we maximise our impact? Yet, we also encountered fellow Muslims who, despite their prayers and fasting, seemed disconnected from the struggle for justice. It was as if they had been immunised against activism.
This is a tragic distortion of Islam. A faith lacking an ummah, a collective consciousness, is incomplete. Too often, our prayer rooms become caves—places of isolation rather than hubs of engagement. We fall into the false belief that activism is the domain of leftist movements and that Muslims must remain distant.
Reclaiming Sacred Activism
Of course, concerns about activism’s impact on faith are valid. The fear of compromising Islamic principles in pursuit of social justice is real. This is why activism, for Muslims, cannot be an individualistic endeavour—it must be a collective effort grounded in Islamic ethics.
To navigate activism effectively, we must:
· Recognise and challenge the ideologies that shape our reluctance to act.
· Ensure our activism aligns with our faith and does not dilute our iman.
· Engage with activism as a collective, fostering unity and support.
· Establish clear red lines, ensuring that our efforts remain principled and sacred.
Activism is not foreign to Islam—it is an integral part of it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions exemplified a commitment to justice, and it is upon us to uphold this legacy. In a world dominated by self-interest and passivity, the call to sacred activism is more urgent than ever.
This does not mean we need to all contribute in a singular way. It means that when we make life choices, we use our talents, knowledge and expertise to be helpful to the ummah. Don’t be like those countless people I encountered when we were campaigning to make a change at elections who regretted spending twenty years of their life on their selves, usually in a materialistic way – and forgot their ummah. We live in privilege, and we have to make sure we meet Allah (swt) mindful of the Islamic adage that with great privilege and means comes a greater obligation and accountability.
Do not be a product of neoliberalism. Be a product of the eternal message of Islam.
It’s as though the essential Protestant ethos based on the notion that God dwells in each of us and must be served here first has prevailed even in the Muslim world. And then western Existentislism pushed this ‘self-absorption’ even further even to the way we see ourselves.
No need for churches or congregations then for us Christians (but we still want to have our weddings, christenings etc blessed in the church, thank you) and so our societies atomise. And as this happens social activism becomes more difficult to create and motivate. Most British Christians now are more devoted to their pet dog or their local shopping mall than to their local church.
So, if Muslims want to see what ultimately awaits them and their faith as they work away diligently on their own stairway to heaven they only have to consider the state of the Christian church in the West.
Do they really want to be that powerless?
Great essay. I do think part of the struggle too for some is not whether to be an activist, but how?
What I’ve seen hold some people back has been not a lack of desire to help but a feeling of helplessness. I do think too this has roots in the neoliberalism you wrote about here-the belief that we are on our own, individuals, renders the individual feeling inadequately equipped against a larger systemic force orchestrating a genocide.