Reasons for the decline of the Muslim world.

The Muslim world was once a symbol of leadership in the pages of world history—unique in knowledge, science, justice, military might, and spirituality. Baghdad, Cairo, Andalusia, Samarkand, or Delhi—each city was a beacon of civilization. But today that Muslim world is fragmented, weak, oppressed, and confused. The question arises—what is the cause of this decline? Is it primarily the result of external aggression? Or is it the result of internal moral and political weakness?

Let us first consider external aggression. The history of Western aggression on the Muslim world is long. Since the time of the Crusades, Europe has seen Islam as an eternal enemy. The fall of Andalusia in Spain, the dissolution of the Ottoman Caliphate, the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, the incitement of civil war in Syria, and the establishment of the state of Israel in Palestine—all of these are the continuation of a grand conspiracy in which Muslim lands have been politically weakened and geographically fragmented.

Western colonialism has not only occupied Muslim lands, but has also attempted to subjugate Muslim thought, education, and culture. The British destroyed the Muslim education system in India and imposed their own Maclay-style education policy. France imposed secularism in place of Islamic rule in North Africa. Muslim states were divided in such a way that there was no unity among them—this is called “divide and rule.”

And what has happened as a result of this is—a profound distortion of the history, language, and identity of Muslims. Muslims have been made to understand that they can only become modern when they adapt to Western ideals, democracy, feminism, secularism and liberalism. The uniqueness of Islam is a crime. Today in France, the hijab of a Muslim woman is considered a crime, and even talking about Islam in American universities becomes "extremism".

However, along with external aggression, a difficult reality must be acknowledged - the internal weakness of the Muslim world. We cannot simply blame external forces and avoid responsibility. It was only in the last years of the Caliphate that we saw - luxury, greed for power, arrogance and deviation from the pursuit of knowledge among Muslim rulers became clear. When the rulers of the Ottoman Caliphate failed to stop the aggression of Western forces, Muslim society could not defend itself in one region after another.

Autocracy, dynasticism and worldly interest-based politics penetrated so deeply in the Muslim world that they overshadowed Islamic values. The relationship between scholars and rulers has become one of flattery—where the courage to speak the truth is lost. The education system has become one where degrees and jobs are the main thing, not 'knowledge'. Islamic education is confined to the confines of madrasas, and modern education is bound by secularism. As a result, a divided mind is created—on one side, a "religious" society, on the other, a "secular" leadership.

Today, the Muslim world is not economically self-sufficient either. Despite being extremely rich in natural resources, Muslim states are completely dependent on the West for technology, medicine, science, and the arms industry. Today, even wealthy countries like Saudi Arabia or Qatar have become dependent on Western military protection. When Gaza is destroyed in Palestine, the Muslim world can only condemn, but cannot take action. Why? Because they are not politically independent, but rather victims of 'systemic submission'.

In addition, differences and sectarian divisions in the Muslim community, distrust of each other, the tendency to takfir, and the ‘us vs. them’ mentality have shattered the unity of the Muslim Ummah. Some do not consider Shia Muslims as Muslims if they are Sunni, some call Hanafi Muslims as heretics if they are Ahl al-Hadith, and some turn Sufis into graves. This politics of hatred is not only imposed from outside—we have also encouraged it with our own ignorance and arrogance.

So the reality is—just as external forces are responsible for the decline of the Muslim world, so too are our own spiritual and intellectual weaknesses. If today we only blame the aggressive West, we close the door to our own self-reflection. Again, if we are only preoccupied with our own mistakes, we underestimate the conspiracies of the enemy. We need a two-pronged awakening—internal self-purification and conscious resistance to external conspiracies.

This awakening is only possible when the Muslim world returns to the fundamental teachings of Islam—where there is justice, the pursuit of knowledge, accountability of leadership, unity of the Ummah, and trust in God. We need a new generation who will stand firm against both Western dominance and internal weakness—in the light of knowledge, morality, technology, and leadership.