WRONG WAY ROUND

Imagine a man who wants his son to become a doctor, but tells him: “First rent a shop in the market and open a clinic. Then you can study medicine.” If a father gave such advice, people would call him mad, or at the very least, not serious. Everyone knows medicine is studied first, and only then is a clinic opened. Strangely, however, our leaders do exactly this backward act. And yet, no one calls them unserious. Instead, they are honoured with titles like “thinker” and “leader.”

In modern times, nearly every Muslim leader has offered this kind of futile advice to the community: First win political freedom, then start building the nation. First get a piece of land, then establish an Islamic system there. First overthrow the government, then begin social reform. First have parliament pass a law, then work on changing people’s minds, and so on.

All such ideas are as meaningless as opening a medical clinic before studying medicine. This is why, even after more than a hundred years of struggle, Muslims have gained nothing but destruction and failure.

A human being is not like iron or wood that can be shaped step by step. A person is formed once, and the way he is shaped the first time is how he remains. That is why movements focused only on external goals always fail at the second stage. After reaching some outward target, their leaders start making speeches about reforming individuals. But such speeches bring no real results. This only shows ignorance of human psychology. Sadly, all modern Muslim leaders have been examples of this same ignorance.

Nation-building, in essence, is the cultivation of individual intellects. Once an intellect is developed, everything else follows naturally; without it, nothing of real value can be achieved.