Islams Reformers

“Those commands which [Muslims are ordered to commit what]
Islam prohibits should not be obeyed.” The rulers presiding over
Muslim countries, whether they be called a caliph, a sultan or else,
cannot go as far as to make their every wish done. They can never
be semigods. Among the Ottoman rulers, none was seen to behave
so excessively. There were very merciful ones, and the cause of
their fall was not cruelty but mercy. This resulted not from the
religion but from disobedience to the religion. The conditions and
limitations which Islam put on individuals and from which rulers
were not exempted were always known by all the Muslim nations.
Long before the declaration of human rights in Europe, Islam had
given it to Muslims not only as a right but also as a duty to disobey
the despotic commands of rulers who would violate Islam and act
lawlessly.
24 - The reformer says:
“Not the religion itself but the conception of religion by
Muslims, the dictatorial administration based on the religion and
the family education which was also based on the religion have put
the individual in such an unsuccessful state in social life.”
It is the main principle of religion reformers to impute every
guilt to the religion in such a manner as to remind of the proverb,
“Attack the weak!” and to camouflage behind such words as, “not
the religion itself but the conception of religion.”
25 - The reformer says:
“Muslims, who believed that they could not do anything and
who looked resigned because of the idea of qadâ’ and qadar lived
under fear for centuries and became obedient, comtemptible,
sycophantic and deceitful like the slaves who trembled under
scourges in Europe in the Middle Ages. The causes of the
corruption of the Ottomans to such a degree were the principles of
qadâ’, qadar, tawakkul and contentment taught by the religion,
and the proposed sufficiency of belief in order to become a
Muslim, simply believing by heart and confessing by the tongue.
Qadâ’, qadar and tawakkul have annihilated the determination
and will in Muslims and by decreasing their confidence in their
work and in their own personalities caused them to abase
themselves so far as to endure every kind of torture and
humiliation. The idea of being content with little made people lazy.
And since it was too simple to be a Muslim, none of the modern
and moral qualities was regarded necessary for being a Muslim,
and it was considered that Muslims could do every evil; which in
turn led to laziness and immorality.”
– 32 –