By Farah El-Sharif, Sermons at the Court Substack
“The society that separates its scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting by fools.”
―Thucydides
For the past two years, I have been in touch with Dr. Kamal Al-Hindi in Gaza, who, despite living through the holocaust of our times, has been magnanimously sharing daily dispatches of sharp wisdom and analytical defiance.
An Economics and Political Science Professor at the Islamic University of Gaza, he frequently provides astute insights on the situation on the ground despite living in unspeakably difficult conditions. He has been a firsthand observer of the ever-evolving global and regional scene and writes with piercing insight and moral clarity.
Nothing is more frightful to the oppressor than a survivor with a pen, and a heart full of persistent resistance.
In his latest post, he reflects on why intellectuals and scholars especially have been so woefully silent or worse, complicit in the injustices of our time.
Since it is a topic often discussed on this Substack, I thought I would translate and share his insights to my readers, as well as the link to his PayPal page if you’d like to support him and his family.
In this astute reflection, Dr. Kamal deploys a masterful Qur’anic lens to explain the cowardice of the intellectual class, exposing the deep paradox of how the most knowledgeable are not necessarily the most virtuous.
On the contrary, scholars/clerics/authors/writers with the most fame and renown often end up being the most self-preservationist, and thus, they are more willing to throw the oppressed under the bus.
Here is Dr. Kamal’s scathing indictment of the scholarly class:
“When ‘knowledge’ and ‘elitism’ become a veil from God.
Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the Qur’anic verse “And do not incline toward those who oppress, lest the Fire touch you” (Hud: 113) is not its obvious warning to the oppressor, but the way it points to those who “incline”: those who are silent, those who waver.
وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ (113)
Inclining (rukūn) is that subtle inner leaning of the heart.
It is to feel more affinity or comfort in the shade of brute power, and estrangement or aversion toward the side of the strangulated breath of the truth.
But the greatest catastrophe—the calamity so grave it can devastate civilizations— does not come from the inclining, the rukūn, of simple, common people.
Rather, it comes when those who incline are the elite of society: the scholars, clerics, academics, technocrats, and intellectuals.
These are the very people who, if they sincerely sided with the truth, possess the power to create massive shifts in the balance of power.
If they used their knowledge and status to support the oppressed, they could break the back of oppression.
But, instead, they chose to incline. Why?
Here is a painful diagnosis of the “diseases of the intellectual elites” that lead to the Fire:
1) The arrogance of the scholar and contempt for the “masses”
The biggest psychological barrier preventing the scholarly class (religious or secular) from joining the side of truth is arrogance.
When a “professor,” “senior cleric,” or “strategic expert” looks at the camp of truth, they often find it filled with riffraff, with passionate youth, ordinary laypeople, or those they strived not to associate with; those without prestigious titles.
Then the devil of the spirit of arrogance stirs within them, and they echo—implicitly—the words of the chiefs of Noah’s people: “We see that none follow you except the lowest among us, at first glance.” (Hud: 27) (وما نراك اتَّبعك إلا الذين هم أراذلنا بادي الرأي)
They regard such people as beneath them. Incapable of attaining their status, degrees, and refined intelligence. How can they stand shoulder to shoulder with them, or be counted among them, when they are used to being followed, not following anyone else?
So they choose to incline toward the camp of the oppressors, because oppressors often possess “elegance,” “power,” and “prestige” that resemble their elite worldview. They prefer the fire of a polished oppressor over the garden of truth entered alongside those “radicals,” “unkempt and humble.”
2) The trap of “complexity” and the myth of “lack of understanding”
This is the favorite excuse of the scholars and intellectuals to evade the demands of standing for clear truth.
They say coolly: “The situation is extremely complex… you don’t understand the strategic dimensions… things aren’t as simplistic as the masses think.”
They attempt to philosophize falsehood and turn obvious crimes (spilled blood, stolen wealth, crushing injustice) into a “matter of perspective,” a “temporary necessity,” or “pragmatic balancing.”
They lie to themselves before lying to others. Of course, in facing major moral issues, the truth is clear and radiant like the midday sun — it doesn’t require a PhD or an ijaza to recognize.
But they use complex terminology as a smokescreen to hide their fear and justify their refusal to support the truth. They want a version of truth tailored to their formal suits and air-conditioned offices; if they don’t find it, they accuse the public of simpleton naivety.
3) Envy… and hatred of “clean mirrors”
This is the darkest depth of the soul.
The scholarly elite resent sincere ordinary people. Not because they are wrong, but because their steadfastness and sacrifice expose the elite’s own falseness.
When a prominent scholar or intellectual sees a simple young person offering their life or wealth for truth, while they themselves tremble over the loss of their position or salary, they feel an inner pettiness and shame.
Instead of following that example, envy turns them into an enemy. They begin belittling sincere sacrifices, questioning intentions, and labeling them as reckless or foolish.
They hate to be challenged by pure examples that remind them of their own corruption, so they incline toward the oppressor and even hope for the defeat of truth, just to ease their conscience and say: “All these efforts are futile anyway; everyone will fall eventually.”
To conclude, O people of knowledge, degree-holders, and notables of society:
Know that knowledge that does not prevent you from inclining toward injustice becomes evidence against you, not for you.
Your status that prevents you from humbling yourselves before truth is an idol you worship besides God.
Do not be deceived by the glitter of your titles while your stance is disgraceful. By God, your inclining toward oppressors — and your justification of their crimes under the guise of “metaphysical 4D chess understanding” or “rising above the masses” — is precisely the betrayal that God warned would lead to the touch of Fire.
Truth does not recognize ranks. Whoever is arrogant toward truth, God lowers them; whoever humbles themselves to it, God raises them, even if, in your eyes, they are among the “lowly.”
Examine your hearts… for the Fire does not distinguish between the fine suit of an intellectual, the turban of a scholar, or the cloak of a ruler. All stand equal before the demands of truth.
O God, we seek refuge in You from inclining—even for the blink of an eye—toward the oppressors.”
Amin.
How many a fallen hero and celebrity shaykh you once placed on a pedestal have these times exposed?
