My Advice to the Ulama

of the Ulama abandoned their primary task—the intellectual development of people along constructive lines. Looking at colonialism simply from the point of view of Western nations usurping Muslim lands, the Ulama involved themselves in political conflicts in the name of ‘jihad’. A fundamental mistake of the Ulama of modern times is that they have taken the dominance of Western nations to be simply a political phenomenon. However, this dominance is a reflection of a powerful civilisation. This indicates that the political aspect is secondary. The fact was that European colonialism had succeeded because the Europeans were in command of new intellectual and technological resources, which gave them an enormous advantage over Eastern people. In the traditional age, the difference between contending powers was essentially quantitative. However, when the West ushered in a new age, the difference between Western nations and others fundamentally became qualitative. This transformation gave the West a clear and decisive advantage over the rest of the world. The Ulama were leading the revolt without understanding this fundamental qualitative difference.