Guided or Blinded: How Ego Shapes Our View of the Qur’an

Some people take to the streets to rebel, but there are also ways of rebelling in silence — through words, through patience, through nurturing creation. True change begins not in crowds but within the self. The Qur’an declares:“Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves” (Surah Ar-Ra’d, 13:11).

When hearts remain locked, shouting becomes only an echo in the wind. Allah says: “Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and over their vision is a veil” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:7). A voice raised in the streets may not be heard by ears sealed with arrogance, nor touch hearts hardened by heedlessness. In such a world, silence becomes its own form of protest.

Instead of feeding what nourishes corruption and ego, Islam calls for a deeper jihad — a struggle against the self and a refusal to participate in injustice. The Qur’an says: “And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression” (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:2). Boycotting what sustains oppression can become louder than slogans, because action rooted in sincerity carries weight beyond noise.

This world (dunya) is only a passing shadow, a projection of belief. The Qur’an reminds:“And this worldly life is nothing but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter — that is the [eternal] life, if only they knew” (Surah Al-Ankabut, 29:64). Those who are oppressed are not forgotten. “Do not think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision” (Surah Al-Imran, 3:169).

Faith grows stronger in hardship. The more oppression tries to silence it, the deeper its roots go. Resistance does not only exist in the streets; it exists in the quiet tending of the heart, in prayer for the oppressed, in words written for souls who still search for truth.

Light does not always come from noise or banners but from subtle illumination — like a lamp guiding in darkness. The Qur’an says: “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp…” (Surah An-Nur, 24:35).

The greatest rebellion against war is to boycott what fuels it. Refuse to fight, reject the profits of a global market built on corruption, and abandon the greed of capitalism. Live fully by the principles of Islam—justice, mercy, and truth—and corruption will crumble on its own. When faith guides actions, the systems of oppression lose their power without a single bullet fired. Follow the path of Islam unwaveringly, and watch how the empire of injustice falls by its own weight.

“O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, Allah is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.”(Surah An-Nisa 4:135)