THE MAKING OF TYRANNY: A QUR’ANIC PERSPECTIVE
“If I were given the choice between the extermination of tyrants or the extermination of slaves, I would choose the latter without hesitation because it is slaves who manufacture tyrants.” This quote, which is attributed to Ibn Khaldun, the great Muslim historian and scholar, summarizes concisely and perfectly the political situation of our time when secularist tyranny has reached its pinnacle.
There is no doubt that Ibn Khaldun has reached this conclusion not only from the observation of the political reality of his time, but by reflecting upon the deep meanings of the Qur’an.
فَٱسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُۥ فَأَطَاعُوهُ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًۭا فَـٰسِقِينَ
“So he bluffed his people, and they obeyed him. Indeed, they were [themselves] a people defiantly disobedient [of Allāh].” Surah Az-Zukhruf, 54.
In this Qur’anic verse, Allah is referring to Pharaoh and his people who were not absolved from his tyranny and crimes.
The Qur’an unequivocally states that multiple times that “and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another.”
The idea of simply blaming the tyrants and excusing the masses for not rejecting injustice, let alone condoning them, has no place in the religion of Islam. The spirit of the Qur’an is clear: every person, every citizen, and every grown man or woman has a role to play in society: to enjoin good and forbid evil.
Tyrants rise from among ourselves. They are from us. We make them. We manufacture them because we choose to quit and renounce our social roles and responsibilities. We think that we will benefit from tyrants, that’s why we support them.
Without our support, tyrants are powerless. At the same time, this shows that the eradication of tyranny is not a process of merely removing a leader from the position of power and replacing them with another brand new face.
Tyranny is an ideology. It is a choice. It is a mindset and a moral degradation. If we look at America and how its political tyranny is maintained around the world, we will notice that it is not its military power the root cause of this unprecedented global tyranny, but the masses who support and hail it.
The American global tyranny exists because we have allowed it. We want it. We’re not pleased with the justice, freedom, and dignity that Islam promotes, so the Muslim nations have chosen to subscribe to the American communism and its tyranny.
To conclude, the eradication of tyranny starts by changing the ideology of people, their mindset, and their religious perspective. Tyranny is a choice that a group of people make, not an accident.
Sabri Lushi
May 2025
