When Did the Crisis of Freedom Begin?
From the Text to the State…
If the Qur’anic text established freedom,
and the Prophetic experience embodied it in practice,
then the question that inevitably arises is:
when, and how, did the crisis of freedom begin in Islamic history?
The crisis did not begin suddenly,
nor can it be reduced to a single moment.
Rather, it took shape gradually
as society moved from its early simplicity
to the complexity of the state, authority, and the struggle for power.
From the Message to Authority
In the time of the Prophet,
religion was a message before it was a system of governance,
and authority served the values and the community,
rather than standing above them.
But as the state expanded,
and the caliphate evolved into a political institution,
new considerations emerged:
the struggle for legitimacy,
fear of division,
and anxiety over disorder.
Here, the confusion began.
Freedom as a Threat
In moments of political turmoil,
freedom was transformed from a value
into a potential threat.
A differing opinion
was no longer viewed as an act of independent reasoning,
but as a seed of discord.
Thus,
expression came to be restricted—
not always in defense of religion,
but out of fear for the state.
When Jurisprudence Drew Close to Power
One of the most dangerous transformations
was the closeness of jurisprudence to authority.
Jurisprudence,
which had been born in a space of questioning and debate,
suddenly found itself
expected to justify reality,
rather than to question it.
Instead of being a critical conscience,
it turned, in some phases,
into an instrument of control.
Here,
the space for opinion began to narrow
under labels such as:
preventing discord,
protecting the community,
and blocking the means to harm.
Was This Inevitable?
No. Islamic history was never a single line,
nor a closed narrative.
It knew periods of openness,
intellectual flourishing,
and diversity of views,
just as it experienced periods of repression
and closure.
The problem, however,
is that moments of closure
were often linked
to moments of political fear,
not to religious necessity.
From Protecting Religion… to Protecting Authority
In many cases,
the goal was not to protect doctrine,
but to protect rule.
When authority is presented
as the guardian of religion,
opposition to it
becomes equivalent to opposition to religion itself.
At that point, the doors of criticism close,
questions are criminalized,
and obedience is redefined
as an absolute virtue.
What Do We Need to Understand This Phase?
We need a calm historical reading
that distinguishes between:
• what is religious,
• what is political,
• and what is the product of historical circumstance.
Confusing these levels
is what has kept the crisis alive
to this day.
In the next episode,
we will move closer to a pivotal moment and ask:
Umar ibn al-Khattab… justice in governance or the suppression of peoples?
There,
we will deconstruct one of the most frequently invoked images
in this debate.
To be continued…
Cairo: Five o’clock in the evening, Cairo time.
