Nurturing True Independence
Every August we celebrate independence. But is that independence truly complete? Physical colonisation may have ended, but shackles can appear in more subtle forms. Corruption, abuse of power, violence, weakening integrity, the rise of hate speech on social media, and growing individualism are signs of serious moral problems. Independence means more than just being free from the coloniser. It demands human beings with integrity and noble character.
A spiritual crisis is not always visible from a decline in worship, but from the loss of life’s meaning, the weakening of conscience, and the blurring of moral direction. When people lose their inner compass, social deviations grow more easily. Political independence alone is not enough. It needs to be continued with moral independence, namely the human ability to free oneself from greed, corruption, hatred, and the shackles of desire.
Science and technology have transformed nearly every aspect of human life. The ease of accessing information does not always make people calmer. Amidst the flood of information, many people actually face anxiety, mental fatigue, and a crisis of meaning. The problem rarely lies with scientific progress itself. The issue arises when knowledge is separated from morality. Humans are then often judged by productivity, consumption, and economic power, while integrity, compassion, and noble character are given less place. As a result, technological progress is not always accompanied by the moral maturity of its users.
In Islam, reason is developed to build civilisation, while revelation guides it to remain grounded in divine and human values. When the two go hand in hand, knowledge becomes a means of public benefit, not a tool for fulfilling mere ambition.
A spiritual crisis does not only impact individual life. Under certain conditions, it can weaken the moral foundation of social life. Increasing polarisation, a culture of mutual insult, low empathy, and the growing dominance of personal interests are symptoms of this weakening moral foundation. Meanwhile, the family, which should be the first school of character, faces major challenges. Parents lose time to accompany their children, while character education is defeated by the demands of academic achievement and economic competition.
We cannot blame parents who struggle to meet their living needs. The state and society must be present: parental leave, character education in schools, and child-friendly public spaces are all part of this shared responsibility. The expression of the Egyptian poet, Ahmad Syauqi, feels relevant: ‘Indeed, a nation will remain standing as long as they hold onto their morals. If their morals have vanished, then they too will vanish.’ Therefore, national change cannot begin only with policy, but also with the improvement of the human heart and character.
In the Islamic perspective, freedom does not mean humans are free to follow all their desires. Freedom actually finds its meaning when humans are able to control themselves and direct their choices towards goodness. Humans are viewed as honoured creatures, while also being entrusted with the mandate to build a just civilisation. The Qur’an affirms, ‘And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam…’ (QS Al-Isrā’: 70). Human nobility is not determined by wealth, position, or technological sophistication, but is inherent in the dignity bestowed by God and demands responsibility in living life.
Reason becomes an instrument for thinking, researching, and innovating, while revelation serves as a moral compass so that the results of human thought remain within the correct corridor. When reason is guided by revelation, knowledge gives birth to justice, benefit, and a dignified civilisation. The Prophet Muhammad emphasised the importance of noble character through his saying, ‘Indeed, I was sent to perfect noble character’ (HR Ahmad). Economic growth and technological sophistication alone are not enough to measure a nation’s success; the quality of its people’s character also determines it.
Tasawwuf, one of Islam’s legacies in responding to the spiritual crisis, is a process of building human beings from within so that they are able to bring about change in society. Tasawwuf does not teach people to run away from the world, but to free themselves from the world’s domination over them. Imam al-Junaid placed tasawwuf within the framework of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Its goal is to achieve the station of ihsan, which is to worship Allah as if you see Him; if you cannot, then to believe that Allah always sees you.
Tasawwuf is based on tazkiyat al-nafs, the purification of the soul. The Qur’an explains that one of the missions of the Prophet Muhammad was to recite God’s verses, to purify the human soul, and to teach the Book and wisdom (QS Al-Jumu’ah: 2). Character building is not a complement to the development of civilisation, but its core. The Sufi tradition offers four practices for building integrity. First, muhasabah: the courage to evaluate oneself before blaming others. Second, mujahadah: the earnest struggle against the desires that are the source of various deviations. Third, muraqabah: the awareness that God is always watching every word and deed, thus giving birth to integrity without depending on human oversight. Fourth, takhalli and tahalli: cleansing the heart of despicable traits and then adorning it with honesty, trustworthiness, compassion, and humility.
Muhasabah and muraqabah are more than just inner rituals. If a person is accustomed to self-correction and feels watched by God, these principles do not stop in personal life. They can shape the way a person exercises trust, including when holding public office. Both can be a fortress against the abuse of power.