The global secular economy, an immense structure estimated at over US$100 Trillion, rests upon a deeply corrosive and unjust foundation: Usury (Riba). This is not a sustainable model; it is a system of exploitation.

This immense system is largely controlled by financial behemoths. These giants utilize their unparalleled global investment and banking power to maintain systemic control, perpetuating an economic structure that prioritizes debt and destructive growth over justice and equity.

This webinar explores how we can collectively build a sharia-economic system that ends Dzolim and destructive growth, initiating a new era of true prosperity. The session unpacked the mechanisms(Riba) which the $100 Trillion usury economy controls the world and impacts your daily life, concrete practical frameworks derived from Islamic principles, and strategies to fund liberation.

Andi Muhammad Yusuf Syammil Reven is a seasoned finance and private investment executive, he possesses broad experience managing both local and international clients, highlighted by his time as a Venture Capitalist at Kejora, one of Southeast Asia’s largest VC firms backed by global institutional investors and prominent Indonesian conglomerates. He is also a former Co-Founder of RAC Multi-Family Office, an independent, privately-owned multi-family office. He is currently leveraging this extensive background to advise Paragon Group and focus on building and managing ethical, Sharia-compliant investment portfolios.

The discussion was moderated by Muhammad Ghufron Mustaqim, Ummah International Khadim.

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The Unseen Connections: From Gaza to Global Finance

• The relentless bombing of Gaza by the Israeli Zionist army represents more than a regional conflict; it is the brutal face of a global system. With over 40,000 Palestinians killed and 100,000 more injured or missing by October 2024, this genocide is financed and enabled by powerful economic forces operating from behind the scenes.

• At the heart of this system stands JP Morgan & Chase, the world’s largest bank by market capitalization. As a global leader in financial services across 100+ countries, it epitomizes the usury pandemic that fuels the modern empire. It is not alone. The true power lies with the investment giants and the individuals who control the flow of capital.

• Among them is Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, a staunch supporter of Israel and its military campaign. His company manages vast sums of private funds, sovereign wealth, pension plans, and endowments from every corner of the globe. These funds are strategically invested in companies tied to Israel’s arms industry and broader geopolitical objectives.

• Larry Fink is one among hundreds of Jewish Zionists who, through investment banks and asset management conglomerates, exert unprecedented control over the global economy. They have built a financial matrix so powerful that PwC anticipates Global Assets Under Management (AUM) will reach a staggering US $145.4 trillion by 2025, up from US $84.9 trillion in 2016.

The Game Plan: How the System Works

• They amass capital by becoming the custodians of the world’s wealth. They manage Institutional Funds: Sovereign Wealth Funds, Public and Private Pension Funds, University and Non-Profit Endowments. They also manage Private Capital: Family offices of conglomerates and the savings of retail investors.
  Their perceived trustworthiness and performance make them the default choice for institutions globally, including those in Muslim-majority nations, thereby looping the wealth of the ummah back into a system that works against it.

• The execution of a closed-loop, profound investment strategy. The process—Fund Raising → Investment → Portfolio Management → Liquidation—is executed with precision, creating self-reinforcing market cycles. Through complex cross-holdings in competing corporations across sectors, they create a cartel. They own the entire chessboard, fostering an illusion of market choice while controlling outcomes from behind the scenes. Profits are guaranteed, regardless of which “public” company wins.

• The astronomical profits are then used to buy political influence and shape global policy. The primary vehicle for this in the United States is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). AIPAC mobilizes over 5 million pro-Israel Americans and pours millions of dollars into political campaigns. This financial leverage buys votes in Congress, ensuring unwavering support for the Zionist agenda.

Leveraged Slavery: The Global Economy and the Erosion of Islamic Principles

• The global economy, estimated at over USD 100 Trillion by 2023, is founded on a paradigm of “growth at all cost.” This relentless pursuit of expansion is increasingly implicated as the root cause of systemic destruction, from climate change to entrenched poverty. This system, when viewed through a financial lens, resembles a staggering state of over-leverage: a global human equivalent whose annual income is $100,000 but whose debt stands at $300,000 (3x).

• The five practices that violate Sharia Law and fuel the current global economic cycle are Quantitative Easing and Foreign Financial Debt which utilize Riba (interest) by creating money out of thin air; Government Budget Lobby and Corruption leading to Riswah (bribery) through non-productive, often military, contracts; Project Financing which relies on interest-bearing credit facilities from banks, embedding Riba into commerce; the resulting influx of “Hot Money” which fuels Hedonism and expenditure on Haram (forbidden) luxuries; and finally, Taxation, which is considered Dzolim (injustice) as it is used to pay government interest and support corrupted projects.

• The consequence of this secular economic dominance is most acutely felt within the Muslim community. The majority of Muslim students today are primarily educated within a framework steeped in secular values. Muamalah Fiqh remains largely unfamiliar or a peripheral topic in many academic institutions. Devoted Muslim entrepreneurs who genuinely strive to build their businesses according to Muamalah principles find it significantly harder to grow compared to their secular counterparts.

Liberation Game Plan: The Muslim Fund and Education to Counter Secular Economy

• The “Liberation Game Plan” draws foundational inspiration from the successful, state-linked investment vehicle, Temasek Holdings, which has quietly positioned Singapore as a major global economic force. Managing an impressive portfolio valued at over USD 250 Billion.

• The Muslim Fund should operate through a disciplined, three-layered structure: the Global Capital Layer serves as the primary funding source, pooling strategic allocations from sovereign or state funds of wealthy Muslim nations, directing capital toward emerging Muslim economies. This capital then flows to the Fund Management Layer, which employs Local Fund Managers possessing solid professional experience to execute investments on the ground, ensuring culturally sensitive and superior portfolio management. Finally the capital reaches the Recipient/Entrepreneur Layer, the impact hub, where Local Entrepreneurs receive critical support and investment, enabling them to significantly grow their businesses in order to effectively compete against established secular global economic players.

• The second major strategic pillar is the development of a comprehensive, globally accessible educational platform focused on Islamic economic principles, known as Muamalah. Islamic scholars will prepare structured Muamalah content and curriculum, benchmarking the systematic quality of platforms like Coursera. Crucially, this high-quality content will be pushed globally and made available for free. To achieve mass adoption and decentralized community building, the initiative encourages Muslims worldwide to create local chapters and conferences to apply and expand upon the free curriculum, mirroring the grassroots intellectual engagement of TED Talks.

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This article was inspired by the concepts and insights shared during the Ummah International Webinar by Andi Muhammad Yusuf Syammil Reven, a member of Ummah International. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

As economic inequality and global uncertainty continue to widen, the question arises: how can the Ummah reclaim its economic sovereignty, secure its resources, and build lasting prosperity grounded in Sharia principles? Traditional models of wealth accumulation and charity often fail to create sustainable impact, leaving much of the Muslim world dependent, reactive, and vulnerable to global economic shifts.

In this context, the concept of productive property offers a transformative pathway for ethical and enduring prosperity. This webinar explores how productive property can serve as a moral and economic instrument that bridges Islamic principles with modern development—anchoring prosperity in values of justice, stewardship, and collective responsibility. This session unpacked the foundational concepts of land management in Islam, the principle of ownership and productivity, and the Sharia rulings on neglected land and communal benefit.

By connecting the spiritual with the material, this session invites reflection on how productive property can embody the spirit of tawhid and amanah—transforming ownership into service, wealth into welfare, and land into lasting barakah for the Ummah.

Brili Agung is a visionary entrepreneur, investor, and certified business coach with over a decade of experience in investment, business development, and MSME empowerment. He is the Founder of PT Aksara Semesta Investama and PT Semesta Agro Indonesia, managing a diversified portfolio across sectors including agribusiness, property, healthcare, hospitality, and retail.

Brili Agung has consistently led impactful programs in investment strategy, funding readiness, leadership, and entrepreneurship development, with a strong track record in mentoring startups, MSMEs, and corporate leaders across Indonesia. His work embodies the integration of ethical finance, productivity, and sustainable growth—grounded in the belief that economic empowerment is both a spiritual duty and a pathway to collective prosperity for the Ummah.

The discussion and Q&A session were moderated by Muhammad Ghufron Mustaqim, Khadim of Ummah International.

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From Property to Purpose

Across the world, some of the most influential figures are making decisive moves into productive land ownership.
🔹 Bill Gates has quietly acquired over 250,000 acres of high-productive farmland across the United States, recognizing the long-term value of sustainable land.
🔹 Mark Zuckerberg, similarly, has invested in 2,300 acres in Hawaii, turning real property into a strategic, generational asset.

These actions are not random investments — they represent a global recognition that control over productive assets defines future power and prosperity.

As the Ummah continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges—from Baitul Maqdis to across the Muslim world, the question arises:

How can Muslims mobilize their collective resources more transparently, efficiently, and in full alignment with Sharia principles?

Traditional funding mechanisms often struggle with barriers of trust, speed, and accountability, creating gaps that hinder our ability to act swiftly in times of crisis. Yet within Islamic tradition lies a profound economic philosophy: ownership is not a privilege, but a responsibility.

Islam envisions property not as a passive possession, but as an amanah — a sacred trust — meant to serve the community and generate continuous benefit (barakah). The Qur’an and Sunnah emphasize productivity, justice, and shared prosperity as the foundation of a thriving Ummah.

The Principle of Ownership and Productivity

In Islamic economics, ownership is inseparable from productivity. The Prophet ﷺ and the Caliphs emphasized that land and property must not remain idle.

“Whoever owns must produce — man yamliku yuntiju.”

This principle transforms the notion of property from mere possession into active stewardship. Land and assets must yield benefit — economically, socially, and spiritually.

A Muslim’s ownership carries three responsibilities:

1. To cultivate — ensuring resources are used productively.

2. To contribute — generating shared value for society.

3. To conserve — maintaining sustainability for future generations.

The Prohibition of Neglecting Land

Islam strictly discourages the neglect of productive potential. According to classical jurisprudence, if a piece of land remains idle for three consecutive years, its ownership is revoked and transferred to the state (baitul mal) — to be utilized for public benefit.

This rule ensures that every resource remains active and purposeful. It prevents hoarding and monopolization while promoting justice and circulation of wealth — a key Qur’anic principle:

“So that wealth may not circulate only among the rich among you.”
(Qur’an 59:7)

By preventing economic stagnation, this system protects the Ummah from inequality and fuels growth driven by fairness and faith.

The Model of Productive Property in the Modern Era

In the modern era, the model of productive property extends far beyond traditional concepts of ownership and wealth accumulation. It embodies a holistic vision where assets are not merely held, but cultivated to generate both economic and social value in alignment with Islamic principles.

Within this model, property is viewed not merely as a possession but as a platform for impact. A farm is not only a source of crops but of food security and employment; a hospital or clinic becomes a manifestation of rahmah through accessible healthcare; a school or university transforms knowledge into empowerment; and a retail or hospitality venture provides both service and sustainability. Each form of productive property embodies the prophetic ethic of ihsan — to do good through excellence and benefit others through what one owns.

Investing in the Future of the Ummah

In concluding the session, Brili Agung shared his reflections on how productive property represents one of the most strategic and sustainable investment pathways for the Muslim world today. Drawing from his extensive experience across sectors such as hospitality, agribusiness, and retail, he emphasized that investing in hotels, farmlands, and retail markets not only promises financial returns but also generates lasting social impact when managed under Islamic principles.

According to Brili Agung, the advantages of productive property lie in its tangible nature, stable long-term growth, and alignment with Sharia values of real economic activity. However, he also highlighted the challenges—notably the capital intensity, management complexity, and the need for professional stewardship to ensure consistent productivity and barakah.

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This article was inspired by the concepts and insights shared during the Ummah International Webinar by Brili Agung Zaky Pradika, a member of Ummah International. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

In a world divided by protectionism and inequality, Dr. Adeel Malik of Oxford University revisits Islam’s forgotten moral economy—one built on trade, charity, and the sacred circulation of prosperity. Drawing from early Meccan institutions to contemporary global dynamics, he invites the Ummah to rediscover an economics of solidarity that can transcend borders and revive the spirit of interconnectedness. This article is based on materials from Dr. Adeel Malik’s presentation at the Ummatics Colloquium, moderated by Usaama Al-Azami.

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The Circulation at the Heart of Islamic Economy

Dr. Malik began not as a theologian, but as a political economist seeking to recover the moral logic underlying Islamic economic life. He argued that any genuine civilizational revival must begin with the creation of economic commons—shared spaces of exchange rooted in justice, solidarity, and moral purpose.

At the center of this vision lies a single, powerful motif: circulation.

Circulation, in the Islamic moral economy, operates on two interconnected planes. The first is visible—the tangible exchange of goods and services through trade. The second is invisible—the act of charity (sadaqah), conceptualized as a form of trade with God. Together, these two currents sustain life and community, forming a divinely sanctioned chain of reciprocity.

Trade, in this conception, is not merely an economic act but a sacred trust. Historically, Muslim traders understood their participation in markets as part of a divine order of circulation: even when profits were low, they kept goods moving, believing that economic flow itself was a form of worship. For Dr. Malik, trade is so central to Islam that it could be described as its “currency.”

From Tribal Raiding to Economic Solidarity

To illuminate this vision, Dr. Malik guided the audience back to pre-Islamic Mecca—a society transitioning from tribal raiding to organized commerce. Mecca’s designation as a Haram (sanctuary) created a rare environment of safety for trade, enabling new institutions that shifted Arabia’s equilibrium from conflict to cooperation.

Two key innovations marked this transformation. The first was the Hilf, a network of tribal alliances ensuring safe passage for caravans. The second—and far more revolutionary—was the Ilaf, pioneered by Hashim ibn ʿAbd Manaf, the Prophet Muhammad’s great-grandfather. The Ilaf expanded beyond tribal pacts: Meccan merchants negotiated with counterparts in Syria, offering to transport their goods to faraway markets in exchange for protection.

This institutional leap dramatically increased the scale of trade and market access. In modern terms, the Ilaf functioned like a regional trade agreement, fostering interdependence among tribes that had once survived by raiding each other’s caravans. The result was a new kind of economic solidarity—a moral economy in which prosperity depended on cooperation rather than conquest.

Yet, this prosperity also produced inequality. Wealth accumulated among powerful merchant clans, deepening social divisions. The old tribal system, rooted in polytheism and clan patronage, could not resolve these tensions. The ground was ready for a transformative idea—one that would unify the moral and economic orders.

Islam as an Institutional Revolution

Islam emerged, in Dr. Malik’s telling, as an institutional revolution that answered this moment of imbalance. Monotheism replaced the authority of the clan with the authority of God, liberating trade and charity from tribal privilege. Acts of exchange—both commercial and charitable—were reframed as universal duties rather than selective favors.

The Prophet Muhammad’s establishment of the marketplace in Medina epitomized this vision. His instruction not to “set up sections” within it and not to “impose taxes” reflected a radical ideal: a market open to all, unfragmented by monopolies, and free from exploitative exactions. In Dr. Malik’s interpretation, this was both an economic and a moral statement—markets must remain autonomous and participatory.

In early Islamic civilization, markets and mosques stood side by side, embodying the unity of moral and material life. The marketplace was understood as a sadaqah jariyah—a perpetual charitable endowment—because it created livelihood, dignity, and interdependence. This economics of solidarity became the engine of Islam’s civilizational expansion, carried along trade routes that stretched from the Maghreb to Southeast Asia.

The Hajj, too, served as a living embodiment of circulation—drawing together people, goods, and ideas into a dynamic annual network of exchange. Far from being purely ritualistic, it was once a central hub of commerce, technology, and culture that connected the Muslim world.

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Fragmentation and the Loss of Circulation

Turning to the present, Dr. Malik lamented that the historical template of solidarity has largely vanished. Today, Muslim economies are among the least integrated in the world, with minimal intra-OIC trade and little economic cooperation. He identified several interlocking causes for this fragmentation.

First is the political economy of privilege. Protectionist elites and monopolistic interests profit from closed markets, insulating themselves from competition while ordinary citizens bear the costs.

Second is political insecurity. Many rulers view cross-border economic integration as a threat, fearing it could empower new centers of influence beyond their control.

Third are geopolitical constraints. Both global powers and local actors have incentives to maintain “thick borders,” preventing the emergence of a unified Muslim economic bloc that could wield collective bargaining power on the world stage.

In Dr. Malik’s view, even sacred practices have been reduced to individualized rituals stripped of their social and economic functions. The Hajj, for instance, once a catalyst for trade and cultural exchange, now fulfills only “half its philosophical purpose.” Its civilizational dimension—the mingling of crafts, ideas, and partnerships—has been lost to compartmentalized modernity.

Rethinking Ideology and the Moral Foundations of Economy

In the discussion that followed, participants probed deeper into the philosophical implications of Dr. Malik’s thesis. When asked whether Muslims should seek to construct a distinct “Islamic economic system,” he cautioned against rigid ideologies.

Rather than creating another “ism,” Dr. Malik urged a return to ethical universals: justice (ʿadl), public welfare (maṣlaḥa), and the prevention of exploitation. The central question, he argued, is not whether a system is capitalist or socialist, but who holds power, who creates value, and who extracts it. Every economy must be judged by how it balances power and ensures fairness.

He noted that ownership itself, in the Islamic worldview, is never absolute—it is a trust (amānah) before God. Wealth must serve as a conduit for community benefit, not a tool for domination. This ethic, exemplified in Caliph ʿUmar’s willingness to repossess idle land for public use, defines Islam’s pragmatic but principled approach to justice and prosperity.

Reclaiming the Spirit of Integration

How, then, can Muslims begin to rebuild the spirit of economic integration? Dr. Malik proposed a pragmatic roadmap grounded in gradual reform rather than grand utopian schemes.

He called for an intellectual awakening—a new generation of Muslim thinkers, economists, and scholars who are unafraid to question inherited orthodoxies and articulate bold visions of shared prosperity. The task, he emphasized, is not merely academic but civilizational: to imagine a moral economy that is modern, dynamic, and deeply rooted in Islamic principles.

Second, he urged the creation of networks—both material and intellectual—that can link business communities across borders. Regional chambers of commerce, trade associations, and cultural institutions can serve as bridges of collaboration.

Third, he highlighted the importance of mobility. Economic integration begins with human movement. Easing visa restrictions, improving connectivity, and encouraging travel for study and trade would reawaken the historical channels through which Muslim societies once thrived.

Finally, Dr. Malik emphasized cultural capital as a hidden resource. Morocco’s engagement with West Africa through shared Sufi traditions, for instance, demonstrates how spiritual and historical ties can become corridors of commerce. These “soft” networks can succeed where political alliances fail, cultivating trust and shared purpose.

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Balancing Prosperity and Justice

Yet integration, Dr. Malik acknowledged, also carries risks—particularly rising inequality. As markets expand, the danger of concentration and exclusion increases. Islam’s emphasis on charity, zakat, and fair circulation offers built-in correctives to these tendencies, reminding societies that growth without justice is spiritually barren.

Monopoly, he argued, is not only economically inefficient but morally corrupt. In prophetic ethics, hoarding and price manipulation are sins because they disrupt divine circulation. Keeping markets open and competitive is therefore not just sound policy—it is a moral imperative.

The Ummah as a Civilizational Project

Dr. Malik concluded by reframing Islamic economic integration not as a political slogan but as a long-term civilizational project. True unity cannot be imposed from above; it must grow organically from networks of exchange, trust, and shared ethical purpose.

The early Islamic experience offers more than nostalgia—it offers a framework for imagining global interdependence without domination. In an age marked by protectionism, inequality, and xenophobic nationalism, Islam’s moral economy points toward an alternative vision of globalization: one grounded in reciprocity, justice, and mutual flourishing.

Reimagining the Ummah in this light requires both intellectual courage and moral imagination. It begins not with governments or grand institutions, but with the rediscovery of circulation—of goods, ideas, and compassion—across borders of geography and thought. Only then can the Ummah reclaim its place as a moral and economic community, bound together not merely by faith, but by a shared commitment to the well-being of all.

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This article was written based on Dr. Adeel Malik’s presentation at the Ummatics Colloquium, moderated by Usaama Al-Azami. Generative AI was used to assist with restructuring, expansion, and image. Ummah International has no official relationship with Ummatics.

This article is adapted and expanded from a speech given by Dr. Ovamir Anjum, founder of the Ummatic Institute, at the Islamic Finance Conference at Harvard.

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Across the Muslim world, hearts are heavy as we witness the suffering of Gaza. For two years, millions have seen images of deaths, starvation, and devastation, yet the fifty-seven nations that make up the ummah have been unable to mount significant help let alone realize free Palestine. This tragedy has become a mirror, revealing a painful truth: despite vast wealth, global presence, and growing influence, the ummah remains paralyzed in the face of injustice. Our collective grief must not descend into despair but rise as a call for renewal—a reminder that those most privileged with knowledge, education, and global opportunity bear the greatest responsibility to act. The Muslims studying at leading universities, working in powerful institutions, and shaping the future of industries are not mere spectators. They are the globally empowered Muslims whom Allah has entrusted with the means to heal and strengthen the ummah.

To do so requires rethinking how we understand markets, wealth, and morality. Islam has never stood against commerce. Trade lies at the heart of the prophetic tradition; it was through honest trade that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ earned his title of al-Amin, the trustworthy. The problem, therefore, is not the existence of markets, but the transformation of the market into an idol—the elevation of profit from a means to a god. Islam’s economic vision is not anti-market; it is a moral market. It welcomes enterprise but anchors it in justice, compassion, and accountability before Allah. Capitalism, on the other hand, worships accumulation for its own sake and measures human worth by material gain.

Capitalism is often described as a system of freedom, but in reality it has always been tied to power and coercion. Its so-called “free markets” were forged through war, colonization, and state violence. It claims to be secular, yet readily harnesses religion when it serves profit. In America, for instance, the “prosperity gospel” teaches that wealth is proof of divine favor—a notion that has quietly seeped into Muslim societies as well. Capitalism’s genius lies in its ability to absorb even its critics, including religion itself, by turning them into instruments of consumption and control. What began as a system of trade has become a total worldview, redefining virtue as utility, success as accumulation, and progress as consumption.

At its core, capitalism deifies profit maximization. It strips away all ethical limits on the pursuit of gain, except those that protect the interests of the powerful. Under its logic, the value of a thing—and of a person—is determined by what can be extracted from it. The Islamic worldview stands in direct opposition to this. The testimony la ilaha illa Allah negates all false gods before affirming the one true God; capitalism, by contrast, has erected profit as a false deity that commands obedience across the globe. Its spiritual consequence is the loss of remembrance—forgetting Allah, the afterlife, and the moral purpose of wealth.

Islam’s resistance to this system does not rest merely on ethical exhortation but on law. Shariah translates moral principles into social and economic boundaries. It prohibits interest not to hinder enterprise, but to protect human dignity and prevent exploitation. It mandates zakat to circulate wealth and purify hearts. This legal-moral synthesis is precisely what makes Islam such a powerful alternative to capitalism. When religion loses its legal and ethical authority, it becomes easy to repurpose—an ornament of piety without transformative power. Once faith is stripped of its capacity to shape law, family, and public life, it risks becoming capitalism’s handmaiden, blessing the very system that destroys its moral foundation.

The modern project of Islamic economics arose after the collapse of the Ottoman Caliphate, as Muslims sought to reclaim autonomy from colonial capitalism. Early thinkers envisioned an economy guided by divine law and communal solidarity. Yet as the twentieth century unfolded, the rise of neoliberal globalization absorbed much of this effort. Islamic finance expanded rapidly, but its growth was often shaped by the same profit-driven logic it sought to transcend. While it offered valuable ethical tools, it increasingly resembled the very capitalist markets it was meant to critique. The result was material success but moral dilution—a system that spoke the language of Islam yet operated within the grammar of capitalism.

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To restore its soul, Islamic economics must return to its ethical and communal roots. Real change begins not with institutions but with the moral choices of individuals and communities. Capitalism thrives on discontent, urging people to seek happiness through endless consumption. Islam resists by teaching contentment, service, and worship. Every act of prayer, care for family, or decision to prioritize duty over material advantage is an act of rebellion against the logic of greed. The practice of qard hasanah—interest-free loans given out of compassion—cannot exist in societies where trust has eroded. Such practices depend on strong local bonds, on people who see one another not as consumers but as brothers and sisters in faith. In this sense, rebuilding the ummah’s economy begins with rebuilding the ummah itself.

Yet the challenge is not only moral; it is structural. Today, trade among Muslim nations accounts for barely three percent of their total commerce. The economies of the ummah remain deeply tied to former colonial powers, locked in vertical relationships that perpetuate dependency. A true economic awakening will come only when Muslim societies begin to trade, invest, and innovate with one another. The Muslim world has far more to learn horizontally—from its own diverse experiences—than from imitation of the West. Countries like Indonesia, with their experiments in social enterprise and community-based finance, offer models of ethical modernization rooted in faith.

The path forward demands a new moral imagination: a spiritual economy that measures success not by GDP, but by justice, dignity, and nearness to Allah. The first act of resistance to capitalism is not a policy reform but a spiritual one—to remember the purpose of life, to treat wealth as trust, and to use power in service of the weak. Every generation of Muslims has faced its own tests; ours is to build an economy that restores balance between the material and the moral.

If capitalism conquered the world by globalizing greed, then Islam can renew it by globalizing compassion. The ummah’s renewal will not come from mimicking the world’s powers but from rediscovering its own. May Allah grant us the strength to build an economy that serves humanity, protects the oppressed, and honors the Creator—so that when we stand before Him, we can say with sincerity: we did our best.

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This article was written based on original concepts from the Dr. Ovamir Anjum in his speech at the Islamic Finance Conference at Harvard. Generative AI was used to assist with restructuring, expansion, and image. Ummah International has no official relationship with Ummatics.

As the humanitarian situation in Baitul Maqdis continues to demand urgent attention, the question arises: how can the Ummah mobilize its collective resources more transparently, efficiently, and in full alignment with Sharia principles? Traditional funding mechanisms often struggle with barriers of trust, speed, and accountability, creating challenges that hinder the Ummah’s ability to act swiftly in times of crisis.

In this context, blockchain technology and Sharia-compliant crypto solutions open new pathways for ethical and transparent humanitarian financing. Beyond mere speculation, these tools hold practical potential to empower the Ummah in addressing real-world needs, including direct aid distribution, community-based zakat management, and sustainable waqf and microfinance initiatives.

This webinar explores how blockchain can serve as a moral technology that bridges innovation with Islamic values of justice, trust, and stewardship. The session will unpack the urgency of humanitarian crises, foundational concepts of blockchain and cryptocurrency, Sharia integration within decentralized systems, regulatory frameworks and fatwas on digital assets, and real case studies of Islamic crypto applications across the Muslim world.

By connecting the technical with the ethical, this session invites reflection on how blockchain can embody the spirit of tawhid and amanah to empower the Ummah globally and serve causes such as Baitul Maqdis with renewed transparency, dignity, and solidarity.

Jodhi Adhikaprana Sardjono is the Chairman of the Asosiasi Blockchain Syariah Indonesia (ABSI), Co-Founder and Managing Director at Orbitum, and Country Manager at UmrahCash. He is also a Sharia Private Equity Enthusiast, President of the Shafa Community, and Founder of Islamic Ikigai. His work explores the integration of faith, finance, and technology through an Islamic ethical lens. He is the author of Visionary Life, Islamic Ikigai, Blockchain in Sharia Perspectives, and Crypto in Sharia Perspectives.

The discussion and subsequent Q&A session was moderated by Muhammad Ghufron Mustaqim, Ummah International Khadim.

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Summary

The Crisis and the Call for Financial Innovation

• The future of global technology and finance lies in blockchain and crypto. Six hundred years ago, the Muslim world fell behind due to the late adoption of technology. The delay in embracing the printing press set the Ummah back by three centuries compared to the West and contributed to the decline of the last caliphate.

• Crypto is not the game of a select few, but the fifth largest industry in the world by global market capitalization. This represents a second opportunity for the Muslim world—not to be left behind again in the next technological revolution

• Muslims must understand blockchain and crypto technologies because they promote financial independence, align with Islamic principles, prepare the Ummah for a digital future, and open pathways to a more inclusive economic and social order. The just distribution of wealth remains the ultimate objective of the Islamic economic system.

Decoding Blockchain: Trust, Transparency, and Decentralization

• Blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger that records transactions securely, permanently, and transparently using cryptography and consensus mechanisms. It enables real-time value transfer without central authority, making financial transactions faster, safer, and more efficient. With its core features of decentralization, transparency, and immutability, blockchain represents a transformative step toward trust-based digital systems.

• Cryptocurrency is a blockchain-based digital asset that operates in a decentralized, secure, and transparent system where all transactions are verified through cryptography without intermediaries. It encompasses various types—such as utility, transactional, governance, platform, and security tokens—each serving distinct roles within the digital ecosystem. These assets function as tools for payment, investment, and the operation of decentralized applications.

When Faith Meets Technology: Integrating Sharia Principles into Blockchain Systems

• Blockchain technology and crypto assets have the potential to uphold the Islamic principle of hifz al-mal (protection of wealth) by enhancing transparency, security, and efficiency while preventing usury (riba), corruption, and unlawful activities. They also open opportunities for broader economic benefit and social welfare.

• From the lens of fiqh and usul al-fiqh, crypto is fundamentally mubah (permissible), with its ruling determined by its benefits (maslahah) and harms (mafsadah). It is considered Sharia-compliant when transparent, free from riba and gharar, used for lawful purposes, and provides real value to the Ummah.

Between Law and Fatwa: Navigating the Islamic Legal Landscape of Digital Assets

• Legal Rulings on Cryptocurrency (MUI Fatwa, Ijtima Ulama Komisi Fatwa VII, November 2021): The use of cryptocurrency as a currency is haram due to elements of gharar, dharar, and its contradiction with national monetary regulations. Trading crypto as a digital commodity is invalid if it involves gharar, dharar, or qimar, and fails to meet sil‘ah requirements such as tangible form, clear value, and ownership transfer. However, crypto assets that meet sil‘ah criteria, have clear underlying value, and provide real benefits are permissible (halal) for trade.

• Globally, scholarly discussions on the Sharia perspective of blockchain and cryptocurrency began around 2013, when Mufti Faraz Adam published his paper “Bitcoin: Shariah Compliant?” The study concluded that investing in Bitcoin can be permissible under Islamic law. His analysis also referenced the views of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Aqeel, who explored the relationship between Sharia principles and emerging blockchain technologies.

Crypto with Purpose: Sharia-Compliant Solutions for the Empowerment of the Ummah

• Blockchain can be applied in both financial and non-financial sectors, enabling transparent and secure tracking of physical and digital assets across organizations. It ensures every movement is auditable and traceable from origin to destination. The technology’s design upholds data integrity, preventing any alteration or manipulation of information.

• The practical use of blockchain technology extends beyond finance to real-world applications such as securing land certificates and documents, enabling faster and cheaper cross-border transactions, and facilitating transparent donations, voting systems, crowdfunding for property, and global business funding. These applications demonstrate how blockchain can empower the Ummah through efficiency, trust, and inclusivity. In essence, it transforms technology into a tool for collective progress and ethical impact.

• The main challenges in humanitarian funding today are that the money often doesn’t reach its destination, transfers take too long, and exchange costs reduce the total value received. Cryptocurrency solves these problems by enabling fast, low-cost, and borderless transfers. In the case of Baitul Maqdis, blockchain-based crypto ensures aid is delivered directly and transparently to those in need.

Discussion

The Future of Crypto in Indonesia: Between Investment Asset and Transaction Tool

• In Indonesia, cryptocurrencies are predominantly used as investment instruments rather than as a medium of exchange. Regulatory frameworks currently classify crypto as a tradable digital asset under Bappebti, not as legal tender.

• Since the only legal currency in Indonesia is the rupiah, using crypto for direct transactions remains within a grey area. Some platforms have introduced crypto-based debit cards that rely on real-time converters to process payments, but widespread adoption faces significant legal and infrastructural barriers.

Crypto Without Power: Can Digital Assets Survive a World Without Electricity?

• If electricity disappeared permanently, blockchain networks would stop functioning since all nodes depend on powered computers to maintain and verify the ledger. The data would still exist in saved copies but remain inaccessible without power.

• The modern banking system would also collapse because it relies on centralized digital databases and electronic communication. Without electricity, both crypto and fiat systems would lose functionality, leaving only tangible assets as real value.

Under the Blockchain: Discovering Crypto’s Real Underlying Value

• Each cryptocurrency has its own underlying value system. For Bitcoin, it’s the secure, decentralized network powered by cryptographic code and global computing energy, so understanding any crypto requires researching what real-world mechanism or utility backs its value.

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This article was inspired by the concepts and insights shared during the Ummah International Webinar by Jodhi Adhikaprana Sardjono , a member of Ummah International. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

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A meaningful community begins with purpose-driven individuals and value-based leadership. It’s not just about gathering people, but aligning them with shared values and a clear direction. When done right, leadership evolves into culture, and community becomes movement.

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It Starts with Personal and Team Values

Before a community can grow, individuals must build strong personal values. These values shape their thinking, actions, and purpose. A person with clear values becomes an agent of change. This is someone who no longer follows trends, but sets direction. This agent will naturally seek communities that align with their mission and identity.

When like-minded individuals unite, their personal values form a collective team value. This becomes the foundation for high performance and resilience. In companies like Apple, strong individual values lead to competitive team values, which translate into world-class products. The same is true for impactful communities.

Values grow from thoughts to actions and eventually form identity. That identity shapes how teams behave, how decisions are made, and how purpose is pursued.

Leadership, Structure, and the Role of a Guide

Communities require leadership. Not just a manager, but a guide. A leader gives vision, clarity, and direction. However, long-term growth needs more than charisma, it needs structure. A good community creates roles and divisions that allow people to contribute based on their strengths and passions.

Too often, Muslim communities rely on a single figure. As a result, the community gets stuck in a cycle of dependence. What’s needed is distributed leadership: members empowered to lead in their own capacity, with clear space for contribution and actualization.

Each division must be designed to match member’s interests and talents, encouraging ownership and initiative. Then, divisions collaborate under a shared vision. This creates innovation, ownership, and real movement. As the system strengthens, collaboration can expand across regions, even nations.

Collaboration should never be random. When a community carries strong internal values, it doesn’t need external validation. Partnerships must serve the same mission, not just short-term gain.

Community Becomes Culture, Culture Becomes Movement

When a community is driven by values, it naturally grows into a movement, one that not only transforms individuals but shapes society. The journey looks like this:

Trigger → Interest → Filtering → Actualisation → Change

To ensure focus, filtering can follow the principles of Maqasid al-Shariah:
Hifz al-Din (faith), Hifz al-Nafs (life), Hifz al-‘Aql (intellect), Hifz al-Nasl (lineage), Hifz al-Mal (wealth), and Hifz al-Biah (environment).

Once the internal structure is strong, community movement values begin to affect the environment around them. They produce local impact through education, initiatives, service, and innovation. Over time, this local impact scales to global influence.

This is how movements like Muhammadiyah have lasted over a century, and how companies like Walt Disney continue to shape culture. They’re not just groups, they’re ecosystems built on values that have become part of people’s way of life.

Change doesn’t start with platforms or noise. It starts with people. When those people are grounded in values, led with clarity, and organized with purpose, a community transforms into a movement and then becomes culture.

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Why Leadership Matters

From an Islamic perspective, leadership is a divine trust, or amanah, not a title to be claimed lightly. The Qur’an in Surah Al-Ahzab (33:72) describes how this responsibility was too heavy even for the heavens and earth, yet it was accepted by humanity. In Islam, a leader must be honest, just, and accountable to Allah, driven not by personal gain but by a higher purpose to uphold Tauhid, establish justice, safeguard the Maqasid al-Shariah, and guide people toward what is right. Islamic leadership has historically taken various forms such as the Khalifah, Imam or Amir, and Uli al-Amri, all united by the duty to lead with integrity.

From a civilizational perspective, leadership is what determines the rise and fall of societies. Leaders shape historical direction and turn decisions into long-term structures. While soft power can inspire, it requires the backing of strong institutions, strategic thinking, and firm leadership to create enduring impact. Civilizations with weak leadership eventually lose coherence, while those with strong, value-based leadership build legacies.

From a social perspective, leadership doesn’t need to begin with the majority. According to Dr. Tareq Suwaidan’s critical nucleus theory, change starts with a small, disciplined group whose consistency can influence many. This is affirmed by research from Erica Chenoweth showing that as little as 3.5% of a population, when actively involved, can spark unstoppable movements. Within the global Muslim context, even a disciplined 2% of muslim population can initiate mass mobilization, creating a ripple effect that transforms the entire Ummah.

From a personal perspective, no one can lead others without first leading themselves. True leadership requires inner discipline, clarity, resilience, and the ability to navigate uncertainty. It is built on habits of responsibility, thoughtful decision-making, and emotional strength. Self-leadership forms the moral core that allows public leadership to be trusted and respected.

In the case of Baitul Maqdis, leadership becomes a mirror for the Ummah. When the Muslim world is led with justice and clarity, Baitul Maqdis is protected and honored. When leadership fractures, its sanctity becomes vulnerable. The liberation and preservation of this sacred site cannot rely on emotion or sympathy alone. It demands trained, consistent leaders who carry the mission with long-term vision. This leadership must embody direction rooted in Tauhid, strategic alignment across institutions and countries, and commitment that lasts beyond generations. Even the shift of the Qiblah from Baitul Maqdis to the Ka’bah served as a divine reminder that victory begins with leadership readiness. Reclaiming what is sacred begins not with power, but with the rise of leaders who know where they are going and why.

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This article was inspired by the concepts and insights shared during the Ummah International Webinar by Giajosie, a member of Ummah International. He is an expert in community, leadership, and marketing technology. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

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And yet, we often hear that for most of his life—especially after he was chosen as a Prophet—he and his family lived with great modesty. They sometimes went hungry for days, and his bed was no more than a simple mat on the floor.

The fact that Prophet Muhammad lived such a modest life is deeply inspiring. But it becomes even more remarkable when we remember that this was a chosen path—a path embraced by someone who was fully capable of living comfortably, but who chose Islam. As a result, he endured the economic hardships imposed by the Quraysh elites: boycotts, confiscation of property, and persecution.

Allah says in Al-Hujurat:13

“Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you.”

Nobility in Allah’s eyes comes from righteousness (taqwa), not from wealth or poverty. The true measure is not one’s net worth but one’s ethical stance and God-consciousness. Wealth itself is not shameful, nor is it the ultimate goal. What matters is whether it is hoarded for status—or mobilized for the Ummah.

We see a clear example in Khadijah (RA), one of Prophet Muhammad’s greatest pillars of support. She was immensely wealthy and used her fortune—earned in a male-dominated Quraysh economy—to sustain the early Muslim community. She provided food, shelter, and critical financial aid during times of persecution. Her backing was vital for establishing the early foundations of Islam when so many opposed the Prophet and the new faith.

From Prophet Muhammad we learn that being trustworthy—an essential trait in business—is also an essential trait of faith. Wealth, too, does not need to be shunned; but if Allah takes it away, we must be rida (content) and remember that it was never truly ours. Our priority must always be Islam and the Ummah. From Khadijah we see that immense wealth can be a powerful opportunity to uplift the Ummah, and that this responsibility is not limited to men, but women too.

This Friday (26 September), we will be launching the book Muslim Entrepreneur’s Guide to Venture Capital Fundraising. Let us come together, join forces, and become the economic engine of today’s Ummah through our contributions and integrity.

Grand Launching of Muslim Entrepreneur’s Guide To Venture Capital Fundraising Book

🗓 Friday, 26 September 2025

⏰ 19.30 Western Indonesian Time

📍 Live via Zoom

Join this WhatsApp group for the Zoom link:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/GbDoHLvszwf0F4GjoRFNcJ?mode=ems_copy_t

📞 Further info: +62 851-8478-9028 (Admin Ummah)

We are a nation threatened by disappearance.

-‘Isa and Yusuf Al-‘Isa, Filastin, 1914

That was written more than 100 years ago. The foreseeing that these Islamic scholars can do, right up to 2025.

“Disappearance” sounds very clinical, very clean, and instantaneous. Almost painless.

But in reality, disappearance means beheaded babies as Israel bombs pregnant women, a woman bombed so hard her baby was pushed out of her womb headless.[1] Disappearance means lacerated thighs of children after being hit by bombs specifically designed to split into a thousand deadly shrapnels.[2] Disappearance means a young man shot in the head by an Israeli sniper after walking 12 km on foot to the killing-field-disguised-as-aid-site GHF in hope of food for his starving family.[3] Disappearance means sexual assaults on women, men, and children in concentration camps—perpetrated by both Israeli men and women—and publicly defended in rallies demanding the “right” to rape in the name of God.[4] [5]

It is not clean. It is not instantaneous. It certainly isn’t painless.

The word “threat” also sounds so simple and singular. In reality it is the cumulative hard work of the world’s ruling class and their enslaved brightest minds. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) designed the blueprints and operationalized the killing fields of GHF— all for free! They said they did it pro bono. Is that even an excuse? [6] [7] Microsoft has its footprint on all major Israeli military infrastructure.[8] Elbit and Lockheed Martin are reaping a fortune producing war machines, paid for by American taxpayers.[9] The UK provides intelligence to Israel,[10] the EU political cover to Israel,[11] and the US —by God—the US gives everything it can to Israel: weapons, money, diplomatic power, legitimacy, and reputation.[12] [13]

It is despicable. It is breathtakingly abysmal. But we also must admit this is all hard work.

And it is only fair that they can only be defeated by hard work.

The Question of Unity

How? One thing is for sure: our Muslim ummah’s internal fragmentation is the biggest issue. And we must be honest—this fragmentation is not only our weakness. It is also the deliberate work of colonial powers, who carved artificial borders, inflamed sectarian divides, and propped up comprador elites loyal to empire instead of the ummah.

We have defeated cross-border enemies before. Saladin showed us the roadmap. One of his most striking strategies was to spend 75% of his time on internal consolidation.[14] Unity was not trivial—it was the key to victory.

The Power of a Few

History and strategy also remind us that it doesn’t take everyone, but it does take the right ones. Learning from Gia Josie’s webinar,[15] Dr. Tareq Suwaidan presented the critical nucleus theory: that only a small minority, if highly trained and consistent, can spark a movement. Political scientist Erica Chenoweth’s research confirms this: just 3.5% of the population actively mobilized is enough to reach a tipping point, where momentum becomes unstoppable.

For our ummah, this translates into something very practical. We do not need every single person to be ready from day one. We need about 2% of highly trained youth—the critical nucleus, around 1.5 million young people—and 3.5% of the general public—about 2.65 million people—to rise up and serve as active mobilization. That is the threshold where change begins to reverberate through the system and become unstoppable.

A Call to Work Together

So let’s connect. Let’s be kind to each other. Let’s be supportive. Let’s be candid but respectful. And since time is pressing—Gaza’s official death toll has reached 65,000 as we speak—let’s be practical and collaborative. Let’s have low-ego conversations, not attaching views to our pride, but judging ideas on their merit regardless of who presents them.

And from there let’s work. Hard.

May our fast tomorrow help soften our hearts and connect us better. May Allah purify our intentions and accept our deeds.

Written in preparation of Sunnah fasting on Monday, 30 Rabiulawal 1447 Unified Global Hijri Calendar (UGHC) / 22 September 2025 AD.

[1] https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/9/1/israeli-forces-kill-pregnant-woman-and-unborn-baby-in-gaza-city-assault

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/11/israeli-weapons-shrapnel-children-gaza-injured

[3] https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/7/31/ghf-whistleblower-says-boy-killed-by-israel-just-after-he-collected-aid

[4] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/rape-threats-by-illegal-settlers-against-palestinians-become-common-after-sde-teiman-incident/3313922#

[5] https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/video/newsfeed/2024/8/13/israeli-protesters-rally-for-the-right-to-rape-prisoners

[6] https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-consultancy-firm-involved-ghf-aid-scheme-modelled-plans-relocate

[7] https://www.bcg.com/news/6july2025-clarifying-bcg-involvement-with-aid-in-gaza

[8] https://www.972mag.com/microsoft-azure-openai-israeli-army-cloud/

[9] https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g25/094/40/pdf/g2509440.pdf

[10] https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/aug/07/uks-surveillance-flights-over-gaza-raise-questions-on-help-for-israeli-military

[11] https://www.tni.org/en/publication/partners-in-crime-EU-complicity-Israel-genocide-Gaza

[12] https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-israel

[13] https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/09/1165881#:~:text=18%20September%202025%20Peace%20and,this%20Council%2C”%20she%20said.

[14]

[15] https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1P0O0i2u4OfqynoTauTIl6xDuFR5zrsBj?usp=drive_link

The political elites are now busy, not with accountability, but damage control. Political parties now put some of their MPs in the House of Representatives as “non-active” to diffuse public anger. But “non-active” is not a legal term; it certainly does not have any legal consequences. Those “non-active” MPs, who have insulted the public calling them “morons” (tolol) and complaining about Jakarta’s traffic and, instead of fixing them, demanded a housing allowance tenfold of people’s wages, are still entitled to get paid salary and allowances. What are these “non-active” status then? Paid holidays?

Some of these MPs even ran away abroad, saying that they are “afraid” to come home. Afraid of whom? Indonesians? Who they are supposed to serve?

Amidst Indonesia’s recession, the difficulty of finding jobs, and the weakening of our purchasing power, some Members of Parliament still go on leisurely “business trips” abroad. When they encounter Indonesian students overseas, they avoid them. Who are they serving? Why are they afraid? Do we look like irrational people to whom they cannot be held accountable, cannot be reasoned with? Do you know who else thought that way about Indonesians? The colonizers — the Dutch in the 1940s.

President Prabowo Subianto labeled demonstrators as “traitors,” conveniently using the term “terrorism,” and unleashed police and military repression across the country. Is it a coincidence, then, who else is conveniently using the “terrorism” label? It is Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. He stood before Netanyahu’s cabinet and declared that volunteers aboard the Sumud Global Flotilla should be designated “terrorists.”

Indonesia and Palestine are bound together here by a common thread: the weaponization of “terrorism” as a tool to silence dissent, criminalize solidarity, and grant the state a blank check for violence. In Jakarta, the “terrorist” label justifies batons, bullets, and armored patrols against students. In Tel Aviv, it justifies naval blockades, prison cells, and the starvation of an entire people.

Western human rights institutions, meanwhile, limit the horizon of critique. On September 2, Human Rights Watch’s Asia director Meenakshi Ganguly called Prabowo “irresponsible.” The UN’s Ravina Shamdasani urged “dialogue.” Amnesty Indonesia’s Usman Hamid demanded “democratic means.” These statements may appear principled, but they reduce structural violence to technical violations. They speak the language of “restraint” and “professionalism,” as if repression were simply a matter of bad training, rather than the logical outcome of militarized capitalism in Indonesia and settler colonialism in Palestine.

This contradiction cuts deepest in Indonesia. In 1955, at the Bandung Conference, newly independent nations of Asia and Africa gathered to reject colonial domination and assert the right of peoples to determine their future. Indonesia stood proudly at the forefront of that movement. The Bandung Spirit became a beacon for anti-colonial struggles — including Palestine’s. Yet seventy years later, Indonesia’s own rulers deploy colonial tactics against their citizens: tear gas in campuses, police raids on activists, armored vehicles in shopping malls. The state has become what it once condemned.

Palestine today is the naked edge of colonial violence. The siege of Gaza — starvation as warfare, mass imprisonment, aerial bombardment — is a continuation of the same imperial logic Bandung sought to overturn. The Sumud Global Flotilla, now sailing against Israel’s blockade, is more than a humanitarian mission. It is Bandung’s unfinished project: ordinary people refusing the categories of empire, breaking blockades with their own hands, and declaring that freedom in Gaza is inseparable from freedom in Jakarta.

We don’t want peace; we want justice.

We are told to wait, to calm down, to be “reasonable.” But history shows that justice has never been granted to those who waited politely. It has always been seized by those who refused to bow.

And so we say it clearly: we will not settle for a peace of submission. We demand justice — in the streets of Jakarta, in the refugee camps of Gaza, and everywhere empire insists that people must be silent.

This Thursday, as we fast, we refuse to forget. Each hunger pang binds us to Rheza, Iko, Andika — and to every Palestinian under siege. We hunger not for peace without justice, but for justice itself.

Written in preparation of Thursday Sunnah fasting on 12 Rabiulawal 1447 Unified Global Hijri Calendar (UGHC) or 4 September 2025 AD

False Peace, Real Violence

In Indonesia, politicians awarded themselves housing allowances nearly ten times the minimum wage. Citizens, students, and workers rose up, torching parliament buildings in Makassar and blocking roads in Medan. The elite demanded “peace.” But what they meant was silence—order imposed through Brimob batons, bullets, and armored trucks. Affan’s death stripped away the euphemisms: peace without justice is merely violence renamed.

In Gaza, Israel frames its project as “security” and “peacekeeping.” Yet its logic is equally genocidal. By activating the Hannibal Directive, the Israeli state announced to its soldiers and to the world: we would rather kill our own than let Palestinians live with leverage. For Palestinians, “peace” is occupation, blockade, famine, and daily bombardment. As in Jakarta, “peace” is an order that defends only the powerful, not the people.

Justice as the Demand

When Indonesians chant and burn, when Palestinians resist with ambushes in Zeitoun, they are not rejecting peace itself. They are rejecting false peace—the quiet of hunger, dispossession, and militarized order. Their demand is justice:

• For Indonesia, that means dismantling elite allowances, reversing austerity, holding Brimob accountable, and redistributing resources to workers and communities.

• For Palestine, that means ending siege and occupation, recognizing sovereignty, returning land, and dismantling the settler-colonial system that denies life itself.

Both cases reveal the same truth: peace without justice is submission.

Global Resonance

The cry “We don’t want peace, we want justice” echoes across continents. It is heard in Jakarta’s burning parliaments and Gaza’s streets under bombardment. It is a rejection of Western liberal narratives that prize “stability” and “dialogue” while concealing the structural violence of capitalism, austerity, and settler colonialism.

Decolonial struggle insists on naming perpetrators—Jakarta’s politicians and militarised suppression mechanics, Israel’s military and state—and dismantling the systems that protect them. Only then can peace be more than silence. Only then can it be justice.

Monday Sunnah fasting

Tomorrow, as we observe the Sunnah fast of Monday, we carry not only personal devotion but collective remembrance. Fasting is discipline, patience, and solidarity with the hungry, the oppressed, and the dispossessed. It sharpens our awareness that true justice demands sacrifice and steadfastness.

The hunger we feel is a shadow of what Palestinians endure under siege, and what Indonesian workers endure under austerity.

May Allah gives us ease and accept our deeds.

Written in preparation of Sunnah fasting on Monday, 9 Rabiulawal 1447 United Global Hijri Calendar (UGHC) or 1 September 2025 AD

Shir Hever, an Israeli-born Jew and part of the military embargo campaign of the Palestinian BDS movement, said on The Electronic Intifada:

“The idea that international law and protests and BDS actions would convince the Israeli government to say ‘we are sorry, we made a mistake, we will now stop committing a genocide’ - this is not how things work. This is never been the plan of action and this is not how pressure works. The pressure is on the world. The pressure is on the governments around the world to stop enabling the genocide and to take action.”[1]

We need to be clear: genocidaires do not stop out of shame. Israel’s genocide in Gaza is not a mistake or a sudden eruption. It is the outcome of more than seven decades of Zionist settler colonialism: a project of racial hierarchy, militarized land theft, and ethnic cleansing—armed and financed by Western imperial powers who see Palestinian death as the cost of maintaining their world order. We are not at the beginning. We are at Stage 9: Extermination, in the Ten Stages of Genocide. And it is not only Israeli society that has gone through those stages. Western elites, corporations, and allied governments have normalized them, provided cover for them, and profited from them.

Shir is right: the pressure is not on Israelis—they are the perpetrators. The pressure is on the world. But we must be honest: in the past two years, no government has acted decisively to stop the genocide. Not Indonesia. Not Turkey. Not Qatar. Certainly not the Arab regimes who openly normalize with Israel like the UAE. And let’s not even talk about Saudi Arabia. Western governments, led by the U.S. and the U.K., continue to arm, fund, and provide intelligence for Israel’s extermination of Palestinians. Muslim-majority governments remain paralyzed or complicit.

So given this, I would like to take it further:

“The pressure to stop this genocide is on us.

The pressure to step up and step in to stop this genocide is on everyone of us with conscience. On individual level. Everyone of us.

I know some of us have already done a lot for Palestine—and I deeply appreciate you for it. This is not to dismiss those efforts, but a reminder, mainly to myself, that we must continue to step up, to do more, and to hold each other strong. Let us all do our part and strengthen one another, because liberation is a collective struggle.

Stop being shocked that the U.S. keeps arming Israel, that the U.K. keeps supplying intelligence, that Muslim governments remain silent or complicit. Empire has always chosen the side of colonizers. The real question is: will we step up and step in, together?

Those videos of Israel starving babies to death, those images of Palestinian mothers holding the broken bodies of their children killed by Israeli shrapnel, those reports of Palestinian men kidnapped and sexually assaulted by Israelis in Sdr Teiman concentration camp —those are not just testimonies of suffering. They are the direct evidence of a genocidal system. And they are also summons: calls for us to rise, act, and refuse to be complicit through silence.

To act.

To read Surah Al Isra every night before going to bed, in accordance with Sunnah.[2]

To support mutual aid campaigns that deliver food and medicine to Gaza.[3]

To study and be creative in perpetuating the Baitul Maqdis culture in our everyday life, for example by joining Al Maqdisi Protocol competition.[4]

To join brave initiatives such as Malaysia’s 1000 Watermelon Flotilla to break Israel’s siege of Gaza.[5]

To volunteer at initiatives that make tangible results like the Hind Rajab Foundation.[6]

To imagine a different world after Palestine’s liberation, where the global order is no longer shaped by Western hegemony, and to begin building independent collective infrastructure—such as a gold-backed currency as an alternative to fiat money—by joining Ummah International.[7]

You may not agree with some or all of the above initiatives. They may be ineffective, impractical, not urgent, or flawed for other reasons. But that is not the point. The point is: the pressure is on each of us to do something.

Perhaps the reason why you disagree with some or any of these initiatives is that Allah is directing you toward creating something else—something you are best placed to do. So, please do it.

Please do let us know and amplify your initiatives as well - we are here to chip in and help. Liberation is a collective struggle.

What Shir said is so simple but so profound to me, because it really changes my mindset of trying to convince others, who are outside of my control, and instead realising that the pressure is on me, and what I do is completely within my control.

So stop being baffled at how Keir Starmer does not flinch when he sees babies starved to skeletons, and instead channel that energy into waking up at 3 a.m. to read Qur’an and study. If this is hard for us, if this is not something we already do, then perhaps that is part of the reason why Palestine is not yet liberated. Again, I say this first and foremost to myself.

Surely, none of this is to say that Baitul Maqdis liberation is up to us - it is from Allah. But Allah will only help us if we do something.

There is a reason why each of us is made the way we are—our education, our wealth, our connections, our privilege. Use them, because we will be held to account for them.

May our fast on Monday help us along this journey.

Sources:

[1] Electronic Intifada video:

[2] Hadith for Sunnah reading Surah Al Isra every night: https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2014/01/01/prophet-recite-quran-nawm/

[3] Mutual aid: https://t.me/+nn1E8G_C6rQ0MDJk

[4] Al Maqdisi Protocol competition: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGsYWH4CAw/hojre7xuUCWAlTRpF4kTPQ/view?utm_content=DAGsYWH4CAw&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=viewer

[5] Malaysia’s 1000 Watermelon Flotilla: https://watermelonflotilla.org

[6] The Hind Rajab Foundation: https://www.hindrajabfoundation.org

[7] Ummah International: https://www.ummah.international

Written in preparation of Sunnah fasting on Monday, 2 Rabiulawal 1447 Unified Global Hijri Calendar (UGHC) or 25 August 2025 AD.

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Introduction: The Westphalian World and Its Discontents

The modern world order is anchored by the presumption that the Westphalian system of sovereign nation-states represents the natural, inevitable, and universally applicable framework for global governance. This model, often traced to the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, is celebrated for championing principles such as territoriality, exclusive state sovereignty, and the doctrine of non-interference in the domestic affairs of other states.¹ This foundational structure is formally enshrined in key documents of international law, including the United Nations Charter, which explicitly forbids intervention in matters of a state’s domestic jurisdiction.¹ However, the intellectual and practical foundations of this system are now under unprecedented strain. The trans-boundary crises of the 21st century—from the existential threat of climate change to the entrenching of systemic poverty and the persistence of intractable conflicts—demonstrate a profound mismatch between a 17th-century European paradigm and a hyper-interconnected global reality.⁴

This article deconstructs the intellectual and historical mythos surrounding the Westphalian model, arguing that its continued dominance is less a testament to its efficacy and more a consequence of its powerful, yet fragile, ideological and historical construction. It contends that the state-centric level of analysis, which has long dominated the field of International Relations, is intellectually and ontologically insufficient for comprehending and addressing contemporary global challenges. In its place, this report will explore the growing relevance of a pluriversal approach, one that recognizes a "world of many worlds," each with its own valid and historically-rooted framework for order and coexistence.⁶ Specifically, it will analyze two compelling civilizational frameworks—the Islamic concept of the Ummah and the Chinese idea of Tianxia—as potent and ethical alternatives. The analysis will demonstrate that the Ummah, in particular, offers a robust and compelling imaginary for a new global order founded not on competitive self-interest but on principles of justice, peace, and shared prosperity.⁹

Deconstructing the Westphalian Myth: A Genealogy of a Fabricated Order

The conventional wisdom in textbooks of international relations and international law holds that the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 marked the birth of the modern international system.¹¹ This narrative, which has held the status of "textbook knowledge," posits that the treaties replaced a universalistic, hierarchical order dominated by the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope with a new system of independent and sovereign states.¹ A closer look at the historical record, however, reveals this story to be a powerful and deliberate intellectual fabrication.¹³

Historical scrutiny and textual analysis show that the Peace of Westphalia, which was comprised of two distinct treaties, was a pragmatic resolution to the complex constitutional and religious conflicts of the Thirty Years' War.¹² It did not establish the modern, exclusive form of sovereignty but rather strengthened a system of jurisdictional arrangements that were already in place.¹³ The concepts most closely associated with the Westphalian system—such as the principle of non-interference in domestic affairs and the idea of the "nation-state" as a fusion of a single ethnic group and a sovereign territory—were not developed until the 18th and 19th centuries, respectively.¹ The modern international system, with its emphasis on sovereign equality, only reached its "peak in the 19th and 20th centuries".¹ This historical de-centering suggests that the 1648 treaties were not the origin point of a new order but merely one step in a much longer and more complicated evolution.¹²

The perpetuation of this "Westphalian myth" is not a benign historical mistake but a foundational ideological project. From a post-structuralist perspective, the discipline of international relations has been shaped by a "dominant discourse" that frames its core concepts—like sovereignty and security—in an inherently Eurocentric way.¹⁶ This approach argues that what is accepted as "knowledge" is not objective but is "produced rather than discovered" and is often a reflection of the interests of powerful, elite actors.¹⁶ The Westphalian myth serves as a "regime of truth" that presents the rise of the European state system as a "linear, inevitable, and laudable process," thereby granting it an unassailable sense of legitimacy.¹³

The purpose of this fabricated history is to create a powerful binary opposition, one that positions the "civilized" West as the sole progenitor of a rational and modern world order.¹⁸ This process of exclusion transforms what is merely "cultural difference" into "legal difference," deeming non-Western political thought and governance models "unfit for full sovereignty".¹⁸ By presenting its own historical trajectory as the universal standard, this discourse systematically excludes alternative political epistemologies and justifies a global hierarchy. Critics of post-Westphalian policies, such as humanitarian intervention, argue that such actions are nothing more than a continuation of "Euro-American colonialism" under a new guise, a powerful demonstration of how this historical narrative continues to serve as a justification for neocolonialism and the subjugation of non-Western agency.¹

The Crises of a State-Centric World: The Myth of Control Collapses

The intellectual and historical fragility of the Westphalian system is now matched by its demonstrable inability to contend with the crises of the 21st century. The model’s fundamental premise of a "fixed and unchanging" physical geography is rendered obsolete by the trans-boundary nature of climate change.⁴ Climate events, such as extreme heat waves and rising sea levels, do not respect the "confines of established national boundaries" and thus expose a "fundamental tension between sovereignty and climate change".⁴ The Montevideo Convention's pillars of sovereignty—a fixed territory, a permanent population, and clearly defined maritime boundaries—are all directly undermined by a fluid and shifting planetary environment.⁴ As coastlines recede and low-lying island nations face submersion, the very territorial basis of statehood is jeopardized.⁴ Furthermore, the climate displacement of entire populations challenges the presumption of a "permanent population," raising complex questions about the future of sovereignty and citizenship in a world of climate refugees.⁴

The challenges posed by neoliberal globalization are equally acute, further exposing the obsolescence of the Westphalian framework. The rise of a globalized economy, characterized by the "stateless corporation" and the free flow of capital, has dramatically reduced the capacity of states to control their own economic and social processes.²¹ The traditional "law of one price" has created new inequalities, concentrating wealth in the hands of a few privileged sectors while worsening the conditions of the disadvantaged.²² In a globalized world, a state's ability to act as the primary, self-contained locus of power has been "undoubtedly in decline".²³

A particularly potent aspect of this erosion is the instrumentalization of sovereignty itself. As global financial and economic systems weaken the state’s capacity to govern effectively, proposals such as the "Responsibility to Protect" (R2P) emerge, arguing that a state’s sovereignty is conditional upon its ability to protect its citizens from mass atrocities.²⁴ This creates a powerful and troubling paradox. On one hand, neoliberal globalization limits a state's economic autonomy, making it more vulnerable to internal instability and conflict.⁵ On the other hand, a state's failure to maintain order—often as a direct result of these external economic pressures—is then used as a pretext for "humanitarian intervention" by the very international community that benefits from the neoliberal system.¹ Critics argue that this process is less about protecting human rights and more about re-establishing a global hierarchy, justifying external intervention in the affairs of states that are not aligned with dominant interests.¹ The R2P doctrine, in this view, is not a benevolent principle but a new form of "paternalism" that makes sovereignty conditional and, in doing so, erodes its moral and political significance, a process that neocolonial nationalists have long warned against.²⁴

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Toward a Pluriversal International Relations: A "World of Many Worlds"

In light of the profound intellectual and practical failures of the Westphalian model, a growing number of scholars and activists are advocating for a fundamental shift in the discipline of International Relations. Pluriversal International Relations (PIR) is an intellectual and political project that directly challenges the state-centric paradigms of realism and liberalism by rejecting their "homogenizing and universalised violence".⁷ It moves away from the "epistemologically individuating and atomizing lens" that views states as the exclusive and autonomous sites for analysis.⁶ Instead, PIR foregrounds the experiences and thought of the Global South, envisioning a "world of many worlds," each with its own valid and enduring cosmology.⁶ The goal is to "weave together diverse cosmologies and practices" and to recognize that modernity is not a single, linear process but a multiplicity of paths shaped by different cultural and historical trajectories.⁷

Within this pluriversal perspective, civilizational frameworks of order emerge as compelling alternatives to the nation-state. Two particularly powerful examples are the Islamic concept of the Ummah and the Chinese idea of Tianxia. Both systems predate the Westphalian order and offer a rejection of its core principles of exclusionary sovereignty and national interest.²⁹ The Ummah, a community bound by shared faith that transcends ethnic and national divides, is a counter-hegemonic narrative that provides an alternative to the nation-state paradigm.²⁹ The Tianxia system, or "all under Heaven," posits a holistic, ecological, and inclusive world order based on a moral authority rather than brute force.³⁰

The fundamental differences between these two alternative frameworks highlight the pluralism of a post-Westphalian future. While both the Ummah and Tianxia reject the exclusionary logic of the nation-state, they do so from distinct philosophical foundations. Scholarly comparisons note that the Tianxia system is rooted in an "immanentist cosmological principle devoid of theological pretensions," where moral authority is derived from an internal, shared virtue.³⁵ The Ummah, by contrast, is a community bound by a "vertical relation to the One," a transcendent and external source of law and morality.¹⁰ The Ummah is therefore a project of transcendence, while Tianxia is a project of immanence. This contrast reveals that a pluriversal world is not a monolithic utopia but a mosaic of diverse, and potentially conflicting, moral and cosmological projects. The central challenge for these and other civilizational models is how to reconcile inclusion with difference without reverting to historical patterns of "conquest and conversion".³⁵

The table below provides a concise overview of the core philosophical and practical distinctions between the Westphalian system and these pluriversal alternatives.

The Ummah and Its Promise: A Framework for Justice, Peace, and Prosperity

The Islamic concept of the Ummah is a foundational element of Islamic political thought and consciousness, with over 64 references in the Qur'an.²⁹ Historically, the Ummah emerged as a radical departure from the prevailing tribal and kinship-based social structures of 7th-century Arabia.³³ The Constitution of Medina, an early blueprint for governance, explicitly declared that its members—including Muslims, Jews, and Christians—were to be considered "one ummah," united by a common social contract that transcended blood ties.³³ This historical precedent demonstrates the concept's innate capacity for pluralism and inclusivity, a quality that directly contrasts with the nationalist, mono-ethnic logic of the nation-state model.¹⁵ In the modern era, the idea of a global Ummah has been revived as a "counter-hegemonic narrative," a response to the "lasting 'trauma'" of the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate and the subsequent imposition of Westphalian borders on the Muslim world.²⁹

The Ummah, as a re-imagined civilizational framework, offers a powerful alternative to the failures of the Westphalian system, particularly in the face of contemporary global crises.

Economic Justice and Distributive Ethics

While the Westphalian model is increasingly undermined by neoliberal globalization and its attendant inequalities, a global Ummah would be centered on principles of economic justice and shared responsibility.²² The Ummah-centered economy would emphasize "distributive justice, equitable resource allocation, and ethical consumption" as core principles.⁹ This is not an abstract ideal but is rooted in concrete Islamic principles, such as

zakat (obligatory alms-giving) and waqf (charitable endowments), which are designed to "eradicate poverty" and foster a social system that prioritizes human dignity over profit.⁹ The Ummah, in this sense, provides a systemic alternative to the "debt-based development and neoliberal austerity" that has plagued the developing world.⁹

Ecological Stewardship

The Westphalian system, with its emphasis on bounded territory and economic competition, has proven insufficient to address the trans-border crisis of climate change, a problem rooted in the "extractivist and exploitative practices of modern capitalism".⁴ By contrast, the Ummah’s framework is founded on the Qur'anic concept of humanity's role as

khalifa fi al-ard, or "stewards of the Earth".⁹ This is a profound ontological shift, moving from a view of humanity as a master of nature to that of a custodian of a divine trust. In this framework, environmental degradation is not merely a legal or economic problem but a profound moral and spiritual failing, an abdication of a divinely ordained responsibility.⁹ This ethical lens provides a powerful corrective to the limitations of the nation-state model, which lacks a compelling ethical basis for addressing a planetary crisis.⁴

Inclusive Governance

The Ummah is guided by core Islamic political principles that offer a stark contrast to the modern nation-state’s reliance on popular sovereignty and nationalism. The principles of Shura (consultation) and Adl (justice) are foundational to a governance model that prioritizes the views and well-being of the governed and ensures equity in resource allocation and the defense of individual rights.¹⁰ This is a move toward a form of "participatory governance" that aims to be both accountable and inclusive.¹⁰ The Ummah, as a pluralistic community, would be guided by the "Prophetic example of inclusivity," protecting the rights of all, including non-Muslims, and ensuring that "marginalized voices are heard and protected".⁹ This vision is a powerful antidote to the exclusionary citizenship regimes and ethnic conflicts that are so often a direct consequence of the nation-state model.¹⁵

The table below provides a more granular comparison of the governance principles of the Ummah and the nation-state, highlighting how the former provides a framework for addressing the very issues the latter has created.

Comparative Analysis and Future Directions

The intellectual project of moving beyond Westphalia is not exclusive to Islamic political thought. The Chinese concept of Tianxia, as a civilizational framework, offers a parallel critique of the nation-state while highlighting a distinct philosophical foundation. Scholars have noted that while the Ummah is a project of transcendence, the Tianxia system is an "immanentist cosmological principle" that is "devoid of theological pretensions".³⁵ The Ummah’s universalism is rooted in a "vertical relation to the One," a transcendent source of truth and morality, while Tianxia’s is rooted in an immanent "All-under-Heaven," where peace and harmony are achieved through moral authority and virtue.³⁰ The existence of both of these frameworks demonstrates that a pluriversal world is not a single, monolithic alternative but a complex mosaic of diverse and potentially conflicting projects.

The historical relationship between the Islamic and Chinese civilizations provides a tangible example of how these civilizational frameworks have coexisted and interacted. The Battle of Talas in 751 CE, where the forces of the Umayyad Caliphate defeated the Chinese Tang Dynasty, is often seen as a decisive moment that determined which of the two civilizations would predominate in Central Asia.³⁷ Yet, this military encounter was followed by centuries of sustained interaction, leading to the flourishing of Muslim communities within China itself during the Song and Ming dynasties, with Muslims serving in high-ranking administrative and military posts.³⁸ This history of both conflict and coexistence raises a fundamental question for a pluriversal future: How can these civilizational projects move beyond historical rivalries and engage in a dialogue that is not aimed at "conquest or conversion" but at mutual understanding and cooperation?³⁵

Conclusion: A Glimpse into the Pluriverse

The Westphalian system, far from being the natural and inevitable order of the world, is an intellectual construct that is now intellectually and practically obsolete. Its core principles of fixed territoriality and exclusive sovereignty are collapsing under the weight of trans-boundary challenges like climate change and the pervasive inequalities of neoliberal globalization. The discipline of International Relations must move beyond its state-centric and Eurocentric foundations and embrace a pluriversal perspective that recognizes the validity and relevance of alternative civilizational frameworks.

The Islamic concept of the Ummah provides one such powerful and compelling alternative. It is not an exclusively Muslim project but a "universal ethic of care and justice" that transcends borders and prioritizes collective well-being, ecological stewardship, and distributive justice over the competitive individualism of the modern liberal order.⁹ The historical and philosophical encounter with a framework like the Chinese Tianxia further underscores that a post-Westphalian future is not a new singular order but a "world of many worlds" that must find a way to coexist.

This report, therefore, concludes by posing a series of questions that open the door to further inquiry and action. What are the practical and ethical challenges of institutionalizing the principles of shura and adl on a global scale? How can the global Muslim community overcome internal sectarian and national divides to actualize the vision of a unified Ummah? Finally, what are the mechanisms by which the Ummah and other civilizational projects might forge a new form of global order that moves beyond rivalry to one of mutual respect, and what new form of global law would be required to support such a pluriverse? These are not easy questions, but their contemplation is a necessary first step toward building a more just and sustainable world.

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This article was written based on original concepts and structure by the author. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

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This is part of our twice-a-week initiative to fast every Monday and Thursday, in line with the Sunnah, in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, and in our attempt to remember them, not only in our mind, but also in our bodies.

The image you are seeing above is an article from the New York Times dated 20 November 1945. We Indonesians remember this as the Battle of Surabaya, one of the bloodiest battles against colonialism in our long struggle for independence; while they, the colonisers, remember it as a disturbance incident where "Muslim Fanatics Fight in Surabaya".

For those of us who have been following, and trying to deconstructing, how the Western media has been dehumanizing Palestinians in the past more than 75 years, and even more so in the past 2 years, it is glaring how the language that is being used is eerily similar.

To quote a few from The New York Times article:

Religious Leaders in Charges Against Tanks

Frenzied attacks by Indonesian nationalists on British tanks in Surabaya, with 1,000 or more Muslim troops charging into a deadly crossfire

The Indonesian often were led into the fighting my Mohammedan religious leaders, and were charging upright into British machine guns without the thought of loss of life.

This is not poor journalism—it is imperial propaganda. It depicts us as irrational, suicidal, driven by religious intoxication. This is what Edward Said called Orientalism: the systematic production of the “irrational Muslim Other” to justify European domination. Our fight for liberation becomes a spectacle of chaos. Our martyrs are rewritten as bloodthirsty mobs. The Western archive cannot see dignity in our resistance—because it would indict itself.

But do you remember the picture of Faris Odeh, the Palestinian boy throwing stone against Israeli tank? Will they, the colonisers, understand the unbending determination to fight for dignity and independence, even when the entire system is designed to crush you, even when you are robbed of any fair chance to fight, even when the enemy is enveloped in armored tanks and all you have are rocks?

It is interesting to note that, on the same day this article was published, 20 November 1945, the West began the Nuremberg trial to prosecute Nazis. But while they condemned genocide in Europe, they were violently suppression liberation struggles across the colonised world - including ours in Indonesia. That’s not justice; that’s imperial hypocrisy.

On 17 August 1945, Indonesia declared independence. It was a Friday. Within an hour of the radio broadcast, Dr. Agus, a congregant at Masjid Kauman Semarang, climbed the pulpit and publicly announced the independence of Indonesia from Japanese occupation and Dutch colonialism. This act of defiance provoked an immediate response. The Japanese launched a search. Dr. Agus fled to Jakarta and never returned; he died in exile.

That mosque became more than a house of worship. It became a site of political rupture—a place where Islam and resistance fused. Out of six officially recognized religions in Indonesia, only one house of worship—Masjid Kauman—declared independence on the day itself. This is not incidental. Islam was not on the sidelines of revolution. It was its engine.

The colonial narrative erases this. It strips Islam of its liberatory history and flattens it into a private, apolitical practice. But we refuse to forget.

The West does not fear our beliefs—it fears our memory. It fears our refusal to assimilate. It fears that we do not accept the colonial condition of silence.

They dehumanize us in the media. They call us radicals. They frame our politics as extremism and our resistance as terror. But let us be clear: the same Islam they fear is the Islam that liberated us.

We were never the irrational ones. They were. It is irrational to believe that a people can be bombed, starved, colonized, and caged for 75+ years and not rise up. It is irrational to believe that we must apologize for existing.

I used to ask why Allah made Muslim women so visible—why we walk through the world marked so visibly in our hijab in a time of surveillance, hostility, and racial profiling.

Now, I understand.

My hijab is a refusal. It is a statement that I do not belong to the colonial order, and I will not be integrated into its false liberalism. When I enter a room, my hijab speaks before I do. It refuses to let the room forget what the empire wants to erase.

Be Muslim. Be proud.

Not the kind they find acceptable.

The kind they fear—because we remember.

They will call your resistance fanaticism.

They will call your mourning extremism.

They will call your faith backward.

They will call your Islam political—and they will be right.

It is.

And it always has been.

We fast for Gaza.

We fast for Surabaya.

We fast for ourselves.

And we do not fast quietly.

Written in preparation of Sunnah fasting on Thursday, 27 Safar 1447 Unified Global Hijri Calendar (UGHC) or 21 August 2025 AD.

We are living through a genocide.

What’s happening in Gaza right now is not a tragedy, nor is it a "conflict." It is intentional starvation. It is settler-colonial violence unfolding in real time. It is the latest chapter in over 75 years of apartheid, land theft, and ethnic cleansing carried out by the Zionist state.

And yet—in the face of this brutality—the world looks away. News cycles shift. Leaders stay silent. Algorithms numb us. The normalization of oppression attempts to desensitize our hearts. But we, as Muslims and as people of conscience, cannot afford to be numb.

How Do We Stay Awake?

How do we respond in a way that centers not just our outrage, but also our deen, our history, and our collective power? How do we transform grief into disciplined action that sustains us spiritually while confronting injustice materially?

Our Proposal: Fasting as Spiritual Resistance

Starting Monday, July 28, we invite our community to fast together every Monday and Thursday—following the beautiful Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ—as an intentional, collective act of spiritual resistance and remembrance.

This is not just about personal piety. This is about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our Palestinian kin, reclaiming our faith as a source of liberation, and refusing to separate worship from struggle. In this context, fasting becomes more than an individual act—it becomes a decolonial practice and a refusal to spiritually dissociate from the suffering of our Ummah.

Why We Fast Together

We fast to grieve.
We fast to remember.
We fast to resist the normalization of genocide.
We fast to stay spiritually grounded in the face of empire.
We fast because our worship is not neutral—it is a weapon against despair.

Mainstream narratives attempt to erase Palestinian life and dehumanize our siblings in Gaza. In response, we choose to honor them, connecting our bodies, our time, and our breath to theirs. Our fast says: We see you. We will not look away. We will not spiritually dissociate.

When

Every Monday and Thursday, starting Monday, July 28.

We fast in line with the Sunnah—and explicitly in opposition to empire.

How It Works

This space is open to everyone—Muslims and non-Muslims who want to stand in intentional, embodied solidarity.

Fasting isn’t about perfection. If you cannot do a full fast, join in whatever way is possible: skip a meal, fast partially, or simply reflect with us in prayer and intention.

What to Expect:

• Night Before (Sunday & Wednesday): Receive a short intention or reflection rooted in liberation theology and decolonial Islamic tradition.

• Sahur Check-In: A brief message in our WhatsApp group anchoring the day in remembrance and intention.

• During the Fast: Share du’as, poetry, reflections, and resources. We will hold space for grief, grounding, and collective support.

• Breaking the Fast: Whether alone or in community, know this—you are not fasting alone.

No pressure. No guilt. No ego. Just presence.

More Than Symbolic

In a world that attempts to erase us, fasting is a radical reclaiming of our bodies, our rhythms, and our sacred resistance. Colonialism taught us to separate politics from prayer. Islam teaches otherwise: from Bilal’s voice in the face of torture, to the Prophet’s ﷺ resistance in Mecca, to Palestinian mothers who cry “Allahu Akbar” under rubble—faith has always been resistance.

We do not fast to escape reality. We fast to meet it with divine strength.

Who We Are

This initiative is hosted by Ummah International—a growing network of Muslim professionals, creatives, and entrepreneurs building lives rooted in deen, liberation, and community.

We believe the Ummah is not a metaphor—it is a living body. And when one part of the body hurts, the entire body must respond.

Join the Movement

We will coordinate this weekly fast through a WhatsApp group where we share intentions, check-ins, and space for reflection.

• Register here: https://ummah.id/registration

• Speak to our rep: https://wa.me/6285184789028

• Visit our blog:

Ummah International

Ummah International is a network of global Muslim entrepreneurs and professionals

This is not charity. This is solidarity. This is not performance. This is prayer. This is not passive spirituality. This is resistance.

Let us fast as if the Ummah is one body—because it is.

With love, rage, and du’a,

This article was written based on original concepts and structure by Salma Izzatii (Ummah’s member). Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

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Look around you. We live in a world that glorifies the "hustle." The 80-hour work weeks, the endless notifications, the relentless pursuit of more. It’s a culture that tells us that our value is measured by our output, that sleep is for the weak, and that if we just grind harder, we’ll eventually reach that elusive summit of success.

We’ve all been on this hamster wheel. We’ve all felt the burnout, the anxiety, the gnawing feeling that even when we’re winning, we’re somehow losing something far more important. We fill our calendars but empty our souls.

What if we’ve been chasing the wrong thing? What if the entire operating system is flawed?

The problem with hustle culture is simple: it’s godless. It places the self at the center of the universe. It’s about my strength, my will, my power to force things into existence. It’s a paradigm that, by its very design, leads to a dead end because you are a finite being drawing from a finite source.

There is another way. A better way. A way that is embedded in our DNA as Muslims.

It’s called Barakah.

Barakah isn’t just a nice word for "blessing." It is the attachment of divine goodness to a thing, so that a little of it becomes a lot. It is abundance from an unseen source. It is the secret ingredient that turns ordinary effort into extraordinary results.

Let’s be clear about the difference in mindset. It’s a complete system upgrade:

The Hustle Mindset believes the source of success is you. It’s about more hours, more effort, more willpower. It sees rest as a weakness and defines success by quantity—more revenue, more followers, more everything. Its core question is, "What can I get?"

The Barakah Mindset knows the source of success is Allah. Your effort is the vessel, but He provides the increase. It sees rest and worship not as breaks from work, but as essential parts of work. It defines success by quality and sincerity (Ihsan). Its core question is, "How can I serve?"

Hustle culture is about brute force. Barakah is about alignment. It’s about plugging into the ultimate source of power, the infinite source of abundance: Allah SWT.

So, how do we make this shift? It’s not about working less; it’s about working right. It begins with a fundamental change in our "why."

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The hustler wakes up to build their empire. The believer wakes up to serve Allah. The intention—the niyyah—is the seed. A seed planted for the sake of Allah can grow into a tree that shades generations. A seed planted for the ego will wither the moment you stop watering it with your own sweat.

This is where our work as entrepreneurs and professionals finds its true north. We are not just building businesses or closing deals. We are architects of the future of this Ummah. At Ummah International, our vision is clear and profound: to be a global community of Muslim entrepreneurs and professionals committed to contributing to the liberation of Masjid Al-Aqsa.

Think about that for a moment. That is a goal that cannot be achieved through hustle. No amount of worldly grind can accomplish a task of that magnitude. It is a vision that can only be realized through Divine aid. It can only be achieved by an Ummah that is economically powerful, spiritually grounded, and operating with a level of productivity that defies conventional logic.

It can only be achieved through Barakah.

When your work is infused with Barakah, your small startup can have a global impact. Your professional skills can become a tool for empowerment. Your wealth becomes a river that flows to support the causes that matter. An Ummah powered by Barakah is an Ummah that is strong, resilient, and capable of fulfilling its most sacred duties.

This isn't just a beautiful theory. It's a practical, actionable system for living and working. It’s a paradigm shift that changes how you manage your time, your focus, and your energy.

For anyone ready to stop running on empty and start building a legacy of purpose, there is a roadmap. Mohammed Faris, the founder of ProductiveMuslim, has dedicated his life to this concept and has literally written the book on it. It’s called "The Barakah Effect." I learned Barakah Culture concept from his book.

I encourage every single member of this community to get this book. Read it, study it, and apply its principles. It will give you the tools to move from a life of frantic hustle to a life of focused, blessed, and truly productive action. You can find it at barakaheffectbook.com.

Let’s be the generation that rediscovers this lost art. Let's build our careers, our companies, and our community on a foundation that is unshakable.

Let's stop hustling. And let's start building with Barakah.

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This article was written based on the Barakah Culture concept by Mohammed Faris. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

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There’s something fundamentally wrong with how the world works. You feel it. That quiet unease when you look at your paycheck, your bills, the cost of food, the future your children are inheriting.

You’re not imagining it.

Let’s start with two names you probably don’t hear in everyday headlines, yet they shape everything around you: BlackRock and Vanguard. Together, they manage over $21 trillion in assets—more than the GDP of every country on earth except the U.S. and China. These two giants are the invisible hands behind the stocks you buy, the funds your pension depends on, and the corporations that dominate every industry.

They don't just own shares. They own the game. And the game is built on a system that makes the rich richer by design.

Now layer on fiat currency—money created by central banks with no intrinsic backing. Since 1971, when the U.S. decoupled the dollar from gold, money has been printed at unprecedented scales. During crises, governments “inject liquidity,” which sounds noble, but in practice? That money rarely touches ordinary people. It flows into the financial system—stock markets, real estate, hedge funds—where it multiplies the wealth of those already at the top.

Here’s the dashboard warning light:
The total value of all the gold ever mined is around $17 trillion (World Gold Council). Meanwhile, the global derivatives market—contracts layered upon contracts—is estimated to exceed $700 trillion (BIS estimates, depending on notional value). This means the world economy is sitting on an unfathomably inflated financial balloon, loosely tethered to real value. It’s like trying to balance a skyscraper on a toothpick.

But here’s the good news: This isn’t the only way.

There is another system—ancient, time-tested, and quietly revolutionary. It’s called Waqf.

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Waqf is a uniquely Islamic economic instrument. The concept is simple: you dedicate an asset—cash, land, buildings—for a perpetual social cause. The principal can never be sold, inherited, or spent. It’s frozen, not as dead capital, but as an eternal engine for good. The income or benefit it generates is used to fund public needs: education, healthcare, clean water, orphan care—anything that uplifts humanity.

In essence, Waqf is patient capital.
It doesn’t chase quarterly returns or serve profit-maximizing shareholders. Its only KPI is impact across generations.

It maximizes social return, not shareholder value. A waqf-funded hospital doesn’t turn away the poor. A waqf-backed university isn’t burdened by student loans. A waqf-supported startup doesn’t need to be “unicorn” to be valuable.

It is productive capital. Waqf isn’t about parking assets in vaults or locking cash in safes. It’s about investment—smart, ethical, purposeful investment that continuously generates returns for the ummah.

And this isn't theoretical.

• Al-Azhar University in Cairo—established over 1,000 years ago—is a waqf institution that still educates thousands annually.

• Muhammadiyah in Indonesia runs over 160 universities, 500+ hospitals and clinics, and thousands of schools, most of them built on waqf land and sustained by waqf management.

• In Istanbul, Süleymaniye Waqf funded mosques, soup kitchens, libraries, and public baths—centuries before the term “social welfare” existed in the West.

Now imagine this:
What if we built a Global Waqf Fund with the same AUM as BlackRock and Vanguard?
A $21 trillion fund—not for profit, but for promoting economic justice.

We could:

• Eradicate preventable diseases with free clinics.

• Make higher education debt-free for all.

• Provide clean water to every rural community.

• Create green energy infrastructure in developing nations.

• Back ethical AI, Islamic fintech, and regenerative agriculture.

• Offer interest-free loans to millions of entrepreneurs.

This is a system that already exists, proven, waiting to be scaled.

Islam doesn’t need to borrow capitalism’s broken playbook. We have our own. One that enshrines justice, community, long-term thinking, and stewardship—not exploitation.

The challenge isn’t theoretical. It’s operational.
The missing ingredient is us.

So, here’s a simple question:
If we launched such a waqf fund, what project would you want to champion?
Which challenge would you solve—for your people, your ummah, or even for entire humanity?

Let’s begin the conversation. Please email the servant of Ummah at ghufron@huwa.io

Tell me the cause you believe in.

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This article was written based on original concepts and structure by the author. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

We’re calling on product builders, engineers, fintech founders, designers, and dreamers.

If you've ever wanted to ship a product that uplifts the Ummah, this is your chance.

We're sharing a startup idea we believe could serve millions of Muslims across the world—and we want you to help make it real. Sign up at Ummah to join our online community. We'll invite you into a private builders' group chat where like-minded builders and supporters are ready to co-create, refine, and ship this to market. This is not a a job, this is your startup—co-owned and created by Tech Waqf Initiative.

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The Problem

Imagine a young Muslim in Cairo saving for her Hajj. A merchant in Lagos trying to hedge against currency collapse. A family in Jakarta watching the value of their savings slowly erode. Across the Muslim world, 2 billion people face a simple but urgent problem: how to protect their earnings in a way that is ethical, inflation-resistant, and aligned with Islamic values.

Fiat currencies are weakening. Inflation is relentless.

Holding physical gold—long respected in Islamic tradition as dinar and dirham—seems like a solution. But storing gold is impractical, hard to liquidate, and risky without infrastructure. Muslims are left with no scalable, daily-use alternative that protects their wealth and their principles.

The Solution

We propose a gold-backed saving and payment platform, built for the global Muslim community.

Inspired by Kinesis and Glint, but tailored for the Muslim market, this mobile-first platform allows users to:

• Buy and store physical gold (starting as low as 0.01 gram), backed by audited, insured vaults

• Spend gold digitally through QR or card payments

• Send gold to friends and family instantly

• Save toward goals like Hajj, education, or charity—Zakat integration included

Everything is built to be Shariah-compliant—no interest, no speculative assets, no hidden fees. Just real, ethical money for the real world.

Why Now

This couldn’t have worked five years ago. But the stars have aligned today.

• Fintech adoption is booming in OIC countries—from mobile wallets in Egypt to QR payments in Indonesia.

• Gold is rising again as a hedge against fiat instability.

• Shariah-compliant finance is growing rapidly, expected to surpass $3.7 trillion by 2025.

• Infrastructure exists—vaulting, KYC, stablecoin rails, and embedded finance APIs are all easier to plug in than ever.

Most importantly, Muslims are looking for financial tools that reflect their values—and they’re not finding them in Western-built apps.

The Competition

Muslims currently rely on:

• Conventional banks (inflation exposure)

• Gold jewelry or physical bars (high risk, low liquidity)

• Crypto platforms (often speculative, volatile, and non-Shariah)

Platforms like Glint and Kinesis do offer gold-backed wallets—but they lack Islamic values and cultural fit.

We’re not just building another fintech—we’re building a financial tool by the Ummah, for the Ummah.

Market Size

Let’s be conservative.

There are 400M+ digitally connected Muslims in OIC markets today. If we capture just:

• 10M users, and

• 10% become active savers with

• An average gold balance of $1,000-2,000

That’s $1-2 billion in assets under management. With a 1% annual management fee, small transaction fees, and premium services, this can support a $10–20M ARR business in its initial years.

And that’s just phase one. Once we build trust and traction, this platform can expand into:

• Merchant payments

• Halal remittances

• P2P lending backed by gold

• White-labeling for Islamic banks and cooperatives

Business Model

Revenue streams include:

• 1% annual storage/management fee on gold holdings

• Microtransaction fees on sending and spending gold

• Premium services like auto-Zakat, group savings (e.g. for Hajj), or multiple vault options

• Partnerships with travel agents, Islamic microfinance, and ecommerce providers

Users can start with as little as $5. It's accessible, ethical, and scalable.

Let’s Build This—Together

If this speaks to you—
If you’re a product designer, mobile engineer, fintech nerd, community builder, or Shariah finance expert—join us.

Sign up at Ummah to join our online community. You’ll be invited to a private builders’ group chat where like-minded creators and supporters are ready to co-create, refine, and bring this idea to market. You’ll also get access to a 10–20 page whitepaper detailing the initiative.

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This article was written based on original concepts and structure by the author. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

Join Now — For the Strength of the Ummah

Here’s to the ones who see things differently.

The ones who refuse to accept the world as it is.

Every so often, a revolutionary idea comes along that changes everything. An idea that doesn’t just improve things, but reimagines them entirely. An idea so simple, yet so profound, it realigns the future.

For centuries, our Ummah has been a cradle of civilization, giving the world breakthroughs in science, in art, in ethics. But today, in the digital age, we find ourselves at a crossroads. We live our lives on platforms built in someone else's image, governed by rules we didn’t write.

We’ve seen it. We've felt it. When a genocide unfolds in Gaza, our voices are systematically silenced. Our narratives erased. Our search for justice is flagged as a violation of "community standards." But it is worse than that. Some of the very technologies we use every day have been weaponized, repurposed to fuel and enable this destruction with terrifying efficiency. This isn’t a glitch in the system. It is the system. We are digital tenants on land we do not own, and the rent is our sovereignty.

This ends now.

We believe that the most powerful tool for change in the 21st century is technology. But not just any technology. We need technology with a soul. Technology built on a different foundation.

And our foundation is one of the most powerful, time-tested financial and social instruments the Ummah has ever known: Waqf.

Think about this. Nearly 1,400 years ago, the Caliph Uthman ibn Affan saw a need. The people of Madinah were thirsty. He purchased the Well of Raumah and declared it a Waqf, a sacred trust for the benefit of all, forever. That single act of devotion didn't just quench a city's thirst for a season. It grew. It compounded. Today, the trust from that well owns hotels and assets in Madinah Al Munawwarah, with the proceeds still serving the community. It is a story of enduring legacy, of compounding barakah.

This is not a relic of the past. In Egypt, Al-Azhar University has stood for over a millennium as a global center of learning, sustained by a Waqf system that made knowledge accessible. In modern times, look at Muhammadiyah, recognized as the world’s largest Muslim organization in terms of assets under management headquartered in Indonesia, whose vast network of schools, universities and hospitals serves millions benefitting from Waqf model. Look at Türkiye, where powerful institutions like the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation leverage the Waqf model to deliver massive educational and social impact.

Waqf is our blueprint for building institutions that last for generations. So, we asked a very simple question: What if we built technology like a Waqf?

This is the Tech Waqf Initiative.

It’s not another company or fund. It is a movement to change the very soul of technology. It starts by asking a different set of questions.

• What if our technology ventures weren't designed to accumulate obscene fortunes for a handful of founders and VCs, but to belong to the Ummah?

• What if the goal wasn’t a billion-dollar valuation, but a billion lives uplifted?

• What if we measured success not by the speed of our exit, but by the generational impact we create?

• What if our algorithms were coded not with a false neutrality, but with the explicit values of justice (adl) and compassion (rahmah)?

• What if our ecosystem fostered radical collaboration, uniting the best minds of the Ummah to solve our greatest challenges together?

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Every project we touch will be guided by one unwavering principle: it must strengthen the unity of the Ummah and contribute to a more just, peaceful, and prosperous world for all humanity.

Why now? Because we are at a tipping point. The digital chains that bind us are getting stronger every day. The technologies that enable surveillance and oppression are accelerating. To wait is to accept a future where our digital identity is permanently controlled by others. We can no longer afford to be consumers of biased technology; the moment has come to be the architects of our own digital destiny. The stakes have never been higher.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us that even if we see the Final Hour coming and we have a seedling in our hand, we should plant it.

This initiative is our seedling. It is our hope for a different kind of future. A future where our technology empowers us, protects us, and belongs to us.

Throughout this space, we will regularly share ideas on tech initiatives our Ummah should have. Feel free to execute them with us. This community can help you sharpen your thoughts, find fellow builders and supporters, and launch your product to the world.

If you are one of the crazy ones—a builder, a founder, an investor, a dreamer who believes technology can and must serve a higher purpose—then you belong with us.

The journey begins now. Email the servant of Ummah at ghufron@huwa.io should you have some inquiries or want to be part of it.

Let’s build what’s next. Together.

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This article was written based on original concepts and structure by the author. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

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Sometimes, progress begins not with a grand gesture, but with a simple idea. An idea rooted in faith, sharpened by reason, and made powerful by its potential to bring people together.

This year, as we mark the beginning of 1447 Hijriah, we welcome a powerful idea. Muhammadiyah—the world’s largest Muslim organization by assets (Seasia News) and a century-old transnational Islamic modernist movement headquartered in Indonesia—is launching the Kalender Hijriah Global Tunggal (The Global Unified Hijri Calendar). The launch ceremony took place in Yogyakarta on June 25, 2025, attended by government and non-government representatives from multiple countries. At Ummah International, we are proud to stand behind this historic initiative.

Because we believe something as basic as a shared calendar can shape something as vast as our shared future.

For too long, our communities have been out of sync. We begin Ramadan on different days. We celebrate Eid on different mornings. We start Dhul Hijjah looking at different horizons. And while we may find beauty in diversity, we must also acknowledge the burden of fragmentation.

The KHGT is a step toward unity. Built on the precision of hisab, or astronomical calculation, it offers clarity and consistency. It allows us to plan ahead, align globally, and move together. It reflects the needs of our modern world—where faith can meet science, and tradition can meet structure.

At Ummah International, we exist to build bridges between Muslim entrepreneurs and professionals across the world. We envision an economic bloc where the 2 billion Muslims on this planet can collaborate, invest, and uplift one another. Where our businesses are connected, our platforms interoperable, and our futures interlinked.

But let’s be clear: no economy, no movement, no revival can thrive in disunity.

Before we can coordinate trade, we must coordinate time. Before we can scale our efforts, we must align our rhythms. KHGT provides that foundation. It doesn’t erase our differences—it offers us a framework to honor our common ground.

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Now, I want to speak plainly about something that weighs on all our hearts: the fate of Masjid Al-Aqsha and Baitul Maqdis. The struggle for its liberation is not just a regional issue. It is not the responsibility of Palestinians alone. It is not a fight for Arabs alone.

It is a collective obligation of the Ummah.

And if we want to honor that responsibility, we must first show the world that we can come together. Not just in protest or prayer, but in practice. In systems. In shared commitments.

Because history teaches us: lasting change comes not only from resistance, but from readiness. From people who organize, who cooperate, who build. And yes, from people who agree on what time it is.

That’s why this calendar matters.

We at Ummah International support every effort—from any group, in any region—that works to unite the Muslim world in faith, function, and future. Whether through technology or education, finance or media, we welcome sincere movements that help us rise together.

We know this: our strength lies not just in numbers, but in unity. And unity begins with small acts of alignment.

So let us support the Global Unified Hijri Calendar. Let us use it not only to mark time, but to mark a civilisation turning point. Let it be a reminder that we belong to something greater than ourselves.

And when we rise together under one calendar, perhaps then we will begin to rise together in every other aspect of our lives.

May this be the year we move not in pieces, but as one Ummah.

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This article was written based on original concepts and structure by the author. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.

We all know something’s off.

People work harder but save less.
Prices go up, but value feels hollow.
The rich get richer — and the ladder for everyone else keeps disappearing.

But we rarely stop to ask: what’s at the root of all this?

It’s easy to point fingers at politics. At greed. At corporations.
But what if the problem runs deeper?

What if the foundation — the very money we use every day — is the source of the injustice?

Because here’s the truth we’ve all sensed:

The financial system is in a bubble. And it’s about to pop.

The Great Divergence

In 1971, the United States ended the dollar’s link to gold.

The world didn’t collapse. But quietly, invisibly, the most important change in modern economic history occurred.

From that moment forward, money was no longer anchored to anything real.

It became a number on a screen. A promise backed not by gold, but by policy, faith, and momentum.

That shift — from real to symbolic — began what economists today call “The Great Divergence.”

Since then, fiat money has exploded. Credit markets ballooned. Financial engineering overtook real productivity.

Today, here’s what the global balance sheet looks like:

• All the gold ever mined (since the beginning of human beings till now): $15.7 trillion

• All physical cash in the world (M0): $8 trillion

• Total fiat money supply (M2/M3): $129.3 trillion

• Global equity markets: $128 trillion

• Notional value of derivatives: $729.8 trillion

Let that sink in.

The world has created over $700 trillion in financial bets stacked on just $15 trillion in physical gold. It’s like trying to balance a skyscraper on a toothpick.

And nobody’s fixing it.
They're just printing more.

The System Is Rigged — And It’s Rigged Against the Poor

Let’s be real: new money doesn’t enter the economy evenly.

It enters through central banks, big banks, capital markets. It inflates asset prices. Stocks rise. Real estate booms.

But wages? They crawl.
Savings? They evaporate.
Debt? It grows.

In this system, the rich don’t just win — they compound.
And everyone else tries to outrun a treadmill that’s speeding up.

This isn’t just a technical flaw.
It’s a design choice.
And it leads to one thing: a permanent wealth gap.

When the Bubble Pops, It Won’t Ask Permission

Every bubble ends. Always.

2008 was just a tremor.
This one — this $730 trillion pyramid of credit, derivatives, and paper promises — is something else.

The only question is how it ends.

• A fast collapse? Like 2008, but on steroids?

• Or a slow decay? Where inflation eats away savings and currencies lose meaning?

Either way, correction is coming.
The smart are preparing.
The wise are building alternatives.

And that brings us here — to an idea older than central banks.

The Return of Real Money

For thousands of years, gold was money.

Not because a government said so. But because it worked.
It was scarce. Durable. Portable. Recognized across civilizations.

Gold didn't need a brand. It didn't crash when leaders failed.
It held its value — when everything else didn’t.

And now, thanks to blockchain and digital tools, gold can move like money again.

Imagine:

• Gold-backed stablecoins, issued by transparent, audited vaults

• Accessible through mobile apps, usable across borders

• Accepted in marketplaces, for remittances, savings, and Zakat

• Built fully Shariah-compliant

This isn’t fantasy. It’s technical reality.
What’s missing? Entrepreneurs. Builders. Vision. Scale.

What the Muslim World Can Lead

There are 2 billion Muslims on this planet.

We span Southeast Asia to Africa, the Gulf to Europe.
We share a faith, values, and a growing middle class.

But economically? We’re fragmented.
Each country has its own currency. Most are tied to central banks that… aren’t tied to anything.

We don’t need to rebuild the global economy.

We just need to offer something better — and let people choose.

• A gold-backed coin they trust

• A system that doesn’t punish the poor

• A money that reflects our values, not Wall Street’s quarterly returns

We’re not asking for utopia.
We’re asking for financial dignity.

And we, the Muslim world, are uniquely positioned to lead this.

What We Can Build — Today

Here’s what this could look like over the next 5 years:

✅ Independent vaults across OIC nations
✅ Open-source protocols for gold-backed stablecoins
✅ Exchange systems that allow fiat-to-gold swap
✅ Integration with halal e-commerce, logistics, and donation platforms
✅ Merchant tools that make it easy to accept gold payments
✅ Wallets for daily use, savings, and international transfers
✅ Transparent Zakat platforms powered by smart contracts

This isn’t just financial innovation.
This is economic self-determination.

And the world is watching.

To the Builders and Dreamers of the Ummah

To the coder in Cairo.
The founder in Jakarta.
The investor in Istanbul.
The student in Nairobi.
The scholar in Kuala Lumpur.

This is your moment.

This is your mission.

The world’s financial system is breaking.
You can either wait for the collapse…
Or help design what comes next.

Let others build more leverage.
Let others chase yield.

You? Build trust.

Build for your people.
Build for your children.
Build for the next civilization.

A New Chapter Begins

The Prophet ﷺ used gold and silver for trade.
Our caliphs built empires on dinar and dirham.
Our scholars wrote volumes on financial justice.

Today, we don’t just need apps.
We need a movement.
A movement that brings money back to reality.
To ethics.
To something that works — in times of peace and crisis.

Because when the next shock hits, people won’t look for more clever policies.

They’ll look for something real.

Let’s make sure we have the answer.

This article was written based on original concepts and structure by the author. Generative AI was used to assist with elaboration, refinement, and image.