Wahabi and neo-Salafi followers often discredit Sufism as "opium for the people". This statement is uncritically adopted by many of their followers and serves as sufficient justification for attacks on Sufism. This argument is particularly popular among uneducated followers. It is important to note that this statement is neither technically sound nor neutral and merely serves as a means to support their ideological agenda. The question of where the statement "Sufism is the opium of the nations" comes from is important. The answer lies in the fact that the Wahabi and neo-Salafi sects often adopt terms and arguments from Orientalists and other anti-Islam forces to justify their struggles against Muslims. A close look at the history of their origins clearly shows why they have adopted many statements against Islam from the Orientalists and other opponents.

In the future, I intend to publish more articles on this topic and share my findings on how the Wahabi and Neo-Salafi sects have adopted Islamophobic statements from Orientalists and other opponents of Islam.

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Where does the statement "Religion is the opium of the people" come from?

This statement was coined by Karl Marx, a well-known philosopher and founder of Marxism. In his work "On the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right", he uses the phrase "Religion is the opium of the people" and argues that religion is used by the ruling classes to oppress and distract the proletariat by providing a false hope of a better life after death. The idea that religion is a form of anesthesia used by the ruling classes to control the oppressed was an important concept in Marxist theory and has found its way into contemporary culture in various forms.

The sect adopted the thesis and applied it to its main opponents. The well-known sentence "Religion is the opium of the people" was slightly changed to "Sufism is the opium of the people"

Abbas Mahmoud Al-Aqqad (1889-1964) was an Egyptian writer, poet, critic and intellectual. He was born in Assiut, Egypt, and was one of the most important intellectual figures in the Arab world of the 20th century. In his well-known book "Opium of the Peoples" there is an answer to this Marxist statement. I will only quote his introduction. It is amazing that his answer against Marxism can also be easily applied to this sect.

"Karl Marx and his followers say: 'Religions are the opium of the people, and people accept religion because it anesthetizes them and distracts them from the miseries of life'.

This statement is nonsense when it comes to religion, and it is the first description that applies to Karl Marx's ideology in all its meanings. The state of responsibility and the intoxicated state are opposites, and there is no religion that does not awaken in the religious man a sense of responsibility in transparency and make him wary of committing sins between himself and his conscience. It suggests that the poor and the rich alike without work and without retribution do not deserve the reward of heaven. This is different from saying that religion numbs a person, as drugs and opium do.

Marx puts all the responsibility on society and tells the weak, criminals and sinners that they are his innocent victims and that all the consequences are on him. The stupefaction from Marxism is completed when they set their tongues with envy and hatred towards anyone who is considered successful, equating them with determination and commitment. If you look at the behavior of drunks, you will find that they have no desire except the feeling to abdicate responsibility and spit on the mighty and great. Just like any drunk whose stupor takes the truth of things out of his eyes.

Marx's ideology had no magic that attracted the lower classes, except this magic that they spend their money on and find in Marxism, which continues to seduce them with tempting ideas and helps them cure envy and revenge. It is nothing more than cheap anesthesia, nothing more and nothing less. They often speak of "scientific teaching" or "scientific interpretation" of history and emphasize research and analysis. But if you look at who is attracted to this nonsense, you won't find anyone who is really interested in knowledge and insight. Instead, there are among them - undoubtedly - those who are blinded by envy and ignore all virtue, and who are driven by their impulses like an uncontrolled animal without thinking of the consequences of their actions.

So "Marxism" is really as it describes religions, namely, the opium of the people in its purest form. And if you are looking for a good reason why alcoholism is widespread in a particular environment, you should know that this reason also applies to the spread of harmful ideologies. Those cravings that show up in the first symptoms that appear in drunks - such as ignoring consequences, removing shame and continuing to insult everyone, even if they are not rich - can also be explained.

This short text and the discussions that follow are quick to point out this obvious truth. But who is this warning for? Not for the drunken man who is lost in his intoxication and doesn't want to wake up, or wakes up and is still a little drunk. But it is a warning for those who are watching and can use their ears and eyes."

In a figurative sense, Al-Aqqad's answer to Marxism can also be applied to Karl Marx's altered and falsified statement. When Sufism in its pure form is removed from people's lives, they remain trapped in their bad habits and irresponsibility. The services have no spiritual depth, but are purely pragmatic and can easily be replaced by other things. This explains why many followers of the Wahabi and neo-Salafi sects suffer extreme backsliding. The character of their followers is an example of what a person can be like when practicing their religion without Sufism.

The teachings of this sect are in truth like opium, as they incite people to do nothing but what their bad nature wants. Condemnation of other Muslims, self-congratulation and belittling Islamic scholarship as well as Sufi scholars are practiced because they make people look in the mirror and work on their deepest and worst sides. This sect seduces people who tend to be superficial and lazy. Even if they consistently pray five times a day, the challenge of working on their character is much more difficult and exhausting. This sect gives its followers opium, the opium of their bad sides, which is Islamically legitimized and ends up giving a sense of validation because it is supposedly Islamic.