Dr. Abdurahman Baadiyow

There is a profound question that should touch both our hearts and our minds: How is it possible for a society so deeply attached to its religion to remain, for more than thirty years, trapped in collapse, conflict, division, poverty, misgovernance, and statelessness? Somalia presents a tragic example of the enormous gap between the worship we perform and the morality and conduct that our worship is supposed to produce. For more than three decades, the country’s political leaders have repeatedly reproduced the same political and social practices that contributed to the collapse of the state, while failing to build a functioning, legitimate, just, and citizen-oriented government.

And yet Somalia is not a society without religion. Our mosques are full. We fast during Ramadan. We perform our prayers. Somali women widely observe the hijab. Thousands of Somalis travel to Mecca every year to perform ʿUmrah and Hajj. Religion is deeply embedded in our lives, our identity, and our culture. Yet a question inevitably rises from within: What is wrong with us? How is it possible that our mosques are full, our prayer rows are long, the Qur’an is recited, fasting is observed, and Hajj and ʿUmrah are performed—yet we remain unable to reconcile with one another, establish justice, protect the public interest, resist corruption, or build a functioning state?

How is it possible that we are a nation blessed with vast territory, a rich coastline, abundant livestock, natural resources, a large population, and a strategically important geographic location, yet we have repeatedly failed even to feed ourselves adequately, while millions of our people depend on humanitarian assistance? How did a society that claims to place its trust in Allah come to fail so profoundly in making productive use of the resources Allah has bestowed upon it? Is the problem that we worship too little? Or is the deeper problem that we have understood worship as an end in itself, rather than as a means of cultivating good individuals and building a good society?

Islam is built upon faith, worship, and morality. Worship is not an empty set of repeated movements; it is a process of disciplining and cultivating the soul. Prayer is meant to restrain a person from wrongdoing. Fasting is meant to teach self-control and God-consciousness. Zakat is meant to cultivate compassion and social awareness. Hajj is meant to strengthen brotherhood, equality, and mutual tolerance. Every act of worship should leave a visible mark on a person’s character and conduct. If prayer does not produce justice, if fasting does not produce self-restraint, if Hajj does not produce brotherhood, and if worship does not produce honesty and responsibility, then what benefit has our worship brought us? Worship that produces no moral transformation is like milk that has been churned repeatedly but from which no butter is produced. There is movement; there is effort; there may even be a powerful outward appearance of religiosity, but the expected result is nowhere to be seen.

The Qur’an praises our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with a profound description: “Indeed, you are of a great moral character.” (Qur’an 68:4). If our Prophet ﷺ was praised for his character, why do we sometimes measure our religiosity by how much we pray, how often we fast, or how many times we perform Hajj and ʿUmrah, rather than asking ourselves: Have we become more honest? Have we become more just? Have we become more compassionate? Have we become people who can be trusted? Do we love our brother what we love for ourselves? The Qur’an describes Muslims in these terms: “You are the best nation brought forth for humanity: you enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in Allah.” (Qur’an 3:110).

This is not an honor granted merely by carrying the name Muslim. It is a moral and social responsibility. It requires a community that enjoins what is right (al-maʿrūf), forbids what is wrong (al-munkar), upholds justice, rejects oppression, and stands with the vulnerable. So where are we today? Somalia has spent decades fighting itself. We have attempted countless agreements, held countless conferences, undertaken numerous state-building initiatives, and developed countless plans. Yet, time and again, we return to the same place. Clan-based politics, narrow interests, corruption, abuse of power, mistrust, and fragmentation continue to undermine the existence of the nation. What is most painful is that the problem does not exist only in politics; it reaches deep into the moral fabric of our society and its leadership. The person standing beside you in the mosque today may be the same person who takes away your rights tomorrow. A person who recites the Qur’an may at times participate in oppression or corruption. Someone who speaks to people in the name of religion may sometimes remain silent in the face of injustice.

This is where we must have the courage to look honestly at ourselves. Has religion failed? Or have we failed to understand and practice religion sincerely? I believe the greatest problem is not Islam itself, but the gap between what we profess to believe and how we live. And this brings us back to leadership. Somalia will not be transformed simply by having more people who worship but lack moral character. It needs leaders of integrity and character. It does not need merely more institutions; it needs leadership capable of making those institutions function justly. It does not need merely more reconciliation conferences; it needs leaders capable of creating forgiveness, justice, and trust among the people. It does not need mere resources; it needs leadership capable of transforming those resources into public prosperity and national development.

Leadership is the missing link. Genuine leadership is what transforms faith into morality, morality into action, action into institutions, and institutions into a functioning state. It is leadership capable of placing the national interest above personal ambition, clan interest, factional loyalty, and attachment to office. Therefore, the search for exceptional leadership must become our first priority. We need a generation of leaders who understand that public office is a responsibility, power is a trust, public wealth is a right that must never be violated, and justice is a duty that cannot be negotiated away. We need leaders whose faith produces morality; whose morality produces integrity; whose integrity produces trust; whose trust produces institutions; and whose institutions build a state.

Ultimately, the question is not simply: “Are we Muslims? The deeper question is: “Has Islam transformed us?” Has our worship made us more just, more honest, more compassionate, more responsible, and more committed to serving society? Or have we become satisfied with the outward appearance of worship while losing the spirit and purpose through which worship was meant to transform us? And perhaps the most difficult question of all is this: Is our worship leading us toward success in this world and the Hereafter, or do we need to relearn how worship becomes morality, and how morality becomes a way of life? Perhaps Somalia’s transformation will not begin with another conference, another election, or another constitution. Perhaps it will begin in the heart of the individual, in the character of the leader, and in a proper understanding of the relationship between faith, worship, and social responsibility.

Dr. Abdurahman Baadiyow
Email: abdurahmanba@yahoo.com
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Dr. Abdurahman Baadiyow is a Professor of Modern Islamic History and a Senior Adviser for the Somali President on Peace and Reconciliation.