Marxism: A Religion and a State - But...
Although Karl Marx was not the first socialist, and he will certainly not be the last to philosophize socialism, he represents a school of thought within socialism that has its merits and flaws, where more can be placed on the side of its flaws than on its merits. Yet, due to the prevailing intellectual confusion, Marxist communists have managed to convince people that scientific socialism begins and ends with Marxism-Leninism. They claim that if one wants to be a scientific socialist, there is no path except to become a Marxist.
The truth is that socialism will not triumph on earth - though it inevitably will - unless it overcomes the Marxist-Leninist materialist thought. Or rather, unless it corrects the major, current errors that are responsible for socialism's setbacks in both Russia and China alike.
Marxism is a religion that fights other religions with the same ferocity that one co-wife fights another, seeking to dominate the household. It is a religion that has cloaked its scholars with infallibility, raising them to the status of prophets. Indeed, following the inherently materialist, idolatrous nature, it has elevated Marx and Lenin to the rank of worshipped deities. One can even see its followers making pilgrimages to Lenin's tomb, circumambulating it just as Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba in the sacred mosque.
Thus, Marxism is a religion without a God - or rather, it is a religion whose gods are its prophets. The deification of Marx and Lenin is sufficiently clear, but it is even more apparent in the case of Mao Zedong. In China today, Mao’s sayings are printed, bound, and revered in a manner akin to the Christian reverence for the Bible or the Muslim reverence for the Quran. Mao is, the god of China today.
Marxist religion denies the existence of God for a simple reason: Marx, unable to comprehend God, turned his inability into a virtue by denying God's existence altogether. Marxism, therefore, unwittingly calls humanity to return to the paganism it abandoned thousands of years ago. In doing so, it is an intensely regressive religion - far more deserving of the label of "regressive" than those it habitually accuses - its enemies.
To speak of Marxism as a religion may seem strange at first, but this perception arises because people have become accustomed to viewing Marxism solely as a socialist ideology. This is because Marx gave primary focus to economics in his philosophy, which overshadowed the philosophical roots of Marxism, except for those who delve deeper. To these, Marxism reveals itself as a philosophy of humanity and the universe.
Here is where the fallacy and inadequacy of Marxism become apparent. Its foundational philosophy, “dialectical materialism,” posits that “the movement of thought is a reflection of real-world movement, transmitted to the human brain and settled within it.” For Marxists, “real-world movement” refers to the movement of elements, including class struggle - a movement they consider mechanically deterministic and automatic.
Marxists do not acknowledge that this determinism emanates from a comprehensive will housed in an all-encompassing intellect (‘aql kulli) that creates both class structures and history. This is where the chain breaks and the cycle is disrupted.
The idea of spontaneous transformation has been suggested before - not by philosophers, but by ignorant people. The Quran recounts their story: (And they say, “There is nothing but our worldly life; we die and we live, and nothing destroys us except time.” And they have no knowledge of that; they are merely assuming. When Our verses are recited to them as clear proofs, their argument is only that they say, “Bring back our forefathers, if you are truthful.” Say, “Allah gives you life, then causes you to die; then He will gather you to the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt, but most people do not know”) (45:24–26).
The phrase “nothing destroys us except time” represents the core misguidance in all atheistic thought. And “but most people do not know” identifies the root cause of defect in every atheist.
Because Marxist religion is complex and difficult to grasp, it does not require its followers to understand it. Instead, it asked them to believe in it - asking them to believe in disbelief. This is the reason for the fanatical zeal of most Marxists.
