The Oppressor And The Oppressed

The oppressor and the oppressed—
Who among us is truly innocent?
Who can claim they have never inflicted harm,
Knowingly or unknowingly?
We often view oppression as external,
A battle between two distinct forces:
One wielding power, the other bearing its weight.
Yet, if we dare to hold a mirror to our souls,
The reflection may unsettle us.

In moments of arrogance, selfishness, or indifference,
Each of us becomes the oppressor.
We crush spirits with careless words,
Exploit relationships for personal gain,
Or turn away from suffering—
Choosing the comfort of apathy.
Even inaction, when justice calls for action,
Makes us complicit.

At the same time,
We are all oppressed.
We bear the weight of a society
That molds us into its image,
Trapping us in cycles of ignorance, greed,
And blind ambition.
Our egos weigh us down,
Our desires shackle us to fleeting illusions,
And our fears keep us
From transcending our baser instincts.

The Qur'anic verse,
"Indeed, mankind is most unjust and ignorant,"
Encapsulates this duality.
Prone to zulm (injustice) and jahl (ignorance),
We falter—toward others, our Creator,
And even ourselves.
We forget our purpose,
Misuse the gifts entrusted to us,
And fall short of the stewardship
Assigned to us upon the earth.

But acknowledgment is the first step
Toward transformation.
To recognize the oppressor within
Is to confront the ignorance that sustains it.
To understand our shared state of oppression
Is to cultivate compassion—for ourselves and others.
Through repentance, humility,
And the pursuit of knowledge and justice,
We can begin to tip the scales.

In this shared human condition,
None of us is exempt.
Yet within this flaw lies
The potential for redemption.
The journey from ignorance to understanding,
From injustice to equity,
Is not merely an individual struggle;
It is the essence of our collective humanity.

Let us reflect:
In the face of our imperfections,
Will we remain oppressors and victims,
Or rise as seekers of truth and justice?

MyKoul