In Episode 18, we dive into Zafarullah Khan’s powerful critique of intellectual stagnation within the Muslim world, as presented in Islam in the Contemporary World: A New Narrative. Khan argues that Islam, meant to be a source of mercy and liberation, has too often been misused as a tool for oppression and fear. He calls out both the rigid traditionalists who reject Western thought and the modernists who imitate it blindly, identifying both as victims of intellectual slavery. Drawing parallels with the historical struggles of thinkers like Galileo, and highlighting the resistance faced by reformers such as Fazal-ur-Rahman and Muhammad Asad, Khan issues a compelling call to action: Muslims must reclaim their intellectual agency, learn critically from the West, and strive to shape the future of global thought through an authentically Islamic lens.