It was obvious to me that the decline of the Muslims was not due to any shortcomings in Islam

"It was obvious to me that the decline of the Muslims was not due to any shortcomings in Islam but rather to their own failure to up to it.....It was not Muslims that had made Islam great; it was Islam that made Muslims great. 

But as soon as their faith became habit and ceased to be a program of life, to be continuously pursued, the creative impulse that underlay their civilization waned and gradually gave way to indolence, sterility and cultural decay." 

~~ Muhammad Asad