Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

CHAPTER 3 (Surah Āl ‘Imrān), VERSES 26 -27

قُلِ اللَّـهُمَّ مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتَنزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَاءُۖ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرُۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ﴿٢٦﴾ تُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِۖ وَتُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّۖ وَتَرْزُقُ مَن تَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ﴿٢٧﴾

Say: ‘‘O Allāh, Master of the Kingdom! Thou givest the Kingdom to whomsoever Thou pleasest and takest away the Kingdom from whomsoever Thou pleasest, and Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom Thou pleasest; in Thine hand is the good; surely, Thou hast power over all things (26). Thou makest the night to enter into the day and Thou makest the dat to enter into the night, and Thou bringest forth the living from the dead and Thou bringest forth the dead from the living, and Thou givest sustenance to whom Thou pleasest, without measure’’ (27).

COMMENTARY

The two verses do have a sort of connection with the preceding talk about the People of the Book, and especially the Jews. They were earlier threatened with the chastisements of this world and the hereafter. It was a part of that chastisement that Allāh deprived them of their kingdom, and they were inflicted by abasement and humiliation upto the Day of Resurrection; also they lost so many lives and their rule was shorn of sovereignty.

Apart from that, the main theme of the chapter, as was mentioned in the beginning, is to show that the creation and all its affairs are totally in the hands of Allāh; He is the Master of the Kingdom, He gives Kingdom, honour and good to whomsoever He pleases; and takes away the Kingdom, honour and good from whomsoever He pleases.

The verses are, thus, in total conformity with the theme of the chapter.

QUR’ĀN: Say: O Allāh, Master of the Kingdom! The verse advises the believer to seek refuge with Allāh - in Whose hand is all the good and all the power - in order that he may remain unaffected by baseless ideas of the hypocrites, the polytheists and the People of the Book, the groups who were under the illusion that they had the kingdom and honours in their hands and that in this way they were independent of Allāh! Such thoughts were their undoing; they were totally lost and ruined because of this illusion. The believer should steer clear of such ideas and should present himself with humility before Allāh Who bestows good and gives sustenance without measure to whomsoever He pleases. The meaning of ‘‘al-milk’’( ا َلْمِلْكُ = property, possession) is known to, and understood by, all; and we recognize it as a lawful concept and reality.

‘‘Possession’’ is of two kinds:

1. Real Possession: It is the ability inherent in a creature, for example, man, to dispose, manage and manipulate another thing in any way he likes. For example, a man may use or not use his eyesight, depending on his choice; he may use his hand in getting hold of a thing or letting it go; and so on. There exists between such a possessor and such a property a real, unchangeable and untransferable relationship; a relationship that makes the property dependent on the possessor for its very existence - it cannot be separated from the possessor without being destroyed. In the above example, the eye or the hand cannot be removed from the man without losing its usefulness and even its existence in the process.

In this category comes the possession and ownership, which belongs to Allāh, of this universe with all its big and small components, as well as of all its affairs. He has the right, authority and power to do with it, and in it, as He pleases.

2. Conventional Possession: It is the possession based on man-made convention; the ability of, let us say, a man to dispose and manage a thing, as he likes - the authority based on the convention laid down by wise men to achieve the society’s aims. They looked at the plane of creation and found it replete with real possession and its effects; so they invented a similar institution for the plane of civilization and laid down the system of the conventional possession for the society. Their goal was to obtain benefits from the world’s provisions similar to those a real owner gets from his real possession. This relationship between a conventional owner and his property is not a real thing; it is just an abstract idea based on society’s convention; and that is why such an ownership, unlike the real one, may be transferred to another person through trade, gift, inheritance etc.

‘‘al-Mulk’’ ( اَلْمُلْكُ = kingdom) too is a sort of ‘‘al-milk’’ (possession) inasmuch as the king or ruler owns what the people of a country do own; he manages and disposes what the people have in their possession, without there occurring any clash between their management and his, between their will and his. It is in fact an ownership over ownership - the king’s ownership being vertically above thepublic’s ; in the same way as, for example, a master owns his slave and also all that is owned by the slave.

The kingdom too, being a sort of possession, is divided into two categories: the real and the conventional.

Allāh is the absolute Owner of every thing; His is the absolute Lordship and absolute management; He is the Creator of every thing and God of every thing. He says: That is Allāh, your Lord,the Creator of every thing; there is no god but He (40:62); whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His (2:255). There are numerous verses showing that whatever is called a ‘‘thing’’ exists because of Allāh, is dependent in its quiddity and existence on Him; it cannot stand without Him. Nothing can prevent Allāh from disposing and managing a thing in any way He pleases; and as we explained earlier, it is the real possession.

And He is also the absolute King of the creation, because He is its absolute Owner. There is a system of ownership pervading the universe - the causes own their effects; every thing owns its active faculties and powers; those faculties and powers own their activities. For example, man owns all his limbs, organs and faculties like the eyes and ears; and the eyes and ears own their faculties of sight and hearing. As mentioned above, Allāh owns every thing; therefore, He owns every owner as well as all his (or its) possessions; and this is what is called the Kingship. He is therefore the absolute King of all the creation. He has said: to Him belongs the Kingdom, and to Him is due (all) praise (64:1); . with a most Powerful King (54:55); there are numerous such verses. Needless to say, it is the real possession and kingships.

As for the conventional possession and kingship, this too actually belongs to Allāh. Allāh is the conventional Owner too, because it is He Who bestows the ownership to every thing which owns any thing. He could not do so unless He Himself did own that thing; otherewise it would have looked as if He was bestowing a thing He did not own to someone who could not own! Allāh says: and give them of the wealth of Allāh which He has given to you . (24:33). Also, He is the conventional King, because He is the Law-giver and the Ruler, Who regulates, by His order, all the things which the people own, just as the kings regulate the financial affairs of their subjects. Allāh says: Say: ‘‘I seek refuge in the Lord of men, the King, of men’’ (114:1 - 2); And He gives you all that you ask Him; and if you count Allāh’s bounties, you will not be able to compute them (14:34); and spend out of what He has made you to be successors of (57:7); And what reason have you that you should not spend in Allāh’s way? And Allāh’s is the inheritance of the heavens and the earth (57:10);To whom belongs the kingdom this day?To Allāh, the One, the Subduer (of all) (40:16). The verses show that Allāh owned all that is in our hands before it came in our possession, and He continues to own it even when it belongs to us, and He will remain its owner (or let us say, Inheritor) when we are gone. His Kingship and ownership remains unaffected throughout.

It appears from the above that the words, ‘‘O Allāh, Master of the Kingdom’’, point to the following three themes:

First: To Allāh belongs every kingdom; He is the Owner of the Kingdom. In other words, He is the King of the kings; He gives every king his kingdom, every ruler his rule; He says: . because Allāh had given him the kingdom (2:258); andWe have given them a grand kingdom (4:54).

Second: The Divine name ‘‘Allāh’’, precedes the epithet, ‘‘Master of the Kingdom’’; this arrangement explains the basis of His Kingship; He is the Master of the Kingdom becuse He is Allāh, Great is HisMajesty !

Third: ‘‘The Kingdom’’ here refers to its both kinds - the real and the conventional. (And Allāh knows better!) The matters mentioned in the first verse (Thou givest the Kingdom to whomsoever Thou pleasest and takest away the Kingdom from whomsoever Thou pleasest, and Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom Thou pleasest) refer to various aspects of the conventional kinship; while the next verse refers to the affairs of the real kingship. Allāh is, therefore, the absolute Master of the Kingdom.

QUR’ĀN: Thou givest the Kingdom to whomsoever Thou pleasest and takest away the Kingdom from whomsoever Thou pleasest: The statement is unrestricted and thus covers every kingdom, no matter whether it is obtained legally or illegally, nor whether it is based on justice or injustice. (We have explained this subject under the verse 2:258; . because Allāh .has given him the kingdom.) The kingdom, per se, is one of the bounties of Allāh; it has the potential of doinggood in, and improving, the human society. Man, by his very nature, loves to rule and dominate over others. A kingship, which falls into the hands of an undeserving person, is disliked and condemned, not because it is a kingship, but because it has been captured by one who has no right to it, (e.g., when someone usurps it through coup d’etat), or because of his bad character, injustice and oppression. This second reason is, in a way, another facet of the first.

To sum it up, if the king or the ruler is good, able and just, then the kingdom is a bounty of Allāh for him. On the other hand, if he is undeserving and undesirable, then for him it is an affliction and trial. In either case, it is attributed to Allāh, and is a means of trial, by which Allāh tests His servants - the ruler and the ruled.

We have described earlier somewhere that when the Qur’ān attaches the proviso of ‘‘Allāh’s pleasure’’, as in this verse, it does not mean that Allāh’s actions are done without a reason or without an aim. This proviso is a reiteration that Allāh’s power and His will are supreme; that Allāh is not under any compulsion to do or not to do any particular work; nobody can oblige Him in any way; whatever He does, it is done according to His absolute will and power, and not because someone compels Him to do so. Nevertheless, all His actions are done and all His decrees issued for one purpose: the good and well-being of His servants.

QUR’ĀN: and Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom Thou pleasest: ‘‘al-‘Izz’’( ز ُّاَلْعِ = to be hard to get; to be difficult to obtain). We say for a rare book or thing that it is ‘azīzu ’l-wujūd (عَزِيْزُالْوُجُوْدِ ); a man having a high prestige in his tribe, country or nation is called ‘azīzu ’l-qawm, because it is difficult to subdue or overpower him. Then it was used for all types of difficulties; it is said “ya‘izzu ‘alayya kadhā”( يَعِزُّعَليًّ آَذَا = it is hard for me to; it grieves me to). Allāh says: . grievous to him is your falling into distress . (9:128). Also, it is used for overpowering. There is a proverb: man ‘azza bazza( م َنْ عَزَّ بَزَّ = he who vanquishes, takes the booty). Allāh says: . and he has prevailed against me in discourse (38:23). But the basic meaning in all these usages is the same.

Opposite to it is ‘‘al-dhull’’( ا َلذُّلُّ = to be easy to get orsubdue - by real or supposed overpowering). Allāh says: And abasement and humiliation were brought down over them (2:61); and lower unto them the wing of humility out of compassion (17:24); . humble before the believers . (5:54). The words translated as ‘‘abasement’’, ‘‘humility’’ and ‘‘humble’’ are various derivatives of ‘‘al-dhull’’.

al-‘Izzah ( اَلْعِزَّةُ = exaltation; might; honour) is an inseparable attribute of the absolute Kingship of Allāh. Whoever, other than Allāh, possesses any thing he gets it is because Allāh has given him its ownership; whoever gets kingship, it is because Allāh gives him that kingdom. Therefore, real honour and exaltation belong only to Allāh; whatever honour is enjoyed by others, it is but a gift bestowed by Allāh. He says: Do they seek honour from them? Then surely all honour is for Allāh (4:139); . and to Allāh belongs the might and to His Apostle and to the believers . (63:8). This is the true honour, real might. What others have got is only abasement in the guise of might, humiliation behind the mask of honour. Allāh says:

Nay!those who disbelieve are in (self-) exaltation and opposition (38:2). Then to show that that self-exaltation is just an allusion, Allāh immediately reminds them: How many didWe destroy before them of the generations, then they cried while the time of escaping had passed away (38:3).

Abasement and dishonour, being the opposite of might and honour, are governed by the opposite factors. Everything, other than Allāh, by itself is abase and without any honour - except him who is exalted by Allāh; ‘‘and Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom Thou pleasest’’.

QUR’ĀN: in Thine hand is the good; surely Thou hast power over all things: ‘‘a1-Kahyr’’( ا َلْخَيْرُ = the good) basically connotes ‘selection’. We call a thing ‘khayr’ (good) when we compare it with another thing and choose it - thus it is ‘khayr’ (good) because it is the chosen one, the selected on. And why did we select it? Because it was more suitable for the purpose we had in mind. In other words, this thing is good because it is a means to obtain the ultimate good, that is, the purpose aimed at.The real ‘‘good’’.is that which is desired for itself. It is called good because it is chosen when compared with other things.

The word ‘‘good’’ carries a connotation of favourable comparison with other things.This. has given rise to a misunderstanding that it is an adjective of comaparative degrees, and that originally it was akhyar ( اَخْيَرُ ). But it is not so; it is not in comparative degree, although its root meaning carries a comparative value, and therefore it is often used as a substitute for ‘‘better’’, ‘‘more exalted’’ etc. We say: Zayd is afdal( ا َفْضَلُ = more exalted) than ‘Amr; the same meaning is conveyed when we say: Zayd is khayrun ( خَيْرٌ ) than ‘Amr. We may say: Zayd afdaluhumā( ز َيْدٌ اَفْضَلُهُمَا ), or we may change it to Zayd khayruhumā ( زَيْدٌ خَيْرُهُمَا ) both sentences will convey the same meaning: Zayd is the better of the two. But this interchangeabilitity of the two words does not make al-khayr an adjective of comparative degree; otherwise, it would have been conjugated on the paradigm of comparative degree, i.e., on the paradigm of ‘‘aftdal, afādil, fudlā, fudlayāt’’( . ( اَفْضَلُ،اَفَاضِلُ،فُضْلي،فُضْلَيَاتُ But ‘‘khayr’’ is not conjugated like that. Instead we say: khayr, akhyār, khayrah, khayrāt( خ َيْرٌ،اَخْيَارٌ،خَيْرَةٌ،خَيْرَاتٌ ) like shaykh, ashyākh, shaykhah, shaykhāt ( شَيْخٌ،اَشْيَاخٌ،شَيْخَةٌ،شَيْخَاتٌ = old man, old men, old woman, old women). Therefore, it isa as-sifatu ’l-mushabbahah اَلصِّفَةُ الْمُشَبَّهَةٌ ) = adjective denoting an inseparable attribute).

Moreover, khayr is also used in places where the context does not allow any comparison. For example, Say: ‘‘What is with Allāh is better (khayrun = خَيْرٌ ) than sport . (62:11). Now there is no good in the sport so that it could be said, ‘‘better than sport’’. What it actually means is: What is with Allāh is good, and the sport is not good. (Those who think that the word al-khayr, is in comparative degree, say that in the sentences like the above, the word looses its comparative value.Such explanations neeed no comment!) The fact is that al-khayr gives a connotation of selection and choosing, and generally, but not necessarily, the thing which is not selected also has some good in it.

The above discourse shows that Allāh is ‘‘good’’ absolutely and without any reservation or condition, because He it isWho is the ultimate goal and destination of every thing. Yet, the Qur’ān has never used this word as a Divine name, although it has been used as an adjective referring to Allāh: and Allāhis better and more abiding (20:73); are sundry lords better or Allāh the One, the Supreme? (12:39).

Of course, the word, khayrun( خ َيْرٌ = better, best) has been used as the first construct of those Divine names which are in genitive case; for example: and Allāh is the best (khayr) of sustainers (62:11)

; and He is the best of the judges (7:87); and He is the best of deciders (6:57); and He is the best of the helpers (3:150); and Allāh is the best of planners (3:54); and Thou art the best of deciders (7:89); and Thou art the best of the forgivers (7:155); and Thou art the best of inheritors (21:89); and Thou art the best to cause to alight (23:29); and Thou art the best of the merciful ones (23:109).

The reason for this fine distinction in usage is not difficult to understand. As the word, al-khayr, has a connotation of selection and option, it was not used as a name of God - it would not have been proper to compare Him in a general way with others, because all are subservient to Him. But there was no such difficulty in using the word as an adjective or as a relative description in a genitive case.

The sentence, ‘‘in Thine hand is the good’’, has a semantic value of restriction: the definite article in ‘‘the good’’ makes it cover all and every good; and the adverbial clause of place, ‘‘in Thine hand’’, coming at the beginning of the sentence, puts all the good exclusivesly into the hand of Allāh. The meaning therefore is: Every good, which anyone may ever desire, is only under Thy management and control; it is Thou Who gives it to whomsoever Thou pleasest.

The sentence gives the reason of the preceding ones, which mention His giving the kingdom and honour to whomsoever He pleases and taking them away from whomsoever He pleases. It explains the particular, that is, bestowing kingdom and honour, with the help of a general attribute, ‘‘good’’: ‘‘good’’ is an all-encompassing term, which covers other bounties too. Allāh controls every ‘‘good’’, and kingdom and honour are two of those good things; therefore, it is Allāh who bestows them to whomsoever He pleases.

The taking away of the kingdom. and abasing are ‘good’ in the same way as giving the kingdom and exalting are. It is true that they are ‘‘evil’’; but what is evil? It is absence of good. Taking away the kingdom is the same as not giving the kingdom; abasing is the same as not exalting. To say, Allāh has the power to give it, is the same as saying, He has the power to withold it. When every good emanates from Him, then every withholding of the good must necessarily emanate from Him. What we have to be careful about is that we should never attribute to Him any thing which is beneath His sublime sanctity; for example, we cannot say that the sins, errors and improprieties of the servants emanate from Him. Nevertheless, we may say that Allāh leaves the sinners to do as they wish, and that He does not help such servants. (We have explained this matter before.)

Let us look at this matter from another angle: There are good and evil in the sphere of creation, like giving the kingdom and taking it away, exalting someone and abasing him and so on. The good, at this level, is a positive reality, and there is no difficuty in attributing it to Allāh. And the evil, at this level, is just not giving the good to someone, and even here, there is no difficulty in attributing it to Allāh; He is the only Master of every ‘‘good’’; if He gives to someone from that good, then He should be thanked; if, on the other hand, He withholds it from someone, then nobody has any right to ask Him why, or to compel Him to give it. Whatever He does, is done for the general well-being of His creatures, for the good of the system which pervades every single component of the universe.

Likewis, there are good and evil in the sphere of legislation - various kinds of obedience and disobedience. Man is responsible for these actions, inasmuch as they are done by his own choice and will. Certainly, such actions can never be attributed to other than the man himself. It is this relationship between man and his actions which makes it possible to say, this is good, or, that is bad. If man had no freedom of will and choice, none of his deeds could be termed as good or evil. And these deeds cannot be attributed to Allāh, except in the sense that He helps (in good deeds) or withholds His help (from evil ones), according to the reasons demanding such help or its withdrawal.

It shows that the good, all of it, is in the hand ofAllāh, and all the affairs of the universe - gain and loss; good and evil - emanate from that good.

An exegete has written: There is a deleted by implied word in the sentence, ‘‘in Thine hand is the good’’; according to him, it actually says, in Thine hand is the good and evil. He gives the example of another verse: and He has given you garments to preserve you from the heat (16:81), in which ‘and cold’, is implied.

We understand tine motive of the above assertion. He wanted to keep his distance from the Mu‘tazilities. The Mu‘tazilites do not attribute an evil to Allāh, not even indirectly. Of course, their stand was wrong and we have already dealt with this topic in a previous volume. But it does not justify such strange implied additions to the speech of God; it is astonishing to see someone having the audacity to hazard such explanations in respect of the Qur’ānic verses.

QUR’ĀN: Thou hast power over all things: It shows why all good is in Allāh’s hand. He has absolute and exclusive power over every thing; it follows that anyone who has got any power, gets it by the authority of Allāh. If not so, then that person’s power would be outside the purview of Allāh’s power; in that case, Allāh would not have power over all things. But we know that He has absolute and all-encompassing power; and therefore, every imaginable good is in His power. Consequently, all thegood, that emanates from others’ hands, is, in fact, bestowed by Allāh. In short, the good, per se, is in His hands only. It was this exclusiveness to which the preceding sentence had referred: ‘‘in Thine hand is the good’’.

QUR’ĀN: Thou makest the night to enter into the day and Thou makest the day to enter into the night: al-Wulūj( ا َلْوُلُوْجُ ) is to enter; its transitive is ‘‘al-īlāj’’ ( اَلْاِيْلَاجُ = to make enter, to insert).

Apparently, the above sentences refer to the continuously changing lengths of days and nights, throughout the year, depending on the latitude of a region and the position of the earth vis-a-vis the sun. In the northern hamisphere, from mid-winter to mid-summer, days become longer and longer and nights shorter and shorter - it is the entering of the day into the night. And from mid-summer to mid-winter, nights become longer and longer and days shorter and shorter - and it is the entering of the night into the day. The position in the southern hemisphere is just opposite. When the nights are longer in one hemisphere, they are shorter in the other; the same happens with the days. In this way, Allāh is always making the day to enter into the night, and the night to enter into the day.

As for the two imaginary points of the north and the south poles, and the imaginary latitude of the equator, it seems that the days and the nights remain equal throughout the year. But in reality changes occur at those pointstoo8 .

QUR’ĀN: and Thou bringest forth the living from the dead and Thou bringest forth the dead from the living: That is, Allāh brings forth a believer from the loin of an unbeliever, and an unbeliever from the loin of a believer. Allāh has named belief as life and light, and He calls disbelief as death and darkness. For example, He says: Is he who was dead then We raised him to life and made for him a light by which he walks among the people, like him whose likeness is that of one in utter darkness whence he cannot come forth (6:122).

The sentences may also be explained in a general way: Allāh creates living organism, like vegetable and animal, from the earth which has no sense or feeling; and then gives death to the living things returning them to the earth. The Qur’ānic verses almost clearly say that He changes the living into dead and the dead into living. He says: . thenWe caused it to grow into another creation; so blessed be Allāh, the best of creators. Then after that you will most surely die (23:14 - 15). There are other verses having the same connotation.

Some scientists say: The life emanated from some germs, evolving from one germ into another, and from that into a third and so on; that it did not spring up from senseless matter. The reason for this hypothesis lay in their belief that the universe came into being by itself, it was not created9 . But experiments show that the living germs too are overcome by death. Thus the life changes into death, establishing a correlation between the two. (We shall further explain this subject somewhere else.)

However, this verse, ‘‘Thou makest the night . bringest forth the dead from the living’’, describes Allāh’s management of His real possession; as the preceding verse, ‘‘Thou givest the Kingdom . abasest whom Thou pleasest’’, shows His management of His conventional possession.

The two verses run parallel to each other: One describing four aspects of His management which stand face to face with the other four described by the other. The former mentions giving the kingdom and taking it away; the latter subtends it with the description of making the night to enter into the day and making the day to enter into the night. Then the former talks about exalting and abasing; and the latter speaks of bringing forth the living from the dead and vice versa. This juxtaposition provides a refreshing insight into the Qur’ānic eloquence.

To give a kingdom to someone is to let him impose his authority over his compatriots; thus, to a certain extent, the freedom of the people is lost into the authority of the ruler. It is not dissimilar to making the night dominate over the day; the night (comparable to subjugation) takes away certain portions of the day (comparable to the freedom of the people).

The opposite is true for taking away the kingdom vis-a-vis making the day to enter into the night.

To exalt someone is similar to giving him a new life; he would have remained unknown and unrecognized, if Allāh had not bestowed honour upon him. That is why it has been put parallel to bringing forth the living from the dead.

Likewise, abasing and bringing forth the dead from the living stand face to face. Honour is life; and dishonour, death.

Also, Allāh, in His Book, describes the day as having a manifest sign, and the night as having one blotted away; He says: . then We have made the sign of the night blotted away and We have made the sign of the day manifest . (17:12). Looking at human society from this point of view, establishment of a kingdom and its downfall are mirrors of the manifestation of the day and the effacement of the night respectively.

In the same way, He counts life as the fountain-head of knowledge and power; and death deprives man of these faculties; He says: Dead (are they), not living, and they know not when they shall be raised (16:21). And he has exclusively reserved the honour and might to Himself, and to His Apostle and the believers: and to Allāh belongs the might and to His Apostle and to the believers (63:8). And it is these who, according to the Qur’ān, are alive. Consequently, might and respect is the mirror of life, and humiliation and abasement represents death. It is now clear how giving of kingdom and taking it away as well as exalting and abasing (of the former verse) run parallel to making the night to enter into the day, and making the day to enter into the night as well as bringing forth the living from the dead, and the dead from the living (in the latter) respectively.

The concluding sentence of the latter verse, (and Thou givest sustenance towhom Thou pleasest, without measure) likewise stands face to face with the concluding sentence of the former (in Thine hand is good . .), as the following paragraph makes it clear.

QUR'AN: and Thou givest sustenance to whom Thou pleasest, without measure: Apparently it gives the reason for the foregoing factors; the conjunctive, ‘‘and’’, is, therefore, for explanation; and it explains the afore-mentioned particular actions in term of a general faculty. The meaning: Allāh manages His creatures in the foregoing way because He is the Sustainer, Who gives sustenance to whom He pleases, without measure.

That is why we said earlier that it stands face to face with the concluding sentence of the former verse; because, ‘‘in Thine hand is the good; surely, Thou has power over all things’’ also explains the reason of the actions mentioned therein.

SUSTENANCE IN THE QUR’ĀN

ar-Rizq ( اَلرَّزْقُ ), usually translated as sustenance, maintenance, or means of livelihood, is a well-known concept. A glance at its various usages shows that the word has a connotation of bestowal by someone to someone else, for example, the sustenance given by the king to the soldiers. Originally, it was used for only the foodstuff.

For example, Allāh says: and their maintenance and their clothing must be borne by the father according to usage (2:233). Mark that the clothing has not been counted as a part of the maintenance.

Thereafter, the meaning was extended to include every foodstuff, even if the giver was not known - in any case, it was a bestowal of good luck. The process of generalization continued, and now it is used for every useful thing - food or something else - which comes to someone; it includes all the paraphernalia of life, like:

wealth , prestige, family, supporters, beauty, knowledge and so on.

Allāh says: Or is it that you ask thema recompense ? But the recompense of your Lord is best, and He is the best of those who provide sustenance (23:72). Also, He quotes Shu‘ayb (a.s .) as saying: O my people!have you considered if I have a clear proof from my Lord and He has given me a goodly sustenance from Himself . (11:88). Here the sustenance refers to the prophethood and the Divine knowledge etc.

Allāh says: Surely Allāh, He is the Bestower of sustenance, the Lord of Power, the Strong (51:58). The context confines the bestowal of sustenance to Allāh only. The verse leads us to the following concepts:

First: Bestowal of sustenance, in reality, cannot be ascribed to any one other than Allāh. Of course, there are some verses that attribute it to others also; for example: and Allāh is the Best of sustainers (62:11). (There are many sustainers, but Allāh is the Best.) Also, He gives the order: . and maintain them out of it, and clothe them (4:5). But such usages do not give them any independent status; the only Sustainer is Allāh, others are just a means of conveying Allāh’s gift to His servants. It is not different from the Kingdom and the Might which actually belong to Allāh, although others too get them by Allāh’s bestowal and permission.

Second: Whatever good the people get and which they make use of, and derive benefit from, in their existence, is their sustenance; and it is Allāh Who bestows it to them. Thereis a large number of the verses of sustenance to prove this fact. In addition, there are numerous verses on the theme of creation, management, decree, possession, will, and good, which prove that all these things belong exclusively to Allāh - and giving sustenance is interwoven with these factors.

Third: Suppose a man takes advantage of a certain thing to obtain an unlawful benefit. Inasmuch as it was the cause or means of a sin, it would not be attributed to Allāh. Allāh has clearly said that on the level of legislation, He does not sanction any sin or evil. He says: And when they commit an indecency they say:‘‘We found our fathers doing this, and Allāh has enjoined it on us.’’ Say: ‘‘Surely Allāh does not enjoin indecency; do you say against Allāh what you do not know?’’ (7:28). Also, He says: Surely Allāh enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good (to others) and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency and evil and rebellion . (16:90). It is just unimaginable that He would forbid a thing and then, at the same time, would allow it; or that He would declare something unlawful and then confine a servant’s sustenance to it! And unlawful benefit is not ‘‘sustenance’’ on the level of legislation. Nevertheless, it is ‘‘sustenance’’ on the level of creation. The religious responsibility does not reach up to the level of creation - and there is nothing bad on that level. When the Qur’ān says that Allāh gives sustenance to every body, it looks at this subject from the level of creation. A Divine talk cannot be reduced to the level of the simpletons’ understanding; in other words, it cannot overlook the deep Divine realities just because they are beyond the mental capacity of common man. The Holy Book contains what is a healing for the believers’ hearts; nobody may fall into perdition by it except the unjust: And We reveal of the Qur’ān that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers, and it adds only to the perdition of the unjust (17:82).

Moreover, there are verses showing that it was Allāh Who gave kingdom to Namrūd (Nimrod), Pharaoh and others like them, and bestowed wealth and treasures to Qārūn and his like. They got all these things not without the permission of Allāh; He gave them the kingdom and wealth as a means of trial, to test their spiritual condition, and to complete His proof against them; it was as though Allāh left them to go astray if they so wished, and gave them enough rope to hang themselves.

It should be noted here that, in the above examples, we took those cases to the level of legislation and yet found good explanations for them that would satisfy the reason and were not against the sublime Divine Justice. If such things are unobjectionable at the level of legislation, certainly there can be no objection in providing sustenance, at the level of creation - even if it be ‘‘unlawful’’ for legislation’s point of view.

Allāh has said that every thing has been created by Him, is sent down by Him from His treasures of mercy: And there is not a thing but withUs are the treasures of it, and We do not send it down but in a known measure (15:21). Further, He has said: and whatever is with Allāh is better . (28:60). These two (and other similar) verses read together prove that whatever a man gets in this life, it comes from Allāh and is good and beneficial for him. This theme may also be inferred from the verse: Who made good every thing that He has created . (32:7), read in conjunction with the verse: That is Allāh, your Lord, the Creator of every thing; there is no god but He (40:62).

Yet, there is no denying that some Divine gifts appear to be evil and harmful to the recipient. But its evil and harm is just relative; it may be so for this particular person, while it brings good and benefit to a great many people; in other words, that personal hardship may be good, in the wider context of the world-system. Or it could have been misused by the man himself. Allāh points to this factor when He says: and whatever misfortune befalls you, it is from yourself (4:79). However, we have already dealt with this subject in a previous volume.

In short, whatever good Allāh bestows on His creatures (and all that He bestows is good and beneficial), it is called sustenance, in its literal sense: it is a gift that benefits the recipient. Probably, it is this theme that the verse 20:131 points at: and the sustenance (given) by your Lord is better . .

The above discourse shows that, for almost all practical purposes, the three concepts - sustenance, good and creation - are one and the same.Every sustenance is good and created; and every creation is a sustenance and good. Nevertheless, there is a fine difference between sustenance and good on one side and creation on the other.

Sustenance presupposes the existence of something to be sustained, to whom the sustenance would be given. Food is sustenance for the digestive system because it needs that food; the digestive system is sustenance for the man as he needs it; that man is sustenance for his parents because they benefit from him; likewise, the existence is a sustenance for the man, per se. Allāh says: . Who gave to everything its creation . (20:50).

Likewise, good presupposes a selector who would choose what he wants from among a lot of things. Food is good for the digestive system because it needs it, and opts for it when given a choice; the digestive system is, in the same way, good for the man, and similarly the existence is good for him.

But as for creation, it does not require any actual or imaginary pre-existing thing. Food, digestive system, man, every thing is created in its own right; it by itself is the object of creation; it does not need any other object.

Every sustenace belongs to Allāh; every good belongs to Allāh. Whatever sustenance comes from Him, whatever good is given by Him, it is given gratis, not in exchange of or return for anything. Suppose you wanted to give to Allāh something as price of the sustenance; well, what could you give Him? Whatever you may think of, it already belongs to Allāh; you have no right whatsoever on any thing. It is just a mercy of Allāh that He has undertaken to give sustenance to every one, and has made it obligatory for Himself to sustain all the creatures; He says: And there is no animal in the earth but on Allāh is the sustenance of it (11:6); and in the heaven is your sustenance and what you are threatened with. And by the Lord of the heavens and the earth!it is most surely the truth, just as you do speak (51:22 - 23).

It shows that although sustenance is a right on Allāh - because He Himself has undertaken to give sustenance to everyone - yet it is in fact a free gift from Him, because no creature is in his own right entitled to get it.

The above talk makes one thing clear: Even if a man obtains his sustenance unlawfully, originally he was alloted a lawful sustenance. It is unimaginable that Allāh would undertake to give sustenance to a man,then compel him to get it through unlawful means; and then would tell him not to use it, and punish him if he disobeyed.

Let us explain it in another way: Sustenance is a Divine gift containing good; as such it is a Divine mercy for all the creatures. We have already mentioned that there are two kinds of mercy: There is a general mercy which covers all the servants, believers and unbelievers, pious ones and sinners alike; and it is not confined to the human beings, it encompasses other creatures too. And there is a special mercy, the one that is reserved for the walkers on the path of felicity and righteousness, for example, true belief, piety and ultimately the paradise. Likewise, there are two kinds of sustenance: A general sustenance which is provided to every thing for its protection and survival; and a special sustenance which remains within the limits of legality.

The general mercy as well as the general sustenance is foreordained and measured; Allāh says: andWho created every thing, then ordained for it a measure (25:2). Likewise, the special mercy and the special sustenance are foreordained and measured. For example, guidance is a special mercy; and on the level of legislation it is foreordained and decreed for every man, be he a believer or an unbeliever. That is why Allāh raised the prophets and sent down the books. He says: And I did not create the jinn and the human beings except that they should worship Me, I do not desire from them any sustenance and I do not desire that they should feed Me. Surely Allāh, He is the Bestower of sustenance, the Lord of power, the Strong (51:56 - 58). Also, He says: And your Lord has commanded (decreed) that you shall not worship (any) but Him . (17:23). It means that worship (which depends on guidance and is one of its concomitants) is a decreed measure - on the level of legislation. And so is the special sustenance (which is obtained lawfully), on the same level. Allāh says: They are lost indeed who kill their children foolishly without knowledge, and forbid what Allāh has given to them, forging a lie against Allāh; they have indeed gone astray, and they are not the followers of the right course (6:140). Also, He says: And Allāh has made some of you excel others in the means of subsistence, so those who are made to excel do not give away their sustenance to those whom their right hands possess, so that they should be equal therein . (16:71). These two verses are unconditional and general; they cover the believers as well as the unbelievers, and include the one who obtains his sustenance in lawful way as well as the one who does so unlawfully.

One thing more: As was explained in the beginning, sustenance is the gift or bestowal which the sustained benefits from. It follows that only that much of it can be truly called sustenance which is used up by the sustained. A man has been given a lot of wealth, but he eats only a small portion of it; therefore, his sustenance, strictly speaking, is the portion he ate up; the remainder cannot be called his sustenance except in the sense that he was given it. In other words, when we say, Zayd has got ample (or little) sustenance, it does not necessarily mean that he has got a lot of (or little) wealth.

There are some other aspects of this topic, which we shall write about under the verse: And there is no animal in the earth but on Allāh is the sustenance of it, and He knows its resting place and its depository; all (things) are in a manifest book (11:6).

Now we come back to the clause under discussion, that is, ‘‘and Thou givest sustenance to whom thou pleasest, without measure’’. The sustenance is ‘‘without measure’’ because Allāh gives it to the creatures gratis, and they by themselves have got no right to it. Whatever they could offer in exchange, even their requests, invocations and thanks, in realitybelongs to Allāh, they have got nothing of their own to offer in consideration of the sustenance. Therefore, there is no measure for the sustenance given by Allāh. Clearly, the clause does not imply that the given sustenance is unlimited and unmeasured. How can it be when the verses of ‘‘measure’’ clearly refute it? For example, Allāh says: Surely We created every thing according to a measure (54:49); and whoever fears Allāh, He will make for him an outlet, and give him sustenance from whence he thinks not; and whoever trusts in Allāh, He is sufficient for him; surely Allāh attains His purpose; Allāh indeed has made a measure for every thing (65:2 - 3).

Sustenance, therefore, is a free gift from Allāh, yet it is measured according to the pleasure of Allāh.

The two verses together make the following concepts clear:-First: The possession as well as the Kingdom exclusively belongs to Allāh.

Second: Every good is in His hand, and comes from Him.

Third: Sustenance is a gift from Allāh, without any recompense or exchange.

Fourth: Kingdom, might, honour, and every single conventional good, occurring in the social framework, (like: wealth, prestige, power, etc.) are various aspects of the sustenance, given by Allāh to His servants.

TRADITIONS

‘Abdu’1-A‘lā (mawlā, client of the Āl [tribe of] Sām) has narrated from Abū ‘Abdillāh (a.s.). He says: ‘‘I told him: ‘Say O Allāh; Master of the Kingdom! Thou givest the kingdom to whomsoever Thou pleasest and takest away the kingdom from whomsoever Thou pleasest. Is it not that Allāh gave the kingdom to the Umayyads?’ He said: ‘It is not as you think. Surely Allāh Mighty and Great is He! gave the kingdom to us, and the Umayyads usurped it; it is as though a cloth belongs to a man, and another person takes it away; yet the cloth does not belong to the man who took it away.’ ’’ (al-Kāfī)

The author says: al-‘Ayyāshī has narrated a similar tradition through Dāwūd ibn Farqad from Abū ‘Abdillāh (a.s.).

We have already explained that giving the kingdom is of two kinds: (1) Giving it at the level of creation: Such a kingdom means that the king enjoys an over-riding authority over the people and they are subdued by his power - it makes no difference whether his rule is based on justice or not. For example, Allāh says referring to Nimrod: . because Allāh had given him the kingdom (2:258). The effect of such a kingdom is that the king’s words are obeyed, his command carried out and his will enforced. (We shall later explain what a kingdom on the level of creation really entails.) (2) Giving it at the level oflegislation, that is, decreeing that he is a king whose obedience is obligatory. For example, Allāh says: Surely Allāh has raised Tālūt to be a king over you (2:247). The effect of this type of kingdom is obligation of the people to obey the king’s command and confirmation of his mastership of the people. Such a kingdom is always based on justice; and is liked and praised by Allāh.

Now the kingdom the Umayyads had got was of the former type, that is, the one decreed at the level of creation, with its accompanying effect of overall authority on the people. But the questioner was confused; and erroneously thought that it had the effect of the other type of kingdom - he assumed that the Umayyads were entitled to the obedience of the people, that they were the rightful masters of the ummah, and had got a lawful and praiseworthy status in the eyes of Allāh. The Imām told him that such a kingdom (on the level of legislation) did not belong to the Umayyads - it belonged to the rightful successors of the Prophet, that is, the Imāms, and only they were entitled to the unquestioning obedience of the ummah.

In other words, the same kingdom which in the Umayyad’s hands was devoid of everyvirtue, would have been praiseworthy if it were in the Imāms’ hands. In the Umayyds’ hands it was totally condemnable, because they had usurped it from its rightful owners. Nevertheless, its bestowal would be attributed to Allāh as a plan to give them enough rope to hangthemselves , as He did in the case of Nimrod and Pharaoh.

The Umayyads themselves had misunderstood the connotations of this verse, and thought that their kingdom was the sign of Divine approval of their rule, as may be seen in Kitāb al-Irshād (of al-Mufīd) where it mentions the events after the martyrdom of Imām al-Husayn (a.s.) and his companions: al-Mufīd says: ‘‘When the heads (of the martyrs) were put before Yazīd and among them was the head of al-Husayn (a.s.), Yazīd recited:

We will split even the skull of a man we held in great respect; But they were disobedient and oppressive.’’

Again al-Mufīd says: ‘‘Then (Yazīd) looked towards the people of his court and said: ‘Verily, this (al-Husayn) used to boast against me and say: ‘‘My father is better than the father of Yazīd, and my mother is better than his mother, and my grandfather is better than his grandfather, and I am better than him.’’ As for his claim that his father was better than the father of Yazīd, indeed my father disputed with his father and Allāh decreed in favour of my father against his father. And as for his saying that his mother was better than Yazīd’s mother, by my life he was right; certainly Fātimah, daughter of the Apostle of Allāh was better than my mother. And as regards his saying that his granfather was better than my grandfather, no one believing in Allāh and the Last Day can say that he is better than Muhammad. And as for his saying that he was better than me, perhaps he had not read this verse: Say: ‘‘O Allāh, Master of the Kingdom! Thou givest the kingdom to whomsoever Thou pleasest . .’’ ’ ’’

And Zaynab, daughter of ‘Alī (peace be on him and her) rebutted his claims using the same explanation as as-Sādiq (a.s .) did in this tradition.as-Sayyid ibn Tāwūs and others have reported her reply, in which she, inter alia, said: ‘‘Do you think, O Yazīd!that - just because you cut us off from the regions of the earth and the horizons of the sky, so that we are being held like the captives - we are abased before Allāh? Or that you are exalted before Him? Or that it has happened because of your great importance with Him? So (now) you behave arrogantly and look around hilariously and cheerfully, when you find the world in your bondage and (your) affairs well in order, and when our kingdom and our authority is totally usurped by you! Take it easy! Don’t be hasty!! Have you forgotten the words of Allāh: And let not those who disbelieve think that Our granting them respite is better for their souls; We grant them respite only that they may add to their sins; and they shall have a disgraceful chastisement (3:178).’’

It is reported in Majma‘u ’l-bayān about the words of Allāh, and Thou bringest forth the living from the dead . .:‘‘It is said that it means: Thou bringest forth the believer from the unbeliever and Thou bringest forth the unbeliever from the believer.’’ Further, it is written:‘‘And this meaning has been narrated from Abū Ja‘far (al-Bāqir) and Abū ‘Abdillāh (as-Sādiq), peace be on them.’’

The author says: A nearly similar tradition has been narrated by as-Sadūq from al-‘Askarī (a.s.).

Ibn Marduwayh has narrated through the chain of Abū ‘Uthmān an-Nahdī from Ibn Mas‘ūd or Salmān from the Prophet about the words, He brings forth the living from the dead and He brings forth the dead from the living, that he said: ‘‘The believer from the unbeliever and the unbeliever from the believer.’’ (ad-Durru ’l-manthūr)

It is reported through the foregoing chain from Salmān al-Fārisī that he said: ‘‘The Apostle of Allāh (s.a.w.a.) said: ‘When Allāh created Adam (a.s .), He took out his offspring, then He took a handful in His right hand and said: ‘‘These are the people of the garden; and I don’t care.’’ And He took a handful in the other (hand) and came into it every bad (person); and He said:‘‘These are the people of the Fire; and I don’t care.’’ Then He mixed one (group) with the other. Thus comes out an unbeliever from a believer, and a believer from an unbeliever; and that is (the meaning of) His words, Thou bringest forth the living from the dead and Thou bringest forth the dead from the living.’’’ (ibid.)

The author says: Several exegetes have narrated this meaning from Salmān, with the chain of narrators disconnected. The tradition is one of those related to the ‘‘tiny particles’’ and the covenant; and, Allāh willing, we shall explain them in a more suitable place.

Muhammad ibn Yahyā narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and several of our companions, from Sahl ibn Ziyād, from Ibn Mahbūb, from Abū Hamzah ath-Thumālī that Abū Ja‘far (a.s.) said: ‘‘The Apostle of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and his progeny, said in (his) last pilgrimage: ‘Verily, the Trustworthy Spirit (i.e., Gabriel) has revealed to my heart that no soul was to die until it had completed its sustenance. Therefore, be on guard against (the wrath of) Allāh, and act decently in seeking (the sustenance). Even if you feel thata sustenance is late in coming to you, it should not induce you to seek it through some thing that is a sin against Allāh; for surely Allāh has distributed the sustenance among His creation, with lawful means, and He has not distributed it with unlawful means. Therefore, whoever fears Allāh and remains patient, his sustenance comes to him from lawful means; and whoever tears apart the curtain (put by) Allāh and takes it (i.e., the sustenance) through unlawful means, his lawful sustenance is reduced (proportionately) and (also) he will be answerable for that.’ ’’ (al-Kāfī)

‘Alī (a.s.) said: ‘‘O son of Adam! Livelihood is of two kinds: the livelihood which you seek and the livelihood which seeks you; if you do not reach it, it will come to you. Therefore, do not impose a year’s worry on your one day’s worry. Whatever you get every day should be enough for you for the day. If you have a whole year of your life even then Allāh, the Sublime, will give you every next day what He has destined as your share. If you do not have a year in your life then why should you worry for what is not for you. No seeker will reach your livelihood before you nor will anyone overpower you in the matter of that livelihood. Similarly, what has been destined as your share will not be delayed for you?’’ (Nahju ’l-balāghah)

Ibn Tarīf narrated from Ibn ‘U1wān, from Ja‘far (a.s .), that his father (al-Bāqir - a.s.) said: ‘‘The Apostle of Allāh, may Allāh bless him and his progeny, said: ‘Verily, the sustenance comes down from the heaven to the earth (abundantly) like the number of the rain-drops, to every soul according to what has been alloted to it. Yet, Allah is veryMunificent ; so you should beseech Allāh for His munificence.’ ’’ (Qurbu ’l-asnād)

The author says: Numerous traditions have been narrated of the same connotation. We shall discuss, Allāh willing, in the Chapter ofHūd (ch. 11), the traditions of sustenance in detail.

AN ESSAY ON KINGDOM AND ITS PLACE IN SOCIETY

It has already been explained that possession and property are among those conventional but essential concepts which man cannot do without - it makes no difference whether he lives alone or in a society. Possession basically is a recognized relationship between the owner and the property.

Likewise, kingdom is a conventional, nevertheless essential, concept; a subjective institution which man cannot do without. But it is as a member of society, not as an individual, that man needs this institution. No sooner do the people establish a society than they start disputing with one another; everyone wants what is in the other’s hands even if it meanstrespassing the limits and crushing other’s rights under his heels. This tendency leads to chaos and conflict. The society which was established to ensure happy and peacefullife, becomes a source of misery and disorder; the medicine turns into a poison.

This anomaly cannot be removed except by creating an overall authority which could compel each member to remain within the limits - thus curbing the reckless ambitions of the oppressor and giving new hope and vigour to the oppressed. That authority, which is called kingdom or rulership, lets everyone enjoy his due rights and keeps every member in his proper place.

Exploitation of weaker sections has been a constant feature of human history. In ancient times some strong persons imposed their will on the society and subdued their compatriots to accept them as their overlord or king. Although such kings and their officers themselves were mostly epitome of oppression and injustice, still their presence was of some benefit to the society. They, in their own interest, did not allow any section to oppress the others - because they did not want anyone to become strong enough to rise one day against their own authority. In this way peacereigned in the society; everyone was afraid of the autocratic king and no one had any opportunity or inclination to think about the general welfare of the society. If an individual ruler was less oppressive, the subjects sang his praise; if he was unjust beyond their tolerance, they complained and cried.

Sometime a king or ruler was killed or overpowered; and the subjects experienced chaos and disorder, to prevent which they made some strong and able man to take the rein of power in his hands, and he ascended the throne; and thus began the same story of oppression and injustice.

This continued for a long time. Ultimately, society was fed up with the autorcratic and dictatorial monarchy. In order to restrain the king’s hands, people devised constitutions, delineating the mutual rights and duties of the ruler and the ruled, and somehow or other forced the king to agree. The autocratic monarchy thus became a constitutional one. Yet, it was a hereditary institution.

Then the public became aware of another big defect: Once a king ascended the throne, there was no way to remove him, no matter how unjust or unfit he might prove. Another defect was its hereditary nature; the first born child of a king got the kingdom, irrespective of his physical, moral and intellectual abilities. They found the answer in republic. Now they had an elected president for a fixed period instead of a hereditary king who ruled for life.

Various nations invented various othersystem to restrain their rulers; and future might be holding various hitherto unimagined systems in store for us.

All these attempts throughout the world, to regulate the functions of the ruler, prove one thing, if nothing else. Humanity really needs the institution ofrulership, no matter by what name it is called in a certain country at a certain time. One overriding authority must subdue all other people’s individual ambitions and aims; otherwise, society will suffer from discord, conflict and disorder. That is why we said at the outset that kingdom is an essential concept of the society. And like all other such concepts, society is constantly trying to perfect it by removing from it the harmful elements.

The institution of prophethood has played the most important part in this process. When an idea spreads in the public - especially if it is in accord with the nature, and satisfied the human expectations - it becomes the strongest bond to unit the differing groups, to unify the divergent views and to turn the individuals into a well disciplined society, which no power can defy.

Prophethood since its earliest days calls the people to do justice and to abstain from injustice; it teaches them to worship Allāh and to submit only to Him; and it forbids them to follow the arrogant pharaohs and exploiting nimrods. This cry has constantly been raised generation after generation, in one nation after another, exhorting the big bosses to submit to the rule of justice, and encouraging the weaker sections to stand up for their rights. It is impossible for such a powerful factor to remain active in the society for so many centuries and not to affect the human psychology, not to mould mankind’s way of thinking.

The Qur’ān often quotes revelations to this effect sent to the previous prophets, Nūh (a.s .) is quoted complaining before his Lord: ‘‘My Lord!surely they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children have added to him nothing but loss. And they have planned a very great plan. And they say: ‘By no means leave your gods .. ’ ’’ (71:21 - 23). The same thing appears in his disputation with the big bosses of his people: They said:‘‘Shall we believe in you while the meanest follow you?’’ He said: ‘‘And what knowledge have I of what they do? Their account is only with my Lord, if you could perceive’’ (26:111 - 113). Likewise,Hūd (a.s.) admonished his people: ‘‘Do you build on every height a monument? Vain is it that you do: And you make strong fortresses that perhaps you may abide: And when you lay hands (on men) you lay hands (like) tyrants’’ (26:128 - 130). And Sālih (a.s .) advised his people: ‘‘Therefore, guard against (the punishment of) Allāh and obey me: And do not obey the bidding of the extravagant: Who make mischief in the land and do not act right’’ (26:150 - 152).

In the same way Mūsā (a.s .) stood up against Pharaoh to oppose his tyranny and to defend and liberate the Israelites; the same stance was taken by Ibrāhīm (a.s.) against Nimrod; and by ‘Īsā (a.s.) and other Israelite prophets vis-a-vis the oppressors of their times. All of them condemned and attacked the arrogance and injustice of their kings and rulers, and called their people to throw away the yokes of tyranny and stand boldly against the exploitors and transgressors.

So far as the Qur’ān is concerned, it is no secret how it exhorts the people not to yield to the transgressors, not to surrender to the oppressors; it encourages the oppressed to stand up boldly against the oppressor to safeguard his self-respect and human dignity; and it warns the arrogant of the bitter fruits of haughtiness, of the chastisement that awaits the oppression and injustice. For example: Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with ‘Ād, (the people of) Iram, possessors of many columned buildings, the like of which were not created in the cities; and (with) Thamūd, who hewed out the rocks in the valley; and (with) Pharaoh, the lord of stakes; who transgressed in the cities, so they made great mischief therein? Therefore your Lord let fall upon them the whip of chastisement. Most surely your Lord is on watch (89:6 - 14).

The Qur’ānic comment, at the end of the story of Tālūt, is in itself enough to prove that the kingdom (or rulership) is essential for the mankind: And were it not for Allāh’s repelling some men with others, the earth would certainly be in a state of disorder; but Allāh is Gracious to the creatures (2:251). We have shown in its commentary how it confirms this institution in a general way.

Many verses in the Qur’ān talk about kingdom, guardianship and obligation of obedience etc. Some of them count the kingdom as a bounty and gift from Allāh: . andWe have given them a grand Kingdom (4:54); . and made you kings and gave you what He had not given to any other among the nations (5:20); . and Allāh grants His Kingdom to whom He pleases . (2:247). Nevertheless, it is an honour only when it is accompanied by piety. Piety is the only basis of honour, to the exclusion of all other illusory sources of respect. Allāh says: O you people!surely We have created you of a male and a female and made you nations and tribes that you may recognize each other; surely the most honourable of you with Allāh is the most pious of you . (49:13).

But it is only AllāhWho decides the worth of a servant’s piety. Consequently, no one should use his piety as a lever to hoist himself over his compatriots. Nobody should boast about anything whatsoever: If the cause of boasting is some worldly thing, then it is obviously worthless; if it concerns the next world, then it is in the hands of Allāh. In any case, a Muslim, who is given this grace of Allāh which we call Kingdom, has nothing to boast about, nor any reason to think himself as superior to the others. All he has got for himself is an unenviable burden of responsibilities of the state. What brightens this gloomy picture is the hope that his Lord will give him great reward in the next life if he manages the affairs of the state with justice and piety.

This is the spirit which animated the whole lives of the true friends of Allāh. We shall write later on, Allāh willing, on this topic, looking at the lives of the Prophet and his purified progeny; we shall describe, with the help of the correct traditions, what they gained for themselves from their kingdoms: ‘‘nothing’’; their only interest in the kingdom and authority was to use it to crush the tyrants, to cut the root of mischief in the earth, to bring the arrogants and transgressors back within the limits of religion. And that is the only worth of the kingdom.

The Qur’ān treats the kingdom as a tool which is necessary for running the affairs of society - just as education and martial power is necessary for its intellectual and defence needs. Kingdom is an instrument of society; it is not the foundation upon which the society stands. The Qur’ān does not invite the Muslims to unite to establish an empire to shame the Byzantine and Iranian empires; it calls them to unite in Islam, and admonishes them not to differ in religion. This unity in religion is the foundation which the Islamic society is built upon. Allāh says: And (know) that this is My path, the straight one, therefore follow it; and follow not (other) ways, for they will scatter you away from His way (6:153); Say: ‘‘O People of the Book! come to a word, common between us and you, that we shall not worship any but Allāh and (that) we shall not associate anything with Him and (that) some of us shall not take others for lords besides Allāh’’; but if they turn back, then say: ‘‘Bear witness that we are Muslims’’ (3:64). Clearly, the Qur’ān calls the people to surrender to no one except Allāh; the society which it recognizes is the one that is based on religion. It demolishes all other loyalties; a Muslim is not to submit to anyone besides Allāh; he is not to bow down before any magnificent palace or grandiose castle; he is not to humiliate himself before any Ceasar or Khusraw. Consequently, the Qur’ān does not recognize the artificial boundaries which have cut the earth of Allāh into small pieces which they call countries, nor the resulting ‘‘nationhood’’ that divides the humanity into territorial segments, putting one group against the others.

A PHILOSOPHICAL DISCOURSE ON ATTRIBUTION OF KINGDOM AND OTHER ABSTRACTS CONCEPTS TO ALLĀH

The Creator, as the Essential Being, is the ultimate Cause of all that is there in the universe; the relationship between Him and the universe (the whole as well as its components) is that of the cause and effect. It is a proved axiom of philosophy that causality governs the existence only - the real existence of the effect emanates from the existence of its cause; other things, for example, quiddity, are outside the domain of the cause. Consequently, that which has no realexistence, does not come within the system of the cause and effect; and as it is not the effect of any cause, it has no chain of causality reaching up to the ultimate Cause.

Problem arises about the abstract ideas and imaginary concepts, which have no real existence outside the imagination. Being devoid of real existence, they cannot be said to be caused by the ultimate Cause, that is, Allāh. But one of those imaginary concepts, is thesharī‘ah with its commandments and prohibitions, its rules, principles and conventions. So are the kingdom, the honour, the sustenance etc. Should not these things be attributed to Allāh?If the answer is yes, then how?

Reply: These concepts, although devoid of real existence, leave in their track some effects which are inseparable from them; and these effects have real existence. As these effects can be, and are, attributed to Allāh, the concepts from which they emanate can as easily be attributed to Him. Kingdom, for example, is an imaginary concept, which has no real existence outside our imagination; we have established this institution to achieve a real benefit. It is through this abstract idea of kingdom that we try to curb the unscrupulous offenders of the society, to rein the unrestrained designs of the transgressors, and to avenge the oppressed from the oppressor. These are real facts and they can, and are, attributed to Allāh. As these effects of kingdom are ascribed to Allāh, so can be the kingdom itself, by association.

The same applies to the honour, the rules of thesharī‘ah and its principles etc.

In short, all such abstract ideas and concepts may be attributed to Allāh, by attributing their effects to Him, in a way that is in keeping with the sanctity of His name.

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