Ramadan reflections on Muslim loss of mandate to rule

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In the first article in this series, I promised to offer practical suggestions on how to recapture the aristocratic virtues of the Sahaba.

I still plan to do that, but having listened to Shaykh Akram Nadwi’s tafsīr of Surat al-Baqarah during these days of Ramadan, I feel the urge to first share some of his timely points — mixed in with a few of my own reflections — about the story of Mūsa (ʿalayhi al-Salām), Fir’awn, and Qārūn. [1]

The practical suggestions will have to wait for a part three to this series.

Nietzchean idea of the super-man, the man-god

In worldly terms, Fir’awn was a highly capable and successful ruler who delivered material prosperity to his people.

In fact, he was so successful that he concluded that he must be divine!

This is actually very similar to the situation today. We can use the Zionists and Netanyahu as an illustration of this, since they were discussed in the previous article and since Surat al-Baqarah zooms in on Bani Isrā’īl.

Netanyahu — who, just like Fir’awn, likes to show how mighty he is by killing infants — infamously tweeted:

“The weak crumble, are slaughtered, and are erased from history while the strong, for good or for ill, survive.

“The strong are respected, and alliances are made with the strong, and in the end, peace is made with the strong.” [2]

This is an expression of the Nietzchean idea of the super-man, the man-god who rules over the weak by right of nature, and it also reflects the Zionist idea that “superior” Jews have the right to rule over “weak” Arabs.

Like Fir’awn, Netanyahu and the Zionists substantiate their claim of superiority by invoking the fact that they have created materially prosperous societies, with advanced organisational and technological capabilities.

So how do we respond?

As Muslims, there are two archetypal ways in which we can respond to this: the way of Qārūn, or the way of Mūsa (ʿalayhi al-Salām).

We could do as Qārūn would do

Qārūn figured that mirroring Fir’awn’s fundamental approach to life and society was the correct one: i.e. focus on material prosperity.

This dazzled many of the Muslims of that time and they imagined that, if the Muslims managed to become wealthy and successful (in worldly terms), this would solve their problems.

In our times, this is the attitude of those who believe that by copying the Zionist programme — primarily political intrigue, terrorism, nationalism mixed in with religion, sacrificing religious principles on the altar of political expediency, and so on — Muslims can regain their lost status as the rulers of the world.

The problem with this is that it is based upon a fundamental misunderstanding of what our purpose as political actors is.

It is not to gain material prosperity in this world at any cost, so that one may enjoy a comfortable life. It is to worship Allah and gain Paradise, which entails following His commandments in all spheres of life. Shortcuts to power in the desperate hope of gaining the lost prosperity that we once enjoyed is not only forbidden, but also counterproductive.

Truly, it is like anything in life; consider these examples:

• Gaining confidence through the shortcut of alcohol or drugs is not the right way; rather, one works on developing qualities and skills which give you lasting confidence.
• Gaining wealth through the parasitic practice of riba (or through banking practices that are ribawi in everything but name) is forbidden; rather, one works hard and invests in things of value to society.
• Satisfying one’s desire by spending a night with a woman and never giving her another thought is despicable; rather, one works on himself in order to be able to attract and then provide for a woman.

If you think about it, Islam is about not taking shortcuts in life, but building something of value.

The same goes for politics. You look for long-lasting, fundamental change. Yes, this is difficult, it entails developing strong character, discipline, and incorruptibility on both an individual and a collective level.

Let us not become Ozempic Islamists who want all of the benefits without any of the hard work!

We could do as would Mūsa would do

Now, the other archetypal way of responding to Fir’awn, Netanyahu, and their ilk, is to do as Mūsa (ʿalayhi al-Salām) did.

Allah (subḥānahu wa ta’āla) says,

“We inspired Mūsa and his brother with this Message:

‘Provide dwellings for your people in Egypt, make your dwellings into places of worship, and establish regular prayers: and give glad tidings to those who believe!'” [3]

In other words, make a fundamental change in attitude: turn to Allah rather than to the material gods of this world. Don’t strive for material plenty in this world as a means in and of itself, but ask for the plenty of the Ākhirah, which is with Allah.

This did not go down well with those who expected Mūsa (ʿalayhi al-Salām) to be their saviour in the sense of offering them immediate comfort and prosperity:

“They said: ‘We have been persecuted before you came to us and since you have come to us.'” [4]

The paradoxical thing is that by turning away from the Dunya, one suddenly finds oneself having it at one’s disposal.

Mūsa (ʿalayhi al-Salām) replied,

“It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you rulers in the land, then He will see how you act.” [4]

Again, it is as with many things in life. If you are desperate for and fawning over a woman, she will get creeped out. But if you work on yourself and build something of value, she might eventually become interested in you.

If you wake up every morning chasing after happiness through cheap thrills and hedonism, you will soon turn into a pathetic man-child. But if you worship Allah in all of your affairs, you will enjoy the sweetness and happiness of īmān.

Dunya comes to us, not if we turn away from it like monks, but if we look beyond it (like the Sahaba).

It is as simple as the Khaldunian meme:

Mūsa (ʿalayhi al-Salām) offered the “uphill road” which creates strong believers. Shortcuts will only lead to new problems, many of which are unforeseen. [5]

In conclusion

To clarify, in case someone misunderstands the point of this article: material prosperity and technological and organisational capabilities are good things, but the point is that there are no shortcuts to them.

Being lean and healthy is obviously a good thing and, by criticising the Ozempic shortcut, I am not saying that one should be obese; what I am saying is that the solution lays in developing character and cultivating virtue.

So, as we continue to benefit from the Ramadan spirit of worship and discipline, I ask Allah that Muslims look to Mūsa (ʿalayhi al-Salām) for inspiration, as opposed to Qārūn.

Action points

• Reject shortcuts to power and wealth that compromise our religion; seek a principled approach to politics that focuses on long-lasting, fundamental change.
• Focus on the pursuit of spiritual growth over material prosperity, aligning political actions with the principles of worship and obedience to Allah.
• Recognise that lasting change requires steadfastness, discipline, and a commitment to building character.

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Source: Islam21c

Notes

[1] www.deepdeen.tv

[2] https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1034849460344573952

[3] al-Qur’ān, 10:87

[4] al-Qur’ān, 7:129

[5] al-Qur’ān, 90:11