Excessiveness & Carelessness

                          “Thus, We appointed you a midmost

                           community that you might be witness

                            to the people, and that the Messenger

                            might be a witness to you.”

                                                    (Qur’an, 2:143)

Justice and human rights are often lost in the political arena, because of the excessiveness and fanaticism of certain groups or parties and their attempt of supremacy or hegemony over others. This wicked symptom in any nation is a dangerous disease, especially because it often appears as a kind of religious faith. God warned us against it in the Qur’an: “Do not go to extremes in your religious conduct” (4:171).

This excessiveness of conduct is indeed unfair, and may lead to overstepping the bounds of justice, so God says: “O you who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in upholding equity, bearing witness to the truth for the sake of God, even though it be against your own selves or your parents and kinsfolk. Whether the person concerned be rich or poor, God is closer to the two. So do not follow any whim, lest you swerve, for if you twist, or refrain, surely God is ever aware of what you do” (4:135).

Surely the desire of supremacy over others is an odd and whimsy character, which we find in dictators and tyrants of human history among various nations, but we also find such unfair phenomena in common societies.

For a ruler to discriminate between his people, and especially to depress or oppress any class, is a wicked conduct. That is why the Qur’an has illustrated the character of Pharaoh as an example of bad policy, which leads to corruption: “Truly Pharaoh had exalted himself in the land and divided its people into castes, oppressing a group of them, slaughtering their sons, and sparing their women. Indeed he was of those who cause corruption” (28:4).

When the Qur’an exposed Pharaoh as an example of whimsy dictators and corruptors on earth with their total despise of people, it is because we always see tyrants emerging here and there, oppressing and depressing weak people. It awakens the faithful and helps them not to deviate from justice:

“O you who have attained to faith! Be ever steadfast in your devotion to God, bearing witness to the truth in all equity; and never let detestation of anyone lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Be just: this is closer to being God-conscious. And remain conscious of God: verily God is aware of all that you do” (5:8).

We have to be just even towards those we detest; that is why God appointed Messengers and revealed to them the Scripture, in order to balance people’s conduct, and not to let them overstep the bounds of justice: “We have indeed sent Our Messengers with clear signs, and We revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance, so that Mankind may uphold justice..” (57:25).

There is a saying “The bond of faith is that you love (someone) for the sake of God, and detest for the sake of God”. This means that we should appreciate anyone who does good because God loves those who do good, and we should not appreciate anyone whose deeds are detested by God. It does not mean that we should hate that person or violate his rights.

If we reflect thoroughly, we will find that, in fact, excessiveness is caused by people being careless and too lazy to uphold their duty. They are not tightly controlling their desires. They lose the power of conducting their own selves because they have lost the balance.

God’s messengers came with the Scripture and the Balance, so that people may uphold justice, the midmost between excessiveness and carelessness.

The Real Terrorists

In English dictionaries “terrorism” means the use of violent acts to frighten people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal. And a terrorist is someone who uses violent acts to frighten people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal. But in today’s political talks and media they use this term only to describe ISIS (Daesh in Arabic) and in doing so, they often accuse Islam of being the originator of terrorism. So the terminology of “terrorism” has become rather obscure today.

The great Powers and all countries ruled by dictators claim to fight against terrorists, while most of the victims in Syria were killed by the bombings of the Russian invaders or by the Syrian tyrant and his allies’ militias. Millions of people fled from their homes because of those brutal shelling, and small part caused by so-called ISIS. And even this ISIS organization is certainly one among the tools of those who claim to be fighting terrorists.

The organization “Isis” (in Arabic Daesh) consists of three elements: The first is a group of extremist Muslims who used to be with Alqaeda of Ben Laden; the second is a group of broker-dealers who are secretly used by Big Anarchists (USA, Russia, Iran and the Syrian Tyrant); and the third is their troops who are among the deceived unemployed youth, who are being manipulated.

In the forties of last century, the big powers succeeded in expulsing millions of Palestinians from their country and established a state called “Israel”. Since 2011 they also succeeded in using wicked policies to urge their “westernised” agents to campaign against the revolutionists (and specially against the moderate Islamic trend), and to create the “Creative Chaos” in the whole Middle East, a situation already predicted by the then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Now all tyrants or dictators of the world, while oppressing their people, claim to be fighting terrorists. Even the foundling state (Israel) while oppressing the Palestinian Resistance, claims it is fighting “terrorists”.

Authorities in America and Europe accuse the Islamic education of being the originator of extremism and terrorism in the world, while everyone knows that in all religions and non-religious philosophies there are extremists too.

For centuries Western armies were colonizing almost all Muslim countries, and supervising their curricula. Why are they now saying that the Islamic teaching is the source of terrorism? What about the anarchy of those non Muslims in different countries of the world, and what about the cruelties they have done and are still doing against humanity?

Who has massacred and wiped out entire populations and civilizations in North and South America in the previous centuries? Who dropped atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima?  Who has interfered in Vietnam in the last century with intense killing and devastation of the country for more than ten years ? There however, the Vietnam resistance forced the invaders to withdraw with frustration. The casualty was of over 200’000 vietnamese and nearly 60’000 soldiers of the US army.

Who has invaded Iraq using illicit weapons and caused millions of people as victims and destroyed most the country’s basic structures and millions fled out the country? Who used to smash people in Yemen, Afghanistan and Libya by drones?

Who is helping tyrants in Egypt with weapons to crash the ill-treated people claiming that they are fighting terrorism? Who has given the Mullah regime military and political facilities to penetrate Iraq and Syria when the Iraqi territory was under the American occupation? And who has urged the Iranian regime to create disturbance in the Arabian Peninsula? Who is arming the Kurd rebels in North Syria to disturb Turkey? And last but not least, who is arming the Zionists with the most modern weapons to crash the Palestinians in their own country?

Anyone who observes thoroughly the world politics can figure out who the terrorists, the anarchists, and the criminals of the world really are.

An Illogical Thinking

We see many people who claim to be liberal refusing to accept God’s ordinance in dealing with their wealth, all the while they may pray to God or to many “gods” to seek prosperity in their life. This is indeed an illogical thinking.

The person who seeks God’s help, or God’s blessings should naturally listen and obey His command. This is the logical thinking, because he is supposed to believe that it is God who causes his very existence and keeps him alive by giving His sustenance. For God is the Lord, the One who has the right to command orders and ordinances.

But that is the traditional “logic” of the so-called “clement” materialists all over mankind’s history. God has recounted in the Qur’an the story of the people of Madyan. When Prophet Shu’ayb conveyed to them God’s ordinances on how they should stay righteous and honest while trading and exploiting their wealth; their answer was:

“They said: O Shu’ayb, does your prayer compel you to demand of us to give up all that our forefathers used to worship, or that we refrain from dealing with our wealth as we please? Behold, (you would have us believe, that) you are indeed the only clement, the only right-mind man!” (11:87).

How could it be possible that God, who created mankind with the task of populating the earth and creating and developing their civilization, would do so without giving them ordinances to lead them on the right way?

“Does human being think that he is to be left to himself (without being held morally responsible for his doings)?” (75:36). God created human being for a great purpose, and He knows that without a guidance from the Creator he will not be able to trace his way: He therefore gave each person a criterion to freely choose which path to trace:

“Verily, it is We who have created man out of a drop of sperm intermingled, so that We might try him (in his life): and therefore We made him a being endowed with hearing and sight. Verily, We have shown him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful” (76:2-3).

But even this inner criterion would not be enough, that is why God sent to all human beings a specific and global Guidance through His messengers and prophets who brought them God’s revelation: “We have verily sent Our messengers with clear signs, and We revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance, so that mankind may uphold justice ..” (57:25).

Human beings are supposed to be socialized creatures, in need of each others’ services, and doing their share of obligations towards their fellowmen. Nobody can live self-sufficiently on his own. There are also people who are helpless, and who have the right to others’ help. Yet we find many selfish people who do not care about helping others, because they are strong enough to be independent. However, anyone of those people could suddenly become handicapped and would then absolutely need the help of others.

In many parts of the Qur’an God urges people to expend parts of their wealth for the poor and the needy. The Qur’an recounts the behavior of the “liberals” who do not accept God’s ordinance as follows: “And when they are told: Spend on others out of what God has provided for you as sustenance, those who are bent on denying the truth say unto those who believe: Shall we feed anyone whom, if God had so willed, He could have fed him? Clearly, you are but lost in error” (36:47). They think that their selfish behavior is so logical, but this is actually quite the opposite according to the above explanation.

To show how essential the act of helping the poor and the needy is, the Qur’an considers those who refuse to help or even those who do not urge the feeding of the poor as denying the Judgment to come: “Have you seen him who denies the Judgment (the Requital to come)? He is the one who repels the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the needy. So woe to them who do the regular prayer yet they are heedless of their prayers; those who make a pretense, and withal deny all assistance (to their fellowmen)” (Qur’an, 107:1-7).

To conclude I would say: it is logical to believe that we all are responsible of all our deeds, and have the obligation to help the needy, before meeting the just requital on the Day of Judgment.

The Absurdity Of The Arrogant People

                                “That Home of the Hereafter We

                             assign it to those who do not seek

                             haughtiness on earth, nor yet to

                             spread corruption, and the sequel is

                             for the God-fearing. Whosoever shall

                             come (before God) with good deed

                            will gain further good therefrom, and

                            anyone who shall come with evil deed

                            - (know that) they who do evil deeds

                            will not be requited with more than

                            (the like of) what they have done”

                                             (Qur’an, 28:83-84).

God has given every human being a certain peculiarity, but made all equal in value and gave each one a wide scope of action under a very stable criterion that He ordained. Anyone thinking that he or she is superior to others surely is wrong.

The equality in value comes together with a variety in faculties and capabilities, as this is the only way for mankind to manage a cooperation they absolutely need.

God says: “ and We have raised some of them by degrees above others so that they might avail themselves of one another’s help..” (43:32). Without variety in faculties and understanding, life cannot take its course.

God says in the Qur’an: “And had your Lord so willed, He could surely have made all mankind one single community; but (He willed it otherwise, and so) they continue to hold divergent views (all of them,) save those upon whom your Lord has given mercy. And to this end has He created them (all)..” (11:118-119).

This inevitable cooperation between people of diversity also cannot occur harmoniously unless the society agrees upon a certain moral standard as a stable criterion.

The moral standard needed by society cannot be established correctly without bias for one party or another, except if it comes from the Almighty God Who created them all. That’s why God has given them the necessary ordinances (thorough His messengers, the last of them being Muhammad - peace be upon them all), as a basic criterion.

If the society agrees upon this criterion to be exercised, it means they testify that they are all equal in rights and duty, and that God is the only deity and His ordinances should be taken as the basic rule. Hence thinking that one person or one tribe is superior to others should be excluded completely: “O mankind! We have indeed created you from a male and a female, and made you nations and tribes that you may come to know one another. Truly the noblest of you in the sight of God is the most God-fearing among you. Truly God is Knower, Aware” (49:13).

The Qur’an ridicules those who behave haughtily with others: “And do not walk on earth with haughty self-conceit, for, you can never rend the earth asunder, nor attain the mountains in height” (17:37). And in fact, arrogance or insolence, or undue elation at one’s power or capacity or one’s beauty, is the first step to many evils.

The Qur’an recounts the admonition of Luqman to his son: “And do not turn your cheek disdainfully from people and do not walk haughtily on earth, for, behold, God does not love anyone who, out of self-conceit, acts in a boastful manner” (31:18).  Luqman was an example of wisdom who realized that the best and wise life in this world is based upon the highest hope in the inner life. For him true human wisdom is also divine wisdom: the two cannot be separated conformably from worshiping God alone. Hence we have to be good to mankind, without feeling any haughtiness upon others.

This life is just an interlude, a preparation for the real life, which is in the Hereafter. This world’s vanities are to be taken for what they are worth. They should not be allowed to deflect our minds from the requirements of the inner life that really matters.

God says: “And the life of this world is nothing but a passing delight and a play, and the life in the Hereafter is indeed the only (true) life, if they only knew” (29:64).