POWER IS RESPONSIBILITY To Deliver Peace & Justice!

 

To The Power Seekers:

Power Is Responsibility

To Deliver Peace And

Justice!

(M. Javed Naseem)

 

“Whoso desires power, (should know

that) all power belongs to Allah.”

(al-Quran 35:10)

Man is greedy for power, money and fame. Any one of these three elements can turn his head and he can become an arrogant person. The Almighty Allah does not like arrogance. When you become powerful, by grace of God, don’t let the power go through your head. It might prove more harmful than beneficial. Money and power (authority) can solve most of the problems the mankind is facing today. But at the same time, if these two are not rightly controlled or directed through proper channels, they themselves can create havoc in the world.

It is difficult to separate money from authority. Money is power and so is the authority. All power is evil (fitna) if it is not used for the benefit and welfare of mankind. In this age, it is the power that is creating all kinds of social, economic and political problems for mankind. Humans are known for the abuse of power. They cannot handle it. Power should be used to enforce justice, and eradicate inequality and injustice. But in this world what we see today is that power is being used to control others; to get the maximum material benefits; and escape from justice. This is corruption. Power should be taken from the hands of the corrupt and given to the honest and God-fearing. That will make the world an ideal place.

“And walk not in the earth exultant!

Lo! You cannot rend the earth, nor can

you stretch to the height of the hills.

The evil of all that is hateful in the

sight of thy Lord.”

(al-Quran 17:37-38)

Power is a Godly quality and only God can use it justly. Human beings, when given power, often try to play God and end up doing injustice to the fellow humans. They cannot resist the temptation, therefore, the corruption prevails. Power is responsibility and it should be used for the service to humanity. A ruler/governor who enjoys power, is actually given responsibility to serve his people. A ruler is a servant of Allah and he should serve His people; take care of them, solve their problems and promote peace and justice in the society. But the modern day ruler, on the contrary, considers himself as “king” of the people and takes people as his servants. He likes it very much when people gather in rows for his reception, bow in front of him and kiss his hand.

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Dishonest and corrupt politicians with

feudal background exploit the system

and enjoy luxury life at public expense!

They should be screened and barred

from contesting elections.

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Now, take a minute and think about it. Sometimes, a bad ruler has ignorant cronies around him who are even worse than him. They cross all limits to please the ruler and benefit from their position. Many a time the ruler is not aware of what they do.

On the Day of Judgment, all rulers would be asked questions about their people. A ruler must be a humble and God-fearing servant of people, and not an arrogant tyrant. He is responsible for social justice, equality, peace and prosperity of his nation. He is not allowed to take people’s money or property. He is answerable to God for the sufferings of his people (due to injustice), during his tenure.

“Lo, Allah commands you that you restore

deposits to their owners, and if you judge

between mankind, that you judge justly.”

(al-Quran 4:58)

The problem with us, Muslims, is that we don’t fear Allah. We don’t think that we are going to die sooner or later. We don’t think about the Day of Judgment and answering questions in front of Allah. We have become hypocrites (Munafiq) as we say one thing and we do something else. We lie to others every day and we don’t consider it a sin or something immoral. It is accepted as normal behavior in the society. We read the Holy Quran and still we don’t get the message! We read about other nations and generations that were destroyed because of their sins and evil-doing but we don’t learn any lesson from the Quran, nor from the history of the nations. We know that it happened to other nations but we think it is not going to happen to us. Why not? Allah says:

“How many a township have We destroyed

while it was sinful, so that it lies (to this day)

in ruins, and (how many) a deserted well and

lofty tower! Have they not traveled in the land,

so that they may have hearts wherewith to feel,

and ears wherewith to hear? For indeed it is

not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts,

which are within the bosoms, that grow blind.”

(al-Quran 22:45-46)

The funny thing in most of the Muslim countries is that everybody who works for the government would like to play the “boss” but nobody takes any responsibility. We want power but no responsibility? That's the sign of corrupt power seekers.

As Muslims or believers in the Day of Judgment, there should not be any doubt in our minds about the accountability process. Allah the Almighty has reminded us of that in many verses of the Quran. On the Day of Judgment, we'll be standing in the court of Allah to answer questions. And the justice shall be delivered. It has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Umar that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) said:

"Beware! Every one of you is a shepherd and every one

is answerable with regard to his flock. The Caliph (ruler)

is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about

his subjects (as to how he conducted their affairs). A man is

a guardian over the members of his family and shall be

questioned about them (as to how he looked after their

physical and moral well-being). A woman is a guardian

over the household of her husband and his children and

shall be questioned about them (as to how she managed

the household and brought up the children). A slave is a

guardian over the property of his master and shall be

questioned about it (as to how he safeguarded his trust).

Beware! Every one of you is a guardian and every one

of you shall be questioned with regard to his trust.”

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