Living The Quran
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Al Anam (Cattle) - Chapter 6: Verse 59
 "With
Him are the keys to what lies beyond the reach of human perception:
none knows them but He. He knows all that the land and sea contain; not a
leaf falls but He knows it; and neither is there a grain in the earth's
deep darkness, nor anything fresh or dry but is recorded in a clear
book."
It is important to define what we describe in English as lying
"beyond the reach of human perception" and the keys to it as being known
only to God. This expression is given in the Arabic text in one word, ghayb,
which is an essential element of the Islamic concept of faith,
existence and life. The term is derived in Arabic from a root which
denotes "absence, disappearance, hiding, shielding from people's senses
and understanding."
To believe in God is to believe in what lies beyond the reach of
human perception. It is not possible for human beings to comprehend the
nature of God. Similarly, the life to come also lies beyond the reach of
human perception. Believing in the angels is also part of believing in
the imperceptible, because we only know about angels what God has chosen
to tell us. It addition, we have to believe in God's will and its
operation. That is also part of ghayb.
Not everything unknown to man is ghayb, and not all forces of the universe are unknown. There
are certain laws that operate in the universe without fail. God has
given man the power to know this much of the laws of the universe and to
manipulate these forces in accordance with these laws. He will then be
able to accomplish his mission and make use of the potentials of the
earth and promote life.
This short verse causes our human imagination to come to life trying
to explore the horizons of what we know and what lies beyond our
knowledge. We try to imagine the limitless nature of God's knowledge as
it encompasses the whole universe and goes far beyond what we know of
that universe. Our minds may try to discover what has so far
been unknown to us in the land or at sea, realizing that everything in
them is perfectly known to God.
Compiled From:
"In The Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 5, pp. 174-188 |
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Blindspot!
Enlightened Leadership
The enlightened Muslim leadership of the early empires enabled
the rise of the various golden ages. This vision of leadership, however
compromised by the unavoidable human ego, institutional failings, bad
luck, and corruption, managed for more than eight centuries to inspire a
climate of invention and intellectual ferment that was unique and
helped shape a future vision of modern leadership in Europe and other
non-Muslim countries.
The leadership legacy of Abu Bakr would seem to be in creating a model of humility, compromise, incorruptibility, and a dedication to charity and public welfare.
These values provided an enduring ideal of leadership in the Muslim
world and beyond, an ideal often contrary to the baser instincts of men.
Ali is one of the first Muslim leaders to set down in writing a
detailed template for enlightened leadership, elements of which later
surfaced in the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, in Fatimid and Sunni
Egypt, in Seljuk Persia and Anatolia, in the Delhi sultanate and Mughal
India, and in the Ottoman Empire.
Evidence is included in a lengthy letter on leadership, which
Caliph Ali sent to his loyal follower, Maalik al-Ashtar, appointing him
as the new Muslim governor of Egypt:
... Remember, Maalik, that amongst your subjects there are
two kinds of people: those who have the same religion as you have, they
are brothers to you; and those who have religions other than that of
yours, they are human beings like you.... Let your mercy and compassion
come to their rescue and help in the same way and to the same extent
that you expect Allah to show mercy and forgiveness to you....
You must always appreciate and adopt a policy, which is
neither too severe nor too lenient; a policy which is based upon equity
will be largely appreciated. Remember that the displeasure of common
men, the havenots and the depressed persons overbalances the approval of
important persons, while the displeasure of a few big people will be
excused by the Lord if the general public and masses of your subjects
are happy with you....
Remember, Maalik.... The thing which should most gladden
the heart of a ruler is the fact that his State is being ruled on the
principles of equity and justice and that his subjects love him. And
your subjects will only love you when they have no grievances against
you. So let them have as many justifiable hopes in you as they can and
fulfill as many as you reasonably can. Speak well of those who deserve
your praise. Appreciate the good deeds done by them and let these good
actions be known publicly.
Compiled From:
" Lost History" - Michael Hamilton Morgan, pp. 254-257
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