DOMINION AS A TEST
Creation Plan of God
WILLIAM Penn was born in London in 1644 and died in 1718. A great advocate of religious tolerance, he took part in both: religious affairs and politics. One of his sayings is as follows:
Let the people think they govern, and they will be governed.
Penn said this on the basis of his study of history. But this is not something related only to history. It is, in fact, a universal law of nature. It is established by God himself according to His own creation plan.
This natural law set by the Almighty God has been described in these words in the Quran:
We alternate these days among mankind.
THE QURAN 3: 140
By ‘days’ here is meant the days of victory and defeat, of domination and subjugation. In this world just as everything else is for the purpose of testing people, so is political power. That is why it is granted to each group by turn, so that every group can be tested. In this world, the state of domination and power is for the sake of testing people, just as the state of subjugation and submission, too, are.
In this world, the state of domination and power is for the sake of testing people, just as the state of subjugation and submission, too, are.
What is required from man is that when he is granted power, he should not suffer from pride and arrogance. And when man finds himself in a state of subjugation, he should not fall prey to negative psychology. Either of the states should be acceptable to man as a matter of divine ordainment. In both states, man’s eyes should be set on shouldering his own responsibilities, rather than on the right or wrong attitude adopted by others.
If you bear this in mind, it will keep you away from negative activities. It will enable you to save your capabilities from being wasted, and so you can focus on beneficial and result-oriented actions. Loss of power is from God. Protesting against it is to protest against God. And is there anyone who can succeed in his protest against God?