SPIRITUAL POWER NOT POLITICAL POWER
Goal of Islam
Say: “O God! Lord of power, You give power to whom You please, and You take away power from whom You please.” (THE QURAN 3: 26)
THE concept of the state in Islam can be understood from the above verse of the Quran. Some points are made here very clearly: one being that the actual possessor of power is God and that it is He who grants power on earth to whom He wants, and it is God who takes away power from whoever He wants. So the whole matter in this regard rests with God. If someone receives power, it is not due to his own effort: it is given to him by God alone. Similarly, when power is taken away from him, it is done by God alone.
Thus the dominance or subjugation of any group is ultimately for God to decide. According to this verse, no human being has any power whatsoever. The theory that comes to light is that political power is totally governed by God, just as the entire universe is running in accordance with the divine plan. It is like saying that God alone is the controller of the universe and that He alone has the final word as to who is going to be given political power. Just as God exercises full power over the setting and rising of the sun, so also has He full power over the granting of political ascendancy.
This is an incontrovertible fact. There is another verse in this connection which throws further light on the issue:
And He will bestow upon you other blessings which you desire; help from God and a speedy victory. (61: 13)
In this verse “other blessings” means political power. This has been characterized as something secondary. When we take this verse in its literal sense, it transpires that the status of political power has a secondary rather than a primary position in Islam. Primary position is given to the purification of the self through intellectual and spiritual development.
Another point made clear in this verse is that the receiving of political power depends solely upon divine succour. Victory and defeat apparently belong to the human world, but both are totally governed by God.
As we learn from the Quran:Say, ‘Lord, sovereign of all sovereignty. You bestow sovereignty on whom you will and take it away from whom you please; You exalt whoever You will and abase whoever You will. All that is good lies in Your hands. You have the power to will anything.’ (3: 26)
The above verse from the Quran explains this matter further. If we take this verse literally, it emerges that political power is a promise from God, and not a target. That is, it is not something that Muslims should aim at, for they can receive it only by divine edict.
Then there is another verse in this connection which throws further light on the subject.
….When Solomon saw it placed before him, he exclaimed, ‘This is by the grace of my Lord, to test whether I am grateful or ungrateful…. (27: 40)
This is in the context of the granting of political power to the Prophet Solomon. The words uttered by the Prophet Solomon after receiving power was ‘Leabluani’ (This is meant as a test). These words tell us that political power is given in order to try us. The test contrives to separate the grateful from the insolent servants of God.
The actual possessor of power is God and that it is He who grants power on earth to whom He wants and it is God who takes away power from whoever He wants.
Thus, according to the Quran, the nature of political power in this world is exactly the same as that of other things. That is, when an individual is given wealth, children or anything of a material, worldly nature like success, all that is designed to test him. All these blessings serve as test papers. And political power is also a test paper.
Whoever receives power should realize that power is given to him in order to test him. It is not something to take pride in, nor is it a gift from God.
The concept of the state that emerges from these verses of the Quran makes it clear that political power is not the target or goal of our activities or actions.
If political power is not our goal then what is the target which Islam sets before man?
The answer in the words of the Quran is: ‘A peaceful soul’ (89: 27). Thus the spiritual goal of Islam is to attain this state of peace in the soul. According to the Quran this is the ultimate stage in a man’s spiritual development. When he reaches this stage of progress, he qualifies to be ushered into Paradise, the perfect and eternal world of the Hereafter.
The Quran addresses such souls in these words: ‘O serene soul! Return to your Lord joyful, and pleasing in His sight. Join my servants and enter My Paradise.’ (89: 27-30)
In this world man has to lead his life in circumstances in which he experiences various kinds of situations; there are times of gain, times of loss; times of happiness and times of grief. Sometimes he receives good treatment at the hands of others, at other times his fate is quite otherwise.
The status of political power has a secondary rather than a primary position in Islam.
The ideal human being of the MQuran is one who undergoes all these experiences without losing his integrity. Under no circumstances is his inner peace disturbed. However untoward the occasion, he maintains his natural balance. Success does not make him proud. Power does not make him haughty. No bad treatment by others drives him to seek vengeance in anger. At all events, he remains serene. It is such a man who is called ‘a peaceful soul’ in the Quran. And it is this man who, according to the Quran, has achieved the highest spiritual state.
The realization of God joins man to his Maker. Such communion with the divine brings about a state of spiritual elevation. Having been thus raised to a higher plane of existence, man becomes of a ‘sublime character’(68: 4), as expressed in the Quran.
This can be illustrated by an example from the natural world: The process of conversion of a substance from the solid to the gaseous state is called boiling. The boiling point of a liquid varies according to atmospheric pressure. At sea level water boils at 100 degrees centigrade. At a higher altitude, as on a mountain, the atmospheric pressure is less, so the boiling point is lower. This shows that it is the altitude that makes the difference.
The law of nature governing this world accounts for the difference made by altitude. Islam’s aim is to foster human beings whose altitude has changed. The superior qualities desired in him will come later, on their own.
The Prophet of Islam was a perfect example of the peaceful soul. By studying his life, one can learn the nature of God’s ideal man, the peaceful soul. In the Quran the Prophet is described as an example of a ‘sublime character'.
According to the Quran whoever receives power should realize that power is given to him in order to test him.
Who is the one who possesses this sublime character? In the words of the Quran it is a man who can show respect for every human being. It is he whose spiritual progress has elevated his mental level, who can do honour to one of another creed. He is the one who can rise above all negative feelings. The peaceful soul is one who being on a higher spiritual plane, can live in tranquility, regardless of the circumstances. No external event can disturb his inner peace.
To sum up, according to Islam, the highest spiritual goal for man is his spiritual upliftment when he has attained the high state called “peaceful soul” in the Quran. This may also be termed as complex-free soul which can withstand all kinds of negativity.
The importance of the peaceful soul is its being deserving of salvation and thus eligible to enter the purest and finest realm of Paradise. The way to reach this stage depends upon man’s relation to God. The more man turns his attention to God, the more he will receive inspiration from Him. With the help of divine inspiration, he will be able to pass through the various stages of spiritual upliftment until he ultimately reaches that pinnacle of sublimity so desired by the Almighty.