WHEN A NATION SUFFERS DECLINE
Changelessness
IN ancient times when the Jews underwent political decline, they decided to fight to regain their lost political power. At that time, in the words of the Old Testament, their messenger Jeremiah admonished them: “Say to the king and the queen mother, ‘Humble yourselves and sit down, for your rule shall collapse, the crown of your glory.” (Jeremiah 13: 18)
Here, the example of ancient Jews has been taken to point out that it is a common phenomenon that communities see a period of ascendency, but after that also experience a state of decline: after enjoying political supremacy, they have to face a period of political subordination. This happens according to the law of nature. When a community or nation goes through this transition, it is required of it to accept the change. Refusing to accept this state of affairs may lead it toward further destruction.
Change in society is initiated by making efforts to bring about change in the individuals who constitute the society, and not by trying to magically cause change to happen at the level of the whole society at once.
The truth is that political power is not the monopoly of any particular group. A certain group receives political authority due to its necessary competence. So long as a nation has the required capability, it will remain in possession of political power. But if it loses this capability, its grip over political power will loosen and go into the hands of another. When this happens, it is essential for the nation to work to regain its lost competence instead of engaging in futile conflict with others.
The Quran speaks about this law of nature in these words: God does not change the condition of a people’s lot, unless they change what is in their hearts. (13: 11)
In this verse, “condition of a people’s lot” refers to the collective state of people while, “what is in their hearts” refers to the state of an individual person. That is, a community or nation as a whole can undergo change only if the individuals who form it have undergone this change. If a nation finds that it is suffering decline at the collective level, it must determine the cause for this deterioration within the people who together make the nation. This is because a nation’s collective situation can be transformed only by changing the character and attitude of the people comprising it.
Change in society is initiated by making efforts to bring about change in the individuals who constitute the society, and not by trying to magically cause change to happen at the level of the whole society at once. Any action that is taken at the level of the entire society will only be considered a leadership feat and not any serious step aimed at reformation of a nation or community.