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Al-Baqara
I have selected this portion of the Holy Quran for our discussion because it contains many lessons for the Muslims on how to choose their worldly leaders, and it also removes many misconceptions in this regard. Also in some older translations of the Holy Quran, the translators have incorrectly interpreted some of these verses, and these mistakes persist to this day. These interpretations have been ridiculed by some western influenced persons, but the fact is that when properly interpreted, these verses are full of profound knowledge waiting to be unveiled. Purpose of warfareVerse 253 of this section gives the rational for why previous prophets had to be involved in fighting. Verse 251 states that if Allah does not cause the removal of some by others, disorder would prevail upon the earth (or it would be destroyed). In the verse that follows it is stated:
"These are the messages of Allah-We recite them to thee with truth: and surely thou art of the messengers" (2 :252).These Divine words informed the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that like the preceding prophets, he too will have to participate in armed conflicts. In fact, since he is the leader of all prophets, his involvement in warfare will be greater. In relation to this, certain incidents from the history of the Israelites are mentioned, including certain events from the battle between Prophet David (Daud) and Goliath (Jaloot). This narration is meant as a lesson for the Muslims, as is apparent from the opening words, "Hast thou not thought of." The historical perspective of these incidents is that during that time period the Israelite nation was repeatedly defeated, and overpowered by the Philistines. Hundreds and thousands of Israelites had been put to the sword. They had lost their land, and many of their youth had been enslaved by the enemy. The Muslims at the time of this revelation were facing a similar situation. After thirteen years of severe persecution at Mecca, they had to leave their homes and migrate to Medina. They had been separated from their families, and now the enemy was preparing a final assault to annihilate them at Medina. This lesson from history was, therefore presented to the Muslims to tell them that though smaller in numbers, they should not be intimidated by the great numbers of the enemy. They were urged on to defend themselves with patience and stead-fastness, and not to accept a humiliating peace which would ultimately lead to their defeat. Allah never forsakes his patient and steadfast servants. In fact, He makes them prevail over an enemy which is numerically greater and stronger. Similarities between leaders of Israelite nation and modern politiciansThe verses of this lesson refer to a period, when after repeated setbacks in the battlefield, the Israelites consulted their Prophet Samuel to appoint a king to lead them. The leaders from amongst the Israelites were all competing for this position because of their greed for the acquisition of worldly status (unfortunately we see examples of similar competition amongst modern leaders and nations). They consulted their prophet because they could not come to an agreement on this matter. (Even in this age, the worldly wise may resort to a person of good moral character to decide their differences, because of their trust in his fairness and honesty.) Prophet Samuel did not make a personal choice, but asked for Divine guidance in this matter. Allah selected Saul for this purpose. The Israelites quarreled amongst themselves even regarding this selection made by Allah, and His Prophet. They were hoping that a leader from amongst their existing leaders would be chosen for this office, but the standards of Divine selection are quite different. They questioned how Saul could be given power over them, while they were more deserving of such a choice. (Is this not reminiscent of modern politics, of leaders and parties, vying for position of power.) In those days, lineage of royal descent, or being from a ruling family, used to be the basis of the claim for leadership. (Even in modern times a family can assume the role of leadership, as appears to be the case of the Nehru family in India.) The first objection of the Israelites was, therefore that Saul was not from amongst the royal, or the ruling class. Their second objection was that he was a poor man. He had neither the distinction of having power, nor wealth. Divine criteria for selection of leadersHow appropriate was the reply of their Prophet! The first lesson he addressed was that Allah had chosen him over them because of his goodness. A leader who is immoral and guilty of misdeeds, will lead the nation on the very path that he is following. This can influence the results of battles as is well illustrated by the following incident. People knowledgeable of the true history of the early caliphate know that both Persia and the Byzantine empire, the two super powers of the time were concerned about the rising power of the Arabs. They came up with their own strategies to curb this perceived danger. Heraclius, the Emperor of Byzantine empire, instigated the border tribes of Arabia, who had accepted Christianity under his influence, to rise up against the Muslims and promised them the support of his own forces. It was because of these incidents that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had to undertake the expedition to Tabuk. However, the Prophet's dignity inspired so much awe in these tribes that they fled away without giving battle. The promised help of the Byzantine forces also failed to materialize. Later, during the time of the early caliphate, this Christian power embarked upon hostilities against the Muslims. The Persian polytheists also forced war upon the Muslims by fanning rebellion, and sedition on the borders of the Muslim territory. Hazrat Umar, the second Caliph, once remarked that he wished there was a wall of fire between the Muslims and the Persians, which the Persians could not cross to create mischief for the Muslims. The Muslims were therefore, forced to fight on two fronts, which as every military strategist knows is a very precarious situation. But no one can destroy whom Allah wants to save. The condition on both fronts was such that if the enemy forces numbered a hundred thousand, there were only ten thousand Muslims facing them. The enemy, however, suffered one defeat after another. The Heraclius of Byzantine was extremely perplexed by this. He questioned his minister, why the Muslims were victorious despite the fact that the Roman forces were more experienced, had more sophisticated weapons and outnumbered the Muslim forces ten to one? To this, the minister replied, "Your Majesty should observe the behavior of your soldiers before and after the battle. They spend most of the night in drinking, gambling and womanizing, while the Muslim soldiers spend their nights in prostrating before the Lord." "This," he said, "was the difference." The second reason Prophet Samuel gave the Israelites was that Allah had chosen Saul because of his superiority in knowledge and physique. The selection had to be made first for commander in chief, and then for king. Superiority of knowledge, therefore refers to both these offices. Fighting the enemy successfully is a great art, which is learned by soldiers not only in various staff courses, but also in the battlefield, and prior to that by means of military exercises. Governing, also involves a great degree of skill and knowledge (to this I can testify by my forty years of experience working for the government in various capacities). It was stated that Saul was not only a capable and experienced soldier, but also knowledgeable in worldly and administrative matters. The physical superiority of Saul, is mentioned because it is necessary for a military commander to be in good health, and the need for this is self evident. I have observed this during my public service that even in the civil administration, ailing officers cannot perform their duties satisfactorily. After mentioning the qualities of Saul, the Holy Quran states:
"And Allah grants His kingdom to whom He pleases."Note that the three qualities of Saul are mentioned before the statement, "And Allah grants His kingdom to whom He pleases." The sequencing of these statements shows that when the Holy Quran uses phrases like, 'Allah gives to whom He pleases,' or 'Allah selects whom He pleases,' the decision is made on the basis of firmly established principles, and not (we seek refuge in Allah from saying so) merely on whim, or without any rhyme or reason. The words, "And Allah is Ample-giving Knowing," provides further rationale for the decision i.e., that Divine knowledge extends across the broadest range, encompassing not only the leaders, but all the people, and is complete, and perfect in comparison with that of mankind. More signs about the kingship of Saul are given further on in the statement:
"And their prophet said to them: Surely the sign of His kingdom is that there shall come to you the heart in which there is tranquillity from your Lord and the best of what the followers of Moses and the followers of Aaron have left, the angels bearing it. Surely there is a sign in this for you if you are believers."A literal interpretation of the Arabic words has led to some strange explanations. It has been said that the angels came actually bearing a box which contained a thing called sakeena with a head like that of a cat and it also contained the stone tablets of Prophet Moses (with the ten commandments), and the rod of Prophet Aaron which had miraculously sprouted branches etc. If this was actually the case, it is difficult to comprehend how this proves the superiority of Saul as the best choice. The fact of the matter is that these stories have been imported from Israelite traditions, and are not deserving of serious consideration. The Arabic word taaboot besides being used for a box, also stands for a man's heart or mind (for reference see Lisaan-ul-Arab and Mufradaat of Raghib). Interpreted in this sense, the statement is a great prophecy made by their Prophet. It prophesies that when the Israelites go into battle, they will witness the great tranquillity with which the heart of Saul has been inspired. Tranquillity is inspired into the heart of a person, and obviously does not come in a box containing a kitty cat. The Holy Quran itself, where it mentions the believers being blessed with tranquillity, uses the words:
"He it is who sent down tranquillity into the hearts of the believers" (48:4).All combat tested veterans know that when the battle is raging, the most essential quality of a commander is to remain tranquil. If the commander becomes anxious and loses his composure, then it is inevitable that chaos will ensue among the fighting units, and they will lose ground. The heart of Saul being upheld by angels, means steadfastness, which has been explained by the Holy Quran in another verse:
"When Thy Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, so make firm those who believe" (8:12).The last sign mentioned is that the heart of Saul has:
"the best of what the followers of Moses, and the followers of Aaron have left."This prophecy refers to the time when Saul was to rule as king. Prophet Moses spent a lifetime in giving the law, and settling the differences amongst his people, and Prophet Aaron led them in worship. It was thus prophesied that when Saul becomes king, he will not only be a lawgiver, but also a spiritual leader. That is why the fulfillment of this prophecy was referred to as a sign from Allah, "Surely there is a sign in this for you if you are believers." Trial of the Israelite forcesWhen Saul marched on with the army, he said:
"Surely Allah will try you with a river (nahr)."The Arabic word nahr stands for both river and stream. Many commentators have interpreted this statement literally, and stated that it means that these soldiers on foot were tried by being given instructions that they could only drink a handful of water from a river they had to cross. Most of them, however, drank to their hearts content. If someone is content with this interpretation, it is their choice. I prefer the other meaning of the word nahr, which means 'affluence' (Mufradat of Raghib). The statement thus refers to trial by affluence. Whenever a fighting force adopts a life of comfort and luxury, it loses the will to fight. This reminds me of a story related about the soldiers of the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah Rangeela. They were carried into the battlefield sitting in portable carriages, dressed in fine cotton, and fanning themselves with fans. Divine criteria for granting victoryFurther on, this blessed verse after mentioning the large numbers of the enemy forces, and the smaller numbers of believers, states that Allah made the believers victorious by His permission. Certain pre-conditions are mentioned before Allah grants His permission to make the believers victorious, and these are patience, consistency, steadfastness and bowing down humbly in prayer before Allah. In the battle of Somnath when the army of Mahmood Ghaznavi was at the verge of being routed under assault by hundreds of elephants from the enemy side, he dismounted from his horse and prostrated humbly before Allah with his head in the dust. How the tide of battle turned after this is something that I invite the reader to read in the books of history. There is another tradition in this regard that I would like to mention before closing. It is written that after the Battle of Somnath, Mahmood Ghaznavi saw his deceased spiritual mentor in a dream. The mentor told him that Allah so loved his gesture of humility that if he had prayed for the whole of India to accept Islam, his wish would have been granted. Unfortunately, besides the Companions of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and a few generations after them, the Muslims ignored these Divine requirements for permission to grant victory, otherwise Spain would not have been lost, and all of India today would have been in the fold of Islam. |
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