The Vizier Submitted

ISSUE 01 | AUGUST 2011
MICA (P) xxx/xx/xxxx
KNOWING RAMADAN
THE SACRED COMPANION AS-SHIFA MONEY

BIOGRAPHY
QURAN
THEN & NOW
CONTENTS
Editorial Cover Story
Ramadan Chief Editor - Hasbullah Syaafii
ISSUE 01 | RAMADHAN 2011
The Vizier Team

CHIEF EDITOR Hasbullah Shafiiy PUBLISHER Wazir Press 110 Middle Road #07-03A Chiat Hong Building Singapore 188968 ASSOCIATE EDITOR Shafiee Shariff MARKETING TEAM Mutalib Habib Noor CONTRIBUTORS Syareef Pasha Al-Fannan Salman Mahjabeen Shaykh Ghazali Abdal Hakeem SPECIAL THANKS Mohamed Nawaz DESIGN & LAYOUT Mustaffa Shah PRINTED BY Stamford Press Pte Ltd
Interview Quran
On Handling the Wazirate With Mr. Vizier The Sacred Companions Ash-Shifa
Biography Global
Edmond Safra The Changing Middle East Rise of
Then & Now Poetry Reflections

Money
Reflections on Surah Al-Kahf I On Education Ezra Pound Al-Fudayl ibn Iyads advice to Harun Ar-Rashid
Il Miglior Fabbro Ihsan
From a Hakeem
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EDITORIAL
Dear Readers,
ssalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuhu. Ramadan Kareem!
We humbly present to you in this auspicious month of Ramadan the first issue of the Vizier (Muslim) magazine in Singapore, the like of which we have not seen in our country for many decades. Men of letters have always deemed it indispensable to have some type of journal circulating in their locality, which will provide a platform to write for established as well as aspiring writers, especially in these times when publishing has been taken over by capitalist mechanisms. Secondly, because of the internet, publishing has lost its value and responsibility so much so that any man who is not trained to write may scribble as he wishes, most of the time dross, and to make matters worse, using the excuse of the internet simply dismiss his/her opinions and views when called to account for by brushing them aside as an unimportant page on the internet. Writing must be accounted for as much as speech is accounted for, says Imam Ghazali. May Allah guide this magazine on its proper course and protect the contributors to this magazine including myself from the excesses of the pen. The wazir, or vizier in English, is a word of meanings as vast as Muslim civilisation. The vizier, usually an advisor to the king and the most important man after the king, is also a commander, a representative of the king either in his absence or abroad where the king cannot travel, an ambassador regularly going on diplomatic and negotiation missions, and the prime or chief minister in the kings court. There have been many instances in history where viziers have in fact been more powerful than the king himself. The vizier is indispensable for the king as long as he abides by certain moral obligations. Responding this, we have reproduced in this issue from Imam Ghazalis fascinating text Counsel for Kings , one section entitled, On Handling the Wazirate and the Character of Wazirs, which in todays world bears more importance and relevance than Machiavellis The Prince . Since it is Ramadan we have placed as the cover story an article about this month and on fasting by a young and promising writer under the heading entitled Foundations, which will insha Allah in future issues be on important matters of the fiqh apart from the usual rudimentary lessons Muslims learn at a very young age. For example, matters on muamalah, money, travelling, etc. We have reproduced here a few excerpts from classical Islamic texts too such as a very important anecdote from the life of Harun ar-Rashid most pertinent for men in positions of leadership, taken from The Meccan Revelations of Shaykh al-Akbar. The two most important foundations in a Muslims life is undoubtedly the Quran and the sunnah of our Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. In that respect, we are honoured to host an article on the Quran
by Shaykh Ghazali (Imam of Islamische Ummah Gemeinschaft, Berlin) and find it most necessary to introduce Qadi Iyads seminal text, Ash-Shifa , to understand the stature of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, before attempting to look into the seerah and the different dimensions of the sunnah.
The Vizier will take the opportunity every issue to analyse and comment on events and news concerning the global Muslim community. For example the historic change that is now taking place in the Middle East as we write. It will also look into history, civilisation and arts and in the process host good journals as well as poems by young, old or aspiring Muslim writers and poets. We have published a few here. This is the first issue and we humbly ask the support of our readers in whatever way they can by sponsoring the publication or investing in it, advertising, contributing to the content, or subscribing. We look forward to hearing your comments on this our launching issue and pray that this will revive the noble tradition of the responsible pen and encourage the return to the classical sources to study the Deen as it was in its early times a dynamic political reality. As it began as something strange so has it returned to something strange today. In such times, every effort to revive the Deen will be rewarded with the merit of matrydom a thousand times over and over again.
Chief Editor
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K NOWING RAMADAN
F
asting in Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam, which Allah (s.w.t) has made obligatory on Muslims from the second year of the Prophets migration (Hijrah) to Madinah. The month of Ramadan is the month in which the revelation of the Holy Quran to the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) commenced and then gradually lasted over a period of 23 years.
Allah says in the Quran, Ramadan is the (month) in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind and a clear guidance and judgment (so that mankind will distinguish from right and wrong). (2:183) O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may gain Taqwa (piety) (2: 183) The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: He who fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven. (Bukhari) Ramadhan also marks the significance of historic occasions of active establishment of the Deen such as the battle of Badr which occured on the 17th of the month in the second year of the Hijrah (624 AD) as well as the conquest of Makkah which occured on 20th Ramadan, 8 AH (630 AD). Therefore the month of Ramadhan is more than fasting as it recalls the victorious past of the first community of the Prophet (s.a.w). Fasting keeps a person specially connected to Allah, Most High. When a person keeps fast, his heart becomes sincere and clean. The word for Fasting in Arabic SAUM linguistically refers to abstaining from doing something. One should totally abstain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from dawn to sunset. It is necessary to resist all temptations for wrong actions in the sight
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of Allah while one is fasting. Avoiding immoral behaviour, anger, showing compassion and constantly practising patience are also part of the requirements of fasting. The Prophet (s.a.w) said, Fast is half of patience and patience is half of faith. He also said in another hadith, may Allahs peace and blessings be upon him, Everything has got a gateway and fasting is the gateway of worship. The object of keeping fast is to keep the belly vacant in order to control passions and to increase taqwa. Fasting in Ramdhan is compulsory and undoubtedly has great benefits along with it. The beginning of it is mercy (first ten days), the middle (second ten days) is forgiveness and the last (third ten days) part of it is freedom from the fire. Ramadan is the time where we can purify ourselves by holding on to self-discipline and refraining from what will break the fast and to indulge in extra worship which will bring extra rewards for us. The Prophet (s.a.w) said, Fasting is like a shield. If a man keeps fast, let him not rebuke and dispute. The best way to spend the day while fasting is to adopt silence, keep the tongue busy with the remembrance of Allah, recitation of the Quran and praying for blessings and peace on our beloved Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Imam Ghazzali rahimahullah mentions in his Ihya Ulum ad-deen: The speciality of fasting is forbearance
and sacrifice, as it is an action of the mind and is secret from public eye, but all other actions fall within human eyes. Nobody sees fast except Allah as it is a secret action with sincere patience. Secondly, it is punishment for the enemy of Allah as the way of the devil is sexual passion and it increases through the help of food and drink. As Imam Ghazzali said nobody sees fast except Allah because Allah gives enormous benefits and rewards for fasting as He said in a hadith qudsi narrated by the Prophet (s.a.w), The fast is for Me and I will repay it. Imam Hasan al-Basri (r) said, Allah made this month of Ramadhan for running in which the people will be running for good deeds and competing with one another. Ramadhan is the time for us to strengthen and renew our connection with the Noble Quran which the Prophet (s.a.w) brought directly from Allah, Most High and to take advantage of the opportunity of increasing in beneficial knowledge and abiding by the Quran. Narrated Ibn Abbas (r): The Prophet was the most generous amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel (a.s) visited him, and Gabriel (a.s) used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet (s.a.w) used to recite the Holy Quran to Gabriel (a.s), and when Gabriel (a.s) met him, he
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used to be more generous than a fast wind (which causes rain and welfare). The early community used to follow this after the Prophet (s.a.w). Sayyidina Uthman (r.a) recited the Quran once a day. Imam Shafiiy (r.a) recited the Quran sixty times in Ramadhan, which meant that he completed reading the Quran twice a day. Whatever amal we do in Ramdhan, we get incredible benefits in comparison to other months. When we fast, our heart is clean and therefore is more accessible to study and to grasp the meaning of the Quran. We will not get distracted. Aisha (r.a) reported that the Prophet (s.a.w) said, The one who recites the Quran beautifully, smoothly and precisely, will be in the company of the noble and obedient angels. As with the one who recites with difficulty, stammering and stumbling with his verse, then he will have twice the reward. (Bukhari and Muslim) The above hadith shows that even the one who recites the Quran stammering or stumbling gets twice the reward of the one who recites it beautifully and precisely. Even if we cannot do like how Sayyiduna Uthman (r.a) did to recite the Quran once a day or as Imam Shafiiy did to recite sixty times in Ramadhan we could at least make a point to recite a page of the Quran or a Surah of the Quran if our recitation is not fluent, and read its meaning and commentary and attempt to understand as much as possible so that we may taste the benefit of worship. When this is established, then it becomes a habit for us to take on the Quran and recite it daily as the Prophet (s.a.w) said, Recite the Quran for it will come as a companion on the day of Rising (Companion here refers to the one who recites it). Let us not forget that when the early community asked Aishah (r.a) to desribe the Prohet (s.a.w), she said that he was the Quran, walking. Ramadan is also a time for one should reflect on the earth, and the marvels and Allahs creation, and also reflection as heavens and mysteries of on oneself, about ones past deeds and ask forgiveness for wrong actions committed in the past and to constantly have a good opinion that indeed Allah will forgive those deeds as Ramadhan is filled with mercy, forgiveness and freedom from the fire. Being constantly aware and conscious about ones deeds and remembering Allah in every state and every breath as it increases taqwa is recommended in Ramadhan so as to make it a way of life extending beyond the month. Let us not forget the famous wird of Sahl at-Tustari rahimahullah which he did all his life and reached perfection at an early age, Allahu maee, Allahu Naadhirun ilay, Allahu Shaahidun alay (Allah is with me, Allah sees me, Allah is the witness of my acts). One should also give charity in abundance especially in Ramadan. Allah has mentioned in His Book, Spend in charity out of the sustenance that We have bestowed on you before that time when death will come to someone, and he will say: O my Lord if only you would grant me reprieve for a little while, then I would give in charity and be among the righteous. (Quran 63:10) The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, Save yourself from hellfire by giving even half a date-fruit in charity. Feeding the poor and providing meals at the time of breaking fast gives great benefits. Fast must be kept sincerely from the heart as Allah says in the Quran, Indeed Allah only accepts from the Muttaqeen (who have taqwa and are righteous). Quran 5:27 At the time of breaking fast, one should not eat excessively as it is injurious to health. Food is medicine as mentioned by Ibn Sina and understood by the Hakeems. Its little does benefit and its much spoils. Dates and milk for breaking fast before the maghrib prayer is sunnah. The purpose of fasting is to increase our taqwa, to do as much of extra worship, asking forgiveness, giving charity, and most importantly, constantly holding on to
patience. Intention is cardinal. These are all beneficial solely for the one who does it. Fasting in the month of Ramadhan not only indicates the importance of intense worship, but also intense action. Establishing Islam especially in our time, and reviving the lost sunnahs and the practice of the early Muslims is essential. These can only be done if Muslims once again revive collective duties and existence because the Muslim does not exist alone, he exists as part of a community and Ramadhan is the best time of the year when the Muslim is able to feel a collective existence. It is said that group action is seventy times better than secret action. If Muslims come together and obey what Allah has commanded to do and refrain from what He has prohibited us from, then we can see the Madinah of our Master Muhammad (s.a.w) in every city, under the leadership of an Amir. Thus, one should work to establish Allahs deen, as well as to have mastery over his self and purify his soul to reach perfection.
Ramadan is the perfect time for us. The Fast of the highest class is not only to fast by refraining from food, drink and sexual relations, but also to fast with the mind and soul. These people keep the fast of the mind. In the words of Imam Ghazali, They do not think of anything else except Allah and the next world. They only think of this world with the intention of the next world as it is the seed planted for the hereafter. It is our duty to set the place where we are living in order, and in accordance with Allahs command, abiding by the law which He has laid for us in the Quran. One should remember that Ramadan is only a means and not an end. Let Ramadhan be a gateway for every good thing to start and not such good actions which will also end when Ramadhan ends. One should not fast just for the sake of fasting. A certain sage said, One sin is written for one whose efforts during the day are made only to prepare for breaking fast. Occupying our time with meaningful and beneficial deeds which
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will bring us immense benefit from Allah is sufficient for people with intellect. When Ramadhan comes to an end, in the last ten days, one should ask his Lord for freedom from the fire. One should increase his worship either in isolation or in group, or even itikaf in a mosque. Narrated Aisha (r.a): With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet (s.a.w) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work hard) and used to pray all the night, and used to keep his family awake for the prayers. Laylatul-Qadr, the Night of Power, comes in the last ten days or most of the sufis and the men of knowledge indicate it to be specifically the 27th night of Ramadan. Narrated by Aisha (r.a): Allahs Apostle used to practice Itikaf in the last ten nights of Ramadan and used to say, Look for the Night of Qadr in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan. Laylatul Qadr is the night when one sincerely turns to Allah for repentance and Allah will turn to him forgiving him immediately. It is the night when the Quran was revealed. Allah says in the Quran, (Among the nights of Ramadan is) the Night of Power (which) is better than a thousand months. (97:3). Some commentators believe it was the night when the Quran was brought down from Baytul Mamur (Heavenly abode), for Jibrael to reveal in parts to the Prophet (s). Others say it was the night when the Prophet received the entire Quran, but was asked to transmit it as and when the occasion demanded and Allah knows best. A Sufi of the past said about the greatness of Laylatul Qadr, Just as the arrival of a child is celebrated, on its birth and then every year as a bringer of joy and fulfilment for the family, Laylatul Qadr is celebrated as a bringer of light and guidance for mankind. Unlike the birthday which is celebrated with a feast for the senses, Laylatul Qadr includes a feast for the spirit, a feast of worship and prayers. Some Ahadith inform that the fate of every believer for the coming year is decreed on this night. That is why it is recommended that the supplications for this night be to ask for special favours in the decree for the year. Believers are encouraged to stay awake the entire night, and pray for blessings and forgiveness. When Aisha (r.a) asked the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) what extra worship should one do in this night particularly, He (s.a.w) said, One should recite the following dua: Allahumma innaka anta afuwwun kareemun tuhibbul afuwa fafuanna. The meaning of it is, O Allah, You are The Pardoning, The Generous, You love to pardon so pardon us. Laylatul Qadr is the most sacred night of the year, and it would be unwise to be heedless of the tremendous benefits of this night. It should not be forgotten that zakat al-fitr (which should not be confused with zakat, the third pillar of the Deen) must be given at the end of Ramadan. Zakat al-fitr purifies the fast and it is only through the act of giving to the poor that Allah fulfills the fast and forgives what wrongs and mistakes the slaves had done throughout Ramadan. And lastly comes Id al-Fitr which is a day of celebration after a whole month of intense fasting. Id al-Fitr should only be celebrated in the day itself, not the whole month of Shawwal as it has now become a customary practice of Muslims in different parts of the world, and neither do we have to prepare for Id al-Fitr while we are fasting for the thirty days and forget all the worship, thankfulness and forgiveness we have to offer to our Lord. Let this Ramadan bring great benefit to us, as well as to Islam collectively and let it be an opener for every good thing, as a means which will commence the continuation of good actions in our whole life and not end when ramadan ends. Remembering the battle of Badr and the Conquest of Makkah let this month, in that context be a platform of action to establish Allahs Deen in our private and communal life.
Text by: Abdal Hakeem
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O N HANDLING THE WAZIRATE AND THE
f Niccolo Machiavellis The Prince is still pertinent today for men of leadership and political positions, then one may safely and confidently say the same about Imam al-Ghazzalis Nasihat al-Muluk (Counsel for Kings) written five centuries earlier than Machiavellis text, and for Muslims especially, this text is of far greater importance than The Prince. While The Prince contains in it the core teaching of expediency, that any means to reach an end is justified, Counsel for Kings has in it the fundamental reminder and teaching of ruling according to what Allah has sent down and acting in a position of leadership bearing in mind that the ruler one day is accountable for his deeds based on his treatment of his subjects justly in the sight of Allah. The Imam advices on the art and science of ruling with wisdom too. Reproduced here is an excerpt from that royal text of Imam al-Ghazzali, advising on the importance for men of political leadership to have the right vizier, who according to him is indispensable to a leader. He writes:
You should understand that a king will be successful with the help of a virtuous, worthy and competent minister (Dastur); because no king can rule without a minister, and any king who acts (solely) on his own judgment will surely fall. Are you not aware how Allahs apostle despite the high rank which he held, was commanded by Allah to consult the intelligent and the learned among his Companions? God on high commanded (Q. iii. 159), And consult with them on the matter,; and in another place, referring to Moses (Q. xx. 30-33), Appoint for me a wazir from among my own kinsfolk, Aaron my brother. Confirm my strength through him and associate him in my task. (In Persian) He said, Appoint my wazir from among my kinsfolk, Aaron my brother. If the Prophets (could) not
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do without wazirs and administrators, how much the more do we need them? Ardashir Pabakan was asked, Which companion suits the king best? He replied, A virtuous, intelligent, devoted and honest minister, with whom views can be exchanged and to whom secrets can be told; for good ministers see how kings are faring. The king ought to observe three principles in his treatment of the wazir: (i) not to punish him in haste when vexed with him; (ii) not to covet his wealth when he grows rich; and (iii) not to refuse him a (necessary) request when he makes one. Similarly, the king ought to grant three facilities to the wazir: (i) to let him see the king whenever he wishes; (ii) not to
listen to talk by slanderers against him; (iii) not to keep secrets hidden from him. For the good minister is the guardian of the kings secrets, and on him depend the orderly handling of businesses, the revenue, and the prosperity of the realm and of the treasury; through him the monarchy acquires adornment, prestige and power. Suggesting (courses of action) and answering questions are his constant tasks. He is the gladdener of the kings friends and the confounder of the kings enemies. No man is more deserving of encouragement and esteem than such a minister. It is related that Anushirvan recommended to his son: Respect the minister, for if ever he should see you engaged in any unworthy activity, he would not collude
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the reign of Anushirvan said: Kingship cannot be maintained without good and helpful assistants, and (the best of assistants) will be of no avail unless the king himself is pious; for the root must first be sound, and then the branch. Piety in a king means uprightness, namely that he should be upright in all his dealings and should insist by word and deed that all his subjects and officials be as upright as he is; that he should keep his heart uprightly with God on high, and that he should be aware how his might and his power, his accomplishment of his tasks, his triumphing over his enemies, and his success in his ambitions, all come from God. For should he ever become vain-glorious, there would be danger of downfall, as the following story shows. and excellent ornament is needed. It has been said that the minister needs five things if his work is to be satisfactory and good: (i) watchfulness, whereby he will see clearly the outcome of everything upon which he enters; (ii) knowledge, whereby concealed things will be revealed to him; (iii) courage, so that he will fear nothing that ought not to be feared and will show no timidity; (iv) truthfulness, so that he will treat all men honestly without exception; and (v) ability to keep secrets at all times, until finally he departs this life still keeping (the kings) secrets. Ardashir Pabakan has said that the minister must be unhurried, well spoken, brave-hearted, broad-minded, goodlooking, modest and taciturn; and (in addition) pure in faith, so that he may restrain the king from all unorthodoxy; ripe in experience, so that he may lighten the kings tasks; and watchful, so that he may see the consequences of things, fear times vicissitudes, and guard against times wrath. Whenever a king has an honest and devoted minister, that minister will have more enemies than friends. Accordingly the king must not listen to talk by slanderers against him; the result will (only) be that the friend bears a grudge and that the enemy suffers disappointment. Likewise the minister, when he sees any undesirable habit (forming) in the king, must bring him back to good habits (but without speaking harshly); because if you speak to a king who is self-willed in a way which displeases him, he will do something still worse. The proof of this statement is that when God on High sent Moses, may Allah grant him peace, on a mission to Pharaoh, He bade (His prophet) speak gently; in the words of His book (Q. xx. 46), And speak gently to him, in case he may be mindful or afraid. Since God on High enjoined gentle speaking to His enemy, it behoves (us) even more to speak gently to other men. If the king replies roughly, the minister must not take it to heart; for power loosens a kings tongue, with the result that he may speak irresponsibly.
with you in it. A wazir must be the sort of man who inclines to virtue and shrinks from evil. If he finds the king to be kindhearted and sympathetic towards the subjects, he will be a (good) helper in the kings (task); with a little capital, he will in time bring in a (good) return. (If the King is hard-hearted and unsympathetic, the wazir must gradually redirect him in the gentlest possible manner, and guide him to the praiseworthy, or rather the well praised, path.) (My son) should understand that stability comes to the king through the minister and to the world through the king; he should (be aware) that he ought not to think or do anything save that which is good; and he should know that the first person whom a king needs is a minister.
Bahram Gur was asked, How many things does the king need to complete the course of his reign and to live his life free of care? He replied, Six things: (i) a good minister to whom he may reveal secrets and with whom he may exchange opinions; (ii) a good horse to rescue him should ever the need arise; (iii) good weapons and swords; (iv) copious wealth of light weight and heavy value, such as jewels, pearls, rubies and the like; (v) a wife of fair countenance to console him in his troubles; and (vi) a good cook who, if the kings temper is frayed, will cook something to soothe it. Ardashir has said, Every king will be well advised to seek, and having found, to keep, these four: (i) a wazir who can be trusted; (ii) a secretary who possesses erudition; (iii) a chamberlain who shows mercy; and (iv) a boon companion who gives good counsel. When the minister is trustworthy, this shows that the king is safe; when the secretary is erudite, this shows that the king is intelligent; when the chamberlain is merciful, the people bring their petitions to the king; and when the boon companion is a good counsellor, this shows that things are not heading for disaster. The Chief Mobed (Mubad-Mubadan) in
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Anecdote
The Prophet Solomon, God bless him, was seated on the throne of sovereignty. The wind lifted him and carried him into the air. Solomon looked down upon his kingdom, feeling full of vainglory in the obedience rendered to him by birds, (jinns) and humans. Thoughts of his own greatness and majesty were passing through his mind, when suddenly his throne began to topple over. O throne, right yourself ! he said. Be upright yourself, replied the throne; then I will right myself. God on high has stated in His tremendous and ever-existent book (Q. xiii. 12): Verily God changes not what is in a people until they change what is in themselves. Abu Ubayd has said in his (book of ) Proverbs: He who keeps within the limits prescribed (by God) is safe from stumbling.
The minister must accordingly be learned, intelligent and old; because although a minister may be young and have intelligence, he will not have experience unless he is old, and the things which men learn from life cannot be taught them by any other man. The good minister is the ornament of the monarchy, and a pure
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However devoted, truthful and rightdoing the minister may be, he should never claim credit with the king for his conduct or put the king under an obligation to him; because, as the saying goes, if you do someone a kindness and then reproach him (for ingratitude), you would be better off owing a debt of gratitude yourself. This (maxim) is especially applicable where kings are concerned. It must be understood that any [good] which the minister and other close associates of the king can do will result from the effulgence surrounding the king, and that people will accordingly owe a debt of gratitude to the king; while the worst disasters which can befall a king will arise from two sources from an (unfaithful) minister, and from evil intent. Anushirvan has said that the worst minister is the one who whets the kings (appetite) for war at times when suspension of war would be expedient; [because ordered government, and life, health and property are destroyed in war]. Aristotle has said that when a king has an ignorant minister, his reign will be like a cloud which passes without dropping rain. a man once killed cannot be made alive. A man becomes a man in forty years, and out of a hundred men one proves competent (to serve the Sultan); and if a man from the kings army is taken prisoner, (the good minister) will ransom him, to give hope and encouragement to the rest. He must keep each mans ration at the proper level, and call up men for training in the use of military equipment and weapons; and he must speak kindly to them and treat them civilly, because many wazirs were killed by the troops in the days of old. It is indeed good fortune for the king when God on High gives him a competent, truthful and devoted wazir; for the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: When princedom or (high) office are granted to a man, God on High, if He wishes that man well, will give him a pious, truthful and rightdoing wazir, to remind him if he forgets anything of his duty towards the subjects, and to assist him if he remembers.
Aphorism
(In) the Book of Maxims, (Aristotle) has said: Work which is done by another mans hand, both by way of smoothspeaking and by way of rough-speaking, and which serves your purpose and brings you no discredit, will be better than work which you do with your own hand. There is a proverb coined by the sages: Better to catch the snake with other mens hands. The wisest wazir is one who, as long as he can, will wage war by correspondence and diplomacy and use (every) artifice to stop war. If he cannot put things right through diplomacy and artifices, he will try giving presents. If their (army) is defeated, he will pardon their faults and will not be in haste to kill them, because a man still alive can be killed, whereas
The author of this book declares that in all periods of time God on High manifests His power over the world by selecting certain categories of His slaves, such as kings, ministers, and doctors of religion, in the interest of the worlds prosperity. One of the marvels of the world is the story of the Barmakids whose munificence and generosity no men have equalled, so numerous were their governorships and so copious their revenues. After (their fall), the office of steward and wazir to the kings decayed and lost status and lustre, until God on High reformed (matters) through the Glory of the Empire Nizam al-Mulk, al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Ishaq. God raised him to the same high level as the wazirs of old, and indeed even higher; so much so that among the rich and cultured, the alien (and poor), and the rest, there is nobody whether noble or humble who has not benefited from his bounty and benevolence. We have only mentioned this point in order that the reader may understand how great is the disparity between men who are suitable and men who are not.
Buzurgmihr has said: Some things are not comparable with others. The essential qualities of man are finer than all (other) qualities, for the universe from end to end has been embellished by man. God on High does not make mistakes; He grants worthiness to whomsoever He wills, and keeps every individual in whatsoever state He wills. Kings, and (their) ministers and the stewards (of their domains), must therefore be in this category (of those to whom worthiness is granted). They must conserve the usages of the ancients, and when they demand sums of money from the subjects for the well-being of the empire, they must demand them only at the proper seasons and times; they must know the usages and fix (tax-)burdens in accordance with capacity and ability (to pay). They must be crane-slayers, not sparrow-slayers, at the hunt: that is to say, they must take nothing from the poor; they must not covet the belongings and estates of deceased persons when there are heirs, but must shun such greed, as it is inauspicious; they must keep the hearts of the subjects and officials happy by granting them benefits and satisfying their petitions; and they must realise that their rank and dignity and their competence and worth are bound up with the welfare of the subjects. They will then earn good repute in this world, and forgiveness and acceptance in the next.
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Interview To Be Confirmed
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QURAN
THE SACRED C OM PA N ION
lthough recitation of the Quran brings great merits and benefits, know that the purpose of it is action. The life of the believer revolves around the arena of action; actions that spring forth from the commandments of the Lord through His kalam The Quran.
The Quran is a companion for the stranger in this world, who patiently awaits his victorious seal, sweeter than honey his death. For the Rasool, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: When I am gone, I shall leave two preachers for you to give you wisdom: one speaks and the other is silent. The one which speaks is the Quran and the one which is silent is death. The realm of silence is penetrated through the realm of speech. To remember death so as not to exceed the limits set by Allah Most High in living a life to please Him, in fact, begins for the believer by taking the Quran as his intimate companion.
In these times of ours, we have been put into such a systemic and structural working life that the limits set by AllahMost High is altogether almost lost. Man, this creature, who is the vicegerent of the Creator has become a rusty iron. His soul (ruh) has gone rusty through constant indulgence in the Dunya for the benefit of the self (nafs). Forget not that it is only in the revivification of the recitation of the Quran and a further effort of implementing its commands in the sphere of action that one can be led to remember death, the silent companion. The Quran is an Imam. It suffices for the one who seeks to clean his/her soul and surrounding. It is a distinguisher as it distinguishes by giving you a history of those who sought Allahs pleasure and those who brought upon themselves His wrath. It teaches you the foundations that you need to plant your feet firm in faith and dedicated service to Allahs cause and it teaches you to refrain from misguidance. As a result comes the action that Allah Most High demands from you to command goodness and to eradicate
falsehood. Of all struggles, the noblest is this that brings success by Allahs leave. The Quran is a light (noor) in this dark world as man is speeding towards his destruction. There is no more value attached to an animal, let alone man. Character is history. The whole behavioural pattern to which the Quran calls humankind is now a forgotten path. Mankind exploit one another and the world has become darker. Rights are being debated while man denies his spirituality, the very core of his essence. There is a right that the soul searches, there is a right every mans family demands, a right that his community looks for, a right that his Creator has established upon him together with all other rights, which he needs to work for and which is in the speech of his Lord, the Quran. To bring this light firstly in him and onwards to his surrounding is a challenge in this dark world. Once this is understood, one must grasp that the Quran is guidance. It is a sweet river for the thirsty. The guided are those of the best of mankind, the prophets, the truthful ones, the witnessing
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QURAN
martyrs and the pious. All through the history of man, the best amongst the best (mentioned above) are spoken of in the Quran while the worst amongst mankind are also mentioned in the Quran. Allah Most High says: Then do We abase him (to be) the lowest of the low. (Surah 95 : v 5) Through this stage, the reflector who ponders and acts, now chooses to act in order to rise to be the best model of man as explained by Allah Glory be to Him: We have indeed created man in the best of moulds. (Surah 95 : v 4) Herein lies the mercy of the Lord. Here man enters the realm of mercy; a mercy that descends on those who act with knowledge to acquire the pleasure of their Lord; a mercy that when acquired, further brings on a special mercy sakeenah to guard and guide the traveller to his next stage, the barzakh to rest, receiving a cool breeze from paradise and thenceforth to jannah for the vision of Allah Glory be to Him, his Beloved. From the group, he chooses to be by the Quran, that is to be amongst the elite, as he guards himself not to fall amongst those who acquired Allahs wrath, Majestic is He, or amongst those who have been terribly misguided. He does this by seeking from his Lord to remember that which he had forgotten and to be taught that which he is ignorant of. Know that Allah Most High has included the reciter of the Quran amongst the purified by saying: This is indeed a Quran most honourable, In a Book well-guarded which none shall touch but those who are purified. (Surah 56 : v 77-79) Purity starts with intention, outward action of purity, recitation of the most pure speech, which in turn demands reflection and action towards the Pure by the purified. The reflection of the slave leads him to the understanding of his Master. The slave reflects on the mysteries of the Attributes and the meanings of Allahs names, Glory be to Him. When he reads a verse of deed, such as: He created the heavens and the earth, he understands the sublimity of the Creator from the marvels of creation; he recognises the perfection of Allahs knowledge and power. When the slave reads: Surely we have created man from a drop of thickened fluid to test him, he ponders on the wonders of the drop: How does a simple drop, a liquid, bring into being so many different things, such as flesh, skin, veins, bones etc.? And how are the limbs and the organs such as the hands, feet, head, eyes, tongue, etc. created? And how do the marvels of the jewels of understanding such as hearing, sight, life etc. come into being? Know now that the meanings of the Quran will not appear to three: 1. One who has not read a commentary (Tafsir) and has not become acquainted with Arabic. 2. One who has become entrenched in great wrong and punishable actions in Allahs sight or has come to believe in heretical innovations which have darkened his soul. 3. One who has studied the Deen and remains in its outer form but who disapproves of all the nurturing his soul requires, thereby contradicting his study of the Deen.
Such are those who will remain at the surface and cannot penetrate deeper than that. The slave has to move deeper. When a verse is read instilling fear, the slave becomes frightful and weeps. When a verse about mercy is read, joy and delight appears. When the attributes of Allah Most Majestic are read, the slave becomes a model of humility and weakness. When he reads such absurdities as the utterance of the unbelievers about Allah Glory be to Him, such as attributing to Him a son and partners (things about which they have no knowledge of ), the slave lowers his voice and reads with shame, modesty and embarrassment. He also detests the actions of the unbelievers and seeks from Allah Most High strength to establish the Deen. There is a meaning for each verse and every meaning has a requirement. The slave must adopt this character as he takes the Quran as his intimate companion and establishes the Deen within him and outside of him. The Quran says that the life of this world is, like the twinkle of the eye. We should not stand before Allah Most High and say, Oh Allah! Give us a second life and we will live it to your pleasure. When Allah Most Majestic raises His slave on Judgment Day, the slave will say that life was like the twinkle of the eye. In such short a time, man has to grasp and penetrate the meaning of Allahs speech, the Quran. A great sage said, man is like Baqarah (cattle referring to the second chapter of the Quran). The moment he dives deep into the ocean of the Quran, he becomes Nas (man, meaning attains manhood referring to the final chapter of the Quran). As the slave dives deeper and deeper into this ocean, what he brings forth is nothing but Pearls of unique quality! The action of the slave who learns from the Quran is noble. It is nothing but nobility. It is high orderliness. This leads to the conquest of three: Conquest of the self, Conquest of the surrounding and the community, and then Conquest of the entire cosmos. From this follows the
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The slave then advances further to seek sustenance and consistence from his Lord in the recitation of the Quran during night and day, through which his intellect is sharpened, his chest is expanded, his heart is warmed with serenity, his actions ennobled, his life uplifted and the Quran now becomes a proof for him when he stands before the Lord of the worlds, when dues fall short.
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establishment of the Commandments of Allah Most High flowing swiftly from the actions of the slave. The him holy and Rasool, May Allah grant him peace, bless said:
Man is asleep, when he dies he awakes! Reflect on this noble saying of the Rasul, May Allah bless him and grant him peace. Before death overpowers the slave, the slave has to take on the speaking companion, the Quran. This leads him to befriend the silent companion, which is death! Sufficient are these companions in dark nights as lights and know that as night passes on what comes next is bright daylight which is the establishment of Allahs commandments.
Text by: Shaykh Ghazali
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BIOGRAPHY
Ash-Shifa T
An Introduction to the Study of the Seerah
he most important biography of any man who has tread the earth that a Muslim should read, study revere and keep in heart to adhere to as much as his capacity permits is undoubtedly the life of our Beloved Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, may Allahs blessings and peace be upon him. His countenance will be shown to everyone who enters the grave after death for identification and that would determine that phase of existence before the Resurrection. He forms the second part of the kalimah ash-shahadah Muhammadun Rasoolullah and it does not befit a Muslim to mention his name and position granted by Allah all his life and be unaware of his life and stature. The purpose of the seerah of our Beloved Messenger of Allah, may Allahs blessings and peace be upon him, is to lay the foundations of our iman, strengthen it and earn Allahs rahmah and he was himself rahmah purely by which alone unveilings occur, lights manifest and secrets revealed. It is not to take account and remember dates and events in order to scrutinise that history in the light of modern dialectical thinking. The Muslim cannot afford to put his iman and the possibility of acquiring Allahs pleasure in jeopardy to do that.
The last century has seen numerous reproductions of the seerah, especially in the English language, charged with a full dose of either apologetic dictum or else Masonic language. Any attempt to go on the other side of the dialectic has resulted only in leftist thought in an Arabic tone and colour. It is now not necessary at all to start a fresh attempt to picture the life of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah send him blessings and grant him peace, in a new light according to our times, or to restore his stature in the right that Allah has granted him, so to say. The doctors of the Deen in the past have done all of that perfectly in the most brilliant possible manner. What is definitely lost in modern seerah literature is the reflection of authors love for the Messenger, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and the placing of him in the highest stature granted him by Allah amongst everything other than Allah. This is a matter of iman, aqeedah, Allahs pleasure, destiny, the grave and the hereafter. Not only that, it is a matter of our origin, the purpose and meaning behind existence and most important of all, it is a matter of the path leading to the knowledge of Allah. Without the Messenger, may Allah send him blessings and grant him peace, in the words of Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, we would not have known Allah. Any attempt to study the seerah should first be in this light. Then follows everything else; then the understanding of the person of the Messenger, may Allah send him blessings and grant him peace, through his life accounts will reflect an entirely different light on the readers heart and shine on his face. Having clarified that let us proceed onto the most important
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Know, may Allah ennoble you! that you have burdened me with a very difficult task. You have confronted me with a momentous undertaking which fills my heart with trepidation. Then follow words of love for Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, and words of hope that perhaps Allah will forgive him and the reader, heal his heart and the readers and elevate him and the reader by the rank of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Of the four parts the Qadi has divided the book into, the first deals with what Allah has mentioned about the Prophet in His book; the various ayaat of the Quran and the sound and well-known narrations of his companions that describe him and Allahs perfecting of his good qualities and character and the description of his noblest position in this world and the hereafter. The author has called it Allahs great estimation of the worth of His Prophet expressed in both word and action. It also deals with the miracles Allah had manifested at the Prophets hands and the special properties and the marks of honour (karamat) with which Allah has honoured him. This part is the secret of the book and the core of its fruit. What comes before it lays the foundation and provides the proofs for the clear anecdotes we will relate in it. It governs what follows it and accomplishes the goal of this book. When its promise is put to the test and its duty fulfilled, the breast of the accursed enemy will be constricted and the heart of the believer will shine with certainty and its lights will fill his breast. The man of intellect will then value the Prophet as he should be valued. The last part is on the judgements concerning those who think the Prophet imperfect or curse him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The last of this part deals with the judgement on anyone who curses Allah, His Angels, His Prophets, His Books, and the family of the Prophet, and his companions. The whole of the last part is very important because only if one is acquainted with such judgements in the Deen, will one be able to take up any written seerah of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the last hundred years and decide whether it is worthy of reading, whether it has maintained the adab due to the description of the life and actions of the Prophet and his companions or whether it should be dumped. Imam Ash-Shafiiy, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Muwatta of Imam Malik is, in his view, the next most important book after the Quran. Almost all the early Muslims during his time and almost all the ulama for the last 1300 years, except the last century, have accepted that verdict whole-heartedly and raised no objection to that statement. It could well be said that the Muslims library at home should begin with the Quran first of all and together with it as concise a commentary as Tafsir Jalalayn or Tafsir Ibn Juzayy to understand Allahs kalam in its rightful manner and then followed by the Muwatta of Imam Malik. The third most important text to fill the shelf of a Muslims library should be Ash-Shifa of Qadi Iyad. This completes the foundations of a Muslims basic
text produced by any able scholar of all of Muslim civilisation on the subject, namely Ash-Shifa bi tarif huquq alMustafa (Healing by recognition of the rights of the Chosen One) by Qadi Iyad Ibn Musa al-Yahsubi of Andalus. May Allah be pleased with him and sanctify his soul for having given to posterity such invaluable a text as this to obtain, study, understand and protect which book one may put ones very life at stake. {Insert here a brief biographical note of Qadi Iyad from Umdatus Salik} The Qadi begins in the preface to the book by asking Allah for the illumination of his and the readers heart and to granted knowledge of Allah and be elevated in stations of gnosis after praising the Messenger, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. One may ask how the seerah is connected to that; that very question never as even slightly entertained in the past, I mean before the last century, is due to the mishandling of the biography of the Messenger, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. The seerah as Qadi Iyad has distilled and crystallised, is to increase our understanding of the Rasul and his stature, may Allah send him blessings and grant him peace, and by that heal the heart of all its ailments, prepare it for illumination from Allah and when unveilings occur, be raised by Allahs mercy to stations of proximity with Him.
The Qadi then continues, You have repeatedly asked me to write something which gathers together all that is necessary to acquaint the reader with the true stature of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, with the esteem and respect which is due to him, and with the verdict regarding anyone who does not fulfil what his stature demands or who attempts to denigrate his supreme status even by as much as a nail-paring. I have been asked to compile what our forebears and Imams have said on this subject and I will amplify it with ayats from the Quran and other examples.
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The second part Concerning the rights which people owe the Prophet, peace be upon him deals with the obligation to believe in him, obey him, follow his sunnah and the necessity of loving him, exalting him, respecting him and honouring him. Then a special portion of this part has been dedicated to praying for salawat and salam on him, the obligation of doing it and its excellence.
Part three deals with the correct aqeedah regarding the Prophet, peace be upon him. To wit, what is necessary and impossible for him, what is permitted and forbidden for him, and what is valid in those human matters which can be ascribed to him. Qadi Iyad mentions the following under this section:
BIOGRAPHY
understanding of the Deen of Al-Islam. In sum, we take trouble to mention again and again that Ash-Shifa marks the beginning of every Muslims journey to study the biography of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. If the Quran is a journey, then the study of the seerah from Qadi Iyads perspective and exposition is a journey too. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, mentioned that the best journey is that which is undertaken again after it is completed and when asked what is that, he replied, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that it is the reading of the Quran and upon every completion it should be started anew. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace was described by the mother of Believers, Aishah, Allah is pleased with her, to be the Quran walking. The journey of Ash-Shifa opens doors to Allah and upon completion every time, could be started anew too. It is through Ash-Shifa that the Muslim will benefit immensely and immeasurably from other classical texts of the seerah such as that of Ibn Ishaq and the Tabaqat al-Kabir of Ibn Sad, for example. May Allah increase us, you and me, in the knowledge of His Messenger, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and have rahmah on us, grant us knowledge of Him and draw us nearer to Him through His Beloved, Muhammad, sallahu alayhi wa sallam.
Edmond Safra
Excerpted from Technique of the Coup de Bangue (Madinah Press, 2005)
t is time now to look at this new elite who govern the world. Everyone can name three world-famous footballers. Everyone can name several worldfamous film stars. Everyone can name some miserable politicians. Yet now, when four hundred people personally own almost half the worlds total wealth, only a small handful could name one of them.
Were it not for the event of his death and the strange nature of his demise, we would all have remained blissfully ignorant of his very existence. At 5 a.m. on Friday December 3rd 1999, it was claimed that two masked intruders broke into the Monaco penthouse of the billionaire banker, Edmond Safra. Fires were started in the apartment which got out of hand, and the terrified banker fled to the bathroom with his nurse and locked the steel reinforced door for safety. Although his wife told him by cell-phone that it was safe to come out, apparently he was too scared and as a result the banker and his
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Text by: Hasbullah
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philanthropist. At the time of his death at the age of sixty seven he was overseeing the sale of the Republic National and the affiliated SAFRA Republic Holdings to Britains HSBC Holdings for $9.85 billion. The sale went through, generating $2.8 billion for Safras heirs. His security chief, Shmule Cohen, got to the apartment too late to rescue Safra, who had recruited a small army of security guards from among the veterans of special units of the Israeli army. mingle with media stars and moguls. One highly poetic press report on his demise told its credulous readers that his wealth had been gained in the Lebanon through helping finance the desert caravans!
nurse were killed by smoke inhalation. The penthouse atop the elegant sixstorey Belle Epoque building, which true to form, also housed three banks, was seriously damaged in the resultant blaze. Soon the story of the masked intruders gave way to the story that the fire had been an inside job started by his jewish nurse, Ted Maher. That story in turn became increasingly dubious as the media began to investigate the event. An ugly trail of evidence emerged rapidly showing that Safra was under investigation in connection with Iran-Contra operation. There were further allegations that he was deeply involved in handling funds of the Russian mafia. Then a book surfaced entitled Vendetta by Bryan Burrough which told in dramatic form of a savage conflict between Safra and the powerful American Express banking sector. Excerpts of the book were published, but the book suddenly went out of print and became inaccessible. The corpse at the centre of this frenzy of gossip and news turned out to be one of the wealthiest private citizens in the world. Simply nobody had ever heard of him.
Yet he had owned the Trade Development Bank of Switzerland which he had sold to American Express in 1983. He owned the Republic National Bank of New York, SAFRA banks (Florida, New York and California), Banque de Crdit Nationale, S.A.I. (Beirut, Lebanon), Banco SAFRA, S.A. of Brazil, Sabon S.A of Panama, Concord Trust Ltd. in London, and as well as these he owned numerous other banks throughout the world. He had been born in Lebanon, and true to the profile we have indicated he defined himself as both banker and
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His bankers profile remains utterly classical with the usual series of luxury houses, villas and apartments throughout the world. His villa La Leopolda, which had been the property of King Leopold of Belgium, hence its now vulgar name, had been the site of those hideous celebrity parties at which the banking elite liked to surface to
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THE CHANGING MIDDLE EAST

had concern for their own people being successfully overthrown finally, it should also be acknowledged that mere displeasure and protests due to economic dissatisfaction cannot successfully overthrow a government that has been ruling for many years. It does not stand the test of any intelligent mind that has studied the historical development of political power and sovereignty. There are hidden hands that have been pulling the strings. Tunisia, Egypt and the rest of the Arab people undergoing political unrest echo distinctly the Colour Revolutions that introduced into history the third stage of the technique of the coup dtat. Serbia (Bulldozer Revolution), Ukraine (Orange Revolution), Georgia (Rose Revolution), Lebanon (Cedar Revolution), Kyrgyzstan (Tulip Revolution) and Kuwait (Blue Revolution) were the successful ones amongst the many more others. On the other hand, Irans Green Revolution had failed.
overnments, historians and political analysts are not unaware that coup dtat is an art; and every art has its technique. The art of capturing the state and seizing control over its functions and operations have passed through two stages and has assumed a much more complex and subtle technique with the full utilisation of technological advancements at the turn of the new millennium. At the first stage, it was military. At the second, it was to seize technical and/or parliamentary control. Today, it is through technological and technical control over populations (youth especially) and public opinion that overthrows a government. This has become very clear over the last decade.
Sulla, Cromwell, Hannibal, Caesar and the Plutarchian military generals of the first stage may never succeed today, neither can Napoleon (who marked the beginning of the second stage), Trotsky, Mussolini, Hitler, Pisudski, Kapp or Fidel Castro may succeed today in attempting a coup dtat with their parliamentary and
technical capture of the state due to the modern presence of technological and financial conditions that more than ever before have a tremendous influence over political-economic rule and vice versa. In political history, revolution from the French word revolvere, to revolve is the radical takeover of power by the governed. But every revolution in the past was led by distinguished political players. Robespierre, Danton, Marat in the French Revolution; Lenin and Trotsky in the Russian Revolution; Mussolini in the Italian Revolution; Fidel Castro in the Cuban Revolution and the list goes on. But who the principal players of the current Arab revolutions are is unknown. If it is generally described as the people, then one may ask what power do the people have without at least a leading voice? If so, who is that leading voice? Nothing is known. All that is known through the media is the displeasure of the masses over a dictatorship that has been forcefully tyrannising the populations of the Arab world for a couple of decades to almost half a century. Though the dictatorships and tyranny are true and the revolutions mean good news of tyrants who never
The technique and art must be indentified and the goal must be located. Then alone can one attempt to analyse the prevalent chaos and anarchy in the Arab world as well as the destiny of the peoples of what the Pentagon as early as 2001 proposed to change into a Greater Middle East. In the Greater Middle East project, the Bush administration with Richard Perle and Douglas Feith called for a campaign to have a US-Middle East free trade area stretching from Morocco to Afghanistan. Now as we see US interests to intervene in Pakistani political affairs and her nuclear capacity, it may be clearly understood that the Greater Middle East stretches further pass Pakistan and that has implications against China and Russia. Part of the plan includes an economic relationship between the US and this Greater Middle East as well as an economic transformation similar in magnitude to that undertaken by the formerly communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe,
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as was mentioned in the G8-Greater Middle East Summit paper released by Washington in June 2004. It also includes issuing massive micro-financing loans to millions of individuals and privatisation of big sectors of the Middle East economy. In short, Washington has been engaging in a more than a decade-long planning to take full economic and political control over the Middle East stretching from Morocco to Pakistan. Through this they will be able to heavily restrict China in her titanic technological and investment projects and keep her in check, eliminate a nuclear threat from Pakistan, take control over the long stretch of land across the Eurasian continent and by that bar Russia from accessing the warm waters. The hidden hands that have been working on the revolutions are quite clearly seen especially in Egypt. The Rand Corporations involvement in Egypt and Egypts Kefaya movement that has long called for Democracy as well as US-congress financed NED (National Endowment for Democracy) are all cats that have come out of the bag and exposed the hidden hands behind the Arab revolutions. Michel Foucault described in his lectures at the College de France, that from the 18th century, when man came to be defined as a specie, history witnessed the transition of power from control over territory to control over populations. This he defined as bio-power. With the French Revolution and the resulting years of Terror, police
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power and the guillotining of Kings, Queens and Aristocrats this transition became evident. Carrying on from there, with the Bretton Woods Accord and President Nixons abandoning of it has assumed a strong concentration of a financial colour, that is, financial control over populations not only by governments but by private economic hands as well. Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi had financial control over populations just like the financial elite of most democratic states. The political irony is that the operations of a dictatorship and a democracy are the same in that they all have a Constitution, a Central Bank and a National Debt, and finally a currency. No state in the world today can refute that. The difference is that in a dictatorship the oppressor one who has financial control over the masses is identified as a single man with an obedient ilk surrounding him, protecting him, assisting him and carrying out his orders whereas in a democracy, the major player that grants financial control to unknown private individuals (financial elite) is a political party that does all the same in a subtle manner over a short period as long as it stays in power after which another elected party replaces the previous one only to perpetuate the former conditions. The modus operandi of all republics is the same, though in terms of policies, which are not as significant, they may differ. The Arab dictators follow the same model
of a state from the first French Republic hitherto, without exception, found today in almost all nation-states of the world. But without that subtlety of financial control prevailing in democratic states dictators have always been exposed to open-fire, hence today the people (or rather the crowd), can explicitly point out that soand-so is responsible for unemployment, taxation, inflation, uneven distribution of national revenue and all that string of terms attached to so-called inefficient and corrupt management of the economy. This is not to mollify their corruption but to point out the greater significance of the system per se that should be accountable more than any individual in power. Political philosophy and the historical development of the technique of revolution is the key to understand the catastrophic anarchy that we witness today. It is of great importance at this point to move a while to look into an essay of equal pertinence to the subject penned by no less a giant writer and thinker than Aldous Huxley, entitled, Self Transcendence. Huxley points out the political significance of the term Crowd Delirium. That is, he writes, The final symptom of herd-intoxication is maniacal violence ... a savage violence, of which, in their normal state, they would be completely incapable. The revolutionary encourages his followers to manifest this last and worst symptom of herd-intoxication and then proceeds to direct their frenzy against his enemies, the holders of
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political economic and religious power ... Huxley goes on to explain that the radio, television, newspapers, free and compulsory education, etc, are amongst the technical and technological devices that excite and instigate mobs towards political, economic and religious goals. If Huxley was alive today, he would have almost instantly declared the same of mobile phone networking services, social networking websites and other such Information and Communications Technology (ICT). He writes, Being in a crowd is the best known antidote for independent thought. Hence the dictators rooted objection to mere psychology and a private life. Intellectuals of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your brains. The crowd delirium that has been caused by modern ICT such as those that deliver effortless accessibility to communicate with large groups of people without the usual constraints of time and space, has churned the Arab populations today in exactly the same way as it churned the Central Asian and Eastern European populations of the last decade to revolutionary frenzy. It is those who control the Information and Communications Technology the same people who had control over the revolution in Tunisia and Egypt. Their plot in Libya has failed and the next resulting stage, as is evident today, is of course war. The entry of foreign military troops of the UN, USA or otherwise indicates clearly that these forces had a hidden agenda in Libya. It is not by chance that Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa which had till today been under the full control of Gaddafi. It is also not by chance that Libya is one of the two countries in the world whose Central Bank (which is the monetary authority) is not private (the other is Iran). The rebels have already begun preparations to establish a free and private Central Bank while the war is still in process. This was what happened with the central bank when Hitler was removed in Germany. These economic concerns let out the secret that the focus of those who initially attempted the coup dtat which Gaddafi recognised immediately, was not about liberating the people from the iron fists of a dictator but was about taking economic and financial control over the population whose oil and other such resources of Africa and the Central Bank were Gaddafiowned in the name of nationalisation. The geopolitical and economic shifts that are currently taking place in the Arab world which the people overcome by crowd delirium cannot see happening, is re-shaping her destiny. Israel, which is unsurprisingly silent plays a key role because of the Sinai desert that serves as a buffer zone between herself and Egypt. From the river Nile to the river Euphrates and Syria in the north and Jordan in the Southwest form Biblical Israel. The political tension prevalent in this region at this point in history is advantageous to Israels political as well as financial control over the region. Very soon Israel can quite easily seek to militarily expand her territory into the Sinai and the Iraqi desert as well as into Golan Heights and encompass Jordan. After all they want the 1967 borders. Israels expansionist ambitions which have been declared on many public political occasions cannot be overlooked in these times of turmoil in the region. In short, the revolutions and regime-changes are moving in a direction which could very well make it easier for Israel to militarily, politically and economically expand her territorial power. If Israels borders do not expand to cover the Biblical region of the holy land, then at least in Michel Foucaults description of bio-power, Israel may quite easily extend her financial and political control over her neighbouring populations. If one cannot see this coming, then one is unaware of the historical growth of the political, economic and military power of Israel and her Zionist aspirations apparently secular but ironically religious since 1948. Washington undoubtedly
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Could democracy today therefore be equal to capitalism in terms of international trade, especially since Milton Freedmans call for No government intervention into the economy? Could democracy today therefore mean privatisation of the nations resources? Is this the price the Arabs have to pay for democracy? Was it not the price South Africa paid (with all the gold and diamonds in her country) to be free from Apartheid? Then, very soon the economic concerns like unemployment and inflation which were the original reasons for the calls for democracy, will find no fulfillment. The economic conditions may resurface with greater intensity after some years. This is because with capitalism and privatisation comes more debt and with more debt comes more taxation and with more taxation comes inflation and then finally unemployment and crime. Crowd-delirium blinds the people from seeing this. As a final note, it is worthy to mention here that unlike Libya, if Syria and Pakistan join the Russian alliance, military intervention into these two states that are also going through anarchy will not be possible with Russia, China, Iran, Turkey and some Central Asian countries that may immediately plunge into the scene.
together with her historical alliance with France and Britain, is supporting Israel through the Greater Middle East military and economic project.
The more immediate results of the revolutions in the coming months will be massive privatisation of resources in the Arab world and the devaluing of the currencies of the countries undergoing regime-change. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, all have relatively strong currencies. When the resources are privatised by foreign companies, especially with the oil-exporting countries, then the export power will decrease directly impinging on their currencies. Revenue coming from their exports will be channeled out of the countries due to the production of these commodities by foreign companies. When the Balance of Trade (BOT) undergoes imbalance then the currencies will be devalued.
Text by: H. S.
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THEN & NOW
Rise of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia
he Ottoman Empire was established in the mid1400s and at its peak had extended into Europe stretching from North Africa right across Central Asia and had at one point even influenced Southeast Asia and some parts of China. However, by the end of the nineteenth century it was in terminal decline. On the one hand, this resulted in some of her subjects within the empire seeking greater autonomy and National independence instigated mainly by various colonial forces. On the other hand, powerful countries such as France and Great Britain were extending their influences and interests in Ottoman territory as they had ambitions to share and divide up the responsibility of rule over not only the Arab lands as it might seem but over all of the Ottoman Empire.
The British at that time had already contracted special treaty relations with
Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman and also on the Trucial coast, which now forms the United Arab Emirates. The race for control over the Ottoman Empire was intertwined between two dominant forces of the nineteenth century British and French colonialism that attempted to surround the Mediterranean Sea. The decline of Ottoman power provoked both internal and external interests in establishing boundaries and borders all over the territory that had been or still under the declining control of the empire such as Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Palestine. It should not be overlooked that at that same time Zionism, the political force that has so vastly impacted over the Middle East today, was also gaining strength, support and momentum. Amidst the great turbulence in the Ottoman Dawlah there arose a Bedouin by the name of Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd ar-Rahman al-Saud, commonly known to his dear western allies as Ibn Saud, who remains to this date something of an enigma to both the British and the Muslim world. His roots ran deep
into the heart of Arabia. His family, the Saud, traced its origins back to more than a thousand years. Traditionally, it had been associated with the central province of Najd most particularly with the cities of al Dir`iyah and, later Riyadh. In 1745, the historical year significant to the modern Saudi state, the meeting between Muhammad ibn Saud and Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab occurred marking the beginning of the first Saudi state. The two men established a relationship that links their descendents to the present day. Muhammad ibn Saud died in 1765, bequeathing his political legacy to his able son and successor, Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud. As early as 1773, King Abd al-Aziz ibn Sauds great-great grandfather captured Riyadh and within a number of years controlled all of Najd. The history of the Saudi family is one of unique significance in Arabia. Abd alAziz ibn Abd ar- Rahman al-Saud was of the sixth generation descending directly from Saud ibn Muhammad Murqin (d. 1725), from whom the al-Saud family and in turn Saudi Arabia take their names.
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to Baghdad railway. Abd al-Aziz observed the international negotiations of Mubarak al-Sabah through meetings with the West which were essential political affairs for the Arabs seeking independence from the Ottoman Empire. It revealed much about the personalities involved, in particular the startling impact Abd alAziz had on his British hosts during the negotiations. Amidst these negotiations, wide-open British eyes fell on Abd alAziz as a potential personality to extend their political alliance with his tribe to further destabilise the Hejaz (modern day Saudi Arabi) and impede German and Ottoman advances in the region. This could be best done by extending political and military support to the Saudi family to gain political control over the Hejaz since they were already hostile to the Ottomans and sought tribal independent power over the Arabian Peninsula. Intrigued by this man who was emerging as a potential leader from the turmoil of inner Arabia, the British, desperate to court him once war with the Turks became a reality in 1914, engaged in a long term strategic relationship that benefited both sides. British support aided the Saudis from the efforts to a so-called reunification of the country, which meant driving out the Turks from the region, and raising an Arabian polity and nationality which results meant that Britain could look upon a friendly government in a part of the world which they regarded essential to control the centerpiece of the Ottoman empire. The British successfully concluded a Treaty of Friendship in 1916 with Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd ar-Rahman al-Saud. That treaty further destabilised Ottoman rule over the Hejaz. Abd al-Aziz received a monthly stipend of 5000 pounds ssterling from the British Treasury. British diplomatic, financial and military effort joined forces with Abd al-Aziz in the Peninsular and directed to move against the Ottoman Sultan to wrest control over the Hejaz. With everything coming his way, Abd al- Aziz had far greater potential to claim political leadership over the Hejaz. Saudi power which had re-emerged with the capture of Riyadh in 1902, felt adequately at home in Najd and therefore in 1913 Abd al-Aziz marched dramatically onto the international stage seizing the coastal town, thus winning control over the Gulf coast. By then he was able to turn his attention to the strategically more important parts of Hejaz, in which were located the holy cities of Mecca and Madinah and the major port of Jeddah. By 1916, amidst the thick of the war, the Ottoman Sultan had lost control over Mecca and Jeddah, the very heart of the Muslim world. However, his control over Madinah was maintained throughout the war and only came to an end in 1919. After the Ottoman Sultan, Abd al-Hamid II lost control over the Hejaz, the Caliphate was so crippled that it lingered on in Istanbul for just a few more years before it collapsed completely. And this was a truly outstanding success of British diplomacy with Abd al-Aziz. The weakening of the Caliphate destabilised the entire structure of the Muslim world under the Ottomans. In addition, Abd al-Aziz enjoyed the protection and friendship of the British, the super power of the day. By 1920, Abd al-Aziz had assumed control over the north and the southwest as well as the Gulf coast. He brought into the Saudi territory an area that was, by virtue of its oil reserves, to provide unparalleled wealth for his nation in later years. The event when Abd al-Aziz recaptured the Masmak in Riyadh to reclaim the city in 1902, which his family had ruled for most of the 19th century, was the first step towards founding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia three decades later. He rose from being leader of an exiled clan to an active participant on the post World War II international political stage, which saw him communicating regularly with British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, to exchange views on issues of common
At the time of the birth of Abd al-Aziz in 1880, central Arabia had already fallen into political fragmentation, and in 1891 the al-Saud tribe in Riyadh began engaging in a power struggle against the al-Rashids, the ruling tribe of Hayil. This conflict led Abd al-Azizs father Abd ar- Rahman ibn Saud to flee Riyadh in 1891. The al-Saud family initially took refuge with al-Murra, a Bedouin tribe living in remote and inaccessible areas at the edge of RubalKhali for a couple of years. Abd al-Aziz had therefore been exposed to the power politics and warfare amongst Arabias ruling families from a very young age. In 1893, the al-Saud family was invited to Kuwait by its ruler, Shaykh Muhammad alSabah. By now Abd al-Aziz as a young man soon became great friends with Shaykh Muhammad al-Sabahs half brother, Mubarak al-Sabah. After Mubarak seized power following the strange and sudden demise of his ruling half brother, Abd alAziz was invited to attend daily functions of royal audience, in which petitions were presented and grievances heard. At these frequently acrimonious and politically charged sessions, Abd al-Aziz saw at first hand the daily practice of government and international politics and as he observed he had ample opportunity to reflect upon his familys situation. Najd had been central to the first and the second Saudi States, and its loss engendered a deep sense of resolve in Abd al-Aziz to act immediately to recover and re-establish his patrimony, and to restore the family of al-Saud to the leadership of central Arabia. Young Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd ar-Rahman al-Saud and his family spent time in Kuwait as guests of the new ruler Shaykh Mubarak al-Sabah, advising the latter and providing more insight into international politics. Mubarak was an able politician and Kuwait, strategically placed at the head of the Arabian Gulf, was a focus of western activity in the area especially since both the Germans and the Turks attempted to challenge Britains hegemony in the gulf looking towards a possible terminus of the Berlin
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interest including the subject of Palestine. In 1927, Abd al-Aziz was recognised as King of the Hejaz and Najd and its dependencies, with Riyadh and Mecca as his two capitals. The creation of a formal modern system of government also dates from this time, with the establishment of the first ministries. King Abd al-Aziz continued to exercise a high level of personal control over the activities of the state for the rest of his life. He was by now the ruler of a dominion three times the size of France and, in 1932, proclaimed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It marked the culmination of a process that began more than three decades earlier. He reigned over his people for an additional number of twenty one years before his death in 1953. Since then his heirs have continued to rule the country that he once established in opposition to the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Abd al-Hamid II, who most of the Muslim world including the significantly large populations of Muslims in the Indian subcontinent considered their leader and representative of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). Also much of what has become the Saudi state today is due to the presence therein of the worlds largest oil reserves. In 1913, during the great event of capturing the fort in Hofuf in the eastern province of al-Hasa from Ottoman Turkish forces, Abd al-Aziz expelled the Turks from the region and unknowingly secured the worlds largest oil reserves for the Kingdoms future. To extend further diplomacy with the Saudis and future interests in the region, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt guaranteed Saudi Arabia national security in return for continued and preferential access to Saudi oil and the concession agreement between Saudi Arabia and Standard Oil of California (SOCAL) in search for and production of oil in eastern Saudi Arabia. In 1933, King Abd al-Aziz granted the concession both financially and politically to SOCAL. Saudi Arabia allowed Standard Oil California (SOCAL, now Chevron) to come in and explore. SOCAL assigned the job to a subsidiary it established, the Texas Company (later Texaco), retaining the other half of the subsidiary, and in 1944, the partnership renamed itself ARAMCO an abbreviation for Arab-American Oil Company. Right after wining the concession from ibn Saud, the company had agreed to a sixty-year concession covering 440,000 miles to install the Trans-Arabian oil pipeline in 1950, which covered 1212 kilometers (753-miles), the longest pipeline in the world at that time. From then until 1983, Tapline had linked eastern Saudi Arabia to the Mediterranean Sea. The Saudi State functions as a family business. Oil is the main source of state-funding and the majority of the population is either directly or indirectly dependent on the state for employment and livelihood. The Saudi government now runs and regulates ARAMCO, the corporate giant, at the heart of the kingdom. As a result ARAMCO engages in not only all respects of its own oil production but also builds housing, airports, schools, public facilities and above all has worked with the US military to install military bases near the oil fields to protect both the company and the state. The Saudi state was by and large the creation of US oil companies and the government of the United States of America. International journalists have at many instances called it Saudi America in indication of the states origins. Today, the scale and significance of Abd al-Azizs impact is clearer than it was in 1953. Not only did he establish a new state but a National Energy Corporation too. It produces all kinds of natural gas and crude oil. In crude oil, ARAMCO is the largest producer in the world. Altogether, it ships more oil around the world than any single country or company, exporting 10.3 million barrels of oil a day. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today is by far the worlds largest energy giant. King Abd al-Azizs action to establish
his patrimony and to raise the al-Saud family to the leadership of central Arabia has been truly successful especially given the fact that he was considered a renegade by the Ottoman Caliph and the majority of the latters loyal subjects around the world. The daily practice of governance and political diplomacy which he saw firsthand under the guidance of his comrade Mubarak alSabah during his stay in Kuwait had much benefited Abd al-Aziz and his family. King Abd al-Azizs astute mastery in diplomacy and strong leadership to unite disparate tribes, that created in the early 20th century the country that bears his family name is a history of great significance for the Muslim world since it was one of the main causes of its greatest geopolitical catastrophe that broke-up the entire Muslim world under the Ottoman Empire, especially the Hejaz which still remains the most beloved and heartland of the Muslim world. Abd al-Aziz built the new state on the foundations of those established by his forebears in the 18th and 19th century. Saudi Arabia today enjoys unparalleled wealth and security, a situation directly in debt to Abd al-Aziz and his heritage. This part of the political history of Muslim civilisation is by far one of the most important pages to be studied by Muslim students, leaders and anyone interested in the Hejaz that had once belonged to every Muslim under Ottoman rule.
Text by: Shariff Pasha
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Money
THEN & NOW
oney is a living record of history. From the earliest records of cowrie shells as form money to present day electronic digits, one may confidently say that the complex monetary history of the world has evolved from earth such as in gold, silver and copper to air, as binary electronic signals passing from one computer-run technology to another, all floating in the sky, the signal as well as the value. Money is not only a medium of exchange, it is also a medium of taxation, a representation of power since all empires of the world in all of history have always symbolised their power on their coins; it is a store of value, a measure of value and a standard of deferred payment. Money with all of these uses is at the heart of a functioning political economy. If there is no money, there will in nations only be a very limited, primitive and local economy.
While money in modern economic practice has been reduced to intangibility, and its value limited to speculations and control by a selected financial elite and only represented in the form of paper, cheap metals and digits, almost a hundred and fifty years ago money still remained loyal to a five thousand year old tradition of having its value placed in it. Gold and silver had and to date has intrinsic value without speculations affecting it. Those who attempted in the past to devalue money had to either put more of it in circulation which was not easily possible or had to debase the coins while today devaluation can quite easily be done through credit-creation, fractional reserve banking or speculation on international currency exchanges by the highly influential financial elite. The evolution of monetary economics from a very simple understanding of its functions by even peasants and merchants to a complex system based on taxation and repayment of all kinds of debts from international debts to internal national debts to housing loans and credit
cards understood only by PhDs of the field describes clearly that commodities, possessions and properties have been transferred from personal and private hands; from the familys private capital to an elite whose very names we do not know. Ninety percent of all financial transactions today in every country are not from hand to hand but from bank account to bank account. Now, that percentage is further being reduced daily as we write ever since the introduction of all kinds of electronic payment methods, debit or credit. This too shows clearly that every man holds in his control only the representation of his money but not the money itself. All money supply of a nations economy except for 2 or 3 percent is in the hands of the banking elite. Even the states money is in the form of a national bank account in the Central Bank. This was not so in the past. One thought it safe to hold on to ones money and if one had to hold on to some kind of representation of ones wealth, one would redeem it as soon as possible until it became reputable to have a bank account. Then lesser and lesser of those who had accounts redeemed
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their money in want of hoarding. made paper money acceptable and later on necessary. As it became more and more necessary, bankers assumed a glorified and prestigious position in society beginning with the rise of the Medici family in Florence and Rome. Then the religious communities too began accepting them. Money (we refer here to the form it takes) therefore in the past was as much of a religious matter as it was a social, economic and political matter. Not so much today. The essence of money is based on banking practice and many fail to see this and its religious context has been almost faded if not completely wiped out. The Deen is al-Muamalah, said the Messenger of Allah (S). Muamalah may be translated as transactions, or in the wider context, as behaviour. The Deen is behaviour and while this specifically refers to commercial, social and economic matters, it also includes all kinds of noneconomic dealings like marriage, divorce and inheritance. Monetary economics plays a central role in muamalah. Ibn Khaldun, the 14th century qadi (legalist and chief justice) of North Africa, Syria and the Hejaz as well as one of the greatest historians Islam has witnessed, wrote in his al-Muqaddimah about the gold Dinar and the silver Dirham, which have always been the money that Muslims have used in all of history: The Revelation undertook to mention them and attached many judgements to them, for example zakat, marriage, and hudud, etc., therefore within the Revelation they have to have a reality and specific measure for assessment [of zakat, etc.] upon which its judgements may be based rather than on the nonsharii [other coins]. Know that there is consensus [ijma] since the beginning of Islam and the age of the Companions and the Followers that the dirham of the shariah is that of which ten weigh seven mithqals [weight of the dinar] of gold. ... The weight of a mithqal of gold is seventytwo grains of barley, so that the dirham which is seven-tenths of it is fifty and
two-fifths grains. All these measurements are firmly established by consensus. Despite the overpowering dominance of paper and electronic money in modern-day transactions in economic, commercial or social matters, the use of the dinar and the dirham amongst Muslim communities has to date been considered indispensable. The Nisab for Zakat, the third pillar of Islam, is still calculated in Dinars (20), established by the Prophet (s) and maintained by all Caliphs of the Muslim world throughout history; dowry for the marriage contract given by the groom to the bride at times are still always encouraged to be done so in terms of Dinars and Dirhams or in any weight of gold and silver; legal judgements like for theft have to based on values calculated from the Dinar and Dirham. Muslims have continued to mint the Islamic gold Dinar and silver Dirham till today and do keep it as savings because bimetallic currency have proven to retain its value throughout all kinds of economic crises over the last fifty centuries let alone the last four decades since President Nixon abandoned the Gold standard. The Ottoman Sultans were known as Sahib-i-sikke ve hutbe (Possessors of coinage and the Friday sermon, in whose name the sermon is read). This was because money before World War One was considered the very symbol of the Muslim rulers authority together with the Friday sermon which was read in the sovereigns name. Every ruler in history, Muslim or not, upon ascending the throne, almost immediately looked into minting his own coin. Now it does not matter anymore because paper notes signify the Central Banks authority more than any real rulers (if there is any) since no prime minister or president stays in power more than a specific term fixed by the constitution. If the kings, emperors and sultans of the past were to witness the state of paper and electronic currencies today, they would easily dismiss those in nominal authority to have no real significance of sovereignty since their power is not
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Imam Malik has mentioned in his Muwatta that money is any ayn (tangible commodity) commonly accepted (by the people) as a medium of exchange. The form of money in all of Muslim civilisation remained in tangible commodities. In the absence of gold, silver and copper, money took the form of dates, barley, salt and wheat. Money in the past could never be imagined to take a representative form. Paper money was introduced by banks as a promissory note that made a promise of payment (in specie: usually understood as gold or silver) to the bearer on demand, which specie was usually deposited for safekeeping. The banks then used that specie which was in their possession to lend it out on their part to those who came to them for loans, on interest of course. The banks operated on the basis of experiential confidence that only 10 percent of the total specie deposited with them by people were redeemed and therefore they resorted to rather lend out the other 90 percent on interest which usually sat with them for nothing. In other words, bankers began earning money purely through interest by lending out other peoples money without any labour involved. They could not have done it without paper money or promissory notes. This form of money is what allowed banking practice. Bankers were cursed by the Christian world and the Muslims and by most religious communities in the world including their own Rabbis. Reasons were that they were lending money on interest which the religious scriptures had forbidden. It must not be forgotten that such lending with not merely interest but usury upon usury since they were lending out ten to twenty times more than what they actually possessed was possible only because of the form money had taken, namely promissory notes. Gradually bankers moved into lending money to kings and governments and advanced to a politically important position. This then
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represented in their territorial currency. Money no more exists as a symbol of power, if it does, then it only symbolises the power of the banks which alone have the authority to create money and withdraw money from circulation, deem one currency invalid or recognise another based on its international exchange rate with other currencies of the world which rates themselves are determined by the banks. Then and now, money has evolved from a matter of great importance to personal rule to a matter of significance to a banking oligarchic elite. Money is a matter of daily usage, transactions and savings for the general populace. Everyone is affected by money and therefore it is a subject not reserved to the study of monetary economists but for everyone who spends, saves, labours or trades. It is as important a subject to understand for the grocery merchant as it is to the vizier of a King or a finance minister because as money could not be taxed in the past except through debasing or forced physical payment, today money is taxed while it is in everymans pocket; there is taxation in every single transaction. If man is not concerned about this matter then it is only rational to conclude that he does not really care about his possessions or his wealth or that he has over the last century become more ignorant of who has control over his money than ever. He does not really care for anything except that he has enough money in hand to pay debts, taxes and bills.
Text by: Salman
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POETRY
Reflections on Surah Al-Kahf I

By: Shafiiy
This our pestilent age of fitan in crimson ideograms written Inevitable damage, Inexorable damage Harj, like rainfall on rooftops. What is Harj? Corpses of unknown causes For unknown a world, invaluable a price man paid After thousands of years, they abruptly said We will never allow such despotism as personal rule! Louis XVI guillotined Bahadur Shah in Rangoon, yearning For Bakhtiyari Kakhi. His sons decapitated, They served him their heads on Mughal platters. Sultan Abdal Hamid carpentering in the solitude of Beylerbeyi Palace Half a billion stunned, all appropriated The khilafah, man as khalifah, all abolished You do not understand, if you say, if only Take Allah out of everything, take Him out of the mosque Leave Him in your heart and leave Him alone! The nights dark, black ants on a black stone All thats left, A passive war with the self Or To go destroy yourself Thus gone our lands and our aristocracy thence Exeunt Lions and Leopards with them Nobility, the Extended Family the Tribal Man, the Clan and the Community Enter Hyenas and Jackals with them Swaying hither and thither in crowd delirium: one man, one tribe, one family, one clan and one community A cold household haunted by Ghosts Standing on crumbling Pillars of Society I see enslaved, hollow skeletons Their only freedom: asinine prurience Would that they knew Surah Al-Layl Where is day and man, where is night and woman Where is grandpa and the long gone old human?
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POETRY
Black ants on a black stone Its dark, can I forget my light? I see The New Idol and its leprous priests Nude, no need of clothes Doofus, no need of sense Barefooted, no need of shoes I see Shepherds and number Wizards circumambulating The earth will yield all its treasures Gorging gas and oil, gold and silver Gouging prices, dearer and dearer Dog wages, lower and lower In their house-bellies, snakes and Galilean water Every other selling blood to grow poorer Kathratur Riba, riba, riba, riba Even so on the best, the dust of Riba. What a piece of work is a man! Now turned a blind biped Imperatives for Reflection: What remains of Islam illa ismuh What remains of the Quran illa rasmuh All the Hajj and Zakah, All the Saum and Salah Needless to mention the kalimah: All five pillars, staring at four walls All smashed, in quarter structures Millions of marvellous, misguided mosques Their ulema, sharrum min tahta adeemis sama Every Muslim lives for himself in a lizard hole Two thousand years later, they came to claim The land of the Anbiyaa, thout an ounce of shame (Did they not reject, ridicule and kill them?) Chashmay Muslim dekh lay Tafseer-e-harf-e-yansiloon The mumin needs not city lights to see Innahu yanzuru min noorillah No! the light cannot be bought with a bank loan! He saw Pax Britannica He saw Pax Americana He alone sees Pax Judaica He sees 999 plunging to swim with smiles into the fire He sees one holding coals for kauthar He can see 40 days One like a year, one a month, one a week, and the rest like ours. We are entering the day into the week He sees too what comes after the week. An ayat manifests, is revealed, unveiled It is not procured, not obtained Then, only light recognises it, but all claims to light, and calls for light is false, when one cannot recognise it. Every meaning must be disclosed
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I am not a puritan, but I will take no other explanation My concern A comprehension accurate A response appropriate What can explain the meanings of all mentioned afore What we see are bones, flesh, skin and clothes I am looking for the soul. From the Quran The tibyaan From Muhammad Alayhis salaatu was salaam That light to link the age and the Kitab Is Surah Al-Kahf.
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REFLECTIONS
On
Education
he path of knowledge is never short; it is full of faqr (poverty) and requires sabr (and sabr means both patience and perseverance). It has never been in a position similar to a consumer product, that those with the monetary means or even credit means may be able to acquire, and by credit means, we mean creditworthy, those with a background of a handsome pocket worthy of credit so as to assure the loan worthy of not just repayment but repayment with any amount of interest whatsoever, frugal or exorbitant. Knowledge may not be acquired sufficiently with pocket abilities that the bourgeois living in such deception might believe he is capable of. The price of handsome knowledge is travel, poverty, patience, perseverance, solitude and excellent company; company of the doctors of the knowledge sought for, who live their knowledge (for knowledge is
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not knowledge until it is put into practice) and who have on their part gone through such a path before.
The path of knowledge is from the known to the unknown. Allah is al-Aleem, the All-Knowing. The path of knowledge is from al-Aleem to everything else that seeks. The epistemological error that modern civilisation has committed is that it does not recognise Allah as the source of all knowledge. Because this is denied, knowledge is not sacred anymore and therefore a price is put on it and it is treated as a commodity. It is in fact information mistaken for knowledge that is being treated as a commodity. Knowledge remains where it was and it has the same price of patience, perseverance, travel, poverty and company. It makes no sense to the one who has not committed this epistemological error to put a high monetary price or credit price on technical information and technical training in critical thinking and to then call it knowledge. That is, in one stroke of the pen as it were, to deny knowledge to the poor who have no monetary strength, or more
often than not, its twin credit strength. How many a poor man in the past has history come across who had gone to no other institution of learning but a grammar school as did young Shakespeare and having acquired no such tertiary educational credibility as his contemporary, Robert Greene, who having seen William take up the play attacked him as an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers. It was yet that very grammar-school Shakespeare who produced one of the best plays man has written containing knowledge of every kind man may think of. He had neither monetary nor credit strength. The Muslim may well ask, If Allah had not granted him all that knowledge and playwrights dexterity to be brilliantly transcribed into arts, how did he acquire all of that with a grammar school capacity? Henry James had not traversed universities. In fact, he had withdrawn from the Harvard Law School preferring self-education and to take up the pen. Yet he is considered by most of the English
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speaking world of literature to be amongst the best of the English litterateurs. Hilare Belloc, though was an Oxon, having graduated in history, was not contented and did not pursue further what he considered structural education, though he was well capable of it. He resorted to writing, lecturing and calling for the establishment of Catholic monarchism. Belloc too who saw the structuralisation of education to be producing not learned men but cogs for the capitalist machine, has written fascinating literature in the English language. Though Thomas Carlyle graduated from the University of Edinburgh and started teaching Mathematics, his critical attack on the same structural education system (that Belloc would confound later) in Sartor Resartus, his numerous essays, his histories, his lectures on heroes and hero-worship, his German encounters and translations all reflect clearly that what made the English world offer to him the post of rector for Edinburgh University was never his university educational excellence, for he obtained no doctorate let alone a professorship, but his self-education. His understanding of knowledge and his dedicated approach to knowledge is profoundly telling in these times. Charles Dickens, a man whose educational qualifications did not reach any significant social standing and yet had produced works read till today in almost all universities, in his Hard Times similarly attacks the utilitarian view and structuralisation of knowledge and reflects a brilliant display of real education through one of the most colourful characters he has created, Sissy Jupe. We may well ask again how Dickens could produce such works that had lived magnificently through time with a poor education. How many a university graduate we witness today, have despaired of all the technical information and understanding of matters gathered as knowledge to have turned as worthless as the piece of paper obtained from all the paying of tuition fees and education loans that have not repaid him a job as return alas a job for all that learning and considered his education life fruitless. Yet how many a street wise and astute opportunist have we witnessed who though had not gone through proper state-education, has triumphed in a Darwinist world where the most fit, in terms of surviving the rat-race for material gains, live through a healthy financial lifestyle with a large pocket grinning at all those who struggled through universities and graduated with degrees without having successfully procured lucrative employment. Yet again how many a doctor of philosophy and pregnant learning has the world witnessed as Sultan Humayun who read throughout his life and who died a martyr reading, for he heard the adhan while in his study and could not put down his book and yet compelled to respond to the call by walking book in hand to the masjid for prayer with eyes on the book, lost balance and fell from the second floor of his titanic library and went to Allah straight in a state of learning. Surely knowledge was valued more and much more and infinitely more than mere material gains by men of such calibre. This is not to entirely attack structural education but to establish that the value of knowledge is infinitely more than material gains and to call for a discarding of the fundamental epistemological error present in modern civilisation. When knowledge is valued today how it was valued in the history of Muslim civilisation and when there is dedication and no epistemological error in the approach to knowledge, then one can take up any beneficial learning anywhere and since there is a monetary or credit price on knowledge almost everywhere, one will be prepared to pay the price at his own discretion if one realises that that particular knowledge is indispensable for the growth of his being. Although external observation and rational analysis do lead to knowledge of something, there is yet another internal source of acquiring direct knowledge from Allah. While the seat of the former
is the mind, the seat of the latter is the heart. It is similar to how the ancient Greeks related to truth. Truth to them was not an object of approach. They considered it in man. Allah has taught man the names of all things. But it is veiled. The Greeks said the veils must be removed, in other words, truth must be unveiled. As veils are removed, truth is revealed. Acquired knowledge must be in parallel with worship and struggling for Allahs mercy that will lead to aletheia or unconcealment, or unveiling of Truth. Allah is al-Aleem the All-Knowing, Allah is al-Haqq the Truth. Knowledge and Truth comes from Him and in the case of acquisition, is acquired for Him and ultimately leads to Him. Internal and external knowledge is what in Imam Baidawis view described in Surah al-Kahf of the Quran as majma-al-bahrain the merging of the two oceans. When the ocean of external knowledge, that which is acquired externally through external observation and rational enquiry, and the ocean of internal knowledge, that which is revealed internally, that is, directly from Allah purely by His mercy, then there forms a man in the mould of khidr, Green and Fresh. He who gives life to everything he comes into contact with. But the latter, though it is purely by Allahs mercy, requires indeed a struggle against the veiled self and three: dhikr (remembrance of Allah and worship), fikr (contemplation) and himmah (yearning for Allah).
Text by: Mahjabeen
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IL MIGLIOR FABBRO
Ezra Pound
With usura hath no man a house of good stone each block cut smooth and well fitting that delight might cover their face, ... with usura, sin against nature, is thy bread ever more of stale rags is thy bread dry as paper, with no mountain wheat, no strong flour ... Usura rusteth the chisel It rusteth the craft and the craftsman
craftsmen, in terms artistic achievements of course, who not only passionately produced great works of art be it poetry, painting, musical composition, drama or sculpture, etc. but who also demonstrated arts beyond merely its aesthetic and entertaining function and expanded the respected fields by their demonstration in a more serious tone and light. In short, il miglior fabbro cannot be but a serious artist, but the serious artist, either master of the technique of his art or attaining mastery in it, does retain his aesthetic spirit too. In that tradition, it is most apt to browse briefly through the biographical notes of Mr. Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (b. 1885 d. 1972) for our concern to ceremoniously commence this column. In this page one would have to look beyond art for arts sake. In his forgotten essay, The Serious Artist, Pound wrote, The Touchstone of an art is its precision. In the case of writing, since Ezra pound was primarily and significantly an artist in words more than in anything else, the greatness of the piece of writing, especially poetry, shows in the way the writer/poet controls the energy seeking outlet and says just what he means with complete clarity and simplicity using the smallest possible number of words. Poetry, he regarded as something like maximum efficiency of expression taking into account that in verse the thinking, word-arranging, clarifying faculty must move and leap with the energising, sentient, musical faculties. It is, he says, the difficulty of this amphibious existence which keeps down the number of good poets, and here we may add to that, the number of good composers, painters, dramatists, sculptors, etc; those who execute with maximum efficiency of expression. While he was at high school having just entered teen age, Pound took an oath. He wrote in an essay entitled How I Began: I resolved that at 30 I would know more about poetry than any man living, that I would know the dynamic content from the shell, that I would know what was accounted poetry everywhere, what part of poetry was indestructible, what part
n 1920 after World War One, T.S Eliot published his celebrated poem, The Waste Land. He wrote in the dedicatory page:
For Ezra Pound Il Miglior Fabbro.

He had borrowed the phrase, Il Miglior Fabbro (The Better Craftsman), from The Divine Comedy of Dante and conferred it on Ezra Pound as title to honour him. He had submitted his draft of The Waste Land to Ezra Pound for editing. When the edited copy returned to Eliot, he realised that it was full of blue markings and was reduced to half its length and yet was not only polished brilliantly but had in parallel retained the full substance of the original draft. Eliot took his hat off to Pound and recognised him as Il Miglior Fabbro and thought only just to dedicate the whole poem to him. In memory of that act of nobility on the part of T.S Eliot, this page of the Vizier has been similarly dedicated to all the better
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could not be lost by translation, and scarcely less important what effects were obtainable in one language only and were utterly incapable of being translated. In this search I learned more or less of nine foreign languages, I read Oriental stuff in translations, I fought every University regulation and every professor who tried to make me learn anything except this, or who bothered me with requirements for degrees. With such passionate vigour he pursued his ambition and those years of arduous learning was to serve as the strongest possible foundations of his career as probably the greatest poet of the English language in the 20th century. Pounds travels to Venice, Paris and some other parts of Europe made him study Provencal poetry and the spirit of the Troubadours which linked literature and music strongly. He would soon copy their intricate rhyme schemes to produce his own poetry. Remnants of the influence that Provencal poetry had on Pound can still be read in his later Cantos. When Pound moved to London permanently (1908-1920), he was introduced to the literary scene and made important connections with people like W.B. Yeats, Ford Madox Ford, T.E. Hulme, and publishers of journals and magazines. He met musicians, his wife Dorothy Shakespeare (who was herself an artist and the daughter of a novelist (her mother), Wyndham Lewis, the famous sculptor Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, later on James Joyce and many other excellent artists. Pound soon started and led the imagist movement and became leader of the avant garde. He then extended the imagist movement to what he called vorticism. He wrote, Vorticism is an intensive art. I mean by this, that one is concerned with the relative intensity, or relative significance, of different sorts of expression. One desires the most intense, for certain forms of expression are more intense than others. They are more dynamic. I do not mean that they are more emphatic or yelled louder... The image is not an idea. It is a radiant node or cluster; it is what I can, and must perforce, call a VORTEX, from which, and through which, and into which, ideas are constantly rushing. Pound constantly looked at poetry as painting, sculpture and music because of his circle and friendship in the company of various artists of different fields. This gave his poetry a unique touch in his literary circle. His greatest literary discovery was T.S. Eliot whose poems he was very impressed with and whom he greatly supported. He mentioned that Eliot was the only poet he knew who had adequately prepared himself for writing, trained himself and modernised himself. Most writers never do both. When Eliot later on had to stop writing for a while to work and save some money due to financial difficulties, Pound realised that the literary circle was losing a most important man and therefore campaigned day and night to raise funds to free Eliot from this irksome necessity of being slave to a job that almost took him away from literature. He managed to successfully execute the task. In his ABD of Economics, Pound was to write later on that he had learnt through experience that it was always better to work less, earn less and have more leisure (to engage in work that the soul finds delight in) rather than work more, earn more and have less free time. This he assisted Eliot and other artists he tirelessly promoted, like James Joyce and Ford Madox Ford, to do. Together with Wyndham Lewis and T.E. Hulme, Pound founded the BLAST magazine which was a manifesto of the Vorticist movement. The font of the magazine name on the cover page was large and black, written diagonally across the page which had a shocking pink colour. There were words all over the cover in different font sizes like 18371900 curse abysmal inexcusable middleclass also aristocracy and proletariat. He had at that time already discovered
the corruption of the ruling elite, the bankers, the aristocrats who had betrayed their tradition and had given way to the bourgeois to take up rule without values and on the basis of profit. The magazine was issued twice, the second a year after the first. When the war commenced it ended the movement and the magazine. When the First World War broke out, Pound began commenting vehemently in his writings and poetry about the causes of the war, the economic and financial reasons hiding behind the rhetoric, about the bankers manipulating the politicians to run the war and had repeated references to Gaudier-Brzeska, the sculptor whose death in the trenches had greatly affected him. Pounds relationship with his friends extended beyond its artistic involvements. Of this interesting character of Pound, Hemingway wrote in 1925: He defends [his friends] when they are attacked, he gets them into magazines and out of jail. He loans them money. ... He writes articles about them. He introduces them to wealthy women. He gets publishers to take their books. He sits up all night with them when they claim to be dying ... he advances them hospital expenses and dissuades them from suicide. Two years after the war ended, Pound moved to Paris with his wife and lived there for four years. By this time he had published various collections of poems from his very first A Lume Spento, A Quinzane for this Yule, Personae, to Ripostes, Canzoni and Hugh Selwyn Mauberley. He had also edited and published Prof. Ernest Fenollosas Chinese Written Character as a medium for poetry and had begun a serious study of it. He begun study in Chinese civilisation and with a Chinese dictionary started translating ancient Chinese poetry. He was deeply convinced and moved by Confucius, Mencius and Loa tzu and their role in shaping civilisation and governments. By this time, he had also begun studying the economic theories of Major C.H. Douglas which would later lead him to
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the thought that he constantly engaged himself in commenting on the political and economic developments of his time and took active part in trying to channel the arts movements of his time in a certain direction. About this latter role he said, My problem is to keep alive a certain group of advancing poets to set the arts in the rightful place as the acknowledged guide and lamp of civilisation. Turning his back on Paris in 1924, Pound moved to Rapallo, Italy, with his wife and Olga Rudge and would live there for the next twenty years. It was here Dantes home where Pound began writing his magnum opus, the Cantos, as a long and epic poem, though he acknowledged that one should not write long poems in the twentieth century, but obviously by this reflecting that he could not do without writing what he had been shaping in his mind for many years. It was here that Pound began actively taking part in trying to influence politicians and statesmen like Mussolini, Stalin and Roosevelt into certain economic establishments against usury. He at one point even attempted to learn Georgian in order to communicate with Stalin so as to be able to influence him into establishing a certain set of monetarist laws against usury which he considered a curse of civilisation. Later on in the final days of the second world war when Pound was arrested for treason by American troops in Rome for having delivered regular speeches on BBC radio against President Roosevelt and his administration for not being loyal to the founding fathers of America and her constitution, he would remark that if a man is not prepared to take risks for his opinions, then either his opinions are of no good or he himself is of no good. Pounds fearless critique on usury especially and the terse display of his macro-economic, monetary and political ideas earned him six months in a solitary
study Del Mar and had begun writing the Cantos in his head, not yet penned down, but the idea was taking shape. Paris also initiated a study of 12th century music. Pound was of the opinion that poetry is a composition of words set to music. He considered poets who are not interested in music as bad poets. He had taken the idea from Walt Whitman and had joined his understanding of the Whitmans poetry to Sextus Propertius who he believed was one of the greatest poets to write about love amidst the Roman times of political turbulence which he thought very similar to his times. It is indeed impressive to realise that being simultaneously an American poet, an imitator of the Anglo-Saxon seafarer, and a translator of the book of Odyssey and Chinese poetry though they were all chronologically and enormously distant from one another did not disturb him in the least. Apart from all of this, it marvels
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confinement military prison in Pisa for convicts condemned to death and thereafter twelve years in a mental asylum in Washington. In Pisa, Pound wrote within the confinements of an inhumane steel cage exposed to the weather, similar to those in Guantanamo Bay, the Pisan Cantos, for which he was later on awarded the Bollingen Prize by the Library Congress for excellent poetry. The Pisan Cantos now forms the heart of his Cantos. Pound could not defend the charges of treason against him since the point of the charge was not the content of his radio talks but that he was in an enemy territory in the middle of the war condemning sharply his own nation. If he had done it in America, he would still have been protected by the Constitution. Hence, the best way to evade capital punishment was of course the argument of mental instability. The next twelve years in a mental asylum in Washington, saw Pound continuing to produce canto after canto, and translation after translation. Hemingway wrote, The best of Pounds writing and it is in the Cantos will last as long as there is any literature. Shaykh Abdal Qadir As-Sufi wrote in his essay entitled The Collapse of the Monetarist Society Part III: Ezra Pound in his master-work, The Cantos, itself a great fresco outlining the impact of usury on society, announced: In their souls was usura and in their hearts cowardice In their minds was stink and corruption In Canto 46 he upholds the morality of the Founding Fathers of America over and against modern banking: ......Mr Jefferson met it: (i.e. hyper-usura) No man hath natural right to exercise profession of lender, save him who hath it to lend. Pound grapples with this question the inability of people to grasp what usury means UNTIL it collapses. Said Mr. RothSchild, hell knows which Roth-schild 1861, 64 or there sometime, Very few people will understand this. Those who do will be occupied getting profits. The general public will probably not see its against their interest. In all of the aforementioned notes, the Muslim is able to understand Pounds economic and monetary views better than anybody else because of the brilliant description the artist makes about usury, which the Muslim already rejects as something against which Allah and His Messenger, may peace and blessings be upon him, have declared war. Because Pound considered usury and modern financial practice the root cause of all problems of nations and society which is reflected throughout his writings the Muslim is better able to appreciate his work more than anybody else. It is only a serious artist who looks beyond art for arts sake who can produce works of such quality. The artist does not work in an unchanging world. Pound was aroused that the war between himself and the world was a war without truce. Those artists whose works do not show this strength are uninteresting; they work in an unchanging world. Until artists recognise this, they will fail to diagnose the ills of society and prescribe the essential remedies in the manner of a physician. On the contrary, they will reflect the same maladies in their own works. Pound worked all his life for this.
Text by: Al-Fannan
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IHSAN
Al-Fudayl Ibn Iyads Advice to Harun Ar-Rashid
ulers are not altogether corrupt. A good ruler needs a good vizier. How necessary is a good vizier of the like of al-Fadl ibn ar-Rabi to such a magnificent ruler as Harun ar-Rashid could be clearly seen in the following anecdote, who leads the Caliph to such men as alFudayl ibn Iyad who would remind rulers and men in positions of leadership constantly of Allah and the examples of the men of Allah and cause taqwa to be instilled in them without fear. The world is in need of such viziers who know where the men of Allah are, whether the latter take to the mountains or hide in the cities, and who take the rulers to them.
The following has been reported by Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyiddeen Ibn alArabi in his Futuhat al-Makkiyyah: We were told that the Commander of the Believers, Harun al Rashid, went on the pilgrimage with alFadl bin ar-Rabi. Al Fadl narrated:
The Commander of the Believers came to me and so I went quickly out to him and said, Commander of the Believers, if you had sent for me, I would have come to you. He replied, Bother you. I wanted to do it. Look out for me a man whom I can question. I replied, There is Sufyan ibn Uyaynah. He said. Take us to him. We went to him and I knocked on his door. He asked. Who is it? I said, Respond to the Commander of the Believers. He came out quickly and said, Commander of the Believers, if you had sent for me I would have come to you. He said to him, Take what we have brought you, may Allah have mercy on you. He spoke to him for a time and then he said to him, You must have debts. He replied, Yes. He ordered, Settle his debts. When we left, he said, Your companion did not satisfy me at all. Look out for me man whom I can question. Look out for me a man whom I can question. I told him, There is Abd ar-Razzaq. Then he mentioned the like of what had happened to him with Sufyan. He said, Your companion did not satisfy me at all. Look out for me a man whom I can question. I mentioned, There is al-
Fudayl bin Iyad. He said, Let us go to him. Al-Fudayl was standing in obligatory prayer reciting a verse of the Quran which he kept repeating. Harun said, Knock on the door. I knocked and Fudayl asked, Who is it? I said, Respond to the Commander of the Believers. He asked, What business do I have to do with the Commander of the Believers? I said, Glory to be Allah. Do you not owe obedience? So he came down and opened the door. Then he went up to the room and put out the lamp and then retreated to one of the corners of the house. We went in and began to offer him our hands. The hand of the Commander of the Believers reached his before mine did. He said, What a soft hand? If only it is saved tomorrow from the punishment of God Almighty! I said to myself, Tonight let him be told words from a heart conscious of Allah. He said to al-Fudayl, Take what we have brought you, may Allah have mercy on you. He told him, When Umar ibn Abd alAziz was appointed Caliph, he called
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Salim ibn Abd Allah, Muhammad ibn Kab al-Qurazi and Raja ibn Haywah and told them, I have been tested with this calamity (of being Caliph), so advise me. He considered the caliphate to be an affliction while you and your people consider it to be a blessing. Salim ibn Abd Allah told him, If you want to be saved from Allahs punishment, then abstain from this world, and let death be what breaks your fast in it. Muhammad bin Kab said, If you want to be saved from Allahs punishment, then think of great Muslims as you would your father, the middle ones as you would your brother and the small as you would your child. Respect your father, honour your brother and be tender to your child. Raja bin Haywah said to him, If you want to be saved tomorrow from Allahs punishment, then want for the Muslims what you desire for yourself and dislike for them what you dislike for yourself. Then die whenever you wish. I say to you Harun, that I fear for you with the most intense fear the day when the feet will slip. May Allah have mercy on you, do you have anyone with you who indicates to you the like of this? Harun wept bitterly until he fainted. I said to him, Easy Commander of the Believers. He said, You and your friends kill me and he is kind to me. Then he recovered and told him, Tell me more, may Allah have mercy on you. Al-Fudayl continued, Commander of the Believers, it has been conveyed to me that Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz received a complaint about one of his governors and so he wrote to him, My brother, I remind you of the length of time that the people of the Fire will remain awake in the Fire through timeless eternity. Beware lest you be diverted from what is with God Almighty so that the end of the matter will be cutting off of all hope. When the governor read the letter, he travelled to Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. He asked him, What has brought you? He replied, I have retired in my heart because of your letter. I will not return to any office until I meet God Almighty. Harun wept greatly. Then he said, Tell me more, may Allah have mercy on you. He (al-Fudayl) said, Commander of the Believers, Al Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet (s.a.w) said, Messenger of Allah, make me a ruler. He (s.a.w) told him, Power will be remorse and regret on the Day of Resurrection. If you are able to not be a ruler, do so. Harun wept bitterly and then told him, Tell me more, may Allah have mercy on you. He said, You with a handsome face, God Almighty will ask you about this physique on the Day of Resurrection. If you are able to protect this face, then do so. Take care morning and evening not to harbour any faithlessness in your heart towards any of your flock. The Prophet (s.a.w) said, If anyone is a cheat in the morning, he will not catch a whiff of the fragrance of the Garden. Harun wept and said, You must have debts. He (al-Fudayl) said, Blessings are a debt belonging to my Lord for which he has not called me to account. Woe to me if He questions me! Woe to me if He contends with me! Woe to me if I am not inspired with my proof He said, I mean debts owed to people. He replied, My Lord did not command me this. God Almighty says, Allah is the Provider. He told him, Here is a thousand dinars. Take them and spend them on your family and strengthen your worship with them. He said, Glory be to Allah, I direct you to the path of salvation and you repay with the like of this! May Allah make you sound and may He give you success! He fell silent and did not speak to us. We left him. When we reached the door, Harun said to me, As you have directed me to a man, direct me to the like of this. This is the Master of the Muslims. When one of al-Fudayls wives came to him, she told him, You! You see the state of constriction we are in. If you had accepted the money, you could have used it to relieve us. He said to her, My likeness with you resembles some people who have a camel from whose earnings they eat. When it is old, they slaughter it and eat its meat. When Harun
heard these words, he said, We will go in. Perhaps he will accept the money. When al-Fudayl knew, he went out and sat on the roof at the door of the room. Harun came and sat beside him. He began to speak to him but al-Fudayl did not reply. While we were like that, a black servant girl came out and said, You! You are annoying the Shaykh tonight! Leave, may Allah have mercy on you! So we left. Thus did the rulers of the past seek the men of Allah and thus did they have good viziers who advised them well. Though it is common to tax today, the rulers of the past while they too taxed (only zakat from able Muslims and jizyah from the Non-Muslims), did also give freely to the poor who had debts. Harun ar-Rashid not only settled the debts of two ulama but was ready to give freely to al-Fudayl ibn Iyad a thousand dinars in one single day. That would amount to about USD $231, 000. Incredible communication between two men, one of whom was a ruler of a vast empire and the other an Emperor in the spiritual world. They were both of enormous wealth in their own kind and magnitude but never did really care about their wealth. Here is an example for men of leadership.
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