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| Arab Spring? What nonsense is this? Only God grants Springs and Autumns, Winters and Summers! |
1. The rejection of the Saints III
The rejection of the saints,
The demise of the philosopher kings,
All paved way to
Tyranny of the Many.
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Democratic Ulamak. If you ask some Ulamaks (religious preachers/scholars of Islam), they will say that political democracy is not incompatible with Islam. But I follow my friends, and the teachers and masters of my friends, who disagree vehemently with this proposition.
No Minister. When asked by a minister (yes, currently sitting in the Malaysian cabinet now) about democracy, one of the masters said that democracy had its origin from the Devil. Now that brought the conversation to an awkward point. And he was not wrong. Because what is democracy but a public forum where each of us fight for our individual rights? And this struggle supersedes the rights of everyone else, including that of the sovereign (the Sultan or the King or the Emir), and alas, ultimately supersedes the holy rights of the Sovereign of the Worlds, the Shahanshah (as the Persians would put it), the Kings of Kings aka God Himself.
Ana Khairun Minhu. For you see, if you recall the tale, the Lord commanded (as was His right) all of creation to bow before Adam. But the Devil, in his hubris and prideful piety challenged God (which he really had no right to), and asked why should he bow down to any other than God? But the Devil's inner sentiment was clear when he said "Ana Khairun Minhu!", I am better that he(Adam)!
And democracy picks up from where the Devil left off - My ideas are better than yours! My right is higher than yours! My family, my faith and my race is more noble than yours! My opinion ranks higher than yours! And so the whining goes on and on and on ad infinitum ad nauseum. Oh, people will always say that this is for the common good. But when they forget the Common God, the One God who has rights over everyone and all of creation, there is no common good really. People are easily provoked by populist politicians (and preachers), and the Rule of God is overturned by the Rule of the Mob. And behind the mob, the Devil rubs his hands together, grinning with satisfaction at his handiwork.
Thus do you see? Democracy suggests that all men are equal, therefore all men are kings. But if everyone is a king, who is willing to be a servant? And who will be the student when everyone is a teacher? When none will be servants or students, it is the human ego that will be the king and the teacher...
194. The Brethren
When buildings stand tall as mountains,
Where stand all my brethren?
When all men are kings,
Who will be servants?
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Our friends therefore do not look at the Arab Spring with great joy. Because the protests and rallies have merely replaced one form of evil with another form of evil, one form of tyranny with another form of tyranny.
Arrogance. When we forget that we are merely servants, weak and not possessed with perfect knowledge, therein lies the door through which hate, hubris, vengeance and great despair will enter the body politic.
Stick to being servants, sunshine, in whatever faith you may be worshiping God.
wa min Allah at-taufiq
Hate has no place in Islam
Love will show the Way
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