Allah Al Mighty (s.w.t) created mankind and Humanity in a very high knowledge of the sublime. Allah (s.w.t) said in his holy book ▶ I created the jinn and humankind only that they worship me (Al-dhariyat 51:56) as Ahl Al Bayt (May Allah’s peace and blessings be amongst them all) have said it earlier. Therefore there is no real worship without actual knowledge. To achieve this noble achievement, Allah (s.w.t) nominated specific guidelines and leaders to guide human being to the right path by which the goal is set, and also He (The Al Mighty), sent with them the holy book as Final Testament THE HOLY QURAN and the balance.
And it was because of His kindness and wisdom that He (the almighty) placed a law for all mankind, that through it they can distinguish between Hojjatallah (naujobillah) (successor of Allah) and the claimers of false and slander.
The law that is referred to consists of three major points:
- First is the divine text or the will - Second is the knowledge and wisdom - Third, the call to the governorship of Allah, or, the banner of allegiance to Allah.
Perhaps this law is a very simple law to understand for people with a sound mind and sound reasoning (for example, if a person owns a factory, a farm or a ship, or anywhere where workers work, the owner must, for sure, appoint someone from the workers to be the leader, captain or a farmer. The owner must then make sure that he has provided the rest of the workers with the name of their leader (text) or otherwise there will be chaos. The leader must also be the most knowledgeable amongst his other co-workers and the best out of them (knowledge), and of course, the owner of the business will order all the workers to obey the leader (governorship) to achieve what he hopes, otherwise, if he (the owner) fails to do any of those rules mentioned, then his wisdom will be paralleled by his extravagance. So how can people expect Allah The Almighty to leave any of these three important rules when he is the wisest?
1. Divine text or the will
From the very first day that Allah created Adam (pbuh), the journey started with the law and the divine commandment. Allah (s.w.t) said: ▶ And when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am about to place a viceroy in the earth, they said: Wilt thou place therein one who will harm therein and will shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise and sanctify Thee? He said: Surely I know that which ye know not. (Surah Al-Baqarah: 30) Allah (s.w.t) also said: ▶ And (remember) when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am creating a mortal out of potter's clay of black mud altered, (28) So when I have made him and have breathed into him of My Spirit, do ye fall down, prostrating yourselves unto him. (29) So the angels fell prostrate, all of them together (30) Save Iblis. He refused to be among the prostrate. (Surah Al-Hajr: 28-30)
In those precious verses, Allah (s.w.t) nominates Adam (PBUH) to be his inventions, with a record of angels and Satan. The angels then respond to God's will by prostrating to Adam and obeying him, thus the angels succeeded in the test that God placed for them in order for him to identify his true believers that will last until the day of judgment. However, Satan failed due to his pride (he said I am the best). So the result of success or failure is accompanied by obeying hojjutallah. The reason why the angels succeeded was that they accepted to recognize God's will, and for the same reason the true believers shall succeed. Also, because of Satan's Ingratitude and infidelity, he failed in the test, and for the same reason should his followers from jinn and humankind fail the test and deserve to be excluded from God’s mercy. ▶ It is the law of Allah which had taken course afore-time. Thou wilt not find for the law of Allah aught of power to change. (Surah Al-Fath: 28)
Furthermore, the law of the divine continued even after Adam (PBUH) in a form of a will passed from one Hojjah to another, isn’t this will a divine text from Allah? And about Abi Abd Allah (A.S), he said ((…then Allah ordered Adam (PBUH) that he inherits the legacy of a Prophet to Hubayl. So Adam (PBUH) done what Allah has asked him for, but when Qabil was informed of what happened, anger overtook him and he said “aren’t I older than my brother and don’t I deserve what you gave him?” So Adam replied: my son, it was Allah’s order. Allah chose him for what I did and if u don’t believe me then an offering from each of you should prove who deserves this favor. At that time, if the offering was good, then the fire will be sent down to burn it. Qabil was the owner of crops, so he offered some poor wheat. On the other hand, Hubayl owned sheep so he offered a fat ram. Then the fire was sent down to burn Hubayls offering. Afterward, Satan came to Qabil and said: “if Hubayl has children, then he and his offspring’s will have more pride than you because of what your father gave him, so if you kill him, your father will have no-one but you left, so he will give you the legacy of a prophet and you will inherit him”. Qabil then killed his brother Hubayl))
▶ Allah says in the Holy Quran: But recite unto them with truth the tale of the two sons of Adam, how they offered each a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one of them and it was not accepted from the other. (The one) said: I will surely kill thee. (The other) answered: Allah accepted only from those who ward off (evil). (Surah Al-Maeda: 27)
About Abi Abd Allah (AS), in the words of God Almighty ▶ Lo! Allah commandeth you that ye restore deposits to their owners, and, if ye judge between mankind, that ye judge justly. Lo! comely is this which Allah admonished you. Lo! Allah is ever Hearer, Seer. (Al-Nissa: 58), he said (it is the will that one man from us passes it to another man)) Ghaybat Al No’mani:60.
Also in the Quran, said by Jesus (PBUH) ((And when Jesus son of Mary said: ▶ O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger who come after me, whose name is the Praised One (Ahmad). Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic. (Al-saff:6) Thus ▶ Allah choose from the angels' messengers, and (also) from mankind. Lo! Allah is Hearer, Seer. (Surah AL-Hajj:75)
Also about Alharith Ibn Almaghera Alnathry, he said ((we said to Abi Abd Allah (A.S), how is the owner of this duty known? He replied, by his Tranquility, dignity, knowledge, and will)) Bihar Al-Anwar chapter: 52, p: 138.
2- Knowledge and wisdom
After Allah sent the divine text that Adam is his invention on earth, as Allah the Almighty has said in his holy book ▶ And when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am about to place a viceroy in the earth (the angels opposed that) they said: Wilt thou place therein one who will harm therein and will shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise and sanctify Thee? He said: Surely I know that which ye know not. And He taught Adam all the names, and then showed them to the angels, saying: Inform Me of the names of these, if ye are truthful. (Surah Al-Baqrah: 30-31). When the angels opposed Allah, Allah answered them that Adam has more knowledge than you do, for he (PBUH) earned the succession of Allah on earth because of the trait he had, which is the knowledge that Allah granted him. So the knowledge that hujjutallah has, is a special trait, that only he will have, and therefore, knowledge becomes a certain proof that through it we can know who is the hojjahtullah.
Many other verses convey the same meaning. Allah the Almighty has said ▶ Their Prophet said unto them: Lo! Allah had raised Soul to be a king for you. They said: How can he have kingdom over us when we are more deserving of the kingdom than he is, since he had not been given wealth enough? He said: Lo! Allah had chosen him above you, and increased him abundantly in wisdom and stature. Allah bestoweth His Sovereignty on whom He will. Allah is All-Embracing, All-Knowing. (Surah Al-Baqrah: 247).
Therefore these people that asked their prophet to send them a king, but after their prophet said to them: Lo! Allah hath raised Saul to be a king for you, they opposed that Tarot does not have enough money and isn’t wealthy, and there came their prophet and said, that this duty is not about being wealthy but about knowing (He said: Lo! Allah hath chosen him above you, and hath increased him abundantly in wisdom and stature. Allah bestow His Sovereignty on whom He will) so the issue is a matter of knowledge and Allah the Almighty, arms his successors with the necessary weapon for the journey that returns to him the almighty, and that weapon is nothing but knowledge.
The Almighty said ▶ And unto Lot we gave judgment and knowledge, and We delivered him from the community that did abominations. Lo! they were folk of evil, lewd. (Surah Al-Anbiya:74), ▶ And when there come unto them a scripture from Allah, confirming that in their possession - though before that they were asking for a signal triumph over those who disbelieved - and when there come unto them that which they know (to be the truth) they disbelieve therein. The curse of Allah is on disbelievers.) Surah Al-Baqara: 89).
The Third major Point- The call to the Governorship of Allah
The third major point, in the law of knowing the successor, is the call to the governorship to Allah or the banner of allegiance to Allah, and to obey whoever Allah appointed as his successor on earth without obeying anyone else. ▶ Allah the almighty said And (remember) when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am creating a mortal out of potter's clay of black mud altered, (28) So when I have made him and have breathed into him of My Spirit, do ye fall down, prostrating yourselves unto him. (29) So the angels fell prostrate, all of them together (30) Save Satan. He refused to be among the prostrate. (Surah Al-Hajar: 28-31). and Allah the Almighty also said ▶ Say: O Allah! Owner of Sovereignty! Thou givest sovereignty unto whom Thou wilt, and Thou withdraw sovereignty from whom Thou wilt. Thou exalted whom Thou wilt, and Thou abasest whom Thou wilt. In Thy hand is the good. Lo! Thou art Able to do all things (Surah Al-Omran: 26) Also ▶ Thy Lord createth what He willeth and chooseth. They have never any choice. Glorified be Allah and exalted above all that they associate (with Him)! (Surah Al-Qusas: 68)
These verses lay stress on the prostration to Allah Almighty successor/hojjah, and the necessity of his obedience. the Sovereignty is in his hands of the almighty, he gives sovereignty onto whom he wills and withdraws sovereignty from whom he wills. furthermore its is not up to the people to choose a governor or a governorship, which makes choosing a governor or a governorship become a shirk. Also from the narrations from Saed bin Abd Allah Alkomy in a long narration (hadith), that he asked imam al Mahdi (as) when he was young during the time of his father Hasan Al-Askari (as), he asked: tell me my master about the reason that will prevent the people from choosing their successor. He (as) replied: peacemaker or a corrupter? He said, peacemaker. So (as) replied: is it possible that they choose a corrupter, without actually knowing what is in that person's mind of peacemaking or corruption? He replied: yes. He (as) said: it’s for the same reason that your mind just trusted. Tell me about the prophets that Allah chose them and sent the books upon them, and supported them with revelation and Infallibility, as they are the most knowledgeable and are the very well known. Like Moses and Jesus (PBUT), is it possible that with their knowledge that they would choose a hypocrite while thinking that he is a believer? So I replied: no. He (AS) said: there you have Moses (Kalim Ullah), and even though he had a complete sound mind that Allah had gifted him with, also the gift of knowledge and the revelation sent down upon him, he chose from his people only 70 men to meet his god, Moses (as) trusted their faith and loyalty, and it happened to be that the people he chose were the hypocrites. Allah (SWT) said ▶ and Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointed tryst and, when the trembling came on them, he said: My Lord! If you had willed you had destroyed them long before, and me with them. Will you destroy us for that which the ignorant among us did? It is but Your trial (of us). You send whom you will astray and guides whom you will: you are our Protecting Friend, therefore forgive us and have mercy on us, Thou, the Best of all who show forgiveness. (Surah Al-A’raf:155). So now that we found out that even gods chosen prophets have also made the wrong decision about choosing the corruptor rather than the peacemaker, while they were thinking that they chose the right people that we don’t have the right to select or elect anybody as our governor because only Allah knows what the hearts hide and can choose the right person for the right position. Ithbat al-hudat: chapter:1 p:115-116.
In conclusion, Umar ibn Al-Khattab is the one of the leader that can be followed and become a role model for all of us in order to develop our leadership and management skills. In my point of view, the characteristics of Umar Al-Khattab should be apply and practice among us to lead the community in Islamic way of life. His characteristics and achievements approved that leadership is not just about to be a leader but knew how to lead himself and the others in order to gain successful in the lifetime on earth and beyond.
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