Amassing Power Vs Awaiting Saviors – Power & Politics In The Quran

This is part 2 of power and politics

in the Quran.

And before we get into some new materials,

so basically, last time we talked about the

story of tallut and

several lessons that can be derived from the

story of Talut.

Today we're gonna take one of those lessons,

the first one of those lessons, and we're

gonna travel with it throughout the Quran to

see where else it pops up. But first,

you have to point out that when it

comes to power

and how community power,

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala

commands us in the Quran to build power

as a community.

He commands us both explicitly

and implicitly.

Allah says,

Prepare for them

what you're able to of power. Now then,

in the rest of the ayah, Allah continues

on with examples

that suited that particular circumstance

in which he was talking about. But as

we say in tafsir,

That when it comes to these sorts of

things,

that

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala words things generally

for a reason.

So that they have broader applicability

than simply the very specific political context

in which they were originally

revealed. So in that particular ayah, Allah Subhanahu

Wa Ta'ala goes on to talk about horses

and swords and armies and these sorts of

things.

But if you find yourself in a situation

like we are,

when

building power looks like something completely different,

it might look like owning land. It might

look like delivering votes. It might look like

organizing money and organizing,

donations or things of this nature.

Now this is a communal obligation, a farqifa'

and that it has

an ala, there's a reason behind it, and

so that nobody messes with us. Right? Why

do we have these signs

on the other side of the glass door?

These premises are under armed guards or whatever

it says.

So that nobody messes with us.

And if we look at the Quran, this

is exactly what Lut

says. Right? When it comes to, in Surahood.

When the forces of evil who want to

do you harm and do your children harm,

and In the last 5 months, we've seen

plenty of them exposed. Have we not?

When they're banging down the door

and the only thing separating between them

and you or your children

is your ability to defend yourself.

This is a very scary situation. And what

does Zut 'alayhi salam said?

He says, If only I had some sort

of power that I could resist you all.

Or I could lean upon some sort of

firm support or firm pillar to prevent your

harm. As Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says multiple

times in the Quran,

there's a certain aspect of deterrence that building

power as a community

serves. We don't build power because we're looking

for trouble. None of these

handsome security guards that we have build power

because they're looking for trouble. Right, Nadim? It's

because they're here to protect. They're here to

serve. They're here to actually keep a certain

type of peace, a certain type of just

peace.

Okay? And so that this is a community

obligation.

Whatever in our time and in our scenario

that we have to do to figure it

out, well that's what we have to do.

Now, the first lesson that we had talked

about last week in the story of Tallut

was that building power

is

a community project

and it takes active participation.

It's not a spectator sport.

Building power as a community is not a

spectator sport.

What was the problem of the people of

Saudut?

They had the right mission. They were wrong.

They were turned out of their homes and

they said, all we need

is the right guy to lead us, and

then we're down. We're ready to ride. And

then what happened?

They were given that leader and they chickened

out. They got cold feet. They said, no

thanks. Actually, we were just kidding. It was

an excuse. It was a front.

We see that this isn't the first time

that Bani Israel had this problem.

You go through

the rest of the surah, Surah Al Baqarah.

You go into Surah Al Imran. You go

to Surah Al Maidah, you see that Bani

Israel had this problem before.

When Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala talks about the

followers of Musa alaihi salaam, those who followed

Musa out of Masur, out of Egypt.

And they go through the desert, they have

all their sorts of trials and tribulations, they

get to firostihin.

What is the one thing that they have

to do? What does Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala

tell them they have to do? He said,

here it is. Here's the land I promised

you. Now you have to go and there's

people who Yeah. There's people living there already.

You have to fight and then it's yours.

And Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala promises them his

aid and his nazar and his help. What's

their reaction?

They basically have the same reaction. They say

to Musa,

how are we expected

to do this sort of thing? It's not

reasonable and there's a back and forth in

Surat Al Ma'ida that's well known.

They even are so bold as to say

to Musa,

They said, you and your Lord go. Tabid.

They're making distance between them and Allah subhanahu

wa ta'ala. You and your Lord go and

fight

and we're gonna stay here and wait to

see what happens.

Right?

So building power is not a spectator sport.

And equivalent to our times

is let's say if somebody woke up every

4 years

and they look at the who up Who's

up for election this time? Which one's the

least bad one? Alright Bismillah, here we go.

That's not how it works.

Building power as a community,

it's a weekly

project.

If not a daily project. It's Farud Kifaiyah,

which means that you can't just

hope some other guy's gonna do it. You're

gonna pick the right person, they're your savior

and then you forget about everything they do.

No. Politicians are like getting toddlers ready for

the masjid.

You know what I mean by that?

You say, okay, Baba, come get your kufi,

come your shoes. Okay. He maybe gets his

jacket, now he's toddling off this way. No.

No. No. Here Baba, you have to Every

step of the way, you have to make

sure they stay on task. Politicians are the

same.

They say here's the agenda, here's why we

put you in,

here's the proof that we put you in,

Here's what you said you were gonna do.

You haven't done it yet. When are you

gonna do it? Every week you're knocking on

their door. That's how it works.

So this is what is just one of

the things and there's other types of power

other than electoral power. That's just one tool.

But we're saying that this is what it

looks like. Power, building power is not a

spectator sport. It is not something that you

can just flip on every 4 years. It's

something that takes active,

regular engagement.

Now this story pops up another time or

this lesson pops up another time and that

is in Surat Al Kahf.

With Dhul Qarnayn. The last group of people

that Dhul Qarnayn go to. Very very interesting.

The interaction between them.

He comes to a people and the people

complain about

Yeah. Jews and Met Jews. So spreading fasad

on the Earth.

Things are not good. Dhul Qurnayn, come in

and save us, basically. They're turning to Dhul

Qurnayn as a savior. Say, build us a

wall. We'll pay you.

Right? They wanna be as uninvolved as possible.

What can I pay? What's the the price

tag? Just give me the bar code. I'll

scan it. I've got Google pay. Boom. And

it's done.

And what is the Lutlarnain's reaction?

He doesn't give them exactly what they ask

for. He says, basically, no. You're gonna help

build this wall.

So bring the iron, bring the molten lead,

bring whatever you're gonna do, and here we're

gonna build it together. So as they say,

you give a man a fish, you feed

him for a meal. You teach a man

the fish.

Right? He's set for life.

So Vod al Kharnein is actually teaching the

people that he goes to how power building

works.

It's not something you just find the right

person, we find the right candidate,

we get them in power, and then we

just go to sleep. That's not how it

works.

You have to learn how to actively participate.

We see especially in the first

10 aj zap,

a lot of examples of what not to

do.

And they need to be studied.

Al Imran,

Anisa,

Al Ma'ida, Al Anfal, Atawbah. They need to

be studied

about what not to do. Allah subhanahu wa

ta'ala, especially in Al Imran and Al Ma'idah,

warns us about putting our trust in the

wrong people. The people who were suffering from

Yatjuj and Matjuj were fortunate. They were blessed

because they could trust Lulkarni.

What if Lulkarni was not trustworthy?

What if he was a grifter?

What if he was somebody who came in,

he said, oh yes, Insha'Allah, and quoted a

hadith.

And then said, give me all your votes.

Right? We know that these people exist. Correct?

Correct.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has lots of

warnings for us

to not put too much trust.

Especially in people that are outside of our

community that we don't know.

And how many times does Allah Subhanahu Wa

Ta'ala say,

Do not take them as too close of

friends.

And he actually blames people for the internal

motivations that they would have.

Here you are loving these people.

Chasing their power, chasing their influence and they

don't love you back.

As we say. This is embarrassing as humiliation

or as Allah says in surah, anisa

Are you looking for Izzah from them?

All honor and dignity is belongs to Allah

alone. And Allah's found salah gives it to

who he wills, and he takes it away

from whom he wills. And so in our

project of building power, we can't lose

sight. We can't take our eyes off the

prize. We stick together as a community, and

we do what we have to do together,

together.

together.