Basic Guide in Islamic Administration

Hazrat Ali's Famous Epistle To Malik Ashtar, Governor of Egypt

Note by the Translator
Hazrat Ali, the Great Khalif of Islam, and the first in the line of the Imamat, apart from his abiding contribution to spiritual thought, is known to the Arabic world as a great jurist and man of letters. According to the historian Masudi (Murooj-uz-Zahab Masudi Vol. II, p. 33. Egypt), Hazarat Ali is credited with not less than 480 treaties, lectures and epistles on a variety of subjects dealing with philosophy, religion, law and politics, as collected by Zaid Ibn Wahab in the Imam's own life time. So highly valued are these contributions both for their contents and their intrinsic literary worth that some of his masterpieces have formed throughout the course of Islamic history subjects of study in centers of Muslim learning. Indeed, his reputation seems to have traveled into Europe at the time of the Renaissance; for we find that Edward Powcock (1604-1691) a professor at the University of Oxford, published the first English translation of his "Sayings" and delivered in 1639 a series of lectures on his "Rhetoric".
I have given below a translation from Arabic into English of Hazrat Ali's famous letter of instructions addressed as Khalif to the then Governor of Egypt, Malik Ashtar. This letter according to Fehrist-i-Tusi (p.33) was first copied in the time of Hazarat Ali himself by Asbagh bin Nabata and later on reproduced or referred to in their writings by various Arab and Egyptian scholars, chief of them being Nasr ibn Mazahim (148 A.H.), Jahiz Basari (255 A.H.) Syed Razi (404 A.H.) Ibn-i-Abil Hidaid and Allama Mustafa Bek Najib, the great living scholar of Egypt. The last named regards this letter "as a basic guide in Islamic administration."
Rasheed Turabi
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The Richest Treasure
Be it known to you, O, Malik, that I am sending you as Governor to a country which in the past has experienced both just and unjust rule. Men will scrutinize your actions with a searching eye, even as you used to scrutinize the actions of those before you, and speak of you even as you did speak of them. The fact is that the public speak well of only those who do good. It is they who furnish the proof of your actions. Hence the richest treasure that you may covet would be the treasure of good deeds. Keep your desires under control and deny yourself that which you have been prohibited from, for, by such abstinence alone, you will be able to distinguish between what is good to them and what is not.
Develop in your heart the feeling of love for your people and let it be the source of kindliness and blessing to them. Do not behave with them like a barbarian, and do not appropriate to yourself that which belongs to them. Remember that the citizens of the state are of two categories. They are either your brethren in religion or your brethren in kind. They are subject to infirmities and liable to commit mistakes. Some indeed do commit mistakes. But forgive them even as you would like God to forgive you. Bear in mind that you are placed over them, even as I am placed over you. And then there is God even above him who has given you the position of a Governor in order that you may look after those under you and to be sufficient unto them. And you will be judged by what you do for them.
Do not set yourself against God, for neither do you possess the strength to shield yourself against His displeasure, nor can you place yourself outside the pale of His mercy and forgiveness. Do not feel sorry over any act of forgiveness, nor rejoice over any punishment that you may mete out to any one. Do not rouse yourself to anger, for no good will come out of it.
Do not say: " I am your overlord and dictator, and that you should, therefore, bow to my commands", as that will corrupt your heart, weaken your faith in religion and create disorder in the state. Should you be elated by power, ever feel in your mind the slightest symptoms of pride and arrogance, then look at the power and majesty of the Divine governance of the Universe over which you have absolutely no control. It will restore the sense of balance to your wayward intelligence and give you the sense of calmness and affability. Beware! Never put yourself against the majesty and grandeur of God and never imitate His omnipotence; for God has brought low every rebel of God and every tyrant of man.
Let your mind respect through your actions the rights of God and the rights of man, and likewise, persuade your companions and relations to do likewise. For, otherwise, you will be doing injustice to yourself and injustice to humanity. Thus both man and God will turn unto your enemies. There is no hearing anywhere for one who makes an enemy of God himself. He will be regarded as one at war with God until he feels contrition and seeks forgiveness. Nothing deprives man of divine blessings or excites divine wrath against him more easily than cruelty. Hence it is, that God listens to the voice of the oppressed and waylays the oppressor.
The Common Man
Maintain justice in administration and impose it on your own self and seek the consent of the people, for, the discontent of the masses sterilizes the contentment of the privileged few and the discontent of the few looses itself in the contentment of the many. Remember the privileged few will not rally round you in moments of difficulty: they will try to side-track justice, they will ask for more than what they deserve and will show no gratitude for favors done to them. They will feel restive in the face of trials and will offer no regret for their shortcomings. It is the common man who is the strength of the State and Religion. It is he who fights the enemy. So live in close contact with the masses and be mindful of their welfare.
Keep at a distance him who peers into the weaknesses of others. After all, the masses are not free from weaknesses. It is the duty of the ruler to shield them. Do not bring to light that which is hidden, but try to remove those weaknesses which have been brought to light. God is watchful of everything that is hidden from you, and He alone will deal with it. To the best of your ability cover the weaknesses of the public, and God will cover the weaknesses in you which you are anxious to keep away from their eye. Unloose the tangle of mutual hatred between the public and the administration and remove all those causes which may give rise to strained relations between them. Protect yourself from every such act as may not be quite correct for you. Do not make haste in seeking confirmation of tale-telling, for, the tale-teller is a deceitful person appearing in the garb of a friend.
The Counselors
Never take counsel of a miser, for he will vitiate your magnanimity and frighten you of poverty. Do not take counsel of a coward also, for, he will cheat you of your resolves. Do not take counsel of the greedy too: for he will instill greed in you and turn you into a tyrant. Miserliness, cowardice and greed deprive man of his trust in God.
The worst of counselors is he who has served as a counselor to unjust rulers and shared their crimes. So, never let men who have been companions of tyrants or shared their crimes be your counselors. You can get better men than these, men gifted with intelligence and foresight, but unpolluted by sin, men who have never aided a tyrant in his tyranny or a criminal in his crime. Such men will never be a burden on you. On the other hand, they will be a source of help and strength to you at all times. They will be friends to you and strangers to your enemies. Choose such men alone for companionship both in privacy and in the public. Even among these, show preference to them who have a habitual regard for truth however trying to you at times their truth may prove to be, and who offer you no encouragement in the display of tendencies which God does not like his friends to develop.
Keep close to you the upright, and the God fearing, and make clear to them that they are never to flatter you and never to give you credit for any good that you may not have done: for, the tolerance of flattery and unhealthy praise stimulates pride in man makes him arrogant.
Do not treat the good and the bad alike. That will deter the good from doing good, and encourage the bad in their bad pursuits. Recompense every one according one's deserts. Remember that mutual trust and good will between the ruler and the ruled are bred only through benevolence, justice and service. So, cultivate good-will amongst the people; for their good-will alone will save you from troubles. Your benevolence to them will be repaid by their trust in you, and your ill-treatment by their ill-will.
Do not disregard the noble traditions set by our forbearers which have promoted harmony and progress among the people; and do not initiate anything which might minimize their usefulness. The men who had established these noble traditions have had their reward; but responsibility will be yours if they are disturbed. Try always to learn something from the experience of the learned and the wise, and frequently consult them in state matters so that you might maintain the peace and good-will which your predecessors had established in the land.
The Different Classes of People
Remember that the people are composed of different classes. The progress of one is dependent on the progress of every other; and none can afford to be independent of the other. We have the Army formed of the soldiers of God, we have our civil officers and their establishments, our judiciary, our revenue collectors and our public relation officers. The general public itself consists of Muslims and Zimmis and among them of merchants and craftsmen, the unemployed and the indigent. God has prescribed for them their several rights, duties and obligations. They are all defined and preserved in the Book of God and in the traditions of his Prophet.
The army, by the grace of God, is like a fortress to the people and lends dignity to the state. It upholds the prestige of the Faith and maintains the peace of the country. Without it the state cannot stand. In its turn, it cannot stand without the support of the state. Our soldiers have proved strong before the enemy because of the privilege God has given them to fight for Him; but they have their material needs to fulfil and have therefore to depend upon the income provided for them from the state revenue. The military and civil population who pay revenue, both need the co-operation of others -the judiciary, civil officers and their establishment. The Qazi administers civil and criminal law; the civil officers collect revenue and attend to civil administration with the assistance of their establishment. And then there are the tradesmen and the merchants who add to the revenue of the state. It is they who run the markets and are in a better position than others to discharge social obligations. And then there is the class of the poor and the needy, whose maintenance is an obligation on the other classes. God has given appropriate opportunity of service to one and all; and then there are the rights of all these classes over the administration which the administrator has to meet with an eye on the good of the entire population, a duty which he cannot fulfill properly unless he takes personal interest in its execution and seeks help from God. Indeed it is obligatory on him to impose this duty on himself and to bear with patience the inconveniences and difficulties incidental to his task.
The Army
Be particularly mindful of the welfare of those in the army who in your opinion, are staunchly faithful to their God and Prophet and loyal to their chief, and who in the hour of passion can restrain themselves and listen coolly to sensible remonstrance, and who can succor the weak and smite the strong, whom violent provocation will not throw into violent temper and who will not falter at any stage.
Keep yourself in close contact with the families of established reputation and integrity with a glorious past, and draw to yourself men brave and upright in character, generous and benevolent in disposition; for such are the salt of society.
Care for them with the tenderness with which you care for your children, and do not talk before them of any good that you might have done to them, nor disregard any expression of affection which they show in return; for, such conduct inspires loyalty, devotion and goodwill. Attend to every little of their wants not resting content with what general help that you might have given to them, for sometimes, timely attention to a little want of theirs brings them immense relief. Surely these people will not forget you in your own hour of need.
It behooves you to select for your Commander-in-chief one who imposes on himself as a duty, the task of rendering help to his men, and who can excel in kindness every other officer who has to attend to the needs of the men under him, and look after their families when they are away from their homes; so much so, that the entire army should feel united in their joys and in their sorrows. The unity of purpose will give them added strength against the enemy. Continue to maintain a kindly attitude towards them so that they might feel attached to you. The fact is that the real happiness of the administrators and their most pleasant comfort lies in establishing justice in the state and maintaining affectionate relations with the people. Their sincerity of feeling is expressed in the love and regard they show to you, on which alone depends the safety of the administrators.
Your advices to the army will be of no avail, unless and until you show affection to both men and officers, in order that they might not regard the Government as an oppressive burden or contribute to its downfall.
Continue to satisfy their needs and praise them over and over again for what services they have rendered. Such an attitude, God willing will inspire the brave to braver actions and induce the timid to deeds of bravery.
Try to enter into the feelings of others and do not foist the mistake of one over another and do not grudge dispensing appropriate rewards. See to it you do not show favors to one who has done nothing but merely counts on his family position; and do not withhold proper rewards from one who has done great deeds simply because he holds a low position in life.
The Real Guidance
Turn to God and to His prophet for guidance whenever you feel uncertain as to what you have to do. There is the commandment of God delivered to those people who He wishes to guide aright: "O people of the Faith! Obey God and obey His prophet and those from among you who hold authority over you. And refer to God and His prophet whenever there is difference of opinion among you. To turn to God is in reality to consult the Book of God; and to turn to the prophet is t follow his universally accepted traditions.
Chief Judge
Select for your chief judge one from the people who is by far the best among them -one who is not obsessed with domestic worries, one who cannot be intimidated, one who does not err to often, one who does not turn back from a right path once he finds it, one who is not self-centered or avaricious, one who will not decide before knowing full facts, one who will weigh wit care every attendant doubt and pronounce a clear verdict after taking everything into full consideration, one who will not grow restive over the arguments of advocates and who will examine with patience every new disclosure of fact and who will be strictly impartial in his decision, one who flattery cannot mislead or one who does not exult over his position. But it is not easy to find such men.
Once you have selected the right man for the office, pay him handsomely enough, to let him live in comfort and in keeping with his position, enough to keep him above temptations. Give him a position in your court so high none can even dream of coveting it and so high that neither back-biting nor intrigue can touch him.
Subordinate Judiciary
Beware! The utmost carefulness is to be exercised in his selection: for it is this high office which adventurous self-seekers aspire to secure and exploit in their selfish interests. After the selection of your chief judge, give careful consideration to the selection of other officers. Confirm them in their appointments after approved apprenticeship and probation. Never select men for responsible posts either out of any regard for personal connections or under any influence, for, that might lead to injustice and corruption.
Of these select for higher posts men of experience, men firm in faith and belonging to good families. Such men will not fall an easy prey to temptations and will discharge their duties with an eye on the abiding good of others. Increase their salaries to give them a contented life. A contented living is a help to self-purification. They will not feel the urge to tax the earnings of their subordinates for their own upkeep. They will then have no excuse either to go against your instructions or misappropriate state funds. Keep to watch over them without their knowledge, loyal and upright men. Perchance they may develop true honesty and true concern for the public welfare. But whenever any of them is accused of dishonesty and the guilt is confirmed by the report of your secret service, then regard this as a sufficient to convict him. Let the punishment be corporal and let that be dealt in the public at an appointed place of degradation.
Revenue Administration
Great care is to be exercised in revenue administration, to ensure the prosperity of those who pay the revenue to the state; for it is on their prosperity depends the prosperity of others, particularly the prosperity of the masses. Indeed, the state exists on its revenue. You should regard the proper upkeep of the land in cultivation as of greater importance than the collection of revenue, for revenue cannot be derived except by making the land productive. He who demands revenue without helping the cultivator to improve his land, inflicts unmerited hardship on the cultivator and ruins the State. The rule of such a person does not last long. If the cultivators ask for reduction of their land cess for having suffered from epidemics or drought or excess of rains or the barrenness of the soil or floods damaging to their barrenness of the soil or foods damaging to their crops, then, reduce the cess accordingly, so that their condition might improve. Do not mind the loss of revenue on that account for that will return to you one day manifold in the hour of greater prosperity of the land and enable you to improve the condition of your towns and to raise the prestige of your state. You will be the object of universal praise. The people will believe in your sense of justice. The confidence which they will place in you in consequence will prove your strength, as they will be found ready to share your burdens.
You may settle down on the land any number of people, but discontent will overtake them if the land is not improved. The cause of the cultivator's ruin is the rulers who are bent feverishly on accumulating wealth at all costs, out of the fear that their rule might not last long. Such are the people who do not learn from examples or precedents.
Clerical Establishment
Keep an eye on your establishment and your scribes; and select the best among them for your confidential correspondence such among these as possess high character and deserve your full confidence, men who may not exploit their privileged position to go against you and who may not grow neglectful of their duties and who in the drafting of treaties may not succumb to external temptation and harm your interests, or fail to render you proper assistance and to save you from trouble, and who in carrying out their duties can realize their serious responsibilities, for he who does not realize his own responsibilities can hardly appraise the reprehensibilities of others. Do not select men for such work merely on the strength of your first impressions of your affection or good faith; for as a matter of fact; the pretensions of a good many who are really devoid of honesty and good breeding may cheat even the intelligence of rulers. Selection should be made after due probation which should be the test of righteousness. In making direct appointments from people, see to it that those selected possess influence with the people and who enjoy the reputation of being honest; for such selection is agreeable to God and the ruler. For every department of administration, let there be a head, whom no trying task might cause worry and no pressure of work annoy.
And remember that every weakness of any one among your establishment and scribe which you may overlook will be written down against you in your scroll of deeds
.
Trade and Industry
Adopt useful schemes placed before those engaged in trade and industry and help them with wise counsels. Some of them live in towns, and some move from place to place with their wares and tools and earn their living by manual labor. Trade and Industry are sources of profit to the State. While the general public is not inclined to bear the strain, those engaged in these professions take the trouble to collect commodities from far and near, from land and from across the sea, and from mountains and forests and naturally derive benefits.
It is this class of peace loving people from whom no disturbance need be feared. They love peace and order; indeed they are incapable of creating disorder. Visit every part of the country and establish personal contact with this class, and inquire into their condition. But bear in mind that a good many of them are intensely greedy and are inured to bad dealings. They hoard grain and try to sell it at a high price; and this is most harmful to the public. It is a blot on the name of the ruler not to fight this evil. Prevent them from hoarding; for the Prophet of God -Peace be upon him - had prohibited it. And see to it that trade is carried on with the utmost ease, that the scales are evenly held and that prices are so fixed that neither the seller nor the buyer is put to a loss. And if inspite of your warning, should anyone go against your commands and commit the crime of hoarding, then deal him appropriately with severe punishment.
The Poor
Beware! Fear God when dealing with the problem of the poor who have non to patronize, who are forlorn, indigent and helpless and are greatly torn in mind -victims of the vicissitudes of Time. Among them there are some who do not question their lot in life not withstanding their misery, do not go about abegging. For God's sake, safeguard their rights; for on you rests the responsibility of protection. Assign for their uplift a portion of the state exchequer (Baitul-mal), wherever they may be, whether close at hand or far away from you. The rights of the two should be equal in your eye. Do not let any preoccupation slip them from your mind; for no excuse whatsoever for the disregard of their rights will be acceptable to God. Do not treat their interests as of less importance than your own, and never keep them outside the purview of your important considerations, and mark the persons who look down upon them and of whose conditions they keep you in ignorance.
Select from among your officers such men as are meek and God fearing who can keep you properly informed of the condition of the poor. Make such provision for these poor people as shall not oblige you to offer an excuse before God on the day of judgment; for, it is this section of the people more than any other which deserves benevolent treatment. Seek your reward from God by giving to each of them what is due to him and enjoin on yourself as a sacred duty the task of meting the needs of such aged among them as have no independent means of livelihood and are averse to seek alms. And it is the discharge of this duty that usually proves very trying for ruler, but is very welcome to societies which are gifted with foresight. It is only such societies or nations who truly carry out with equanimity their covenant with God to discharge their duty to the poor.
Open Conferences
Meet the oppressed and the lowly periodically in an open conference and, conscious of the divine presence there, have a heart-to-heart talk with them, and let none from your armed guard or civil officers or members of the police or the Intelligence Department be by your side, so that the representatives of the poor might state their grievances fearlessly and without reserve. For I have the Prophet of God saying that no nation or society will occupy a high position in which the strong do not discharge their duty to the weak. Bear with composure any strong language which they may use, and do not get annoyed if they cannot state their case lucidly, even so, God will open you his door of blessings and rewards. Whatever you can give to them, give it ungrudgingly, and whatever you cannot afford to give, make that clear to them in utmost sincerity.
There are certain things which call for prompt action. Accept the recommendations made by your officers for the redress of the grievances of the clerical staff. See to it that petitions or applications that are submitted for your consideration, are brought to your notice the very day they are submitted, however much your officers might try to intercede them. Dispose off the day's work that very day, for the coming day will bring with it its own tasks.
Communion with God
And do not forget to set apart the best of your time for communion with God, although every moment of yours is for Him only, provided it is spend sincerely in the service of your people. The special time that you give to prayer in the strict religious sense is to be devoted to the performances of the prescribed daily prayers. Keep yourself engaged in these prayers both in the day and in the night, and to gain perfect communion, do not as far as possible, let your prayers grow tiresome. And when you lead in congregational prayer, do not let your prayer be so lengthy as to cause discomfort to the congregation or raise in them the feeling of dislike for it or liquidate its effect: for in the congregation there may be invalids and also those who have to attend pressing affairs of their own.
When I had asked of the Prophet of God on receiving an order to proceed to Yaman, how I should lead the people there in prayer, he said -perform your prayers even as the weakest among you would do; and set an example of consideration to the faithful.
Aloofness not desirable
Alongside of the observance of all that I have said above bear one thing in mind. Never for any length of time keep yourself aloof from the people, for to do so is to keep oneself ignorant of their affairs. It develops in the ruler a wrong perspective and renders him unable to distinguish between what is important and what is not, between right and wrong, and between truth and falsehood. The ruler is after all human; and he cannot form a correct view of anything which is out of sight. There is no distinctive sign attached to truth which may enable one to distinguish between the different varieties of truth and falsehood. The fact is that you must be one of two things. Either you are just or unjust. If you are just, then you will not keep yourself away from the people, but will listen to them and meet their requirements. On the other hand, it you are unjust, the people themselves will keep way from you. What virtue is there in your keeping aloof? At all events aloofness is not desirable especially when it is your duty to attend to the needs of the people. Complaints of oppression by your officers or petitions for justice should not prove irksome to you.
Make this clear to yourself that those immediately about and around you will like to exploit their position to covet what belongs to others and commit acts of injustice. Suppress such a tendency in them. Make a rule of your conduct never to give even a small piece of land to any of your relations. That will prevent them from causing harm to the interests of others and save you from courting the disapprobation of God and Man.
Deal justice squarely regardless of the fact whether one is a relation or not. If any of your relations or companions violates the law, mete out the punishment prescribed by law however painful it might be to you personally; for it will be all to the good of the State. If at any time people suspect, that you have been unjust to them in any respect disclose your mind to them and remove their suspicions. In this way, your mind will get attuned to the sense of justice and people will begin to love you. It will also fulfill your wish that you should enjoy their confidence.
Peace And Treaties
Bear in mind that you do not throw away the offer of peace which your enemy may himself make. Accept it, for, that will please God. Peace is a source of comfort to the army; it reduces your worries and promotes order in the State. But Beware! Be on your guard when the peace is signed; for, certain types of enemies propose terms of peace just to lull you into a sense of security only to attack you again when you are off your guard. So you should exercise the utmost vigilance on your part, and place no undue faith in their protestations. But, if under the peace treaty you have accepted any obligations, discharge those obligations scrupulously. It is a trust and must be faithfully upheld and whenever you have promised anything, keep it with all the strength that you command, for whatever differences of opinion might exist on other matters, there is nothing so noble as the fulfillment of a promise. This is recognized even among non-Muslims, for they know the dire consequences which follow from the breaking of covenants. So never make excuses in discharging your responsibilities and never break a promise, nor cheat your enemy. For, breach of promise is an act against God, and none except the positively wicked acts against God
Indeed divine promises are a blessing spread over all mankind. The promise of God is a refuge sought after even by the most powerful on earth; for there is no risk of being cheated. So, do not make any promise from which you may afterwards offer excuses to retract; nor do you go back upon what you have confirmed to abide by; nor do you break it, however galling it may at first prove to be. For, it is far better to wait in patience for wholesome results to follow than to break it out of any apprehensions.
Beware! Abstain from shedding blood without a valid cause. There is nothing more harmful than this which brings about one's ruin. The blood that is willfully shed shortens the life of a state. On the day of judgment it is this crime for which one will have to answer first. So, beware! Do not wish to build the strength of your state on blood; for, it is this blood which ultimately weakens the state and passes it on to other hands. Before me and my God no excuse for willful killing can be entertained.
Murder is a crime which is punishable by death. If on any accord the corporal punishment dealt by the state for any lesser crime results in the death of the guilty, let not the prestige of the stage stand in any way of the deceased relations claiming blood money.
Last Instructions
Do not make haste to do a thing before its time, nor put it off when the right moment arrives. Do not insist on doing a wrong thing, nor show slackness in rectifying a wrong thing. Perform everything in its proper time, and let everything occupy its proper place. When the people as a whole agree upon a thing, do not impose your own view on them and do not neglect to discharge the responsibility that rests on you in consequence. For, the eyes of the people will be on you and you are answerable for whatever you do to them. The slightest dereliction of duty will bring its own retribution. Keep your anger under control and keep your hands and tongue in check Whenever you fall into anger, try to restrain yourself or else you will simply increase your worries.
It is imperative on you to study carefully the principles which have inspired just and good rulers who have gone before you. Give close thought to the example of our prophet (peace be upon him), his traditions , and the commandments of the Book of God and whatever you might have assimilated from my own way of dealing with things. Endeavor to the best of your ability to carry out the instructions which I have given you here and which you have solemnly undertaken to follow. By means of this order, I enjoin on you not to succumb to the prompting of your own heart or to turn away from the discharge of duties entrusted to you.
I seek the refuge of the might of the Almighty and of His limitless sphere of blessings, and invite you to pray with me that He may give us together the grace willingly to surrender our will to His will, and to enable us to acquit ourselves before Him and His creation; so that mankind might cherish our memory and our work survive. I seek of God the culmination of his blessings and pray that He may grant you and me His grace and the honor of martyrdom in His cause. Verily, we have to return to Him. I invoke His blessings on the Prophet of God and his pure progeny.

Enjoyment is Evil?

What I can say to all the youngsters whose life has been dedicated to so much fun and enjoyment in this world and been oblivious of the other purpose of life (that is, the consciousness of the life hereafter), is that they are going to die sooner or later, and that they are just absolutely being lured by the devil to lead a happy-go-lucky life.
You can say I am extremist, but no. I am myself into enjoyment of this life too and very far from the ideal life of self-restraint. I am only concern to those young ones who do not have interest to read or learn the spiritual aspect of life and contented already of his or her happy life. Does he or she know that after happiness it is followed by misery? Yes, and every difficulty it is followed by ease. So it is better to restrain ourselves here in this world of all the happiness created by the Devil - like wine, illegal sex, drugs, gambling, and some others we all know, so tha t in the final destination of life, we will have a good life we cannot imagine how nice it is.
As a food for thought, I will quote some personalities to support my ideals: the Prophet Muhammad said that "work for your life in this world as if you are going to die forever, but work for your life hereafter as if you are going to die tomorrow." Jesus Christ said that "it is better to weep than to laugh," and "it is better to fast than to feast." And Dr. Ali Shariati, the one admired by the legendary French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre, said: "I can never permit myself to spend a single instant of my life on personal happiness." This guy Dr. Shaiati lived a very fruitful life and died a martyr. He had wrote many books, including The History of the Future - amazing, he could tell what would be the history of the future. This book is really interesting and exciting.
Finally, the first commandment of Allah to mankind is READ. Read that you may know what would be best for yourself, books and articles written by great people to be great like them, and not to be a mean person like just anybody else who are contented and very much enjoying this trsansit life. "This world is a poison, only those ignorant of it swallow it." -Imam Ali

Veto Power and Democracy

Is there any democracy in a veto power? Democracy means ruling of the majority, but if the majority can be vetoed by the few elites it is no justice whatsoever. US is exporting its democratic ideals to other peoples of the world (it even enforce it against the will of the people, e.g., Iraq - which is very much in contrast with the principle of democracy).
However, in the United Nations there are five powerful nations that have veto powers. And the three (the US, Britain and France) are so-called proponents of Democracy, that is ironic. Veto power in the UN simply does not respect the will of the majority nations.
In the US, the President has the power to veto the ruling of the Congress. Therefore, the US has no right to boast its democracy around the world because it is the nation that has violated the most all the basics of democracy and human rights.

US in Iraq

Since the US takeover of Iraq from the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqis were more suffering than ever. The Iraqis thought that they have been freed by the US (skeptically) from Saddam's repressive administration, however, the situation got much worse.
The US claim of the US attack Iraq was initially the link of Saddam with al-Qaeda, which was proven wrong. Afterwards, that Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction; again, it was a fabrication. Later, that it wants to establish democracy - by force?
Now, after 4 years the Iraqis are in shambles with all the bombings and killings everyday of their lives, and they want the US to pull out its (and its allies') troops from Iraq - but the US insists that Civil War will start when the troops pull out.
This is unbelievable. Security in Iraq at present is in its worst condition than ever. The US presence in Iraq has no capability to ease the situation but it makes it uncontrollable. And ever since, the Sunnis and the Shiites have been coexisting peacefully and harmoniously. . So the claim of the US of civil war upon their pullout is baseless.
Besides, it is a shame for the US, a 'superpower' at that, that it cannot contain the violence happening in Iraq, and it gets worse everyday right before their very eyes.
Actually, this is what they call the "good cop-bad cop approach". The US has an agent (al-Qaeda) to destabilize Iraq, and the US military will declare their stay in Iraq for security. What security? For whom?
The US cannot really do a damn thing. They should pull out of Iraq to save their soldiers' lives, and Iraqis too. Not to mention huge financial burdens for all concerned

Hypertension, Diabetes & Fasting

Hypertension and diabetes are two of the most common diseases of mankind. These are usually caused by high cholesterol and triglyceride, and glucose level, respectively – in our blood vessels. So far, the best and natural treatment of these diseases is dieting.

More than 14 centuries ago, fasting has been prescribed by Allah to all the mature Muslims during the 30 days of the holy month of Ramadan every year. Moreover, it was a practice (sunnah) of the Pophet Muhammad to fast every Mondays and Thursdays of the week. Might this be considered as one of the scientific significance of Islam? Actually, fasting may be better than mere dieting in a sense that our organs will be given a time to metabolize and balance or stabilize its functions.

Fasting, instead of causing ulcer of the stomach according to others, can even cure the ulcer itself - as stated by some through their experience. One needs only to avoid acidic foods or drinks during sohoor (early-morning meal), including coffee and cigarettes, especially if the meal is meager. During fotoor (breaking of the fast at nightfall), we may eat even oranges or drink coffee or any sodas after enough meals were taken. This way, ulcer can be avoided,

Those who have hypertensions or diabetes, one need not dieting. Fasting regularly can do the job – besides it has reward in the Hereafter. In fact there may be other organs that can be repaired along the way – who knows. I am not a Medical Doctor, but the Prophet Muhammad himself was not harmed by fasting. The Prophet was even very strong that he had participated in many battles and came out victorious.

Times like this, bawal ang magkasakit. Fasting is good for your health - and your pocket.

Islamic Banking

As I understand of Banking, it is mainly mere lending of money to people and paid back with interest. Whereas the Islamic bank should be lending money to people without interest because that is prohibited in Islam. Nevertheless, how the Islamic bank can thrive without the interest. Who will invest on such a deal that is without a profit?
The experts say it’s profit-sharing of investors and the borrower, include the operational funding of the banks. There is also ‘risk-taking’ involved this way. Therefore the Muslim investors still resort to conventional capitalist system of banking, though only modified with a minimal interest, which is still a ribah in a strict sense.
In Islam, there is the so-called zakah and sadaqah system (that is, an obligatory and voluntary donation, respectively). In Shia Islam, there is even khums system which is very much the same with zakah and sadaqah but only a bigger amount of money given.
My point is, the Islamic bank should be lending money to poor or needy people so that they can have the capital to put up business or investments to better their lives - without interest. After paying the capital, and the people have made their lives economically and financially capable, they should be giving back the favor done to them by paying zakah/sadaqah/khums to the Bank, which needs funding to finance its operations and further help other needy people.
The bank, of course, should be checking first the viability of the project proposals or feasibility studies submitted by the borrowers to minimize the risks involved. There should be a systematic procedure to ensure that the investments are productive and viable so that the project will not be a failure.
This way, there would be more and more poor people helped and uplifted from their plight and consequently capable of giving donations, and lesser and lesser people would be needing help. Until there would be no more needy and everyone would then be giving zakah/sadaqah/khums to the bank as a funding for any eventuality.
Hence, the bank should be a public/government-operated agency and not supposed to be a private one. Therefore, it should no longer be called a bank anymore but I think it should be called a Treasury (Bayt al-Mal)
Banking should be abolished from the vocabulary of Muslims because there is no use anymore. It would be remembered only as the institution that has made poor poorer, and the rich richer.
Tax should also be mentioned here. Islam is about all aspects of human’s life. And taxation is like banking; it should be abolished and replaced with the Islamic system of zakah/sadaqah/khums.
This is the true Islamic system. There is no such thing as profit-sharing or risk-taking. Only to please Allah.

Why Shiaism?

WHY I BECAME A ‘SHIA’ MUSLIM?

Initially, it was very hard to accept or understand Shiaism. The first disagreeable concept I encountered during my earliest inquiry was that the First Caliph Abubakr was not supposed to be the first Leader/Caliph/Imam. To me, it is simply unbelievable. So I just shrugged off the thing about Shiaism. Perhaps there are some more other issues about Shiaism that I could not understand, but the Caliphate of Abubakr was enough for me to refrain from entertaining the explanation about Shiaism. I could not accept that the close friend of Rasulallah could have usurped the leadership of the Muslims after the death of the Prophet.
However, when I read the book of the foremost modern revolutionary thinker, Dr. Ali Shariati (Election or Selection), I happened to understand the conflict between the Shiites and the Sunnis. Consequently, I got interested to learn more about the issues of the Shia-Sunni differences. So I researched from both the books of the Shias and the Sunnis. The subjects I have come to understand and accept (then practiced) could not have been realized without my reading from the Sunni books itself.
For example, the combination of Zuhr and Asr prayers, and the Maghrib and Isha prayers. I have been a believer of Shiaism for some years before I performed the combining of prayers. It was because I have read from the Sahih al-Bukhari (the most authentic book of the Sunnis after the Holy Qur’an) that “the Prophet prayed Maghrib together with Isha without any reason at all.” This phrase is enough to convince me the truth of the Shia’s combining of prayers. “Without any reason at all” cannot be disputed anymore, regarding the combining of prayers.
The standing on prayers without the hands folded. Just the same with the combining of prayers, I did not practice the unfolding of hands years after I accepted the belief of Shiaism. I still followed the Sunni way. However, when I have read from the Qur’an itself that on praying, we have to stand straight, then it proved once again the claim of the Shiites. Straight means no folding of hands, just straight.
The Imamate. I have also read from the Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) said that there will be 12 leaders after him from the family of Quraish. Now, if we think of 12 leaders from his family, there is no school of thought in Islam with12 leaders but the 12 Imams of Ithna Ashari Shiites, no more than 12 nor less. Moreover, I have also happened to read prophesized from the Bible that there would be 12 Princes from the seed of Ishmael. And that further strengthened my belief of Imamate.
The temporary marriage or mut’ah, The Awaited Mahdi, etc. will be dealt with in the future.