THE ONE ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE AND THE ONE ELECTED BY ALLAH

The association of men throughout time has led people to fight for the material improvement of their lot. The goal is purely selfish, having only a distant connection with spirituality.

Men as creatures are condemned with the instinct of self-preservation to survive, to be dependent on their fellow men. This dependence manifests itself mainly through the exploitation of the weakness of the next person.

To survive, the merchant relies on the support and trust of the buyer. Similarly, the effort of the farmer is of no value without the demand of the consumer. Both cases illustrate how the community is king.

The same rule applies to the people and their elected representative. The people's elected representative is a reflection of his fellow citizens. Its follow-up is linked to the support of its peers and the slightest flaw in this exercise brings with it the susceptibility of its pure and simple disappearance at any moment. There are plenty of cases where emperors have relegated themselves to ex-emperors. From ministers to ex-ministers, from elected officials to ex-elected officials and so on. Each case required replacement. However, why did replacement take place? Over time, new trends have emerged among the ranks of the people; which brings the need to promote elected officials with new aspirations. Moreover, once the new elected official settles down, his main concern is the preservation and consolidation of his power. He uses all the means that seem good to him (even if sometimes these means are bad or revolting) to maintain his leadership.

The one elected by Allah, on the other hand, brings to the people a perfect model for life which is appropriate for all time to come. It is initiated by the Eternal Divinity who is Omniscient, knower of the past and the future and King of the human community. It represents the moral edifice in the absolute sense of the word which under no circumstances can rest on the fragile shoulders of the people. The entire lineage of Allah's chosen ones [from Hazrat Adam (Alaihis Salaam) to the last Prophet Rasulullah (Sallallaahu A'laihi Wasallam)] was chosen from the perspective of the knowledge of the greatest eternal scholar who is Allah and is the only one who knows how and when to place his chosen one in the most appropriate circumstance.

No one can dispute Allah's choice. The chosen one of Allah, even at the risk of being deprived of his disciplines, remained his chosen one until the end of time. His power, his vocation and his office do not rest on the people, but on the Divine will. The Prophets (Alaihis Salaam) like Ibrahim, Musa, Zakariyya, Nuh (Alaihis Salaam) whom all humanity proclaims as true messengers of Allah, had never diminished themselves even at the cost of seeing their respective people prey to the disobedience of Allah. Above all, let's take the example of Nuh (Alaihis Salaam) who lived with a single follower for more than 900 years!

Logically we discern that the elect of the people, with the constitution of the people is subject to replacement with the evolution of time while the elect of Allah with the constitution of Allah are designated to be eternal.

The people's elected representative caricatures the will, tendencies and behaviour of the people. If the people, in their insatiable thirst for material things, propose measures that are almost non-compliant with the precepts of Allah, taking examples such as:

a) Pseudo Freedom for women;

b) Legalisation of abortion, gambling, etc. 

The people's elected representative, to safeguard his situation, credulously prefers to let himself be led into the people's boat, which confirms the formula “Their actions are their leaders”. Unlike the one chosen by Allah, he is the model of the best spiritual, temporal and social behaviour. Allah instilled in their souls the virtues of justice, charity, selflessness and kindness towards one's fellow human beings. It is Allah who is his guide and he is independent of the community.

“Follow those who do not ask for any payment from you, and who are rightly guided.” (36:21)

"O my people, I do not ask you for any wealth. My reward is with my Rabb, and I cannot discard those who have Imaan. Surely, they will meet their Rabb. However, I deem you to be foolish people." (11:29)

Those who rely on the elected representative of the people, for the solution of social problems, naively delude themselves with illusions that they will build their peace, through principles that they themselves have put in place. While absolute peace comes from the absolute principles of the source of the absolute which is Allah. The people delude themselves into seeking peace and the hope of peace in their elected officials who cannot give life to a crippled fly!

Allah said: "The example of those who adopt defenders besides Allah is like the example of a spider who spins a web. Without doubt, the weakest of homes is the home (web) of the spider" (29:41) or "The seeker and the sought are both weak". (22:73)

The actions of our elected officials make us see ourselves in a mirror. But if the reflection harms us, should we break the mirror or change ourselves? Given that the situation is so disorganised on a moral and spiritual level, is it not high time for the people to reflect?

[English version of "L'élu du peuple et l'élu d'Allah" – Al Haadi – Vol. 1 No. 1]