poverty, political subjection and economic dependence. It has
ceased to play a creative role in the world. The leadership of
humanity has passed out of its hands. It no longer lives, it merely
vegetates. It has dropped out of the procession of humanity which
is slowly but steadily moving towards a grand destination. The
moment it lost touch with the moral order, it began to decay. Death
is preferable to decay. The Qur'an says that a nation begins to
decline when it pursues wealth and takes to hoard money. It should
have spent the money for the general good. The rich, instead of
helping the poor and the needy, amassed wealth for themselves. The
inevitable consequence was that the nation began to deteriorate. It
believed that wealth would make it strong but wealth worked like a
poison in its system and undermined it. It ruined itself by pursuing
an ignoble end:
Ye are those who are called to spend in the way of Allah, yet among you
there are those who hoard. And as for him who hoardeth he hoardeth
only from his own self. And Allah is the rich and ye are the poor. And if
ye turn away, He will exchange you for some other folk and they shall
not be like you (47:38).
The meaning is clear. If a nation refuses to work for the
development of mankind and for the establishment of the Divine
Order and pursues the ignoble end of self aggrandisement, it will be
supplanted by another nation carrying more weight in the balance
of humanity. The acquisitive nation will remain stuck in its wealth
and another nation will be called upon to give a lead to mankind.
This latter nation is said to be "better than its predecessor" (70:41).
The struggle between nations is carried on, on the physical as
well as the moral plane. A nation which relies on brute force and
cunning may succeed for a time but ultimately fails. It has to face not
only the external enemy but also the discontent among the common
people. However strong and well-organised the government may
be, it succumbs to its opponents because it was based on injustice
and tyranny. The rivalries of political factions and the mounting
discontent of the people under the oppressive rule, brings about the
downfall of the organisation – even if it is not defeated on the field
of battle. This is the fate of the unjust society:
Say: He is able to send punishment upon you from above you or from
beneath your feet, or to confuse you into parties and make you taste the
tyranny one of another (6:65).
Islam: A Challenge to Religion 271