Page 454
yā-dāwūdu ʾinnā jaʿalnāka khalīfatan fī l-ʾarḍi fa-ḥkum bayna n-nāsi bi-l-ḥaqqi wa-lā tattabiʿi l-hawā fa-yuḍillaka ʿan sabīli llāhi ʾinna lladhīna yaḍillūna ʿan sabīli llāhi lahum ʿadhābun shadīdun bi-mā nasū yawma l-ḥisābi
‘O David! Indeed, We have made you a vicegerent on the earth. So judge between people with justice, and do not follow your desires, or they will lead you astray from the way of Allah. Indeed there is a severe punishment for those who stray from the way of Allah, because of their forgetting the Day of Reckoning.’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Sad - Verse 26
26. “O David! Verily We have appointed you a vicegerent in the earth, so judge between the people with justice and do not follow (vain) desire for it will mislead you from the way of Allah; (as for) those who go astray from the path of Allah, they shall surely have a severe punishment, because they forgot the Day of Reckoning.”
Religion is not separate from politics. Allah has given the administration of His servants’ affairs to the prophets. The administration of people’s affairs is Allah’s right which He gives to whomever He desires. Governing over people is a great bounty the gratitude of which is the execution of justice among people. Following the story of David, and as the last saying, this verse addresses David, while stating his high rank, it explains his heavy duties and responsibilities through a decisive tone and some expressive statements, where it says:
The content of this verse, which refers to the high rank of David and his important duty, contains five sentences each of which pursues a fact. The first is the rank of vicegerency of David in the earth. Is the purpose of it the replacement of the former prophets, or the Divine vicegerency? Here the second meaning seems more fitting, and it is more consistent with Surah Al-Baqarah, No. 2, verse 30 which says:
Of course, vicegerency, with its real meaning, in respect to Allah does not have any meaning, because it is meaningful and correct for only those who are absent or have died. Then, its purpose is His deputation among His servants and performing His commands in the earth. This sentence denotes that government on the earth must originate from the government of Allah, and any government that works other than this way is verily an unjust and undue government.
In the second sentence it commands: now that this great merit has been given to you, your duty is to judge among people with justice. In fact, the result of the Divine vicegerency is the government of Truth. It can be understood from this sentence that the government of Truth originates only from vicegerency and it is its direct product. The third sentence points to the most important danger which threatens a just governor. It says:
Yes, vain desire puts a thick curtain over the truth-seeking eyes of man and it causes a distance between him and justice. So, in the fourth sentence it implies that if you follow the low desire, it hinders you from the path of Allah, which is the same as the path of truth. Thus, wherever there is stray, there exists the low desire; and wherever the low desire exists, it ruins the rights of people, and, for this reason, his government is ephemeral and will face with failure.
Here, vain desire may have a vast meaning which encompasses both the vain desire of man himself, and the vain desire of people. And thus the Qur’an nullifies the schools which follow the common thoughts, whatever they may be, and count them necessary for the governments, because the result of both of them is misled from the path of Allah and the straight way. Today we see the effects of this kind of thought in, so to speak, the civilized world. They have passed the worst deeds as a law for the sake of people’s desires and they have reached the notoriety to its utmost limit, so that pen shames to explain it.
It is true that the bases of government must be on the shoulder of people and it forms with the association of common people, but this does not mean that the criterion of right and wrong in everything and everywhere is the desires of the majority of people. A government must have a framework of the Truth (Allah), but in practising this framework it must get help from the power of society, and the Islamic Republic, which we demand, is made up of the words: Republic and Islamic, also means the same thing. In other words, the principles are taken from the religious school, but people execute them.
Finally, in the fifth sentence the verse points to this fact that going astray from the path of Allah originates from forsaking ‘The Day of Reckoning’ and its fruit is the severe punishment of Allah. Principally, forgetting the Day of Hereafter is always the source of aberrations, and each aberration is mixed with this forgetfulness, and this principle makes clear the training effect of being regardful to the Resurrection in the lives of men. The narrations cited in this regard in Islamic sources are very notable.
Among them is the tradition which has been narrated from both the holy Prophet of Islam (S) and Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) who said:
“O people! Verily the most terrible things about which I fear on you are two things: following the low desire, and long hopes. Then, following low desire restrains you from the truth, and extending of hopes causes you to forget the Hereafter”. 6
It is suitable that this sentence to be written excellently and put in the sight of all, specially that of the rulers, judges, and the responsible officials of the affairs. In another tradition Imam Baqir (as) has said:
“There are three things which destroy (man): the miserliness that is obeyed, the low desire which is followed, and the state of man’s being content with his own self.” 7
A Few Traditions Upon Low Desire
1- Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) said:
“The intellect is the possessor of the army of Allah, the Beneficent, and the low desire is the leader of the troops of Satan, and the man’s self is under the pressure of the attractions of these two. Then, every one of them overcomes, the self will follow it.” 8
2- Imam Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) said:
“There are many intellects which are captive with the soul that bids to evil.” 9
3- Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) said:
“The one whose intellect overcomes his low desire will be prosperous, and the one whose low desire overcomes his intellect will be ignominious.” 10
4- Ali (as) said:
“…Unfortunate is he who fell victim to his desires and his pride…” 11
5- Imam Jawad (as) said:
“He who obeys his low desire, he has caused his enemy to reach his hope.” 12
6- Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) said:
“Make the intellect superior to the low desire, because intellect owns the time but the low desire makes you the servant of the time.” 13
7- Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) said:
“There is no enemy like the low desire.” 14
Footnotes