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wa-lladhīna stajābū li-rabbihim wa-ʾaqāmū ṣ-ṣalāta wa-ʾamruhum shūrā baynahum wa-mimmā razaqnāhum yunfiqūna
those who answer their Lord, maintain the prayer, and [conduct] their affairs by counsel among themselves, and they spend out of what We have provided them;
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah al-Shura - Verses 38 - 39
38. And those who answer the Call of their Lord, establish prayers, [conduct] their affairs by consultation, and expend of what We have bestowed upon them.
39. And those who when an oppressive wrong is done to them [do not surrender but] seek succor.
Attending to Divine Lordship enthuses man to act upon Divine Injunctions. Those who love establishing prayers and expending in the Cause of Allah shall reap better and enduring Bounties in the Hereafter. Talha and Zubayr said unto Imam ‘Ali (as):
“We support you provided that you seek our consultation regarding all issues, since we are different from others.”
The Noble Imam (as) replied:
“I look into the Book of Allah and Prophetic traditions and act upon them. I have no need for your consultation in this respect; however if I come to issues for which I could not find any argument thereto and feel the need to seek your consultation, I will do likewise.”
Verse 38 lays emphasis on consultation in the administration of society hence the designation of the Chapter, Shura (“consultation”). A number of traditions will be cited hereunder regarding consultation.7
“Consult with pious scholars, those who fear God Almighty who prefer the Hereafter to worldly possessions. Consult with the wise who are knowledgeable and experienced. Do not consult with the avaricious, the timid, and the greedy.
Consult with those who are truthful and have no attachments. Reveal your secrets unto them so that they may present their comprehensive and complete opinions. Consultation with the benevolent wise leads to growth and Divine Blessing. Regarding your affairs, consult with one who possesses five excellences: sensibility, knowledge, experience, benevolence, and fear of God Almighty.” 8
It is worthy of note that one is supposed to seek consultation regarding the affairs of people, but one is not supposed to do likewise concerning Divine matters, e.g. Resurrection, Imamate, and worship of God. Establishment of prayers is a Divine Covenant and believers are supposed to keep their promise without seeking consultation. Imamate and leading the Muslim community are also Divine Covenants, since Abraham (as) invoked God Almighty and asked Him to appoint his offspring to lead the community and God Almighty answered to him:
“Leadership and Imamate are My Covenants and appointment of individuals to the same is dependent upon My Will rather than your invocation, since wrong-doers do not deserve leadership.”
Thus, we should surrender to Him in terms of the leadership of the Muslim community, as it is reflected in the Holy Qur’an,
Imamate depends upon Divine Will, but consultation regards people’s social affairs rather than Injunctions and Divine Laws. It is noteworthy that that Islam is a comprehensive and complete religion in terms of ideological, ethical, social, economic, religious, and political issues. The present tense indicating progression is employed to express such characteristics.9 Other characteristics of those who believe in God and in Whom they put their trust is that they act upon Divine Injunctions and establish prayers. In establishing their prayers, they seriously observe the outward aspects, e.g. the order of their parts and conditions, and the inward aspects, e.g. sincerity and presence of mind and all the affairs that lead to the acceptance of their acts by God Almighty.
Believers also consult with each other and act upon each other’s discretion. They do not act opinionatedly. Consultation is fruitful in consulting with the wise and scholars since it leads to favorable consequences. Besides, it breeds friendship amongst believers, since they trust each other in their secrets, keep company with them, and seek their own good from them. Furthermore, believers provide others with the material possession, knowledge, recognition, and rank which are all granted to them by God Almighty.
They expend their material possessions in the Cause of Allah through bearing aid to the poor and the miserable. They make use of their power and rank to assist the oppressed and the needy. Verse 39 is saying that it is a characteristic of believers who take vengeance upon disbelieving wrong-doers when they are wronged by them. They never surrender to their opponents rather they struggle against them valiantly such that they defeat them, since the humility of Muslims is on a par with that of the Islamic faith.
It is worthy of note that it is incumbent upon Muslims to defend themselves with seeking aid from believers. Silence against being wronged is forbidden. It is incumbent upon Muslims to forgive believers but believers are supposed to defend themselves against wrong-doers and seek aid from other believers
Footnotes