The two words in the headline representing names of two chapters of the Qur’ān, are here intentionally even though they may initially look unconnected to current national and international scenario be it political, economic or socio-religious this writer wants to focus. A few days ago North Korea gave a warning of Nuking the US; a little later the US and its blue-eyed-kid Israel declared the possibility of attacking Iran. Japan and China are at loggerheads over the ownership of an island in the South China Sea.
In a management conclave on 16 March I heard live the Gujarat CM stressing the superiority of knowledge over economy and defence capability of the nation while the next day we heard the Bihar CM demanding special economic package for his state as a right. I am often amused to find highly distinguished speakers and as much important audience discussing nonissues and drawing absurd conclusions. Narendra Modi is nearer to ignoring nonissues giving precedence to knowledge as a national asset over economic or defence capability. Here we note clamouring for gains in the material world ignoring the rewards of eternal hereafter as ‘penny wise and pound foolish’. Even if you assume all ideologies to be directed towards a welfare state, let us examine the real issues at hand.
What is the real reason behind the increasing economic disparities, resulting in lack of food, clothing and shelter for millions even in today’s enlightened world all the time discussing management issues as if they are a separate entity? We hear ‘a watt saved is a watt produced’, and ‘a rupee saved is a rupee earned’. When are the heads of world governments going to realise the futility of expending billions and billions of dollars to ensure citizens of one nation kill citizens of another nation, on one excuse or the other? Is it not still clear that there is no winner in any war? Are the war mongers cheating anybody else other than themselves? Is it not possible to divert the monetary and material resources definitely in excess and concentrated with luxuriant few to the less fortunate in a productive manner by investing them extensively in infrastructure and energy projects instead of military endures while creating employment opportunities and mitigating power and infrastructure shortages at the same time?
After the gift of Imaan i.e. Islamic belief (in the final revision of divine religion); and the God-given resources of our life, health, wealth, knowledge, the most valuable asset is perhaps our ability to distinguish between what is ethical and what is unethical i.e. the criteria or ‘Furqaan’, which is also another name of the Qur’ān. This is implied in the Urdu word Ilm and Sanskrit word Jnaan. It is only this creation of ethical values through knowledge and reformation (Ilm and Amal) in individuals that is ultimately going to solve problems of humanity and is the key to management of national as well as international issues. It is the single most important quality of our beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) that forced even a Jew like Michael Hart to place him at the top of ‘The Hundred Most Influential Persons in Human History’.