Self-seeking

It has been narrated by Abu Musa, who said: Two of my cousins and I entered the apartment of the Holy Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be to him

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August 18, 2022

It has been narrated by Abu Musa, who said: Two of my cousins and I entered the apartment of the Holy Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). One of them said: Messenger of Allah, appoint us rulers of some lands that the Almighty and Glorious God has entrusted to thy care. The other also said something similar. He said: “We do not appoint to this position one who asks for it nor anyone who is covetous for the same.”

(Muslim)

Holding of office in an Islamic State is not a bed of roses. Thus the man who covets this job is a self seeker who is anxious to make fortune out of his official position; he is, therefore, most unfit to be entrusted with any responsibility, because a self-seeker cannot prove to be a good ruler. In case he is not a self seeker, but is anxious to hold office, even then he is not fit for the office as he is ignorant of its great responsibility. No sane man can dare put the neck under the yoke. He tries to evade this burden as far as possible. But when it is thrown upon his shoulder, he undertakes it with full sense of responsibility. Muhammad Asad explains the legal implication of this verdict of the Holy Messenger: “Thus it would be in full keeping with the spirit of Shari’ah if the constitution of an Islamic State would explicitly declare that self-canvassing by any person desirous of being appointed to an administrative post… shall automatically disqualify that person from being appointed….”