Succession Is Not Domination Over People
Selections from the Book The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (55)
Succession is not about imposing authority over people through judgments. Why should I spend part of my life pursuing others, accusing them, and classifying them? Would it not be more appropriate for me to fulfill my duty by removing the thorny branches from their path and leaving their matters to their Creator?
Does an excessive sense of accountability towards others cultivate curiosity and heightened observation within us?
Does it develop a sixth sense that allows us to smell and imagine what our eyes have not seen and our ears have not heard?
Why do we notice the first step— which may be a minor misstep— and assume that the person has already reached the tenth step? Suppose I see someone committing a sin; would not the covering of Allah, which has encompassed me, also encompass them?
I used to think that vicegerency was a concept specific to Adam or to those in positions of great responsibility. Then I remembered the words of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him: “All of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards. The ruler is a guardian and responsible for his subjects; the man is a guardian and responsible for his family; the woman is a guardian and is responsible for her husbands house and his offspring; and so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards” including men, women, and servants’’.
I asked myself: What would change in my personality, my life, and my interactions with the things around me if I truly felt that I am entrusted with this responsibility, no matter how small, and that I am accountable for it, whether I preserve it or neglect it? Would that not determine my salvation or my downfall?
I have reached the answer.
The concept of succession extends to politics, economics, social life, sports, arts, literature, and poetry, encompassing all aspects of life. If every individual, in any field of life, lives by beautiful human values, draws closer to Allah, harmonizes with the universe in promoting reform, and fights against corruption, then every person, in this sense, is a successor on this earth.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him, pp. 407-408.
- My father taught me with Adam from clay to clay, Al-Awda, p. 99.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
