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Lesson: 10 Love of Status and Fame
Doubtlessly
love for status and fame is one of the attributes, which often destroys homes
and Kingdoms. Similarly it also takes away his religion and the world from man.
If one does not improve oneself from the very beginning, by the time he attains
governance or power, his entire aim become to rule over people and not to better
and develop his community. So when Mu'awiyah arrived in Kufa and climbed the
pulpit he said: I have nothing to do with your prayers and fasting! My desire
is to rule over you and I have attained it.
In order to
give a better understanding of the subject of love for status and fame, we divide
its deliberation into two parts:
1 - The Quranic
verses and the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) s and Imams (a.s.) s narrations prohibiting
and condemning love and fame and status.
2 - What has
been condemned is the love for governance. So in the matter of property and
wealth, it is the worldly material love and not the said things in themselves.
Condemnation
of the over ambitious in the Quran
A: As for
that future abode, We assign it to those who have no desire to exalt themselves
in the earth nor to make mischief and the good end is for those who guard against
evil.
B: Whoever
desires this worlds life and its finery, We will give them in full their deeds
therein, and they shall not be made to suffer loss in respect of them. These
are they for whom there is nothing but fire in the Hereafter, and what they
wrought in it shall go for nothing, and vain is what they do.
C: Whoever
desire the gain of the hereafter, We will give him more of that again; and whoever
desire the gain of this world, We give him of it, and in the Hereafter he has
no portion.
It is very
well understood from there verses that in the sight of Quran, love for fame
and status is very indecent.
There are many
narrations about this. We suffice but with few:
1 - Mummar
bin Khalaad says: Imam Moosa bin Ja'far A was asked that man loves power. Imam
said: Maa zimbaane. For a Muslim the loss from love for status is more then
the loss of a herd of sheep which does not have a shepherd while it is attacked
by two wolves.
2 - Imam Ja'far
Sadiq (a.s.) said: Whoever desires status and power is destroyed.
3 - Imam Sadiq
(a.s.) said: The one who entertains the love for power gets destroyed.
4 - It is written
in one of the prohibiting orders of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) Beware! The
one who takes up the rule and power of a community will, be brought on the Day
of Judgement in such a manner that his hands will be fastened with his neck.
Then, if he had acted according to Divine commandments during his rule, Allah
will disband his hands. If he had oppressed people he will be taken toward the
Hell. How bad is the place that is Hell.
But it must
be remembered that the status which has been condemned is when man likes it
to be the ruler and had worked for getting it. Otherwise, the status which has
been granted by Lord Almighty is not only unobjectionable but it is also very
desirable.
Hence the Holy
Quran avers in the words quoting the words of Prophet Yusuf Joseph - (a.s.):
He said: Place me in authority over the treasures of the land, surely I am
a good keeper, knowing well.
Imam Reza (a.s.)
said: One who desires to get authority for himself, gets destroyed as the authority
does not befit the one who is not qualified for it.
But some people,
despite knowing that others are more qualified for status than him or that they
are not suitable for it, want to get power and present themselves in such a
way that people may think that they the power seekers intend to serve Islam
and Muslims. But these are satanic thoughts who deceives man.
Truly if we
have seen that others are more fit that us and that they are more able to perform
their duties and yet if we make a show of being of well-wishers of Islam, is
all this not a love for power and an attempt to divert people from the path
of Islam?
And again,
what dishonesty is worse than that of a man who does not have any suitability
for a post and yet he, by telling hundreds of lies and playing various tricks
tries to impose himself on people and usurps the place of the pious, because
this does not harm only one person or seize the rights of an individual but
it is a big fraud on the entire society and on the coming generation.
Said the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.s.): We must, in every situation, seek Gods refuge to be safe
from the desire of the self and from the evil of satanic suggestions.
