Bismi'llah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim...for the sake of Prophet Muhammad saws and Sheikh Nazim may Allah protect his secret.

Here's another bit from the discussion on Blog Ladder, where I'm being picked up on my weakness over historical dates.


Thorny Problem.

After my last post I expected a bit of reaction over the thorny problem of democratic as opposed to traditional heirarchical political systems. I wasn't sure how it would pan out,but,as usual the feed-back on B.L. stimulates the process.Once again it seems simplest to just post the comment I made in reply to a comment.Hoping the recipient doesn't mind,here it is

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Thanks kit,I knew if I had a reaction from anyone on that point it would be you.I was going to say that I am open to learn and see what you suggested,but you're one step ahead already..thanks.It's a difficult point and I hope I will reach a satisfactory conclusion.My wife and I have discussed this lots of times and I haven't made a lot of headway yet.Over the years I have found the Sheikh to make points that,at the time seem downright rough and tough ,riding roughshod over details both politically and historically..but .. he always seems to turn out to be right in the end.I suppose I was a good socialist, democratic, women's lib, flexible, liberal kind of person when I first met him..but although I hope I have lost no humanity on the way..I have done a 180 deg. turn on many things.
At the end of the day no one is saying that there wasn't tremendous injustice in France before the revolution..and I don't think we can say that any political system is perfect as soon as it begins to be practiced by us,imperfect,human beings.What the Sheikh has been at pains to try to teach westerners,Europeans and now Muslims as well,is that the best system is a heirarchical one in which the people at the top are the most God-fearing ones and they look after those beneath with an awareness of their moral and social responsibility before God.What tends to happen when there are elections based more and more on materialism is that society becomes de-stabilised .. and there is lack of continuity.Most of us these days are fed on a diet of democracy from such an early age that we don't even pause to consider wether it is really the best thing..it seems so unquestionable.It is difficult to swallow but from the Sheikh's point of view,the most outstanding single event that changed the traditional heirarchy and 'Divine right of Kings' was the French revolution ... the Americans being quick to follow suit cutting themselves off from the British Crown.I got a small idea of this in the film 'The Madness of King George' in the scene where he laments the loss of America.It made me realise that to a King a land actually belongs to him .. he loves it and can care for it and it's people in a way that no elected president or prime minister ever could.I hope,as usual,that we both may learn something from this discussion.