← Quranic WisdomQuranic Wisdom
The Rise and Fall of a Nation
English · 2 min read
Spirituality is the essence of divine life; spirituality leads to a life where there is no tension, no negative thought. In other words, spirituality makes us positive human beings.
Everything that happens in this world is controlled by the well-known laws of nature. The same is true of the rise and fall of a nation. The Quran, in the chapter Al-Anfal (The Spoils of War), gives substance to this law thus:
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God would never withdraw a favour that He had conferred upon a people, unless they change what is in their inner selves. God is all-hearing and all-knowing. (8:53)
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The same law is referred to in another Quranic chapter:
God does not change the condition of a people’s lot, unless they change what is in their hearts. (13:11)
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By the word ‘peoples’ the Quran means the nation or society and by the word ‘heart’ or ‘inner self’ the Quran refers to individuals. Here, the Quran refers to that law of nature which determines the fate of peoples or nations. This law applies without exception to all nations.
According to this law, the destiny of a nation depends upon the individuals of which it is composed. Every individual is an important unit of his or her nation. If the individuals are good in character, the whole nation will be good, but if the individuals are bad in character, then the whole nation will become bad.
This law tells us how to reform a nation or a society after deterioration has set in. This law gives us the starting point. Whenever it has become apparent that a nation has fallen into evil ways, we have to start our reform from its individual members; that is the only possible way to begin. You can successfully address an individual mind, but you cannot similarly address a crowd.