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Practical Wisdom
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This means that in such a situation we have to change individuals through education, both formally and informally. We have to change their minds and hearts, we have to change their way of thinking; we have to de-condition their conditioned minds.
Initially, every nation is a favoured nation. God is merciful to every group of people, but, with the passage of time, signs of degeneration begin to appear. Now the question is: what to do to regain the initial position? How to rebuild a society which has gone into decline?
The process of building a nation is like growing a garden. If you start by sowing seeds, you can grow a beautiful garden.
The answer is: begin from the beginning. Begin with individual reform. By addressing the individual, you can reach out to society as a whole. But if you start by addressing society in totality, you will not get anywhere.
The process of building a nation is like growing a garden. If you start by sowing seeds, you can grow a beautiful garden; but if you start with the garden itself, you will not reach your desired goal.
King Solomon, who lived in ancient times, was the ruler of Palestine and Syria. He was also an Israelite prophet. One of his contemporaries was the Queen of Sheba, who ruled Yemen from circa. 1100 to 900 B.C. According to Biblical and Quranic accounts, she received a letter from the powerful King Solomon in which he demanded that she surrender to him. What happened after she received the letter is thus recorded in the chapter Al-Naml (The Ants) of the Quran:
original + quoteOriginal text with a quotation or mention inside it
The Queen of Sheba said, ‘O Counsellors, an honourable letter has been delivered to me. It is from Solomon. It reads, “In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, do not exalt yourselves above me, but come to me in all submission.” Now advise me in this, Counsellors. I never decide any affair till I have conferred with you.’ They said, ‘We are strong and our prowess in battle is great, but the decision is in your hands, so consider what you will command.’ She said, ‘Surely, when mighty kings invade a country, they despoil it and humiliate its noblest inhabitants—these men will do the same.’ (27:29-34)
Qur'anQuotes the Qur'an
Then according to the tradition, the Queen of Sheba avoided confrontation by opting for surrender. Thus she saved her country from invasion by Solomon’s army. This surrender was only in the political sense; in all other senses she was able to continue to rule autonomously. The people of Sheba were a trading nation. By this partial political surrender, they were also able to continue trading as before.