Daily Times

Frank Herbert was a prolific science fiction writer who authored “Dune,” in 1965, a classic of its genre which sold a record number of copies.

Science fiction is an American forte. Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon in 1964, and declared that it was, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

NASA had attempted the impossible and succeeded. Heady from the rush, the American nation was ready for the next stage of mankind’s existence. Science fiction was a natural consequence of that euphoric can-do spirit that was literally aiming for the stars. Dune had the perfect timing.

This month, the latest movie version of Dune was released with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Almost six decades after being penned, Dune stays relevant because science fiction is currently the most popular genre in Hollywood. Science fiction is a genre where movies serve as a platform to raise philosophical questions about the future of the human race. Films like Dune, Avatar and others ponder on the long-term survival of the human species, ecology, social ecology, the intersection of religion, politics, economics and power etc. These questions are posed in a future where humanity has long since developed interstellar travel and encountered other life forms-including more intelligent ones.

A female sage in the Dune universe makes a profound statement.

The old woman says, “The world is supported by four things: the learning of the wise; the justice of the great; the prayers of the righteous; and the valor of the brave. But all of these are as nothing, without a ruler who knows the art of ruling.”

I could not help but apply these words to our country, Pakistan.

Pakistan is a nation where the wise, the righteous and the brave live. The missing link is justice.

The learning of the wise upheld our sovereignty when the scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer, the diplomat Agha Shahi, the bureaucrat I H Hussaini, and numerous others came together to make Pakistan a nuclear power. Being in the nuclear club gave us a distinct status within the comity of nations and signalled our preparedness for a tit-for-tat to hostile nations.

The learning of the wise has ensured our survival during the current Covid-19 pandemic when we were able to flatten the curve in the first wave and the subsequent waves. Our eastern neighbour has tragically been facing an out of control situation, where fatalities are alarmingly high.

The prayers of the righteous may very well be our saving grace. There is no dearth of people in Pakistan who live in straitened circumstances but act nobly, honourably and chivalrously. We even hear about the noble character of famous people in the show business-a field otherwise known for vanity-whose righteousness is revealed by others after their passing. Moin Akhtar, Tariq Aziz and Sultan Rahi are some of the names that come to mind. Then there are the obvious names such as Dr Adeeb Rizvi and the late Abdus Sattar Edhi to name a few.

Hardly any nation on earth can match the valour of the Pakistani Bravehearts in the military. We have fought an unconventional and highly dangerous war since 2001, where the enemy was well equipped, pathologically driven and well-entrenched. Salute to our armed forces, whose heroism, perseverance and tremendous sacrifice, defeated an enemy that threatened our very existence.

The justice of the great has been our Achilles heel. We are an unjust nation. There is no deliverance of justice, thanks to the colonial relic, which is our judicial system. This lack of justice is the shackles that weigh us down and keep us pinned to a dismal state. To give one example, the Pakistani law has no provision that directly addresses medical malpractice, the only recourse is Tort’s Law.

There is nothing more demoralising than to have no recourse to justice if wronged.

Pakistan is a nation where the wise, the righteous and the brave live. The missing link is justice.

Justice can only be achieved by the ruler who possesses the sight beyond sight promised to the true believer, when Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said: “.When I love him (my servant) I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask [something] of Me, I would surely give it to him”.

(Hadith Qudsi 25)

Hadith Qudsi is not the words of the prophet (PBUH). They are the verbatim words of Allah, spoken through Muhammad (PBUH). Allah (SWT) tells us how the right action comes intuitively to the righteous one. Such a person can internalise the attributes of which Allah SWT is the fount. This is how a truly righteous man can be wise as Allah the Al-Hakeem is the fount of wisdom; be just as Allah the Al-Adl is the fount of justice, be generous as Allah the Al-Kareem is the fount of generosity; and be benevolent as Allah the Ar-Raheem is the fount of benevolence.

The purer the nafs (soul), the nobler the thoughts and actions.

Umar bin Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) was all of that because he had purified his soul and staunchly rejected what is base within it. He rejected the trappings of this material and transient world, by living ascetically. His proclaimed aspiration was to take account before Allah takes account. He earned the pleasure of Allah SWT by always being mindful of Him.

Umar bin Khattab showed the way. The art of ruling lies in following in his footsteps.

The writer is an independent researcher, author and columnist. She can be reached at aliya1924@gmail.com