THE IMPORTANCE OF A SECONDARY ROLE

THE IMPORTANCE OF A SECONDARY ROLE For the Greater Good I N the Chapter Al-Zukhruf (Ornaments of Gold), the Quran describes a law of nature, which is very important for the purpose of nation building. The translation of the relevant verse is as follows: Is it they who apportion the blessing of your Lord? It is We who distribute among them their livelihood in the life of this world, and raise some of them above others in rank, so that they may take one another into service; and the blessing of your Lord is better than (the wealth) which they amass. (43: 32) These differences between people are not simply a matter of disparity or discrimination; there is great wisdom behind these differences. They give us a form of direction on how to manage our social system. In simple words, it means that one person must take the primary role and other members of society must accept a secondary role. This is the only method of organization by means of which a society can achieve its highest targets. It is a fact that a great achievement requires the joint efforts of a great number of people; a single individual on his own cannot achieve the highest of social goals. So, what is the principle for a successful joint effort of this kind? It is to entrust one competent person with the role of leadership, while all the other persons take a back seat and play a secondary role. It is a fact that without joint efforts no high goal can be achieved, but joint efforts always need someone at the helm of affairs. Without a boss you cannot run a company; without a prime minister you cannot run a government; without the head of the family you cannot run a home; without a coordinator, or a supervisor, you cannot run a joint effort. Adherence to the principle of leadership is an integral part of any successful joint effort. This being so, the law of nature set forth in the above Quranic verse is a great blessing for us. God Almighty created people with differences or A great achievement requires the joint efforts of a great number of people; a single individual on his own cannot achieve the highest of social goals.