"GOD has not created men equal in knowledge and that in every generation, there are only a few to whom the others must turn to in times of crisis," according to scholar Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn 'Abd al-Ra mān al-Sakhāwi.

It seems that this fundamental insight, which people of spiritual discernment, sages and Prophets throughout the ages had understood, has been either forgotten or ignored in this time of crisis.

The duty of some sections of mankind — the educated ones and the possessors of command (ulu al-amr: the rulers and governments) — is to recognise that in every period of history we need to acknowledge them and act accordingly.

This reality of humanity is important for us as we need imaginative and breakthrough solutions to the crisis we are facing, which is systemic in nature. 

That fundamental insight, aside from what is alluded to by al-Sakhawi, has also been hinted at by Jalaluddin Rumi in his Masnavi as follows:

"If intellects join forces that is best —

More light shines and the path's made manifest,

While carnal souls when paired, just like the night

Cause darkness to obscure the path from sight."

For Muslims, there is a basis in the Quran on the fact that some believers would have deeper intellectual-spiritual perception than others: "God will raise by degrees those of you who are believers and who are granted knowledge" (58:11), and also, "Can those who know be of the same level as those who do not know?" (39:9).

These are the two verses that Imam al-Ghazali draws our attention to at the beginning of his chapter on knowledge in his influential work Revival of the Religious Sciences (Ihya Ulum al-Din).

In other words, it is part of God's customary way of acting (sunnatullah) for there to be men and women of deeper perception on the realities of things or wisdom (hikmah) and it is the moral duty for others to turn to these people in times of crisis.

This is also connected to the question of returning the trust (amanah) to its rightful keepers — a command of God according to the Quran (4:58) — and this matter is drawn to our attention in its contemporary context by the luminary, Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, in his more recent book, On Justice and the Nature of Man (2015).

In it, he states that "it is assumed that the keeper of trust must possess moral integrity and authentic knowledge of what is entrusted to be worthy of the trust".

The habitual neglect of the aforementioned considerations could perhaps be one of the reasons why we fail time and again to think holistically or systemically about our problems, and continue to think in isolation and fragmentation in trying to overcome major problems confronting us in the world.

The best way to think about any issue is via the more "systemic", or interconnected way as how the great luminaries of the past have shown us.

For example, when the sagacious in Islamic tradition speak of "justice" ('adl), they understand it as a condition of things being in its proper place in relation to the "system" it is in.

Such insights are necessary to move beyond superficial, reductionist or pseudo-solutions, which perhaps many who are in positions of decision-making may tend to adopt uncritically.

For example, global health frameworks may sometimes need to be adjusted to local contexts as they may not address local limitations, ethical failures and even indigenous viable solutions.

Considering the views of the sagacious will fill a much needed gap in existing modes of thinking by authorities on "transformation" and "recovery" plans, which may mostly be process-driven and implementation-based only.

Muslims have historical track records where this fundamental insight and principle is made operative.

It is well documented in history that the founding fathers of the Ottoman state held close relations with sagacious individuals.

The most prominent being Osman Ghazi and Shaykh Edebali, and Sultan Mehmet Fatih and Ak Shamsuddin.

Such a convergence is the reason why we are able to glean a vast yet orderly and harmonious "civilisation-state", which sought to fashion history as an instrument of the Divine Will.

The writer is senior research officer, Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim)

https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2021/08/717568/rulers-thinkers-can-collaborate-address-crises