The Unanswerable Confrontation: On the
Betrayal of the Amanah and the
Corruption of the Qalb as the Primary
Determinant of Temporal and Eternal
Reality
The entirety of the
human condition, from its highest governance to its most profound spiritual
failures, is a manifestation of the heart's state; for when the qalb is corrupted by the ghurūr of this delusional world, the entire body—be it individual or
institutional—becomes corrupt, transforming divine trusts like leadership into
barriers of bureaucracy and privilege that betray the sincere yearning of the
believer for his Lord. This inversion of the Qur’anic imperative, where merit
and piety are supplanted by lineage and wealth, reveals a spiritual bankruptcy
so severe that the scholar, tasked as a physician, becomes a carrier of the
very disease he is ordained to cure. Consequently, the unanswerable
question—which will echo eternally beyond the petty excuses of this temporary
life—is not how systems failed, but why the caretakers, entrusted with the
facilitation of divine commandments, dared to place the burdens of their love
for transient influence between a slave and the mercy of the Supreme Questioner
on a Day when no soul will be confronted by anything but its own actions.
Whalid Safodien
The Feather Pen
The Unanswerable Question: On the Corruption of Hearts and
the Betrayal of the Divine Trust (al-Amanah) in an Age of Spiritual Bankruptcy
Bismillāh ir-Raḥmān ir-Raḥīm.
In
the name of Allāh, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
3 November 2025
To the esteemed Ummah of Muḥammad (ﷺ), to the seekers of truth
whose hearts still quiver at the remembrance of Allāh, and to those upon whom
the trust of leadership has been placed—assalamu ‘alaykum.
You have asked a question that strikes at the
very core of our collective crisis. You look at the institutions tasked with
guiding our sacred journey—SAHUC, the MJC—and you ask: What type of heart fails
to provide solutions for the Ummah? The answer, and the solution, lies not in
external policy, but in the spiritual anatomy of the heart itself.
Hadith of the Heart
The most profound and diagnostically precise
statement in Islam on this matter is not merely a quote, but a divine diagnosis
from the Messenger of Allāh (ﷺ).
It is the Hadith of the Heart, found in the most authentic of collections:
Sahih al-Bukhari 52, Sahih
Muslim 1599
"Verily, in the body is a piece of flesh which, if
it is sound, the entire body is sound; and if it is corrupt, the entire body is
corrupt. Verily, it is the heart."
This is the foundational principle. Every
problem of leadership, every failure in governance, every shortcoming in
serving the Ummah is a symptom of a disease originating in the qalb—the heart. A leader whose
heart is corrupted by the ghurūr (deceptions) of this
world—wealth, status, power—becomes spiritually blind. He may possess
knowledge, but it does not reach his heart; he may speak, but his words
lack barakah (blessing). He cannot provide solutions
because he is himself the problem.
The Question for Today's
Scholars
You ask about the one who dreams of Hajj but
dies with a sad heart, never having fulfilled this pillar of Islam. The
question that today's scholar, whose own heart may be compromised, cannot
honestly answer is this:
"If the allocation of
Hajj permits is truly in the Hands of Allāh, as you claim, then by what right
do you, as fallible men, barter with and restrict access to this divine
invitation, creating a system of patronage and privilege that leaves the
sincere and poor behind, thus potentially standing as a barrier between a slave
and his Lord's mercy on the Day of Judgment?"
This question strikes at the heart of their
authority. They hide behind logistics and quotas, but the system often reeks of
dunyā (worldly gain). The Qur'an is clear on the obligation for those who have
the means:
"And [due] to Allāh
from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is able to find thereto
a way. But whoever disbelieves - then indeed, Allāh is free from need of the
worlds." (Qur'an
3:97)
The "way" or "capability"
(sabīl) is a matter between a person and Allāh. When leaders institutionalize
and monetize this "way," they risk distorting a divine decree. The
sadness in the heart of a believer who dies without fulfilling this dream is a
profound tragedy. But on whom is the sin if the system, not their circumstance,
was the barrier? The leader with a sound heart would move mountains to facilitate,
not hinder, the worship of Allāh.
Choosing Leaders on Merit:
A Qur'anic Imperative
The Ummah's decline is directly linked to our
abandonment of the Qur'anic principle of leadership based on merit and piety,
not lineage, wealth, or political connections. Allāh (SWT) says:
"Indeed, the most
noble of you in the sight of Allāh is the most righteous of you." (Qur'an 49:13)
The story of Talut (Saul) is the
quintessential lesson for our times. When the Israelites asked for a king,
Allāh gave them Talut. They objected not based on his character, but on his
lack of wealth.
"They said, 'How can
he have kingship over us while we are more worthy of kingship than him and he
has not been given any measure of wealth?' He said, 'Indeed, Allāh has chosen
him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And
Allāh gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allāh is all-Encompassing and
Knowing.'" (Qur'an
2:247)
The criteria are clear: Knowledge
(`Ilm) and Integrity
of Physique/Character (al-Jism), which includes physical and moral strength.
Allāh gave him authority because he was the most qualified, not the richest.
Our institutions today have inverted this divine model.
The Essence of the
Incorruptible Leader
The leader whose heart is immune to the
corruption of wealth and the fancies of this world is the one who has
internalized the true nature of dunyā. His heart is like that of the Prophet (ﷺ) and his righteous
successors. He understands the Qur'anic description:
"Know that the life of
this world is but play and amusement, and adornment and boasting among you, and
competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of a rain
whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see
it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is
severe punishment and forgiveness from Allāh and approval. And what is the
worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion." (Qur'an 57:20)
This leader's heart is attached to the
eternal, not the temporary. He is described in another profound Hadith:
"Verily, Allāh does
not look at your appearances or your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and
your deeds." (Sahih
Muslim 2564)
His actions are purely for the sake of Allāh.
He administers Hajj not for control, but for service. He leads the MJC/SAHUC not
for title, but for the pleasure of His Lord and the benefit of the Ummah. He is
a shepherd who feels the responsibility of his flock deeply, as the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Every
one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock." (Sahih al-Bukhari
7138)
A Message to the Ulama of
South Africa
To the esteemed Ulama, the inheritors of the
Prophets: the Ummah holds you in the highest esteem. You are our guides. But
with this immense honor comes an even more immense responsibility. The people
are not blind. They see the convergence of religious titles and worldly
positions. They hear sermons on zuhd (asceticism) from pulpits, but witness a
race for dunyā in practice.
You are the physicians of the Ummah's heart.
But can a physician heal others if he himself is afflicted with the same
disease? The Ummah is bleeding from a thousand wounds—spiritual, social,
economic. It looks to you for a cure, but too often finds you preoccupied with
the very things that ail us.
The most profound message in this context is
a reminder of your covenant with Allāh. You are the last line of defense. If
you fall, who remains?
My Final Question
And so, I leave you—the leaders of our
institutions, the custodians of our faith in South Africa, and the entire
Ummah—with one question, a question that will be asked not by me, but by the
Supreme Questioner on the Day when no excuses will avail:
"On the Day when every
soul will be confronted with what it did, and the leaders will be asked about
their trust, what will you say to Allāh when He asks you: 'My slaves came to
you with hearts yearning for My House, with tears in their eyes and a sincere
desire to fulfill My commandment. Why did you, the ones I allowed to be
caretakers, place the burdens of your bureaucracy and the love of transient
influence between them and Me?'"
This is the question that should keep every
leader awake at night. This is the question that can, if heeded, reform hearts
and save a nation.
May Allāh grant us all hearts that are sound,
leaders who are righteous, and an end that is pleasing to Him. May He open the
doors of Hajj for every sincere believer and purify our institutions from all
that displeases Him.
آمين
References:
1.
Hadith of the Heart: https://sunnah.com/bukhari:52
2.
Qur'an 3:97 (Hajj): https://www.alim.org/quran/3/97/
3.
Qur'an 49:13 (Piety): https://www.alim.org/quran/49/13/
4.
Qur'an 2:247 (Talut): https://www.alim.org/quran/2/247/
5.
Qur'an 57:20 (Dunya): https://www.alim.org/quran/57/20/
6.
Hadith on Hearts and Deeds: https://sunnah.com/muslim:2564
7.
Hadith on Responsibility: https://sunnah.com/bukhari:7138
