Revolution in the Human Being

All the great conquerors in human history have nothing but political victories to their credit. They changed governments, but they failed to change human beings. All the successes in history are instances of a change of government, rather than a change brought about in human beings. In the Indian scenario, a ‘Mahatma’ apparently succeeded in bringing about a change in the system. Still, the Indian example is not very different either. The government changed hands in 1947. Foreign rule was replaced by home rule. But so far as human beings were concerned, no real change was effected.

This is the main reason why change in the government does not become synonymous with a change of circumstances. On the contrary, in most cases the new system ushered in the wake of the change in the government is worse than the previous one. As the saying goes: ‘A revolution is a successful effort to get rid of a bad government and set up a worse. Throughout human history, the only exception to this rule is that of the Prophet Muhammad, The revolution, brought about by the Prophet changed not only the government but also the human beings under it.

The basic reason for this difference can be traced to the difference between the method of the Prophet and that of the political leader, who always takes up political and economic issues. He achieves his goal by inciting people to rise against the ruler of the time. On the other hand, the Prophet takes up issues concerning the life Hereafter. He invites people to think critically of their ownselves. While a leader launches his movement on the basis of arriving at a reckoning with others, the Prophet’s movement is based on one’s own self-appraisal. It is these different approaches which lead to different consequences in the two types of movements.

The Prophet’s way and the experience of history show us that striving for the fall of a government is not a worthwhile goal. Change the human being and then the system of the government will change on its own.

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Sameer Hussaini