As long as the general population is passive, apathetic, diverted to consumerism
or hatred of the vulnerable, then the powerful can do as they please, and those
who survive will be left to contemplate the outcome.
Noam Chomsky
The unexamined life is not worth living.
Socrates
Given the option to eat now or feast later, most people will probably choose to eat now. Will people accept this guidance to ‘tighten their belts’ for a disciplined life now to secure a much better future later? Not necessarily.
Clearly the majority of people are unlikely to be swayed by the Quran, no matter how convincing the argument or how clear the proof may be. It’s not in the nature of human beings to easily accept good advice, or any advice for that matter, especially if it is about a future they cannot envisage. They are largely unconcerned with anything unless motivated by pain or hunger. This is why most people are satisfied with food, shelter and the diversions of entertainment; they enjoy creature comforts and are unlikely to risk anything that disturbs this.
The majority go with the flow: they want to do what they see their friends, family and neighbours do. This is why religions are so successful with the masses. The traditions and the rituals give the feel of belonging and the security of ‘kinship’ it brings. They passionately defend their faith, even a regressive one, with violence if necessary. Truth is harder to accept. As Voltaire said “It’s difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.”
Medical experts agree that there are no health benefits in smoking tobacco, either to the smoker or to those around them. Warnings with graphic pictures appear on cigarette packets, quit-smoking schemes are promoted in clinics around the country, yet millions still smoke, heedless of the long term harm they do to themselves, their family, friends work colleagues and even people they don’t know. The attraction to the pleasure of smoking is so great, that no matter how much evidence is provided, people continue to smoke. The smokers even justify their habit as a great benefit to society in the taxes that they pay and the jobs they help maintain.
People are generally sedentary and unwilling to be motivated by what will happen tomorrow, let alone the distant future. This is why the intelligent who understand this guidance have a duty to take action and promote the Permanent Values in the Quran for the benefit and welfare of society as a whole, if only ultimately to protect their own future.
As mentioned in verse 8:25, when good people take no action to stop bad things from happening, not only will the corrupt and the criminals suffer, but society as a whole will be affected. We all have freedom to choose to believe or not. However, the effects of not implementing a complete working social system can be witnessed around us. The majority of people around the world are living in turmoil and fear. They are, for all to witness, already in hell. Unless the root causes of the problems are eradicated no amount of tinkering can resolve the dilemma mankind now faces.
People have choices. While people are free to make a choice, once the choice is made they are not free from the consequences of that choice. That is God’s Law of Requital – whether you believe in it or not.
The Quran is good news for those who want to reform society for the welfare and progress of mankind. It is also a warning to the corrupt and the criminals in society. Furthermore, people who ignore guidance in the Quran, and do nothing to stop bad things from happening, will also continue to suffer from the effects of corruption and exploitation, not only on a global level, but also the fear and turmoil closer to home, their community and their family.
It is not enough for people to want change. People must want to change. As it clearly says in the Quran: In accordance with God’s ordinance the circumstances of any people does not change unless they make changes in their own Self. [Verse 8:53].
So in answer to the question: will people accept this guidance? The majority of people may not agree with the laws and values given in the Quran. There are also people who don’t agree with the state laws. Those who take action to show their disagreement often end up in prison. Similarly, the Quran offers guidance and people are free to accept or reject it, and they too will have to face the consequences of their decision.
However, taking everything into consideration, it is the intelligent person who may well want to know something beyond the question: what’s for lunch?
