“Record it all before you leave, Hammu. Write down the major parameter that governs all other principles before it gets away from me or else I find myself dazzled by its distinctive clarity. As I see things now, the most significant factor in invalidating the lessons of the past and the pointless accumulation of periods involves the corruption of the very germ of history, the forward thrust of its different phases. I can see it in the ingrained flaws to be found in this stubborn and intertwined principle that is forever causing the same calamities and historical ruptures. In a word, Hammu, I see it clearly in that unmitigated disaster that is called group solidarity, along with all its defining characteristics.”
That statement made al-Hihi’s hand shake.
“Forgive my reaction, Master,” he said. “Don’t worry about the mess on the page. But that last statement of yours has left me thoroughly confused.”
“Never mind, Hammu,” ‘Abd al-Rahman replied. “There’s plenty in that statement to confuse its speaker as well. But what are we supposed to do when confronted with such a torrent of information amid the accumulated piles of error and tradition? We can’t afford not to accept it all with open hearts and analytical minds, can we?”
“Indeed we can’t, Master. But how can you now abandon a concept that occupies such a capstone position in your writings? To be sure, group solidarity involves struggle and conflict, but the major purpose of its innate vigor continues to be leadership and rule. In this ephemeral world of ours I can see no viable alternative to such a principle.”
“To the contrary, that’s precisely what needs to be changed. History must develop a better, more refined seed, one that will enable it to change its skin and its course of development. Failing that, the lessons of the past will have no function within its frame of reference, and all aspirations to progress will be in vain. Luqman’s house will remain as it is, but it may well suffer ill should the instincts of group solidarity remain a cogent force among peoples and retain discretionary control over popular discourse. With regard to my previous writings on the subject, you should record that the status that I have given it as a concept is not based on any notion of sanctity or adulation, but merely part of a process of observation and description. Its value is purely procedural, no more.
“If you look at the dire consequences of group solidarity, you’ll see what I mean. The first of them is that, when a dynasty attains a sufficient level of luxury and easy living, it finds itself confronting an imbalance between the ever-increasing costs of a life of ease and of the armed forces and administrative sector on the one hand, and on the other, static or dwindling tax revenues. In redressing such an imbalance, it is completely useless to raise taxes and duties as long as the extent to which they exceed normal expectations leads inevitably to civil unrest, abandonment by peasants of their usual work practices, and a general withdrawal from public activities. The second of these consequences is that when the treasury suffers a drastic fall in tax revenues because people refuse to pay and collectors resort to armed violence, the sultan decides to place the burden of revenue collection on commercial taxation, an action that turns the state into a gigantic market. He then moves to exploit merchant shipping fees to the maximum extent by giving foreign merchants special privileges in commercial transactions and freight. However, these two methods of reducing the treasury’s shortfall in tax revenues by monopolizing the commercial sector lead to inevitable consequences: the boycott of commerce by local merchants who abandon the business altogether, and the aggravation of those people who take seriously the task of protecting the Muslim community. Perhaps the worst of all these consequences is that the state embarks on one final act of reform, one that rapidly reveals itself to be an even greater contradiction than all the others. It proceeds to reduce the number of soldiers in the armed forces as a way of confronting the rise in military expenses; soldiers thereby turn into mercenaries whose only business is to sell their services for whatever price suits them. This procedure is no less harmful than the others in that it weakens the military might of the state and as a direct result, exposes the security apparatus to genuine dangers from within and without. The state’s fundamental weakness is exposed in broad daylight. That dynasty is then destroyed by another group, with its own sense of solidarity, a group whose only role is to repeat the same cycle of civilizational phases and calamities, albeit with variations in resources and modes.
“I don’t think I’ve added anything particularly original to what I wrote earlier. However, for now I’ll make do with simply restating that this phenomenon of group solidarity is the root of the entire problem, whether the instinct is natural or contrived. The tribal basis of power and political life, that’s the crux of the problem.
“Hammu, at this point you or someone else may well wish to pose the question: ‘Assuming we accept your opinion that group solidarity is the root of the problem, what substitute is there to oil the wheels of history?’
“To tell you the absolute truth, that is the question of all questions. It’s been flashing through my mind for a long time and disturbing my sleep. Many things have managed to distract my attention, and I don’t think I have a grasp on it. Actually, I still feel somewhat distressed at the loss of my family, and I’ve yet to fully recover from it. Even so, you can record that I now have a burning sense of the need to put an end to whatever fails to serve life itself. That will inevitably and eventually guide me to a thin, thin thread of logic, one that will enable me to come up with a more practical and fruitful alternative to the concept of group solidarity. Among factors that fail to assist and enhance life are a number of defects, of which I’ll mention the following as just a few among countless possible examples. The restraining influence of blood ties in gaining power is one such, as is the utilization of mercenaries and clients as a means of steering the rudder of state. Tyranny, whether effective or terrible, is another defect, as is a reliance on old men and corrupt officials thrown up precooked by the prevailing political system. It’s a further defect to give preference to sycophants over competent bureaucrats in making chancellery appointments, as is any display of pomp amid a veritable ocean of poverty and nakedness. Reducing civilized society till it is as supine as a woman on her back is yet another. And I could go on and on with this litany, one that must inevitably be eradicated for good and all. With that in mind, I’ll simply repeat what I wrote in the Introduction to History: ‘When genius grinds to a halt, ambitions are quashed, and all aspirations vanish into thin air, then all light disappears, hopes are dashed, and the dead rule the living.’
“I think I’ve managed to grasp at least part of the thread of that loftier alternative theory I mentioned earlier, but not all of it. Some aspects of it I can understand, but as yet I don’t have the entire picture. I shall have to rely on God to relieve my personal distress so that I can concentrate on the matters that are of interest to me: the Muslim community, one characterized by consultation and appropriate decision-making; government based on a proper balance of justice; and the role of ethics in all aspects of behavior and interaction. These are all Islamic concepts that need to be firmly established, even if it involves providing right guidance for an unavoidable disaster, a dynastic ruler for example, with his accompanying support group, who needs to be constrained by such principles so that he will not behave in a tyrannical fashion. I ask God Almighty to grant me an audience with such enlightenment in a fruitful session that resembles in every way the one that I can recall from several years ago in the castle of Ibn Salama. The atmosphere there was one of a serene tension, and it served to stimulate and give focus to the evidential materials that I was working on at the time: the state of civilization and urban culture, and the individual circumstances to which human society finds itself exposed. I ask God to grant me an untrammeled atmosphere, a private space suffused with an elemental spirit, so that once again my current interests can be poured like showers into words and concepts. With that, the cream will be churned and the production will be that much easier. Amen!”