But it is other than this. It is something more than the qualities and mission of the Prophet of Islam which is clearly described in the Qoran and relate to bringing a message. He is responsible for communicating the message.
He is the harbinger of good news. He even gets upset when he cannot lead people the way he wants to and when they do not listen to his words. God explains to him repeatedly, in so many words, ‘Your mission is only to communicate the message.
You should not be frightened. Give news to the people and show them the way. You are not in any way responsible for their progress.’
The Prophet, in the Qoran, is not regarded as the major factor in the transformation and change of history, but is introduced as a messenger who should reveal the school of thought and the way of Truth to the people.
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His mission ends here. It is up to the people, then, to choose that school of thought or not, to be guided or not.
There is no room for the accident theory in this religion because all of the affairs are in the hands of God. Therefore, accident, meaning an event without any cause or any final goal in creation, is unimaginable either in nature or in human society.
Even the other prophets or great personalities who are recalled in the Qoran are done so with a feeling of pessimism.
If it talks about them as being righteous and pure, it never counts them as being an effective factor in the transformation and change of their society.
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Generally, the people addressed in every school of thought and religion is the fundamental and effective factor of change of that society in that school of thought.
According to this, we see that in all the various parts of the Qoran, the people (al-nas) themselves are addressed. The Prophet is sent on a mission to the people.
He speaks to the people. He is questioned and investigated by the people. He is a transition factor to promote the people. The people are responsible for society and history.
The word, people, is a valuable word. The only word that is close to it is mass (tudeh). In sociology, mass means the body of the people without any regard to class distinction or indicators which would distinguish them from other human groups.
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Therefore, mass means people without considering the special, classical form or group of their society.
The words human being (insan) and mankind (bashar) also refer to people, but human being connotes a moral quality and mankind refers to people when their animal properties are included. The synonym, mass means simply, people, without any additional classification.
Here a new matter is inferred and it is that Islam is the first social school of thought which considers the people to be the basis and fundamental factor of society and history as well as responsible for the divisions within history and society.
It is not the chosen that Nietzsche speaks about nor the nobles and aristocrats which Plato refers to.
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It is not the great personalities of Carlyle and Emerson, nor the pure-blooded people of Alexis Carrel nor the clergy and intellectuals, but the fabric of the people.
It is important to study this and compare it with other schools of thought. To whom do the different schools of thought speak some schools talk to the educated and intellectuals; another to the distinguished or chosen group.
Another talks to a superior group or race and still another to supermen. We find yet another which pays attention to a special class of society such as the proletariat or the bourgeoisie.
But none of these privileged groups exist in Islam. The fundamental factor of change and transition of society is people without regard to their special form, face, class distinction or any other classification.
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Another important factor inferred from the Qoran is that, as it addresses the people, they are responsible for the fundamental aims, at the same time that they are the major force in shaping the fate of society through personality, accident and tradition.
Therefore, we can say that personality, tradition, accident and the masses are the four fundamental forces which cause transformation and change in society.
Tradition is inferred from Islam and the Qoran. Society has an undisputable origin. As the Qoran points out, society has one way, one policy, that is, a special nature. Actually all societies have determined views of certain unchangeable laws.
Society is like a living creature which, like every living thing, follows certain determined, unchangeable scientific laws. Because of this, all transformations and changes of society are built upon certain traditions.
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At this point, it seems like Islam approaches a deterministic interpretation of history and sociology but Islam does not stop here. It emphasizes that both human society and the individual are responsible for their fate.
For them is the reward which they have earned and you shall have that which you earn, (2 : 134) and Verily God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves, (13 : 11).
These two verses show social responsibility whereas, every soul is held in pledge for what it earned, shows the responsibility of the individual.
Both society and the individual have a responsibility towards the Creator while each, at the same time, determines his own destiny. Not only are these two phenomena not contradictory, but they actually complementing each other.
The responsibility of a human being in society is just this. That is, society is like a garden, founded upon God’s Customs. Through these, it grows and evolves. But the human being has a responsibility.
He or she cannot simply accept the fatalist’s point of view or the view of historic determinism and by doing so; release him or herself from being responsible.
A human being cannot put aside his or her responsibility when faced with the fate of that society.
The Qoran, while admitting that society is built upon unchangeable laws, does not, in any way, deny the responsibility of humanity and human beings.
In this school of thought, they are responsible to know the customs and to reform them as society evolves. How Through their own knowledge
Why does a farmer have more responsibility to improve and develop his fields? Because he has more knowledge of these customs and as a result he has more freedom to change the fate of the trees and plants.
The greater the human being’s knowledge of the customs and rules of society, the more responsibility he has as well as more freedom in changing and transforming society.