221017P - THE POWER OF GOOD

Presented at a conference on the Power of Good organized by the Institute of Objective Studies New Delhi on September 17, 2022 by Professor Omar Hasan Kasule Sr. MB ChB (MUK), MPH (Harvard), DrPH (Harvard) Professor of Epidemiology and Bioethics.

The Qur’anic context of historical events and outcomes is that of a constant struggle between the good (khair) and the evil (sharr) and that in the end the good triumphs even if takes time. The Qur’an has told stories of these struggles and we can give several examples. Human history started with the evil trying to tempt our fore parents Adam and Eve to trespass but they realized that repented and the good triumphed (Taha:122). The evil tempted a son of Adam into homicide but he realized his mistake, repented and the good triumphed (Maida 30-31). The story of Musa and Pharaon illustrated the struggle of the righteous Prophet Musa against the evil despotic ruler and it ended with the triumph of Musa and his followers and the destruction of Pharaon (Taha 77-79).

Human history is a struggle between the righteous (salihun) who stand for good and the transgressors (dhaalimuun) who stand for evil. The Qur’an assures that final victory will always be for the righteous who will then inherit the earth (Anbiya:105).

Right and evil are not equivalent. The right predominates even if the evil appears to be more in quantity (Maida:100). There is better in the world than evil but this perception is not shared by many especially those who are victims of evil who suffer personally and those who hear about evil from the mass media that report more evil than good. There are many good things such as kindness and care in homes and communities but these do not make it to the media. There are also more good people than evil ones but the good ones are humble persons who do not get noticed. We should never despair and give up hope in the good in despair at so much evil that we may notice around us.