Alhamdulillah, a sister in Canada wrote recently on her blog asking about Machiavelli

November 16, 2005
Are Politicians Bound by Morality?
In The Prince, Machiavelli seems to suggest that a leader can override the constraints of morality for the sake of political interests. Troubling though it may seem, his book raises the question of whether one can uphold one’s moral integrity while governing a state. Are leaders guided by a different set of principles? Should a political leader be bound by the dictates of morality? And is it ever acceptable for a leader to act in contravention to conventional moral values?

I replied with the following:

Shaykh Rattle ‘n’ Roll said on November 16th, 2005 at 6:49 am

This is one of the most important topics of discussion because Niccolo Machiavelli’s ideas are so very prevalent, sadly even amongst Muslims. It is commonly described as “the ends justify the means”.

In my experience, this view does not only exist within leaders and heads of state.

As I understand the issue, there are only two occurrences in the Qur’an and sunnah where the Prophet Muhammad (saws) is known to have allowed the “breaking of the rules”, and both of these instances were in cases of life and death. We ought to be clear that this does not mean “benefit” ““ it is literally about dying.

There have been many times that I have faced a situation where I have thought that forgoing the hukum of my Lord was in my benefit: sometimes it involved lying, sometimes cheating, sometimes taking away the rights of another person. Each time I thought that it was in my benefit, or in the benefit of another person that I cared about. I pray that Allah forgives me for my arrogance. For me to believe that I ““ the created ““ could possibly know better than Allah ““ the Creator ““ is a disgusting crime.

This was best highlighted to me when I saw an advertisement on the side of a bus stop in central London. Sadly, in such a city there are always numerous homeless people. Rather than give them money, I usually try to give them some food.
The bus stop poster, created by the homeless charity Shelter, addressed that problem. It showed a chalk outline of a man drawn onto the ground, as formed by a forensics team after a murder. The caption was: “Your kindness can kill”.

The idea that they were passing was that while it may seem to be “good” to give a homeless person a sandwich or a hot drink, in fact it kept that person on the street for one more day, and ultimately could lead to his demise. Instead they were imploring the public to donate to homeless charities that can better solve this mess. These charities help homeless people each and every day by providing drug rehab, training, a bank account, a job, a CV, counseling, a home, and the emotional support that is desperately important in such tragedies. By feeding that person, I was keeping him away from the “soup kitchen” and all its related services.

The lesson to be learnt: I don’t know right from wrong. I may think I do, but in reality I’m just making a guess based on my few decades of life. Allah not only knows what is right for me, he knows what is best for the homeless man and for each and every thing in existence. For me to think that I can contravene His system would be conceited and plainly stupid.

“The ends justify the means”? A very dangerous idea, and perhaps even more dangerous when held by those in power.

(By the way, I want to make clear that Islam has nothing against giving charity or feeding the poor - indeed it is an obligation on every capable Muslim)