From envy to agency.

Abstract

This month’s reading looks at verses 24 to 27 of Surat al-Ma’idah from the lens of Salman Akhtar‘s chapter on courage, in his book, Good, stuff. In my contribution I examine how the Quranic conceptualization of courage transcends secular “bravery,” replacing ego-driven action with the spiritually anchored virtues of Sabr(endurance), Thabat (steadfastness), and Quwwah (strength).

The Reading:

Al Ma’idah: 27 to 40

Paper: courage, Salman Akhtar

27-And recite to them the story of Adam’s two sons, in truth, when they both made an offering [to Allāh], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], “I will surely kill you.” Said [the former], “Indeed, Allāh only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him].

28-If you should raise your hand toward me to kill me – I shall not raise my hand toward you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allāh, Lord of the worlds.

29-Indeed, I want you to obtain [thereby] my sin and your sin so you will be among the companions of the Fire. And that is the recompense of wrongdoers.”

30-And his soul permitted to him1 the murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers.

31-Then Allāh sent a crow searching [i.e., scratching] in the ground to show him how to hide the disgrace1 of his brother. He said, “O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the disgrace [i.e., body] of my brother?” And he became of the regretful.

32-Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul1 or for corruption [done] in the land2 – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one3 – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And Our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.4

33-Indeed, the penalty1 for those who wage war against Allāh and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment,

34-Except for those who return [repenting] before you overcome [i.e., apprehend] them. And know that Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.

35-O you who have believed, fear Allāh and seek the means [of nearness] to Him and strive in His cause that you may succeed.

36-Indeed, those who disbelieve – if they should have all that is in the earth and the like of it with it by which to ransom themselves from the punishment of the Day of Resurrection, it will not be accepted from them, and for them is a painful punishment.

37-They will wish to get out of the Fire, but never are they to emerge therefrom, and for them is an enduring punishment.

38-[As for] the thief, the male and the female, amputate their hands in recompense for what they earned [i.e., committed] as a deterrent [punishment] from Allāh. And Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.

39-But whoever repents after his wrongdoing and reforms, indeed, Allāh will turn to him in forgiveness. Indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.

40-Do you not know that to Allāh belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth? He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills, and Allāh is over all things competent.

The analysis

Salman Akhtar’s chapter on courage is the opening section of part 1 which talks about the positive attributes. Akhtar talks about the three domains of courage which are:

1. Physical courage: facing bodily harm or death
2. Intellectual courage: the willingness to challenge prevailing dogmas and pursue truth despite social and professional backlash
3. Moral courage: the ability to stand up for one’s principles and do the right thing even when it is unpopular or personally costly

As I read the chapter, I was struck by the fact that nowhere in the Qur’an the word courage (Shaja’ah) is mentioned directly. I did my google research and asked if Islamic scholars had written about this and indeed, they had.

Scholars argued that the Qur’an employs terms that are more precise and spiritually comprehensive than courage. While courage is a trait, the Qur’an focuses on the source of courage which is certainty in one’s faith in God and lack of fear of anything but God. The Qur’an aims to instil values rooted in the heart and faith. The primary three qualities that refer to courage in the Qur’an are

1. Sabr (endurance): this is the most frequent term. It encompasses both physical and psychological resilience and endurance.
2. Thabat (Steadfastness): steadfastness is the practical fruit of courage.
3. Quwwah (strength/power): it includes strength of will, intellect and body

This introduction was necessary to set the scene for understanding the story of Cain and Abel told in verses 27 to 31. This story is the story of the first crime in the history of humanity; a fratricide. 

The two brothers represent a very Kleinian example of envy and gratitude. Cain’s offering to God is rejected while that of Abel is accepted. One gives the worst of his crop (lack of gratitude) and the other the best (true gratitude). God accepts what is good and rejects what it bad. Rather than hold himself accountable for his action, Cain cannot accept that his brother possesses the good object (divine acceptance). In a moment of shame and envy, he decides to kill his brother. If we think of the paper we read on Cowardice last month, his defiance and intent to kill his brother is an act of psychological cowardice. Rather than do the internal work needed (tazkiyah) to understand why his offering was rejected, Cain externalises his pain by targeting his brother.

His brother who has strong faith refuses to respond in the same way and tries to remind Cain of their kinship and of the covenants made to God not to transgress. (Remember we are in Surat al-Ma’idah which is all about keeping the covenants of God because faith has to be backed by action). Abel’s attitude represents the depressive position. He refuses to retaliate preserving the good object at the cost of his life.

This story is a great example to understand why the Qur’an did not go for the word courage. Secular courage is often ego-driven (look at me, I am brave). Quranic courage (sabr, thabaat, quwwah) are God-centered. Cain was driven by his ego’s need for recognition, whereas Abel was driven by Taqwa (mindfulness of God). People may argue that his attitude was submissive and cowardly because one has to resist in the face of aggression. Cowardice is born of fear. Abel was not frozen, he clearly states his capability and boundaries in verses 28 and 29. In doing so, he holds a mirror to his brother’s narcissistic wound.

Just so that we don’t misunderstand the story of Cain and Abel as a universal call for passivity, we need to make the distinction between personal conflict and systemic oppression. 

In Islamic jurisprudence, there is a distinction between Fard ‘Ayn (individual obligation) and Fard Kifayah (collective obligation). Abel’s context was not a struggle against a coloniser or and occupier, it was a test of character between brothers.

Salman Akhtar’s analysis of courage and aggression helps explain the difference between Abel’s moral courage and the courage of resistance. When a people are faced with an oppressor who is trying to negate their existence the psychological task changes from preserving one’s self to preserving the collective body. Resistance becomes a psychological necessity to move from the Paranoid-schizoid position of the victim to a state of agency. To stay passive in the face of systemic erasure is often a collapse of the ego.

While Cain was driven by envy, systemic oppression like that faced by the Palestinians is driven by greed and projective identification. The oppressor projects their own badness onto the oppressed labelling them aggressors to justify their own violence. Rising up is the act of refusing that projection. It is the oppressed saying, “I am not a terrorist, I am a human being with a right to this land and this life.”

When the threat shifts from person to a threat against a people the station of courage shifts from endurance to action.

Verse 32 of surat al Ma’idah establishes the sanctity of life as a universal law. It suggests that killing another soul is like killing the humanity within oneself and a violation against the divine soul that exists in every individual.

More importantly verse 33 comes as a balance to the narrative of Cain and Abel. If Abel shows the courage of Sabr, verse 33 shows the Divine Mandate for Quwwah (strength) to protect the collective good object (society/faith).

I want to move now to verses 38 to 40 because they are also often deemed harsh in modern time. In Kleinian theory, property is an extension of the good object. When someone steals, they are acting out of envy. (please note that in times of adversity and famine, the ruling was suspended because people stole out of necessity)

The thief who steals to have more, does not just want the object, they want to spoil the peace and security of the owner. Theft is an attack on the boundary between self and other.

The legal punishment of cutting the hand can be viewed psychologically as a superego intervention to repair the moral compass. It is the ultimate no to the intrusive envious ego that refused to recognize where the self ends and the other begins.

In modern times, many films and tv series promote the pseudo-bravery of the thief because they are taking a risk. But according to Salman Akhtar’s analysis, this could be understood as not being able to tolerate one’s lack and need.

This Islamic ruling is imposed as a deterrent, something to make the thief think twice. The legal punishment (like the cutting of the hand or the decree in verse 32) acts as an External Superego. It provides a hard, non-negotiable boundary that the individual’s mind failed to create for itself. The word Nakal, is used to refer to a punishment that restrains the self from repeating the act. The aim is to restore social order. 

The passage affirms God’s power to punish or forgive. Totalitarian badness is contained by a Supreme Good Object (God). This prevents the paranoid fear that evil will go unchecked. It brings the heart to the station of submission recognising true ownership belongs to no human but only to the Divine.

In Conclusion, these verses highlight the important traits that one needs to develop true courage from an Islamic perspective; resilience, steadfastness and strength which together lead to agency guided by mindfulness of God.

1. Primary Psychoanalytic Sources

• Akhtar, S. (2013). Good Stuff: Courage, Resilience, Gratitude, Generosity, Forgiveness, and Sacrifice. Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson.Note: This is the primary book you referenced. Specifically, Chapter 1, “Courage,” outlines the physical, intellectual, and moral domains of the trait.
• Akhtar, S. (2020). Selected Papers of Salman Akhtar (Volume IV: Positive Emotions and Attitudes). London: Routledge.Note: This volume contains his refined papers on Courage (originally from 2013) and Gratitude (2013).
• Klein, M. (1957). Envy and Gratitude. London: Tavistock Publications.Note: This is the definitive work for the analysis of Cain (envy) and Abel (gratitude) and the “spoiling of the good object.”
• Klein, M. (1946). “Notes on some schizoid mechanisms.” International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 27, 99-110.

Classical Islamic Sources

• Ibn Ashur, Muhammad al-Tahir. (1984). Tafsir al-Tahrir wa-al-Tanwir (The Verification and Enlightenment). Tunis: Dar al-Sahnun.
• Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya. (13th Century / Modern Trans. 2020). Madarij al-Salikin (Ranks of the Divine Seekers).