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THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
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a very different fate from the one she did at his hands.
In politics, as in all other departments of life, we shall find that it is impossible to make any real progress except by working in harmony with the divine laws. A glance at the pages of the world's history shows that empire after empire was formed by men, in all nations, each one trying to surpass, in solidarity and strength, all others that preceded it, but the ultimate fate of each and everyone of them, without a single exception, was the same, namely, destruction. The reason for this lay in the principle of hatred which governed the hearts of kings and rulers of men. So long as they adhered to the principle of love in their dealings with mankind, their kingdoms flourished to their own and their subjects' advantage ; but the moment they allowed their hearts to be swayed by the feelings of pride and self-aggrandizement, they were swept away from existence. Thus, it was the failure to observe the law of brotherhood which was the cause of their downfall, for pride and self-glorification give rise to the worst kind of dishonesty, hypocrisy and intrigue, and, ultimately, also lead to tyranny, the mother of destruction.
The true principles of good governance have been laid down by the great moralist and poet, Sa'di of Sheeraz, in the two following couplets :
رعیت چو بین است و سلطان درخت و درخت اے پسر باشد از بین سه (1)
بر خوري (2) دوستان
دل رعيت دوخت است اگر پروري * بکام
[Tr. (1) The people are like the root, and the king like the tree; the strength of the tree depends on the root, my son !
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