Expert Testimony
There is no doubt that the most important tool for human beings is the mind. Our development, success and future depends on how well we use our minds, and if we do not plan intelligently there will not be any improvement or change in our lives. The mind alone (knowledge, science, philosophy) can do little good, except when the mind is combined with a pure heart and a good motive. It is really a great danger when someone with no principles or heart or feelings of love and mercy has a sharp mind, for he will use it only for his own desires and will not give any benefit, but will result in the destruction of the planet and peoples lives.
Power with no mercy brings disaster, and mercy without power brings no change. We must combine mind and heart, power and manner, politics and principle, action and motive, soul and body. Together they achieve the proper balance, and it is wrong to separate them.
The mind makes cluster bombs and nuclear weapons, but faith must control them and prevent people for using them. The mind build armies and power, but the heart, and love and mercy will stop people from acting unjustly and destroying the life of innocents. The Devil knows how to plan for destruction and has many strategies for misleading people and tricking those without faith or principles or mercy into committing bad acts. That is why he is the source of wrong doing. As important as it is to use our minds, it is that much more important to keep pure our hearts. Any action that is not the fruit of love and not backed up by good motives will not result in anything positive. As an Arab poet said:
“Knowledge without principle or the fear of God honors only Satan”.
And Piramerd, one the most famous and well know Kurdish poets said,
“Oh God, put scientific experts on trial, give them trouble, and let them have no joy, until instead of making bombs and weapons, they make medicine for poverty.”
The poet is talking about those who use their minds for destruction. They do not feel people’s pain and they do not care about their needs. Instead they make weapons and think about new ways to end people’s lives. It is the duty of scientists and scholars to build this universe; to speak the truth and to tell the people what should be done to keep our planet safe, and to improve people’s lives instead of ending them in pain and suffering. Scientists should have no motive or goal except the truth. As Dr. Alexis Carlyle said:
“The big scholar and true scientist is always sincere and will follow truth wherever it leads”
The true scholar follows the truth and not his desires; follows the truth and not politics; follows the truth and not money; follows the truth and not his own interest. His whole life is dedicated to the truth, and he is ready to sacrifice every thing he has in order to tell the truth. That is why many great scholars in Islam say that whenever you see the scholar follow the leaders and wait in their doorway to get money, leave that scholar because he has lost his independence; he has humiliated his knowledge; he cannot say the truth any more, and must now depend on the leader’s help. How will he advise the leaders and how will they listen to him? Above all he will politicize him knowledge and science, and will use it only to support what the leaders are doing.
Politicizing faith and science is very dangerous and will confuse the people and keep them from learning the truth. That is why, when the Kalipha (Caliph) wanted Ibn Rabah to go to his castle and teach his children, he sent a messenger to tell Ibn Rabah. But Ibn Rabah refused to go and said,. “I am not going to humiliate my knowledge. If they want to learn, they can come to me. The Kalipha became angry but knew that if he harmed Ibn Rabah, all of the people would be against him because of their love and respect for the scholar. So he tried to corrupt him with money. He sent a bag of gold and said to his messenger, “Say this is a gift from the Kalipha. But Ibn Rabah refused to take the gold. They asked him how he could refuse a gift from the Kalipha while even the Prophet used to accept gifts. Ibn Rabah said. “I am not in need of it, and it is not a gift when it is the price with which he will buy my knowledge and personality. The Kalipha did not like to have his gift of gold rejected but he did not know what to do. Finally he decided to go and talk to Ibn Rabah. When he arrived every one stood up for the Kalipha but Ibn Rabah did not change his position in any way and remained laying down. The courtiers told him that the Kalipha had arrived but he remained as he was. When they told the Kalipha about Ibn Rabah’s attitude, the Kalipha said, “Let him be; he did not extend his hand to beg, so let him extend his feet.”
Knowledge is dignity. Science is honor. Expertise is responsibility. The Kalipha was not able to make any decision without consulting Ibn Rabah and obtaining his advice. Such scientists and scholars are the security for the planet. It is sad today that scholars, and scientists are loosing their place and politicians control them. Our scientists need to repair their lost honor and build good relationships with the people. Leaders and politicians should have no power to stop scientists from conducting research and publishing the results. But scientists should be able to stop leaders from harming our planet. They can do this when they will live like Ibn Rabah and have earned the people’s love, respect and trust.
There are no benefits from our knowledge until we act upon it. Nothing is uglier than doing the opposite of what we know is true and should be done. I will never forget the day that they brought someone to my trial who they called an expert. It was just unbelievable that someone would claim that he is an expert, and would take an oath to tell only the truth, and agree to play by the legal rules, but on the stand would humiliate science. He did not respect his title and spoke anything that the prosecutor had paid him to say. I was ashamed what I heard and shocked as to how this could happen. I took a deep breath and said, “Where is Ibn Rabah”? At that point I really understood why in Islam we should not listen to scholars and scientists who are paid by the government.
Those that have no faith in truth or love or justice or respect for the law are not scholars and they should not be allowed as expert witnesses. Expert witnesses should not be for money or self-benefit, or as favors for friends, but only for the truth. Nobody should work for money to destroy innocent lives and those of their families. Sending innocent people to jail is not a victory. Corrupting the justice system will not protect the nation but will destroy it.
The job of the scientists and experts, and the duty of the judges and scholars is to keep the court as a guarantee and security for the people’s rights. If they allow the government to change the law to a false drama the people will lose peace and joy in their lives and there will be no future for our children. In the East, millions of people are suffering and their lives are miserable because the justice system has been corrupted by those in power. No one should allow that to happen here. We can never build our future unless only truth is accepted in the courtroom and the accused receive only justice.
Ibn Masood, one of the Prophet’s companions said that people who have been corrupted, are just as corrupt if they are fine people who are scholars and leaders, than if they are simply followers who follow what the leaders are doing. If the leaders mislead the people and the scholars say nothing, how will the truth be known? No doubt today most of the leaders are corrupt. The best of what the scholars, artists, philosophers, scientists, experts, and people of knowledge are saying if they speak the truth, is to correct the leaders. If they are successful in correcting the leaders, the people will be fine, but if they approve what the leaders are doing for their own benefit there will never be peace or justice and our live will be a disaster.
Posted 4/11/08