Absolute power corrupts absolutely?

My last post dealt with size comparisons between our planet and the sun, and our sun compared to the biggest star known to humankind. Incredible, wasn’t it? I received a suggestion to write an input about microbiology as a contrast and rest assured, it has been on my mind. It would be a beautiful look in the other direction of sizes and an overall view of how miraculous life is. It is my intention to write about this, but I will need to read up a little on the topic first. This time, I am writing about a famous proverb… absolute power corrupts absolutely.

An article described those words in this way…

“The proverb, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” means that whenever a person has power over other people or things, it makes him/her corrupt. It morally destroys their nature and fills them with destructive pride.”

(You can check the full description/background of this proverb, here):
https://literarydevices.net/absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely/

If we think about that description… It morally destroys their nature and fills them with destructive pride… history is filled with examples… the Roman emperor Julius Caesar, the Mongol leader Genghis Khan, the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, just to name a few. The Quran also has examples…

سورة فصلت ١٥
فَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَقَالُوا مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً

سورة الدخان ٣١-٣٠
وَلَقَدْ نَجَّيْنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ
مِن فِرْعَوْنَ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَالِيًا مِّنَ الْمُسْرِفِينَ

Surah Fussilat 41:15
Now the ‘Ad behaved arrogantly through the land, against (all) truth and reason, and said: “Who is superior to us in strength?”

Surah Ad-Dukhaan 44:30-31
We did deliver aforetime the Children of Israel from humiliating Punishment,
Inflicted by Pharaoh, for he was arrogant (even) among inordinate transgressors.

The more a person has been given in life, the more easily they sink into the feeling of being empowered. This is true for every human on the planet. It includes us too. Whatever power we assume that we have, even in its smallest form, is not something we have any control over. And we take a lot of it for granted.

سورة القيامة ٣٦
أَيَحْسَبُ الْإِنسَانُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى

سورة البقرة ٢٠
وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَذَهَبَ بِسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَارِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

سورة الأنعام ١٧
وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ وَإِن يَمْسَسْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Surah Al-Qiyaama 75:36
Does man think that he will be left uncontrolled, (without purpose)?

Surah Al-Baqara 2:20
And if Allah willed, He could take away their faculty of hearing and seeing; for Allah hath power over all things.

Surah Al-An’aam 6:17
“If Allah touch thee with affliction, none can remove it but He; if He touch thee with happiness, He hath power over all things.

In many situations, we often speak and think about the future as if if it’s already happened or as if we have certain knowledge about it…

سورة لقمان ٣٤
إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِندَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ

سورة العلق ٧-٦
كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ
أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ

سورة المائدة ١
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ مَا يُرِيدُ

Surah Luqman 31:34
Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah (alone). It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the wombs. Nor does any one know what it is that he will earn on the morrow: Nor does any one know in what land he is to die. Verily with Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).

Surah Al-Alaq 96:6-7
Nay, but man doth transgress all bounds,
In that he looketh upon himself as self-sufficient.

Surah Al-Maaida 5:1
for Allah doth command according to His will and plan.

So when I hear such words…. absolute power corrupts absolutely, then I remember the following ones in their place… لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّٰهِ… there is no power and no strength except with Allah. Absolute power is not within ourselves to reach.