Sin and Sad:  The Politics of Justice and Moderation (The Wisdom of Luqman Across Places and Times) Capt Mohamed Hassan Al-Tahir

Date: September 3, 2026

The wisdom of Luqman in the Qur’an is not merely moral advice; it is a life project that balances:

– Becoming (continuous transformation)

– Being (the steady path)

In the verse: “ lower your voice, and be moderate in your walk, and do not turn your cheek arrogantly to people, nor walk upon the earth exultantly”,

 the philosophy of moderation and balance emerges as a method that connects individual behavior with social justice.

It regulates the movement of the voice between humility and arrogance.

The Qur’an ties voice to identity and conduct:

– Lowering the voice reflects wisdom and dignity.

– Raising it without meaning may turn into arrogance, exploiting noise instead of reason.

Here appears the difference in the cognitive content of words through the output of sound in the Qur’anic text:

– The voice of Pharaoh expressed the uproar of power that sought to cover the truth, making sound an instrument of tyranny.

– The silence of the Negus expressed the calm of a wise ruler who listened with fairness, making silence an instrument of justice.

The comparison reveals that sound is not mere vibrations, but an existential stance defined by (time and place), expressing the essence of words through behavioral outcomes:

– Pharaoh in ancient Egypt, where authority was centralized.

– The Negus in Abyssinia, where wisdom was a refuge for the oppressed.

Here emerges the relationship between body language and moderation in walking.

When the Qur’an commands moderation in walking, it links bodily movement to the production of righteous behavior:

– A balanced walk reflects a balanced personality.

– Walking arrogantly or turning the cheek reflects pride and conceit.

Body language thus becomes an ethical discourse translated into social behavior, and then into judgment with justice.

 Justice here is not merely legal fairness, but existential fairness that balances:

– The individual and the community,

– Sound and silence,

– Walk and intention.

The wisdom of Luqman teaches us that sound governance begins with individual behavior (“and be moderate in your walk”), then expands to encompass society and the state, moving clockwise from moderation to justice.

The politics of justice and moderation require the wisdom of mathematicians and the acumen of statisticians, upon the surface of the Bayati grid where the axis of Sin intersects with Sad, forming a meeting point determined by given variables.

The politics of moderation and justice are a civilizational project that connects individual wisdom with social justice:

– Between sound and walk,

– Between places and times ( spatiotemporal)

Wherever man may be,

– justice remains the standard of governance,

– and moderation remains the standard of conduct.”

I only desire reform as much as I am able.

Have I conveyed?

O Allah, bear witness.