WHEN KINGS FEARED THE HUMBLE

Why Humility Outshines Power

What is now known as Afghanistan was, in ancient times, referred to as Sijistan, with Kabul as its capital. A Turkic ruler governed the region, a Buddhist king whose hereditary title was Rutbil (also known as Zandpil). This land later became part of the Umayyad Caliphate during the rule of Amir Mu‘awiyah. Although Rutbil initially resisted the expanding Muslim armies, he eventually entered into a treaty that secured protection for himself. For some time he honoured this agreement and maintained peaceful relations with the Umayyad state, but he ultimately broke the pact.

A striking account from this period is recorded during the caliphate of Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik (d. 105 AH). When representatives of the Damascus-based Umayyad government met Rutbil for negotiations, he addressed them saying: “Where are those men who used to come before? Their stomachs were sunken like those of the hungry. Their foreheads bore dark marks. They wore sandals made from palm fibre.”

According to the narrator, Rutbil refused to renew the treaty after this encounter and remained independent of Umayyad authority for almost twenty-five years. To him, the simple and humble individuals of the earlier generation—those from the era of the Prophet’s Companions—appeared far more powerful than the grand and outwardly impressive figures of the Umayyad court. Why? Because true strength does not lie in luxury, ornamentation, or authority, but in inner capability and moral resolve. The earliest Muslims possessed this inner strength in abundance, even though their outward appearance was modest.

The truly strong person is one whose needs are few, whose desires remain disciplined, who neither pursues luxury nor seeks superiority, and who finds satisfaction in humility rather than in self-display. Such a person is free from inner burdens, able to make decisions without hesitation, and ready to sacrifice for a higher purpose.

By contrast, those surrounded by comfort and excess often lose the ability to perceive reality clearly. Their luxuries become chains, limiting their vision and weakening their resolve. They live more for themselves and less for any meaningful cause. q