Is it true that oil belongs to God and not the nation? / Should the name of National Oil Company be changed to Elahi Oil Company?

"Oil does not belong to people. Oil belongs to God and the Prophet." This sentence was said by Seyed Mustafa Mirsalim, a right-wing and conservative Iranian politician and a failed 1% presidential candidate in 1996.

It seems that because he brought up the discussion of God and the Prophet, people criticize him in terms of negation, and otherwise, not only oil, we also belong to God, and basically that is what "Inna Allah" means. It means that we belong to Allah, and the translation to "all belong to God" besides the fact that it is better not to translate Allah (because it is a special name), it is not accurate to "belong to God" and "belong to God" is correct.

It also seems that his reference is to the first verse of Surah Anfal. (assuming that oil is included in Enfal). For this reason, some points can be mentioned:

1. In May 2018, Ayatollah Mohagheq Damad stated in a note in Etemad newspaper, "In my jurisprudential belief, oil revenue should not be spent on current and construction budgets, but should be spent on sustainable and profitable long-term investments in such a way that the original money and capital obtained are preserved and the profit is not only spent on the current generation, but with foresight and foresight, future generations are also considered."

The basis of this jurisprudential opinion was that they consider oil in the category of anfal, but it is clear that they want its income for the people, but neither current expenses nor only the current generation, and they did not consider justification as expediency acceptable, because expediency is a temporary thing, while spending oil for current affairs has become a regular and permanent procedure.

With this in mind, it should not be assumed that Mirsalim's claimant is from the jurisprudential point of view of Ayatollah Mohaghegh Damad. Because this jurist is worried that this product will be devalued in the future and believes that it should be extracted with modern technologies, especially in common fields, faster and more efficiently, but its income should not be spent on current expenses, and the emphasis is on its infallibility from this point of view, not that it does not belong to the people!

2. Probably, as mentioned, his reference is to the first verse of Surah Anfal, in which it is mentioned that Anfal belongs to God and the Prophet. However, as stated in the translations and interpretations, the meaning of Anfal here is the spoils of war, and all the evidence indicates that the verses are related to the aftermath of the Battle of Badr, when there was a dispute over the division of the spoils, and with this interpretation, the Prophet wanted to end the conflict between the Muslims over the spoils. In the next 40 verses and in verse 41, it is clearly mentioned about booty, and this time: "One fifth of every booty belongs to God, the Prophet, close relatives, orphans, and the needy on the way of the rest."

In the same sura and in verse 69, however, to settle the dispute, it is stated: It is clear that the goal was to resolve the dispute, and thus, if based on a verse of an Anfal chapter, it is said that it is from God and the Prophet, it is good to pay attention to verse 69 as well, that whatever is obtained from it is from you. Of course, he may say that what he means by Anfal is not booty, but that it is like mountains and seas. But aren't the mountain mines and the sea waters used, and they don't explore and fish in them? (The verse that weakens your differences and quarrels is in this surah and the word "failure" is also taken from it).

Because if we say that oil belongs to everyone, then the government's role is like managing buildings and common property. People are the owners of property and work is in their hands. According to the description of engine ignition engineer, the trustees are also God's messengers!

3. Contrary to Anfal's knowledge of oil in the belief of Mr. Mohagheg Damad, which is reasonable and justified, Mr. Mirslim's denial has no meaning. In addition, one can ask why you didn't say this sentence and attribute it to God and the Prophet during the years when the president you supported was wasting the same national capital? During Ahmadinejad's time, oil did not belong to God, but now it does?!

4. Now it is time to return to March 1329. 76 years ago, when Dr. Mohammad Mosadegh, the representative of the people of Tehran in the National Council, and his associates presented the nationalization plan of Iran's oil industry. Representatives who did not go through the selection process and their concern was not restrictive plans. They were thinking of improving people's lives and breaking dependence, and perhaps the opportunity to take revenge on the colonialism that had milked Iran for 200 years.

The proposal begins with this sentence: In the name of the happiness of the Iranian people. (Text: In the name of the happiness of the Iranian nation and in order to help ensure world peace, the undersigned suggest that Iran's oil industry be declared national in all regions of the country without exception, that is, all exploration, extraction and exploitation operations should be in the hands of the government.)

Mustafa Mirsalim is a religious person. Mohammad Mossadegh was also not irreligious, although he was not a fan of religious demonstrations and did not think about the duties of the government like devotees of Islam. But as if they worshiped different gods! The first said that oil belongs to God, not the people, and the second, which is historically the first, nationalized oil in the name of the happiness of the Iranian nation.

The result of this statement is that it is as if Mirslim's God or the God he has in mind are two with God Mossadegh! Because someone wants the oil from himself, while the God of Mossadegh or the God he portrayed was concerned about the happiness of the people, and what is the special word for this happiness or well-being, because the main task of working with his hands is this: the happiness of the nation. A word that is related to Saad, Masoud, Saeed, Saed, and Asad in Arabic.

Oil is God's gift to the people of this land. It has happened before, but for decades and centuries, people did not know that its use goes beyond the treatment of their scratch wounds! Later, it was used only to keep the lamp lit, and the discovery of its various uses in the 20th century was a great revolution.

To say that oil does not belong to our generation only, so that we don't spend it on incompetence and extravagance, and that it should be invested and we should also look to the future and put it under Anfal so that it is safe from daily manipulations and the current and construction budget is a debate, and I respect it. That too from the mouth of someone who is a member of a council that should think expediently and not dream. There is talk everywhere about the violation of trustees or trustees who take oil on trust in a state of embargo in order to sell it in the ways they know and return its currency, and it seems that some have violated, and now Mr. Mirslim says: Oil belongs to God!

Having said that, it's a good thing that engineer Mirslim did not become the president in 1996, otherwise he would have changed the name of National Iranian Oil Company to Elahi Oil Company of Iran. Of course, in the years when the word "national" was either removed or changed to Islamic (National Blood Transfusion Organization, National Post Company, Ministry of Culture and National Guidance), the title of the National Iranian Oil Company remained and Mr. Mirsalim did not object!