Scotland tends to be much further to the political left than the rest of the UK, and many of its citizens are more than ready to express a somewhat revolutionary attitude towards the aristocracy. But the Qur'an has no problem dealing with the nature of kingship, and the Opening of Parliament, one of the few remaining occasions to feature the full regal panoply, gave me the excuse to talk about it.

As usual, the new session of Parliament was opened with full pomp and glory, not by the MPs themselves, but by Her Majesty the Queen.

In Britain we clearly recognise that elected representatives come and go, but the power of some over others goes on and on, and that usually what decides whether you are preferred over others is not what you do, but where you were born, and to whom. It's a family thing, and at its highest level we have the inheritance of kingship by blood, with the exercise of power through the force of those prepared to swear allegiance.

By nature of our wealth we all hold power over others, even if the others are only beggars on the street, but we usually expect our wealth to be passed on to our children rather than shared out by the community.

With kingship we recognise that inequality is part of the human system. Some have more talent, more brains or brawn or beauty. Some have more wealth, and some just get lucky, but in the things that make for success in this life, you can be sure that none of us are equal.

So when we shout about the unfairness of the system, we must examine our motives carefully. Is that really a righteous cry for justice or a whine of jealousy. Are we asking for the wealth of our local rich to be redistributed in our direction, while drawing the line at sharing our wealth with the poor of Calcutta, or even the homeless of Sauchiehall Street.

Peace and satisfaction in this life doesn't depend on what you've got, but in which direction you are looking. Qur'an doesn't address the powerless and tell us to fight for equality. It addresses the powerful and tells us to fulfill our duties. It doesn't say eat the rich, it says feed the poor. Of course, Qur'an tells us to fight for Justice, but justice for all, not one that suits ourselves.

Yet in the end, inequality amongst men is as nothing compared to our inequality with God, the All-Just, whom muslims name the Owner of All Sovereignty, the King to whom we all should pledge allegiance.