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Islam is a social religion, not in the sense that it is
through society alone that religion breathes its sacred spirit
in the individuals, but in the sense that it aims at
inculcating God-consciousness both in individual and society.
Jesus said: The Kingdom of Heaven is within you. Islam fully
subscribes to this view, since no just kingdom can be founded
on earth by unjust men, who have not first created the Kingdom
of Heaven in their hearts, but Islam goes a step forward and
says that the creation of the Kingdom of Heaven within heart
is not enough; this Kingdom of Heaven within must be
externalised into a Kingdom of Heaven on earth, so that the
organised life of man may be built up on the basis of love,
fraternity and justice.
It thus becomes clear that the Islamic State is not an end
in itself, but a means to an end, the end being the
development of a community of people who stand up for equity
and justice, for right against wrong or, to phrase it
differently, for the creation of such conditions as would
enable the greatest possible number of human beings to live
spiritually, morally and physically in accordance with the
teachings of Islam.
Thus the founding of an Islamic State is not a sort
of" worldly activity," something undesirable, as
some people wrongly suppose, but the sine qua non of social
justice, as demanded by Islam." The state," says Dr
lqbal," from the Islamic standpoint, is an endeavour to
transform these ideal principles into space-time forces, an
aspiration to realize them in a definite human organization.
It is in this sense alone that state in Islam is a theocracy,
not in the sense that it is headed by a representative of God
on earth who can always screen his despotic will behind his
supposed infallibility.
As this State is meant to enforce the law of the Shari'ah
within its territorial jurisdiction, it is duty bound to make
itself an efficient organ for transforming the high ideals of
Islam into reality. The Qur'an, while enumerating the main
functions of the Islamic State, says:" Those who, if We
establish them in the land, observe worship, and pay the
poor-due and enjoin good and forbid evil" (xxii. 41).
This shows that the function of an Islamic State is not
only to defend its citizens from external attack and internal
disorder, but also to enable individual man and woman to
realise the tenets of Islam and their beliefs. in the
socioeconomic concerts of their practical life.
So far as the nature of the Islamic State is concerned, it
is theocracy with regard to God in the sense that the de jure
sovereignty belongs to Allah Whose de facto sovereignty is
inherent and manifest in the working of the entire universe
and Who enjoys exclusively the sovereign prerogative over all
the creation. The Holy Qur'an has stressed this point in so
many verses:
" The Command is for none but for Allah: He has
commanded that ye obey
none but Him: that is the right path" (xii. 40).
" Follow the revelation sent unto you from your Lord,
and do not follow the (so-called) guardians other than
Him" (vii. 3).
" And those who do not make their decisions in
accordance with that revealed by Allah are (in fact) the
deniers of Truth" (v. 44). It thus becomes quite clear
that a State established on the basis of God's sovereignty
cannot enforce any law in contravention of the Qur'an and the
Sunnah even if all the citizens make a demand for it. An
Islamic State is, therefore, theocratic in one aspect as it is
run according to God-given laws, but it is altogether a
differmt theocracy of which Europe has had the bitter
experience and in which, a priestly clan is sharply marked off
from the rest of the population and exercises an unchecked
domination and enforces laws of its own making in the name of
God, and thus imposes its own godhood upon the common people.
The priest puts himself as a mediator between the masses and
the unseen God. Such a system is quite un-Islamic. The
theocracy built by Islam is not ruled by a particular
religious class, but by the whole community of Muslims
including the rank and file. as Allah has not appointed a
particular individual, group, race or class as the
representative of the Real Sovereign upon the earth, but the
whole community. The Qur'an says:" Allah has promised to
those among you who believe and do righteous deeds that He
will assuredly make them to succeed (the present) rulers and
grant them vicegerency in the land just as He made those
before them to succeed (others)" (ixiv. 55). This verse
makes it clear that all believers have been conferred upon the
Caliphate and not a special class or dynasty. Moreover, the
Caliphate granted by Allah to the faithful is the popular
vicegerency and not a limited one and thus it is run with the
consent of the people. The concepts of the Divine Right of
Kingship and the infallibility of clergy are alien to the
spirit of Islam. Every Muslim stands on equal level with the
other Muslim as the vicegerent of the Lord upon the earth.
None of them, therefore, enjoys any preference to the other by
virtue of high birth or belonging to a special religious
group. History is teplete with instances of Caliphs being
brought to the court and publicly criticised by ordinary men
and women. Even a lowliest villager could dare tell the
Commander of the Faithful that he would set him straight like
a spindle if he deviates an inch from the poth of
righteousness. This shows that the rulers and the officials in
the Islamic State are answerable both to God and man for their
actions, and the people have every right to criticise. not
only their public behaviour, but even their private
activities.
In the context of such heavy responsibilities the heading
of the Islamic State or assumption of any other important
portfolio in its set-up is a very difficult job so much so
that that Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him) compared it to
the slaughtering of one with a blunt knife. No person,
therefore. who is conscious of the responsibilities of the
job, covets to assume that; he rather shirks it and accepts it
only when he is compelled to do so. The Holy Prophet (may
peace be upon him) declared that person to be quite unfit for
office in an Islamic State who is covetous of it, as he is
either ignorant of its grave responsibilities or desires to
take undue advantage of his official power.
We enumerate below some of the important rights and duties
of an Islamic State.
As for the rights, the Islamic State can claim full loyalty
from all its citizen wholehearted cooperation in all sectors
of life and complete obedience to the law of the land and the
commands of the rulers so long as they are in comformity with
the Laws of the Shari'ah. But where the rulers transgress the
limits of the citizens have the right, not only to withdraw
co-operation, but also to check the rulers from acting against
the Commands of Aliah and His Apostle (may peace be upon him).
The citizens are also required to pay taxes due to the
State quite willingly and not to misappropriate its funds, and
to participate in Jihad in any capacity for which they are
deemed fit by the authorities of the Islamic State.
So far as the duties of the Islamic State are concerned,
the first and foremost duty is to protect the life, property
and honour of every citizen, irrespective of his caste, creed,
colour, religion or social status.
Moreover, it is also the duty of the Islamic State to
protect the freedom and individual liberty of every citizen so
long as there is no valid reason to curtail it. It cannot be
done as an arbitrary act. The State is authorised to lay hands
upon it through due process of law.
Again, freedom of expression is one of the fundamental
rights of the citizen which an Islamic State must respect.
Then, it is also the duty of the Islamic State to see that
no citizen remains unprovided for in respect of the basic
necessities of life, viz, food, othing, shelter, medical aid
and education, for the Holy Prophet (may peace be upon him)
said:" The government is the guardian of those who have
no guardian."
Moreover, the State is bound to create such conditions in
which the good reigns supreme in the society and evil is
suppressed and exterminated, and its citizens learn to live as
good Muslims. |
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