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An Overview of the Islamic System |
The Last
Messenger of Allah established a system of life in which He
used to rule or judge people according to the Book revealed
to him [5:48-49, 4:105, 6:114]. And this was not new only to
him. In fact, all the previous Messengers of Allah also
established systems of life during their time whereby they
ruled or judged according to the Books revealed to them
[5:44-47, 2:213]. Indeed, any who does not rule or judge
according to Allah’s Revelation is Kaafir [5:44],
Zalim [5:45] and Fasiq [5:47], according to the
Quran. The principle of ruling or judging by the Book is the
foundation of an Islamic System. No system can be called
Islamic unless all the judgments and rulings therein are
according to the Book, Al-Quran, the last of the Revealed
Books that is the Watcher over all the old Scriptures and
guards the Truth in them [5:48].
Al-Hukm
or the Judgment or the Rule or the Command belongs to none
but Allah alone [6:57, 6:62, 12:40, 12:67, 28:70, 28:80,
40:12, 42:10]. He does not take anyone as partner in His
Hukm [18:26]. He is Khair-ul-Hakimeen [7:87,
10:109, 12:80] and Ahkam-ul-Hakimeen [11:45, 95:8].
In an Islamic System, all the so-called rulers or judges are
obligated to rule and judge as per Allah’s Rule and
Judgment. Sunnah or the Way of the Prophet [s.a.] is
not part of Al-Hukm, since Allah does not take any
partners in His Hukm [18:26]. However, in Sunnah
of the Prophet [s.a.], guidance may be sought for ways
to implement Al-Hukm, or for by-laws based upon
Al-Hukm. But the ways to implement or enforce
Al-Hukm as well as by-laws based upon it, are not
as unchangeable as is Al-Hukm itself. The ways
and by-laws may be altered according to the
suitability of time and circumstances but Al-Hukm
itself cannot be changed in any circumstances.
The obedience to
Allah [Aatee-u-Allah] is the basis of an
Islamic System. But Allah is Invisible. He comprehends all
vision but no vision comprehends Him [6:103, 7:143]. He does
not come face to face with people to give them His Laws and
Commands. All of His Commands for the people are in the Book
revealed by Him. Obedience to Allah means conformity to His
Laws or abidance by His Commands which are in His Revealed
Book, Al-Quran. His Commands or Laws do not change like the
whim of a despot or caprice of a king. No one can change His
Laws. Even, He Himself does not change His Laws, although He
is all powerful to do so [10:64, 30:30, 33:62, 35:43, 48:23,
6:34, 6:115, 18:27].
Allah’s Laws and
Commands, in the Quran, cannot implement or enforce
themselves upon people, on their own. Moreover, each
individual may interpret these Laws and Commands in his own
way and abide by them according to his own right. So, there
is a need for one Central Authority and his obedience [Aatee-ur-Rasool].
The first Central Authority was Muhammad [a.s.], the
Messenger of Allah. Hence, obedience to the Messenger was
also necessary, which was, in effect the obedience to Allah
by abidance by His Book as interpreted and enforced by the
Central Authority [4:80].
Muhammad [a.s.]
was mortal and could not live forever [3:144]. But this did
not mean the end of the Islamic System. The Central
Authority, after his death, would transfer from him to his
Khalifa, the Successor. Moreover, as the expanse of
the Islamic System will increase, it would become impossible
for the single human Authority to be present at all places
at all times to make judgments, rulings or implement or
enforce the Law. There would become a need for
sub-authorities or subordinates, hence, the obedience to
Ol-il-Amr.
Unless there is
one single Islamic Central Authority, the dream of
implementing Islam as a System, as an alternative to secular
democracy or other systems, can never be realized. Without a
Central Authority, Islam may exist, as it is today, like a
downgraded ritualistic religion, in which every individual
or sect may keep on living on the vacuous wish of pleasing
Allah or rendering Him worship in its own way and in its own
right but it can never become a truly Islamic System of life
to bring forth its promised benefits. And that means the
transfer of sovereignty from individual states, as they
exist today, to the Central Authority which itself would
work under the Ultimate Sovereignty of Allah, i.e. His Book.
Moreover, this also means the end of the authority of the
Ullema or the Muftis of today and the Imams
of the past. The interpretation of the Laws and the
formulation of by-laws will be done by the Central Authority
alone, within the bounds of the Quran. There will be no
sects, no religious or political parties, not even an
opposition party or Hizb-e-Ikhtilaf within the
Islamic System.
All the affairs
shall be decided by mutual consultation, in the light of the
Quran. If there is any disagreement among the
representatives on any matter, the judgment thereof will be
referred to Allah [42:10] i.e. His Book. This referral will
be through the sub-authorities or the central authority for
the final verdict [4:59], which will make the judgment
according to Allah’s Book [5:48].
Derived from two
ancient Greek words demos (the people) and kratos
(strength), Democracy is a political system in which the
supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect
people to represent them. Then, the numerical majority of
the elected representatives can make laws, rules or
decisions binding on the whole group. While making laws and
rules, these elected representatives do not have any
objective standards, unprejudiced touchstones, absolute
criteria or bounds of any permanent values to take into
account. The difference between such a system and the
Islamic System is that the law-making in the latter is based
upon the objective standards and the absolute criteria given
in the Quran and do not go against the Permanent Values
enshrined therein.
Before anyone
becomes a believer in such a system, He has full choice
whether he wants to become a believer or not [18:29]. There
is no compulsion whatsoever upon him to become a member of
the Muslim community [2:256]. But once he becomes a member
of the Muslim community, he is obligated to abide by its Laws.
The authority would make sure that he does so. He cannot be
left with that he abides by some laws that he likes and
violates others that he dislikes. No community, no nation
and no country would allow that.
22.08.2004
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