Posted by Concluded. on 17/10/2004, 16:32:52, in reply to "The Myth and Reality of Islamic State " It shows that from the Quranic perspective, individually as well as collectively, it is not permissible to see evil, have the means to forbid it and still avoid forbidding it under the misconception that imposition of law through state is against the spirit of Islam. Forbidding from bad is only possible if the state is empowered with law. Imposing of this law for forbidding the wrong can never be against the spirit of Islam. The rhetoric sounds nice that God wants free submission; He wants his believers to worship Him out of free choice, not for fear of some state. However, a state Islamic or otherwise cannot remain a state, if it does not have the power or will to forbid what it defines as bad. Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong (al-amr bil-ma 'rouf wal-nahi an al-munkar) is the most fundamental institution. In this regard, however, it is not that people should only enjoy their freedom of expression, but it is also a legal obligation. An Islamic society would not qualify as an Islamic society the Quran says it repeatedly if it is not actively seeking to correct the improper and promote good. Absence of political and economic system in the Quran There is no structure for political and economic systems in the Quran. Some injunctions of political and economic principles are nevertheless given. Thus, according to the Quranic order, family has a more prominent role in collective life compared to the modern day governing systems in which political and constitutional structures play pivotal roles. The following section explains Divine wisdom behind this apparent gap in explanation. The era of Muhammad (PBUH) as Head of the city-state of Medina has always been considered as a model in the sense that a Muslim state had been founded and was being managed and governed by the Prophet Imam himself. During this period the Executive was properly consolidated. Caliph Umar, in particular, encouraged the establishment of different departments of Central Secretariat in the form of Diwans on the Persian model. In these departments secretaries and clerks were employed in order to assist the Chief executive authority in managing the affairs of the state. The department of moral censorship (Hisbah) was also organised to enforce the Rights of Allah (Huquq Allah), the Rights of Human Beings (Huquq al-ibad), and the Rights which were common to both Allah and Human Beings (Huquq bayn Allah wal-ibad). The enforcement of Islamic law pertaining to certain crimes (e.g., theft, adultery, drunkenness etc.) was carried out through the department of Justice (Qaza). Thus the functions of the Muhtasib (Religious Censor) included compelling the Muslims to do what was ethico-legally reputable or right (maruf) and to detect, restrain and punish what was disreputable or wrong (munkar). But as is evident from Muslim history this practice was not consistently followed. As for the contemporary Muslim nation-states, the department of "Hisbah" has ceased to exist in the traditional form in almost all such states. Moreover, we find classification of state organs, their roles and responsibilities and system for checks and balances only in the early stages of Khalafah Al-Rashida (period of the first four caliphs) that followed shortly after the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Despite the absence of distinct branches of government such as legislative, judiciary, and executive, the accountability mechanism was very strong but informal. Dr. Javed Iqbal concludes, it is abundantly clear that the real emphasis of Islam is on the establishment of a Community of Faith being governed exclusively by the Shariah
[and] Muhammad (PBUH) as the Head of the first Muslim state, was indeed concerned with the formation and maintenance of unity among the Muslim community (Ummah) and its governance in accordance with Islamic law (Shariah).[18] The republican political order introduced as a political system in the state under the Sunnah (Practice) of the Rightly Guided Caliphs is significant from the point of view that it laid the foundation for the establishment of such a Community of Faith governed exclusively by Shariah. Abid Ullah Jans latest book, The End of Democracy, has just been released in Canada
The third objective is al-nahy 'an al-munkar, to forbid the wrong. The modern day concepts of freedom have made us forget about this aspect of forbidding the wrong altogether. Some Muslims consider themselves free based on the argument that there is no compulsion in religion and we have the right to interpret, reinterpret and if necessary invent in the light of human agency. Despite their much-vaunted philosophy, the neo-mods have yet to come up with an answer to the clear orders from Allah for both enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong at least nine times in the Quran.[17] Furthermore, the Quran also provides the touchstones, the permanents norms for evaluating as to what is good and what is wrong without any doubts of relativity.
Message Thread:
« Back to thread