Islamic Governance : in due Proportions
Introduction – Generalisations and Myths of Islamism
It’s not less than an inevitability to be inspired by the Islamist thought of monumental thinkers like Abul Ala Mawdudi, Syed Qutb and Dr. Israr if one’s a student of Islam in states like Pakistan or Egypt. These political scientists have had an unparalleled impact on the perception of Islam’s role in modern society by the youth, however the new mainstream followers of such thought have not completely grasped the technicalities of what they are advocating for, i.e. an Islamic Governance as laid out by Islamists. This essay is a brief overview of the misunderstandings of the Islamist youth regarding Islamic Governance and the thought of the Islamist thinkers.
Khilafat
The most chanted terminology in the new-age Islamist movements is that of Khilafat, which isn’t problematic at all. The error is only committed when Khilafat, that is a rule of single leader over the entire Muslim Ummah is considered to be synonymous with the Rule of Quran & Sunnah over the world. Its more than evident through even a cursory reading of Islamic sources that we have been commanded to establish the Shariah in the world, its a Fardh. The Hakimiyyah(sovereignty) can only be of Gods law. However to claim that we have been commanded to establish Khilafat (a rule of single ruler) or to claim that Khilafat is the only solution to all of our problems or to claim that Khilafat is necessarily demanded by Islam as a prerequisite for the establishment of Shariah is a misjudgment.
For anyone to state that the only system of Governance Islam allows is Khilafat, they would be under an obligation to substantiate their statements through the Nass Qati’l (Explicit and Definitive proof) from Quran & Sunnah. Which can not be done as there isn’t much in Quran and Sunnah regarding Islamic Political system.
It often comes out as a shock to many that Islam has not laid out a strict system of Governance to follow. There is no such thing as an Islamic Political Structure, Islam has laid out some primary principles for Governance and Administration, which if applied can turn any form of Governance into an Islamic Governance, whether it be Democracy or Monarchy. To claim that Islam has Khilafat as its own Political system and its denial is a post-modern phenomenon would be incorrect as well as the classical scholarly giants like Imam Al-Juwayni and Imam Al Ghazali admit the fact that there are no strict laws regarding Governance in the nass gati’i of Quran and Sunnah, most is based on zann (surmise) and hence giving us much room for rethinking and adopting new frameworks.
Moreover to the surprise of many once again, even the founders of Islamist thought like Maulana Mawdudi highlighted the lack of definitive content in primary Islamic sources regarding a complete system of Governance just as medieval jurists like Imam al-Juwayni and his student Abu Hamid al-Ghazali did.
‘Shariah has given us [only] the broad framework of .. [Administrative and]
Constitutional Law-and has left it to the discretion of Muslims to build up the details”“All administrative matters and all questions about which no explicit injunction is to be found in the Sharia are settled by consensus of opinion among the Muslims”
Maulana Abul Ala Mawdudi.
Ahle Hal wa’l Aqd
Alongside the chants of Khilafat, Democracy is declared to be outright Kufr.
Which can make sense if we assume absolute democracy (that is absolute power of people to create and alter laws) to be the system in question. However once again to term every form of Democracy as Kufr would be another problematic view to hold, not supported by Islamic Sources. The early elections of caliphs were democratic in their nature, and the consultation of the community is a principle put forward by Quran itself (Making democracy within the principles of Shariah, a necessity). And due to these sources almost all the Political thinkers of Islam from Al-Mawardi to Maulana Mawdudi recognised the necessary role of selective (at least) democracy in Islamic Governance. A democracy of certain individuals who are capable enough to elect a Leader – Majlis e Shura or Ahle hal wa’1 Aqd (People who loose and Bind) These individuals according to the majority, including Islamist thinkers like Rashid Rida and Syed Qutb, are the ones learned and wise enough to understand the intricacies of Islamic Law & Creed as well as Political science of the state, most hold Ulema and people of knowledge to be the major ones of this council. Just as the wisest Sahabas were the ones who participated in the election of the leader.
It’s through the consultation of ahle hal wa’l agd that the leader can be elected (Selective Democracy) and in fact this council through consensus holds the legitimacy to dethrone the leader as well as this council is the representation of the will of the muslim ummah in general. But how are these individuals who are responsible for such an integral task identified and what’s the basis for this majlis e shura?
These people are chosen by the muslim ummah (full democracy) on the basis of their Knowledge and Character (which unfortunately in social circumstances of states like Pakistan are chosen on the basis of wealth – MNAs and MPAs). They gain their significance on the identification of their knowledge and wisdom by the muslim community collectively (Opinion of Maulana Mawdudi and Qutb). Meaning that Majlis e Shura is a representation of the muslim ummah as a whole, whoever according to the standards of Muslim Ummah then holds the required capabilities, they form the council that elects the Leader. Which makes the Leader of the Ummah too, simply a representation of the Ummah in a single individual. The Leader in the Islamist Thought is but an individual who represents the collective duty of muslims to rule over the world, a duty which is upon every individual, that they exercise by choosing, identifying or becoming the People who loose and bind. Which brings us to the core foundation of Islamist Thought – Collective Virtue building duty on the Ummah to be able to elect an individual from the community properly.
The Enlightened Ummah
Since the duty of being God’s successor on earth and implementing his sovereign power is upon the shoulders of every single muslim. The entire ummah collectively acts as the God’s Khalifa on earth, known as popular sovereignty, the most sovereign power on Earth is the collective Muslim body itself. Each and every single person who claims to be a muslim then isn’t simply an individual distinct from the collective body of Muslims or the Rulers of that body, they are in truth Rulers and Leaders of the collective fate of muslim ummah, the process of establishment of God’s Law begins with the collective body of muslim ummah rather than a Single Ruling Leader (Khalifa), Its a ‘collective caliphate, where-
“the power to rule over the earth has baes promised to the whole community of believers; it has not been stated that any particular person or class among them will be raised to that position. From this it follows that all believers are repositories of the Caliphate. The Caliphate granted by God to the faithful is the popular vicegerency and not a limited one.
Maulana Abul Ala Mawdudi.
Every believer is a Caliph of God in his individual capacity. By virtue of this position he is individually responsible to God.”
According to Maulana Mawdudi the executive power to establish Shariah cannot be will fully dropped or attained by a muslim, a Muslim by definition is an individual whose default state is that of a Ruler, the entirety of Muslim ummah therefore automatically chooses their rulers through their inner states and piety levels. The job of the ummah according to Islamist thought then is purification and attainment of enlightenment of their personas in order to elect a leader that represents the entire community, because the leader and the ahl e hal wa’l agd both would be the products of the Intellectual and Spiritual states of the Muslim Ummah, the community is obliged to work righteously in order to elect and be governed by righteous leaders who establish Shariah.
“The ideal today requires precisely a moral transformation of the social body. It can “be achieved only when the society has been already developed in accordance with all the revolutionary teachings of Islam. And that is exactly why no sooner than an Islamic society deteriorated [morally], this ideal of Government could not be fully adhered to”
Maulana Abul Ala Mawdudi
Indeed, the basic value of Islamist thought, upon which everything else depends upon is nothing but that of Collective Tazkiyah. Although the Pakistani Scholar criticised heavily those pious ulema who were only concerned with Tazkiyah for not doing enough and fulfilling their duty of beinh God’s deputy on earth. Yet, self- purification and internalisation of Islamic vigour stood as the founding pillar of his thought. A ummah is obliged to realise their self-worth and given sovereignty by observing the fact that the Absolute Sovereignty belongs only to God, and they themselves can either stand in opposition to God’s Hakimiyyah by trying to construct a sovereignty of their own Will or by submitting their Will acquire the Divinely assigned sovereignty. A muslim thus can only work for a righteous Governance as long as they themselves are righteous, an ummah built of ignorant individuals who struggle to contain their own desires is destined to be subservient to the Rulers who govern through their lower desires.
Conclusion – Tazkiyah & Democracy
The claims of Khilafat being the only ‘Islamic Form of Governance and the rule of a single leader upon the entire Ummah being our only solution cannot be substantiated by Quran and Sunnah nor even by the works of Islamist Thinkers.
Quran and Sunnah have not restricted us to any particular form of administration. The outlining principles are to be considered, and if applied, any framework can be adopted by the Muslims for the benefit of the Ummah.And these outlining principles include the consultation of the muslim ummah necessarily. The Election of a Ruler should be dependent on the most knowledgeable and wise people of a community according to the methodology of the Sahaba and understanding of the Scholars which is Selective Democracy.
The Identification of such wise and knowledgeable people is a duty of the Muslim Community (Theo-democracy – as the standard to elect and identify such individuals are those of Quran and Sunnah) whatever morals and principles they adhere to and judge each other through will end up Ruling them in the form of the Leaders who represent the character of the community.
Therefore a collective self-purification of the community is a primary obligation in the journey of truly exercising the duty of being God’s deputy on Earth. The Power of Caliphate exists, not in the form of a single governing individual but the collective body of Muslim Ummah. And the strength of this collective Caliphate is simply the collective level of Taqwa and Ikhlaas of the ummah.