Essence of Islamic polity
By Jafar Wafa
As the Quran is not a textbook of political science, one should not expect it to contain systematic chapters on each aspect of an Islamic government. Its primary concern in the realm of politics is not the form of government, but as explicitly expressed in chapter three verse 110, the function of an Islamic government - "to enforce values recognized as good (maroof) and forbid those which are abhorrent (munkar)."
While it does not prescribe the details of a specific kind of government and avoids laying down a rigid framework of polity, it would be a folly to suppose that it does not provide sufficient indicators regarding the system of government.
A government which is really competent to interpret maroof in the contemporary situation and enforce it, and, similarly, identify munkar and forbid it, must meet four requirements set out in the Quran, not serially, but in different contexts.
First and foremost, it demands that it should be a government enjoying people's confidence and respect - not an arbitrary, arrogant dictator's rule. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was addressed by the Almighty thus: "We have not sent you as a warder over them." (4:80).
The Almighty meant these words and His Apostle, while founding the first Islamic state after the conquest of Makkah, acted upon them. It was his humility and humbleness as a conqueror and magnanimity and generosity as a wielder of authority that won the hearts of those who were Islam's sworn enemies, and, in the words of Abdur Rahman Azzam, "the tribes went over to Islam en masse in the span of one day and night". (The Eternal Message of Muhammad)
The year after Makkah fell, in one hour's engagement on one day with hardly a dozen deaths, is called the 'year of deputations' as deputations swarmed from all parts of Arabia to swear allegiance to the new state of Madinah only because the person who was at the helm, though in fact the 'emperor' of Arabia, lived as simple a life as the poorest among the tribes.
The head of the first Islamic state was widely different in dress and demeanour, in diet and dwelling and in daily routine from the bejewelled, bedecked crowned kings and potentates of contemporary Byzantine and Persian empires. The first four Caliphs who succeeded him as head of state followed in his footsteps as faithfully as was possible.
The edifice of modern western political and social systems, it must be underlined, was built not on the ashes of the long-lasting, widespread Roman empire, the pride of all Europe, but on the foundation laid in an oasis of Arabia in 630 A.D. (or 8 A.H.).
The Second requirement according to the Quran, is "administration by mutual consultation" (42:38). In other words, no one, even a pious and popular ruler should rule without "consultation."
The Prophet was advised by the Almighty "to consult them (the Companions) in appropriate matters" (3:159). This obligation to consult, cuts at the roots of despotic and autocratic rule and demands the setting up of a consultative organ.
It is generally thought that kings and queens are not in sync with the modern concept of democracy. But democracies in Europe have allowed kings and queens to remain as heads of state.
Even the so-called 'mother of parliaments' is quite comfortable with the reigning Queen Elizabeth II. But all these hereditary monarchs are no longer arbitrary rulers, because they have to go by what the elected cabinet of ministers and consultative body decides.
The Quran accords legitimacy to the kingship of Hazrat Daud and his son Hazrat Sulaiman (Biblical David and Solomon) as they were divinely-guided benevolent rulers.
The Quran also speaks well of Queen of Sheba who always acted on her chieftains' "considered advice and decided no case unless they consulted her" (27:32). In short, an ideal government should run the affairs of the state by installing a suitable system of 'mutual consultation.'
The third requirement, in the light of Quranic indicators, for a government to be able to encourage good values and discourage bad ones is that the constitution of the state should recognize that the supreme sovereignty belongs to Allah and not to a 'mortal God', as invented by Hobbes, or the 'general will', in Rousseau's terminology, or the 'proletariat dictatorship' in Marx's parlance, or the 'majority party' in modern democracies.
In a truly Islamic dispensation, the majority party cannot legislate anything that is repugnant to Islamic tenets and teachings. Thus, the majority will is not sacrosanct, as in other democracies, at least in the sphere of law-making.
The Quranic verdict on this issue is unequivocal: "If you act on the advice of most of those on earth, they would mislead you from Allah's path, as they follow nothing but an opinion and indulge in conjectures" (6:116). This necessitates screening of all laws by a body like the Islamic Ideology Council in Pakistan and the Council of Clerics in Iran to act as moral 'guardians.'
The fourth requirement pertains to the 'quality' of politicians seeking election as members of the legislative organs. According to the Quran, it is only the "noblest" among the community of voters who deserve to be elected and "the noblest persons, in the sight of Allah, are the best in conduct, or the most pious, according to another translation" (49:13). Thus, the most deserving candidate should not be the most powerful or a known populist seeking popularity among the masses for personal fame.
It was, perhaps, in elucidation of this Quranic edict that the Holy Prophet is reported to have observed that "an Ethiopian slave (of his time) with right deeds to his credit has a greater claim to be the ruler than a wrongdoer from the nobility of Quraish."
As one may have noted these requirements do not suggest that an Islamic state should be a theocracy. On the contrary, the scale is in favour of a non-secular democracy.
Non secular because, firstly, unlike in a secular democracy, the sovereignty here belongs to Allah and not to the will of the majority of citizens of the state and, secondly, because all proposed laws have to be subjected to scrutiny and approval by an appropriate Islamic council before they become the law of the land.