Political aspects of Islam. introduction Islam is a Total way of life It has provided guidance in every where of life Islam can never be separated from economic life social or political since religion provides moral guidance for every action that a person takes.politics and Religion are one and same in Islam. We already know that Islam is a complete system of life and politicsIslam teaches us how to pay Zakah say Salah observe Sawm and offer Hajj, so it teaches us how to run a state, from a government, and members of parliament, Bear in mind that Islamic rulling system is not the same as the non-islamic countries.political system aspect of Islam has been based on three principles,1.
Tawheed (Oneness of God)2. Khilafat (Caliphate) 3. Risalat(Prophethood) . It is difficult to diffrentciate the different aspects of the Islamic policy without fully understanding these three principles.
Tawheed (Oneness of god) means that one Allah is a creater he is a subtaner and the master of this universe and of all that exists in it organic or inorganicWhat is a caliphate?A caliphate is an Islamic state It’s ruled by a caliph who is a political and religious leader who is a successor (caliph) His power and authority is absolute…..
.. Political aspects of Islam are derived from the Quran and Sunnah the sayings and living habits of prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him ) Muslim history and elements of political movements outside Islam. In 622 CE prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him ) was invited to rule the city of Medina. At the time the local Arab tribes and Khazraj dominated the city, and were in constant conflict.
Medinans saw in prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him ) an impartial outsider who could resolve the conflict. Muhammad and his followers moved to Medina where Muhammad drafted the Medina charter This document made prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him ) the ruler, and recognized him as the Prophet of Allah. The laws Muhammad established during his rule, based on the revelations of the Quran and doing of Muhammad, are considered by Muslims to be Sharia or Islamic law which Islamic movements seek to establish in the present day.purpose of the islamic stateAn Islamic state (Arabic: ???? ????????, dawlah isl?miyyah) is a type of government primarily based on the application of shari’a (Islamic law), dispensation of justice, maintenance of law and order. From the early years of Islam numerous governments have been founded as “Islamic”However the term “Islamic state” has taken on a more specific since the 20thcn The concept of modern Islamic state has been promoted by ideologues such as (Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini) the modern Islamic state is rooted in Islamic law.
It is modefied after the rule of prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him ). However, unlike caliph led governments which is imperial or despotisms, a modern Islamic state can incorporate modern political institutions such as elections, parliamentary rule, judicial review, and popular sovereignty.Today many Muslim countries have incorporated and implemante Islamic law into their legal system Certain Muslim states have declared Islam to be their state religion in their constitutions, but do not apply Islamic law in their courts. Islamic states which are not Islamic monarchies are usually referred to as Islamic republics like pakistan .The Separation of Institutional Religion & the StateAs we have mentioned, in Islam God is acknowledged the sole sovereign of human affairs, so therehas never been a distinction between religious and state authority.
In Christendom, the distinction between the two authorities are said to be based upon records in the New Testament of Jesus, asking his followers to render unto Caesar what was his and unto God what was His.Therefore throughout Christian history until the present times, there have always been two authorities: ‘God and Caesar’, or ‘the church and state.’Each had its own laws and jurisdictions, each its own structure and hierarchy.In the pre-westernized Islamic world there were never two powers, and the question of separation never arose.
The distinction so deeply rooted in Christendom between church and state has never existed in Islam.The Vision of an Islamic StateThe vision of an Islamic state and the purpose of its political authority is to implement the divine law.Thus, the ideal Islamic state is a community governed by the Law revealed by God.
This does not entail that such a state is necessarily a theocracy under direct rule of the learned men of religion, nor is it an autocracy that vests absolute power in the ruler.The function of the Islamic state is to provide security and order so that Muslims can carry out both their religious and worldly duties.The Caliph2is theguardian of faith and the community.His role is not so much checked by the ulama(religious scholars), but enhanced by them because they provide him religious and legal counsel.
He also appoints judges who resolve disputes in accordance with Islamic Law.There is a certain level of flexibility in regards to the system of governance 2The word Caliph is the English term for Khaleefah, or successor, for the Caliph succeeds Prophet Muhammad as political leader of the Muslims and implementation of Divine Law in society.5and its establishment in Islam, however, religion must be implemented fully into state and society.Islam and DemocracyIn order to discuss productively the topic of democracy, one must first understand the origins and meanings of the concept itself.But, for the sake of brevity, it can be said that, according to the “modern” and most rudimental understanding of the term, Islamic thought does conform to some of its aspects.One such aspect is the fact that Muslims have a right to appoint their rulers, hold them accountable and, when need be, to remove them from office. Islam does not, however, empower the system of government with the right to absolve or change the legislation of the religion in society, nor does it leave them the right of creation of novel legislations.
Rather, legislation is the right of God alone, and religion must be pivotal in deciding the validity of any new law. Bypassing this right of God amounts to the unforgivable sin of polytheism,for it from the basis of the belief in the Oneness of God that He and only He has the right of legislation.What this means is that the people or their elected officials do not have a right to make permissible what God has forbidden, or to declare forbidden what God has made permissible.Both in granting them such a right and then following their legislation is their elevation, making them lords like God, and this is what is meant by polytheism.No-one has the right to change the Law of God, and His Law is superior to and supersedes all man-made laws.Setting the boundaries of interaction between Islam and democracy, Muslims today are debating the relationship of Islam to democratic institutions in their societies.
While most Muslims wish for greater political participation, the rule of law, government accountability, freedoms, and human rights, there are many different ways to achieve these goals.To some, Islam has its own mechanisms which preclude democratic institutions.Still others 6contend that Islam is fully capable of accommodating and supporting democratic institutions.Engaging in a process of reform, they argue the compatibility between Islam and certain types of ‘democracy’ by using traditional Islamic concepts like consultation (shura) between the ruler and the ruled, community consensus (ijma), public interest (maslaha), and scriptural based opinion (ijtihad).
These mechanisms can be used to support forms of government with systems of checks and balances among the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches.However, rulers of authoritarian states tend to ignore, discourage, or suppress democratic institutions.In general, one can see that Islam is a religion which not only governs the private religious life of an individual, but also mandates and regulates all aspects of public life.As the notion of worship in Islam is not restricted to mere rituals but inclusive of all deeds of obedience and goodness, so too does the concept of religion extend toall avenues of life on Earth.
To a Muslim, the concepts of religion and state are inseparable.In keeping this principle respectfully in mind, whatever the form of government a Muslim society chooses to implement, all its constituents must be in direct concordance to the precepts of religion.By no means can the system of governance exclude, absolve, or interpolate any mandate of the religion, and this is yet only another example of the pure monotheistic nature of Islam, and that all rights due to God are rendered to Him alone, and none else.CONLUSIONThe duty of an Islamic state is to establish Salah and Zakah; promote the right and forbid the wrong The state is responsible for the welfare of all its citizens – Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It must guarantee the basicnecessities of life. All citizens of the Islamic state shall enjoy freedom of belief, thought, conscience and speech.
Every citizen shall be free to develop his potential, improve his capacity, earn and possess. A citizen shall enjoy theright to support or oppose any government policy which he thinks right or wrong with the following in mind.:The Islamic state is a duty bound to implement the laws of the Qur?an and the Sunnah.
The Qur?an stronglydenounces those who do not decide their matters by Allah?s revelations
