Thursday, May 20, 2010

Ahl al-Hall wa-al-'Aqd - Part 1: The Paradox

"O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you" [Quran - al-Nisaa', 4:59]

Sahih Muslim, Book 20, Hadeeth# 4518: It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Holy prophet (may peace be upon him) said: Whoso obeys me obeys God, and whoso disobeys me disobeys God. Whoso obeys the commander (appointed by me) obeys me, and whoso disobeys the commander disobeys me. The same tradition transmitted by different persons omits the portion: And whose disobeys the commander disobeys me.

Book 20, Number 4524: It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: It is obligatory for you to listen to the ruler and obey him in adversity and prosperity, in pleasure and displeasure, and even when another person is given (rather undue) preference over you.

Book 20, Number 4525: It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr who said: My friend (i. e. the Holy Prophet) advised me to listen (to the man in position of authority) and obey (him) even if he were a slave maimed (and disabled).


I can keep on narrating the textual evidence of the obligatory obedience to the Muslim ruler, they are numerous in Quran and sunnah. And it makes logical sense; imagine if it was left to any and everyone to decide whether he/she sees the ruler as just or not, as tyrant or angel and act on it to depose or discredit the ruler, there will then never be any sort of stability and peace in the political life to allow development and progress to take place. Yet, on the other side of the coin, complete obedience to the ruler from every single person in the people can and will lead the ruler to do injustice and fear no opposition.

Professor Farooq Hassan raised a fundamental question that underlies a problem that the theory as well as practice of Islamic politics does not give due attention. He says, "The problem of the unrighteous ruler [...] was never really faced by the main body of Islamic opinion." "It is true that the principle was laid down in the hadith that there is no obedience in sin, that is to say, that obedience is not due to a sinful ruler. But since no means were indicated by which an unrighteous ruler might be deposed, the dilemma remained." [1]

This was one of the main factors that led to the rise of waves calling for a middle ground between Islam and democracy .. Actually, it led to several Muslim intellectuals fully adopting democracy as an Islamic governance system. Such process took place during the period of the weakening power of the Islamic Caliphate and the rising role of the Western powers; during this period the liberal and democratic principles started to infiltrate the Muslim intellectual circles which gave birth to the mentioned literature. "In the Muslim world, this contestation raises the challenge of defining 'Islamic democracy' in a way that is appropriate both to the demands of increasing popular political participation and to the desire to establish a clearly and authentically Islamic polity," John Esposito argued. [2]

But the adoption of democracy did not solve the fundamental question* .. how can a political system be Islamic and checks the powers of the ruler?



[1] Hassan, Farooq. The concept of state and law in Islam. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1981. P.52.
[2] Esposito, John L., and John O. Voll. Islam and democracy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. P.18.

* The question of why the current form of Western democracy is not Islamic is another topic that I might not be covering in full here during this series.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

من أسباب فساد الأمه

"ما حدث الإنفصال بين السلطتين السياسية و الدينية إلا لأن أهل الحكم و السياسة جاهلون بالدين, لذا يتصرفون حسب ما تمليه عليهم أهواؤهم و رغباتهم, و لأن أهل الدين زاهدون في السياسة و الحكم, ومن رغب أن يخوض غمار السياسة خاضها بغير علم بمتطلباتها, و أساليبها, و أطروحاتها, لذا فإنه يُفسد أكثر مما يُصلح"

د.بسّام عطية إسماعيل فرج
الفكر السياسي عند ابن تيمية
صفحه362