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The Definition of an
Islamic Government |
Please consider the following verse:
5:44 We did send down the Torah containing guidance and a
light. By it the Prophets who always sincerely submitted
to Allah (allatheena aslamoo), judged the
Jews. And the rabbis and the priests judged according to
Allah’s Scripture as they were commanded to observe. For to
them was entrusted the protection of Allah’s Book, and they
were witnesses to it. So, fear not people, but fear Me and
do not trade away My Revelations for petty gains. Whoever
does not judge and rule according to what Allah has
Revealed, such are the disbelievers (Kafiroon).
In the above
verse, two categories of people are mentioned:
-
allatheena aslamoo
[i.e. Those
who submit (to Allah) or those who are Muslims]. They
judge or rule according to what Allah has revealed
-
Kaafiroon.
These are those who do
not judge according to what Allah has revealed
From the verse
5:44 given above, it becomes clear that those who judge or
rule according to what Allah has revealed are Muslims
and those who do not judge or rule according to what Allah
has revealed are Kafiroon.
All the Prophets
of Bani Israel (including Moses) were Muslims or
Submitters (to Allah) and used to rule, judge and decide
matters of their public according to the Divine Revelation (At-Taurat
or Torah) [5:44]. Following their footsteps, Jesus, son
of Maryam also used to rule, judge and decide matters of his
public according to Injeel, the Book revealed to him
[5:46-47]. Then came the last of the prophets of Allah,
Muhammad (s.a.) and Al-Quran was the Book that was revealed
to him. The Quran is the last of the Divine Revelation and
is the Watcher over the old Scriptures and guards the Truth
in them. Like all the previous prophets, Muhammad (a.s.) was
also commanded by Allah to rule, judge or decide matters
according to what was revealed to him [5:48], and so he did.
Those who do not
rule, judge or decide matters according to what Allah has
revealed are Kafiroon (5:44), Zalimoon (5:45)
and Fasiqoon (5:47), according to the Quran.
In the verses
5:44, 5:45 and 5:47, the word ‘yahkum’ has been used
from which the word hakoomat is. In the light of the
verse 5:44, an Islamic hakoomat (or government) can be
defined as the one that rules according to the Quran, the
last of the Books revealed by Allah.
Today, there is
no single Government in the whole world which rules, judges
or decides matters solely according to what Allah has
revealed. All Governments are of Kafiroon,
Zalimoon or Fasiqoon. There is no Islamic
Government that exists on the face of earth today.
18.08.2004
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