Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
In a recent article, Pakistani reformist scholar Javed Ahmad Ghamidi discussed the concept of an Islamic government. Ghamidi (born: April 18, 1951) is a leading Islamic scholar who has lived abroad in recent years due to threats from jihadist forces in Pakistan.
In the article titled "Islamic Government," Ghamidi argued that an Islamic government is not an objective, but is a result of people's beliefs in Islam and Islamic sharia, while noting that Islam addresses the individual - as opposed to most Islamic scholars' view that the community is central to Islam.
The following are excerpts from Ghamidi's article:
"The Revolutionary View Of Islam That Has Emerged In Present Times, In A Nutshell, Is This: It Is The Organized Minority Of Saleheen [Pious People In Accordance With Islam] That Has The Right To Rule Over The People"
"It is in the very nature of the human being that he lives life by establishing government. At first it emerged when people decided that they would elect heads for their tribes. And when these [tribal] chiefs were able to thrust their rule over other tribes by attacking them, then they became lord of the conquered areas and gradually it took the shape of a clan kingship. In later period these very kings laid the foundation of kingdoms after becoming great conquerors, and those kingdoms came into being which we know as the Samanid Empire [the first native Persian dynasty to arise after the Muslim Arab conquest], Roman Empire, and other similar empires. These empires have now ceased to exist but there remain kingdoms at various places, and most of them have changed into constitutional kingdoms. This is the situation everywhere except in some places.
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"Among these exceptions there is one - the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is still there, with all its power and grandeur. What kind of laws should be there in such types of kingdoms? This is decided by the king and his aides and elders. The Saudi government was established as a result of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab's reformist movement. Therefore, it was decided from its very inception that the country's rule would be Islamic sharia. A majority of the Sunni clerics don't consider kingship against Islamic sharia, and they unanimously agree with the definition of sharia that the Saudi government has been following. Therefore, in their view it is an Islamic government, and they express their loyalty to it accordingly.
"The revolutionary view of Islam that has emerged in present times, in a nutshell, is this: it is the organized minority of saleheen [pious people in accordance with Islam] that has the right to rule over the people. If people away from God [non-believers or atheists and non-practicing Muslims] are ruling, then they are indeed usurpers. It is the responsibility of the saleheen to strive to get back their right [to govern]. In the Shi'ite interpretation, these things were present from early times in the form of ideals like the rule of masoomeen [people free from sin] and wilayat faqiha [rule of the learned and wise]. Therefore, both Sunni and Shi'ite clerics have formed their parties at various places for the achievement of this very aim, and many modern educated persons are also trying to establish Islamic government as per their interpretation by creating an organized minority of saleheen in many countries.
"At some places, these struggles have met with success as well. For example in Iran, clerics under the leadership of Imam [Ayatollah] Khomeini were successful in establishing their government and they have been ruling with their full might for the past quarter of a century. Similarly, in Afghanistan the very students of the clerics [Taliban] had established their government with the help of the government of Pakistan, but it was lost due to the incident of 9/11 and now they are fighting against NATO troops for their revival."
"What Does Islam Want? If The Koran And Hadith [Traditions Of Muhammad] Are Studied With Keen Eyes Then It Becomes Very Clear That Islam's Real Addressee Is The Individual; It Wants To Establish Its Rule Over The Individual's Heart And Mind"
"This raises the question: what does Islam want? If the Koran and Hadith [traditions of Prophet Muhammad] are studied with keen eyes then it becomes very clear that Islam's real addressee is the individual. It wants to establish its rule over the individual's heart and mind. Therefore, it makes the individual obey and accept the lordship of God on his/her entire existence. His God is the lord of mankind as he is the sustainer of the mankind. Therefore, it is necessary that He should be obeyed also besides His prayer, and human beings should bow their heads in acceptance before the laws and regulation He has made in any matter. There is no doubt that it [Islam] also addresses society, but only when an individual of that society accepts this government [of God] on his existence.
"For this [purpose], there remains no need to call the state by the name of 'Islamic republic' nor is there any need of constitutional articles and Objectives Resolution [which enshrined Islam in Pakistani constitution]. When they accept this government on themselves, then Islam emanates automatically in one's communal, social, cultural, and political ideals. Therefore, if there is any order in the sharia [legal path] of God then they get ready to implement it without any hesitation.
"This is the Islamic government. If it is implemented like this then the compassion of God covers the earth. But if it is not established, even then there should not be any problem because the objective of Islam is not to govern, but the purifying [purgation] of souls. Its invitation is for that kingdom of God which would be achieved as a result of that very purgation of soul. It [Islam] has come to invite people to save them from Hellfire and to get them to enter into the eternal kingdom of God. It has not come to establish the government of its followers. Nevertheless, the people who are desperate for Ukhra Tuhibbuna - the second thing you like [i.e. a government of its followers] - they have over the past one and a half centuries witnessed the experiences [with regard to Islamic governments].
"In my view, they should also now accept this fact - that the Islamic government is neither established by an imperial order nor by the dictatorship of clerics, nor by any group or organization of military fighters of God [e.g. the jihadists] who are thrust upon people. This [Islamic government] is not the objective but the result which comes out from people's belief in Islam and Islamic sharia, and this is how alone it should come out.
"If it would come out like this then this government would be called in every sense an Islamic government. If the aim is to establish such a government, then instead of wasting time in politics and sacrificing one's life and shedding innocent blood in the name of jihad and qital [killing], all energy should be spent on two things: one, this government should be established in the hearts and minds of people through sermon and talks, knowledge and arguments, and education and training. So much so that other people in their contact should have the similar cognizance which is there in the hearts of those who have come out with the message of Islam.
"Second, democracy and democratic norms should be promoted at every place so that people become ready to fulfill the demands of Islam in politics and economy, and so that there could come no oppression in their way. The struggle against oppressive powers is, in fact, a struggle against fitna [mischief], and according to the Koran fitna is a greater sin than murder and its perpetrators are to be done away with from this stage of the world forever, whether they may be kings or dictators."
Source: Roznama Dunya (Pakistan), January 6, 2013
