To begin with, we have the fundamental principle that Allah’s authority of decision is supreme, and in ayah 10 we have, accordingly, been directed to recognize and uphold it under all eventualities:
And whatever it be wherein you
differ, the decision thereof is with Allah….
(Al-Shura 42:10)
Ayah 13 of the same Surah refers to the manifestation of
Allah’s authority or decision in the form of Deen and Shari‘ah.15
The same Deen has He established for
you as that which He enjoined on Noah, which We have revealed to you (O
Muhammad!) and that which we enjoined on Abraham, Moses and Jesus; namely, that
you should establish Deen and make no divisions therein….
(Al-Shura 42:13)
Note-15: The code
of law based on the injunctions of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Holy
Prophet (SAW).
Then in ayah 15, the Holy Prophet (SAW) has been
instructed to declare his belief in the Book and to strive for the creation of
a just society by practically dispensing justice to the people:
Now then, for that (reason) call
(them to the same Deen) and stand steadfast as you are commanded, and follow
not their desires but say: “I believe in the Book which Allah has sent down;
and I am commanded to do justice among you….”
(Al- Shura 42:15)
This whole discussion is summed up in ayah 17:
It is Allah Who has sent down the
Book in truth and the balance (i.e., Shari‘ah, by which to weigh conduct). And
what will make you know that perhaps the Hour is close at hand?
(Al-Shura 42:17)
Here again, as in the ayah from Surah
Al-Hadeed quoted above, we have the
word meezan (or
balance) which is
a very significant term used at
different places in the Qur’an. Maulana Sahbbir Ahmad Usmani (RA) has offered a
comprehensive explanation of the term in the following words:
Allah has guided man to devise the
material balance by which material objects are weighed. He has also granted man
the intellectual balance, which is another name for sense of justice and fair
play. But most important, the balance granted to us is the Religion of Truth
which settles the basic issue of the respective right of the Creator and His
creatures and by which all issues can be justly decided.
According to the Qur’an, the real
cause of people’s deviation from the true religion, and of the chaos and
anarchy in the world, is their wicked tendency to dominate over others and keep
them under subjugation. In ayah 14 of this very Surah where the Muslims are
exhorted to curb schismatic trends, the cause of people’s breaking away from
the Religion of Allah (SWT) and forming sects has been pointed out:
And they became divided only after
knowledge had reached them, through inequity and oppression among themselves….
(Al-Shura 42:14)
We
are now led
to consider the
final fruit of
molding our thought and
action according to the teachings
of Qur’an. It should be, as we have discussed above, the
establishment of Allah’s Sovereignty and the rule of justice in the world. When
such an order is set up, the world becomes free from all sorts of inequity and
oppression. Then the priests and divines cannot install themselves as godheads;
the wealthy can no longer keep the circulation of wealth confined among
themselves, and there is no possibility of any kind of coercion and
exploitation. All become servants of Allah (SWT) and begin to behave towards
one another like brothers. Their rulers consider it their foremost duty to
safeguard the rights of the weak at all cost, and not to allow the powerful to
tyrannize over them in any way.
The establishment of such a just and
equitable order in accordance with the teachings of the Qur’an is the bounden
duty of its followers. Its fulfillment is the believers’ collective
responsibility for which
they will be
answerable to the Almighty. It is, therefore, time they
should clearly understand this responsibility and strive hard to discharge it.
Perhaps that is why at the end of the discussion in Surah Al-Shura which we
have reproduced briefly above, there is a mention of the Day of Judgment in the
words: “perhaps the Hour is close at hand.” It implies the warning that we
should not be guilty of any negligence and delay in this important matter lest
we should be suddenly overtaken by the final Doom. This duty that we owe to the
Book of Allah (SWT) will be fulfilled if we actually set up a system of social
equity so that “mankind may stand by justice” and their rulers “may do justice
among them.” It will be seen that we have the foundation and structure of this
system in the fundamental principles of our Deen and its code of life that have
been enunciated by the Qur’an.
It
may well be
asked as to
what practical measures should be adopted for the
fulfillment of this duty. Although a complete answer to this question is beyond
the scope of this booklet, still a few remarks on this topic will not be out of
place here. In the first place, let it be understood that the enforcement of
the fundamental principles of Deen in the society and the establishment of a
just and equitable order as envisaged by the Qur’an should
not be conceived
on the pattern
of any secularized social,
economic, or political movement, nor should we strive for the achievement of
this splendid ideal as we do for the success of these movements. To do so would
be fraught with grave danger and may even be suicidal.
We must know that just as there is
only one method of bringing about the transformation of an individual as
required by Islam, similarly there is only one method of effecting an Islamic
Revolution in the society. So far as the individual is concerned, we should
first make the Qur’an dominate his heart and mind so that his feeling,
thinking, and reasoning may function in consonance with the Qur’anic spirit and
his actions may, consequently, accord with Qur’anic teachings; and likewise for
the change in society demanded by Islam, we have first to illumine the minds
and hearts of its intelligentsia with the light of the Qur’an so that they are
intellectually and spiritually transformed. After the edification of the
intelligentsia who are the brain of the community, the light of the Qur’an
could easily spread to other people who are, so to speak, the limbs of the
community and generally follow its brain. Thus the heart of the whole community
will beat in unison with the teachings of the Qur’an and the fundamental
principles of Allah’s Deen will come to operate and prevail in the form of a
perfect system of collective justice.
There is no other way of bringing
about this revolution, and the plea that this goal could be achieved by
launching a political movement by exploiting the emotional attachment of a
Muslim people to their hereditary religion is absolutely vain, and making such
an attempt would be like building sand castles.
Hoping to be excused for this
digression, I must repeat that the duty of acting upon the teachings of the
Qur’an — which assumes two forms, hukm bima anzalallah16 and Iqamah ma unzila minallah17 — is an
absolute imperative upon the Muslims, both individually and collectively; and,
therefore, each one of us according to his means and capacity and the whole
Ummah according to its strength and resources should earnestly endeavor to
discharge this great responsibility.
Note-16: Literally “judging or deciding (every issue) in
the light of what Allah (SWT) has sent down,” the term has been explained in
the foregoing discussion.
To Be Continued....
