ISLAMIC POLITICAL SYSTEM:

Islamic concept of life is a co-ordination between body and soul, and the Political system prescribed by Islam establishes a relationship between religion and politics. In social conception, Islam is communal; it encourages social life and collective efforts to maintain the essence of society. Social concept of Islam aims at the development of an individual and hence the development of whole Muslim community. It emphasizes on mutual co-operation, co-ordination among all responsible authorities, collective efforts of the community to develop the society and sharing of knowledge and materialistic objects for the benefit of all. The same law regulates the affairs of the country or state. Islam as a faith, for all its inherent political dimensions, was largely excluded from opportunities to affect the evolution of politics in the modern Muslim state. Thus the relationship between politics and Islam simply never had the chance to evolve normally as it would have been able to do under conditions of sustained and unbroken sovereignty. There is no separation between religion and politics in Islam. The political system of Islam is based on three principles: TAWHID (unity of God), RISALAT (Prophethood), and KHILAFAT (Vicegerency). TAWHID means that only God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Master of the universe and all that exists in it, organic and inorganic. The sovereignty of this kingdom is vested in Him. He also has the right to command or forbid, and His commandments are the law. RISALAT is the medium through which we receive the law of God. We have received two things from this source: The Quran, and the authoritative interpretation and exemplification of the Quran by the Prophet in his capacity as the representative of God. The Prophet [Muhammad peace and blessings of Allah be upon him] has also, in accordance with the intention of Quran, given a model for the Islamic way of life by himself implementing the law and providing necessary details where required. The combination of these two elements is called the SHARI'AH. KHILAFAT means "representation". Man [i.e. human beings], according to Islam, is the representative of God on earth, His vicegerent. That is to say, by virtue of the powers delegated

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to him by God, he is required to exercise his God-given authority in this world within the limits prescribed by God. Every person in an Islamic political order enjoys the rights and powers of the caliphate of God, and in this respect all individuals are equal. No one can deprive anyone of his rights and powers. The agency for running the affairs of the state will be established in accordance with the will of individuals, and the authority of the state will only be an extension of the powers of the individuals delegated to it. Their opinion will be decisive in the formation of the government, which will be run with their advice and in accordance with their wishes. Whoever gains their confidence will carry out the duties of the caliphate on their behalf, and when he loses that confidence he will have to relinquish his office. In this respect, the political system in Islam is as perfect a democracy as ever can be. The basic concept of Islamic politician system The Islamic Political System is based on the following main principles: Sovereignty of Allah swt:

The concept of sovereignty in Islam is entirely different from western concept of sovereignty. Sovereignty as a western expression does not stand equivalent to the Islamic attributes of Allah almighty. It is derived from Quran and Sunnah. i. Meaning of sovereignty

The word sovereignty has been derived from the Latin word Superanus which means the supremacy of one over the other. i. General meaning

Sovereignty may be defined in a general meaning as under. The supreme power of authority of an individual or a group of individuals which is unquestioningly obeyed the bulk of people in the state.

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3. Islamic concept of sovereignty The basic tenet of Islam is the sovereignty of Allah. Islam teaches that sovereignty or supreme power belongs to Allah and Allah alone. Quran says: To Allah belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. (42: 48) It is He who gives life and death and he has power over all things. (42: 48) He is the first and the last the Evident and the Immanent (47: 3) Sovereignty means the source of power. In Islam, Allah is the source of all powers and laws. It is Allah who knows what is good and what is bad for His servants. His say is final. All human beings cannot change His law. The Quan says, "As for the thief male and female, chope off their hands. It is the reward of their own actions and exemplary punishment from Allah. Allah is Mighty, Wise." (5:37). According to Islam, this order is unchangeable by any parliament or any government which claims it to be Islamic (5:44, 2:229). There are many more laws in the Quran concerning our life and those laws must be put to practice by an Islamic state for the greater good of human beings. Khilafah of Mankind (Vicegerency of man):

Man is the vicegerent, the agent or the representative of Allah swt on earth (2:30, 6:165). Allah is the sovereign and man is His representative. Man should do as Allah commands him to do. But he has a choice to either obey or disobey Allah and, because of this freedom of choice, he will be tested on the Day of Judgment. In the political sense, Khilafah means that human beings should implement the will of Allah on earth as His deputy or agent. As Allahs agents, human beings will carry out the will of Allah swt on His behalf as a trust (Amanah). Khilafah is a trust. An agent is always expected to behave as his master wants him to behave (10:14). Legislation by Shura (Consultation):

Islam teaches us to run a government, to make legislation and decisions by the process of Shura. Shura means "to take decisions by consultation and participation" (3:159, 42:38). This is an
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important part of the Islamic political system. There is no scope for despotism in Islam. The Quran and the Sunnah will be the basis of legislation in Islam. Accountability of government:

The Islamic political system makes the ruler and the government responsible firstly to Allah and then to the people. The ruler and the government are elected by the people to exercise powers on their behalf. We must remember here that both the ruler and the ruled are the Khalifah of Allah and the ruler shall have to work for the welfare of the people according to the Quran and Sunnah. A ruler is a servant of the people of Islam. Both the ruler and the ruled will appear before Allah swt and account for their actions on the Day of Judgment. The responsibility of the ruler is heavier than the ruled. Any ordinary citizen of an Islamic state has the right to ask any question on any matter to the ruler and the government. Independence of judiciary:

In the Islamic political system, the Judiciary is independent of the Executive. The head of the state or any government minister could be called to the court if necessary. They would be treated no differently from other citizens. The Quran has many injunctions about justice. One of the main functions of the Islamic state is to ensure justice to all citizens (4:58, 4:135, 5:8). The ruler and the government has no right to interfere in the system of justice. Equality before law:

The Islamic political system ensures equality for all citizens before the law. It does not recognize any discrimination on the basis of language, color, territory, sex or descent. Islam recognizes the preference of one over the other only on the basis of Taqwa (piety or fear of God). One who fears Allah swt most is the noblest in Islam (49:13). The basic concept of sovereignty: Introduction The concept of sovereignty in Islam is entirely different from western concept of sovereignty. Sovereignty as a western expression does not stand equivalent to the Islamic attributes of Allah almighty. It is derived from Quran and Sunnah.
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Sovereignty The word sovereignty has been derived from the Latin word Superanus which means the supremacy of one overthe other. Meaning Sovereignty may be defined in a general meaning as under. The supreme power of authority of an individual or a group of individuals which is unquestioningly obeyed the bulk of people in the state. Islamic concept of sovereignty The basic tenet of Islam is the sovereignty of Allah. Islam teaches that sovereignty or supreme power belongs to Allah and Allah alone. Quran says: To Allah belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. (42: 48) It is He who gives life and death and he has power over all things. (42: 48) He is the first and the last the Evident and the Immanent (47: 3) The basic tenet of Islam is the sovereignty of Allah. Islam teaches that sovereignty or supreme power belongs to Allah and Allah alone. Quran says: To Allah belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth. (42: 48) It is He who gives life and death and he has power over all things. (42: 48) He is the first and the last the Evident and the Immanent (47: 3) Sovereignty means the source of power. In Islam, Allah is the source of all powers and laws. It is Allah who knows what is good and what is bad for His servants. His say is final.

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All human beings cannot change His law. The Quan says, "As for the thief male and female, chope off their hands. It is the reward of their own actions and exemplary punishment from Allah. Allah is Mighty, Wise." (5:37). According to Islam, this order is unchangeable by any parliament or any government which claims it to be Islamic (5:44, 2:229). There are many more laws in the Quran concerning our life and those laws must be put to practice by an Islamic state for the greater good of human beings. Attributes of Allahs sovereignty The sovereignty of Allah has the following attributes. Absolute

Allah is almighty. He is supreme over all things. He is malik-al-mulk and Malik-un-Nas. Quran says: Say, Allah is the creator of all things and He is one, the Almighty. (Ar-Rad: 16) Indivisible

Sovereignty of Allah is indivisible. It cannot be divided. There is not God Except Him. Quran says: Your God is one God, there is no God save Him, the beneficent, the Merciful. (Al-Baqrah: 163) Inalienable

Allahs sovereignty is inalienable it cannot be given away to anyone nor it is shared with anyone else. Unlimited

The powers of Allah are supreme and unlimited. Quran says: The whole command is with Allah in all things. (Ar-Red: 31)
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Universal

Allahs sovereignty is universal. It extends to every particle in the heavens and on the earth. Quran says: Lo! In the creation of the heavens and the earth and (in) the difference of night and day are tokens (Of his sovereignty) for men of understanding. (Al-Imran: 190) Comprehensive

The sovereignty of Allah is comprehensive. There is no exception to his power. Eternal

Allahs sovereignty is eternal, form the beginning of the time to the and end of time. It is permanent and everlasting. Original

Allahs sovereignty is not derived from any being or authority superior to Him. He is himself sovereign. Quran says: Allahs creator of all things and He is guardian over all things. (Az-Zumar: 62) Attributive names of Allahs sovereignty Allahs sovereignty is also reflected from his Attributive names or Asmaa-ul-Sifaat. Some of them are as follows. (i) Al-Wahab The Granter (ii) Al-Khaliq The Certain (iii) Al-Ahad Only One (iv) Hai Eternally Alive (v) Al-Jabbar The reckoner (vi) Al-Qadir The Omnipotent

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(vii) Al-Qadiam The Eternal

Muslim experts theory of Sovereignty: Sovereignty or sultaniyah is an internal quality that we all understand. It is what we know by presence or consciousness (ilm huduri). To conceptualize it, we can use the expression: "The agent may or may not act". There is no necessity to act or not to act. Sovereignty is similar to any of necessity and contingency from one aspect and different from each from the other. Sovereignty similar to necessity in being is rationally enough to justify the existence of a contingent being and leaving no need to look for something else. The difference between sovereignty and necessity is that with necessity an act loses its equal relations to existence and non-existence and necessity of existence takes its place, while with sovereignty the contingency remains the same. Necessity consists in the fact that the agent has to act or not to act, but sovereignty means that the agent may or may not act. Sovereignty is similar to contingency in preserving the equal relations of the contingent to both existence and non-existence, but sovereignty is different from contingency in being rationally enough to justify the existence of a contingent being while with contingency the question remains why it must come into existence. Having known that the sovereignty of the agent may substitute necessity and suffice the existence of a voluntary act which is the question at issue, reflection on our conscience and the way voluntary acts are issued from us shows clearly that the relation between us and our voluntary acts is one of sovereignty and not necessity. We as voluntary agents find that we have sovereignty upon our acts. We clearly understand the fact that even in circumstances in which all prerequisites and conditions of a voluntary act exist, it is not necessary to act. What we find deep in ourselves is this sovereignty upon our acts. It is up to us to act or not act and we are not compelled to do so.

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Western versus Islamic Sovereignty: Islamic theory of Sovereignty is radically different from the western theories of Sovereignty. It is derived from pure; Quran and Sunnah, which are its basic sources. Differences between Islamic concept of sovereignty and western concept of sovereignty As to authority

(i) In Islam sovereignty of entire universe belongs to God. (ii) In western concept sovereignty belongs to people. As to kinds of sovereignty

(i) In Islam there is no kind of sovereignty. (ii) In western concept sovereignty his different kinds. As to state

(i) Sovereignty in Islam is not subject to state. (ii) In western concept there must be state for sovereignty. As to scope

(i) Islamic concept of sovereignty has wider scope. (ii) Western concept of sovereignty has less scope. As to perfection

(i) Islamic concept of sovereignty is perfect in all aspect. (ii) Western concept of sovereignty is imperfect. As to nature

(i) Islamic concept is permanent nature. (ii) Western concept is temporary nature.
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There is a general consensus among Islamic scholars and Muslim laymen that Islam places sovereignty in God. The Quran explicitly describes God as Al-Malik meaning sovereign and AlMalik-ul-Mulk the eternal possessor of sovereignty. These two adjectives are also among the ninety nine names of God. The Quran (51:58) also makes it clear beyond any doubt that all power lies in God; who is Al-Muqtadir (possessor of all power). Various Muslim political thinkers like Maulana Maududi, Syed Qutb, Ayatollah Khomeini and Ali Shariati have argued that the basic distinction between Western polity and Islamic polity is that while the former places sovereignty in either the state or in Man through the notion of popular sovereignty, the latter places it absolutely in God. Thus a simple explanation of the Islamic polity would be that God is sovereign and he is the source of all legislation in the form Al-Quran. Sovereignty in Islam as Human Agency: The Islamic state will base its precepts on Islamic law and constitution, the Shariah, which is derived from the Quran and Hadith. The Khalifah, vicegerent will rule on behalf of God and his endeavor shall be to implement and enforce the Shariah. The Quran repeatedly emphasizes the unity of the sovereign and Tauheed, oneness or unity of God is the most important article of faith in Islam. The denial of this unity is the greatest conceivable violation of Islamic precepts (Quran, 2:163, 6:19, 16:22, 23:91-92, 37:1-5, 38:65-68, 112:1-4). The sovereign by definition is universal as the Muslim community is seen as one Ummah (people) which are united under one sovereign by virtue of their faith and submission to the will of God. The word Islam means complete submission to God in the similar sense that the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes visualized the complete surrender of power by the individual to the state. The Islamic concept of submission is more powerful in that it subordinates human will to the will and law of God unconditionally. It is an ontological requirement and not a condition of any contract. Thus to state succinctly, the Quranic concept of sovereignty is universal, that is non territorial, transcendental, meaning beyond human agency, indivisible, inalienable and truly absolute. God the sovereign is the primary law-giver while agents such as the Islamic state and the Khalifah enjoy marginal autonomy necessary to implement and enforce the laws of their sovereign. Man, as God's Khalifah on earth (vicegerent) is not only the primary agent of the sovereign but also enjoys a margin of autonomy. This margin of autonomy by virtue of vicegerency is the Islamic equivalent of popular sovereignty.
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At a basic theoretical level the difference between the modern conception and Islamic conception of sovereignty is clear. The operational implications on closer examination seem to blur the distinction. The agency or political action remains within human jurisdiction in either case. So which ever institution (form of government) is vested with the agency to act it either follows the Shariah (in the Islamic case) or the constitution in modern states. While constitutions can be amended the Quran is eternal, but it is open to different interpretations based on ijtihad or independent reasoning. Maulana Maududi conceived of the term Al-hakimiya, a derivative of an Arabic word that means "to govern'". He introduced it in his work Al-Mustalahat al-Arba'a fi'l-Quran. The term Alhakimiya has been used by Islamic political thinkers ever since to mean sovereignty. He argued that according to Islam, sovereignty belonged to God. He alone was the law-giver and that believers could neither resort to totally independent legislation, nor could they modify any law laid down by God. He saw the Islamic state as a political agency set up to enforce the laws of God. Herein lies the cardinal difference between the modern and Islamic conceptions. While modernity made the state a repository of sovereignty, in Islam the state was merely an agency of the sovereign. Thus the Islamic state is conceptually weaker than the modern state. Maududi also recognized the vicegerency of man and explained that each believer was a repository of the Khalifah (vicegerency). The Quran makes this explicitly clear (45:12, 13). Maududi's understanding of the Khalifah of Man is definitely in the popular sense but he does not explain it in conjunction with sovereignty. Thus sovereignty lies in God, state is an agency of the sovereign and every believer is God's vicegerent on Earth. This however means that both the state and believers can legitimately act on behalf of the sovereign. Thus in Maududi's interpretation the sovereign has created dual agency in the Islamic state and the Khalifah, creating a balance or division of power between state and society. This mechanism can help ensure that both state and society follow the straight path. The rise of political Islam has made the concept of Islamic sovereignty central to Islamic political theory and often it is presented as a barrier to any form of democracy. Democracies are seen as system where human whim is the source of law where as Islamic principles are transcendental and cannot be undermined by popular whim. Unfortunately, what many of the Islamists fail to understand is that democratic institutions are not just about law. They are also
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about prevention of tyranny by the state. Regardless of where sovereignty is placed theoretically, in practice it is the state which exercises it in their world and not God or his angels. These Islamists also fail to see that Muslims actually enjoy greater autonomy than even the citizens of a democracy like the US. It is nearly impossible to change or alter the American constitution. It would require an enormous amount of consensus in the society to make even a minor change. However, Islamic scholars have enjoyed a great deal of freedom, both politically and traditionally, to reinterpret the Quran and Islamic principles. While in the US people with different understanding of the constitution are not free to act legally according to their own interpretation, Muslims have done precisely that and legitimately. The presence of the various madhahib is a concrete proof that a constitution/Shariah can be interpreted differently and practiced. Sovereignty is a complex concept and any attempt to simplify it can only cause problems. Nevertheless, Muslims must understand that while sovereignty belongs to God it has already been delegated in the form of human agency (Quran 2:30). The political task at the moment is not to indulge in rhetoric that merely emphasizes this point, but to reflect on how this God given agency can be best employed in creating a society that will bring welfare and goodness to people in the here and in the hereafter. Muslims as individuals and as an Ummah cannot be held accountable for what they do unless they have the freedom/agency/sovereignty to do as they please. The discretion and the judgement with which Muslims apply the given law not just to apply it but to achieve its maqasid (purpose) constitute human sovereignty. The day of judgement is the natural consequence of human sovereignty, there cannot be one without the other. Therefore we must remember that the freedom to act, human agency is the most precious of gifts. But it will have to be accounted for in full. So while we recognize the Gods sovereign in all affairs, he has exercised his sovereignty in delegating some of it in the form of human agency. Having said that I must also add that God alone is sovereign cannot become an excuse for installing and legitimizing governments which are not accountable and responsible to their citizens.

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