In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of Heaven and Earth. Prayers of

peace and blessings are offered to Allah for our Prophet Muhammad
(Sallallaahu 'alayhi wa 'alaa Aalihi wasallam) and his family and
progeny.

The Repudiation of Mawdudi Series

An Analysis of the Booklet Islam Today

The subject-matter of this paper by Sayyid Abu'l-Ala

'
Mawdudi, the
founder and first Amir (leader) of the Jama'ati Islami political party,
has been summarized in its introduction as published by the U.K.I.M
Dawah Centre:
The author takes us through the major phases of Islamic history,
carefully tracing all the elements that have been responsible for
the rise and subsequent decline of the Muslim Ummah. This is
done in his usual style of providing thorough, accurate
commentary set against an objective framework. He also details
the factors responsible for the establishment of the first Islamic
state almost 15 centuries ago, and explores future possibilities of
its reestablishment once again as a dynamic spiritual force which
can guide and influence the whole of humanity.

Needless to say, the theme of the "rise and subsequent decline of the
Muslim Ummah" is a touchy one. Muslim intellectuals and preachers
have been debating it for well over a century now.

In his paper, Mawdudi proposes to answer five crucial questions

dealing with the modern relation between Islam, as a fixed entity
transcending time and space, and the present day Muslim community.
The five questions can be divided into two themes. The first three
questions concern themselves with the attitude of the modern Muslim
to his religion, while the final two questions are concerned with the
practicality of adopting and practicing Islam in the modern age.

Before actually addressing any of the questions directly, Mawdudi

takes us on a journey examining four phases of Islamic history. We
shall see that the basis upon which Mawdudi divides Islamic history
into these four particular phases reveals to us the inner psyche of this
pseudo-Islamic intellectual.

Mawdudi is correct, according to the foundational teachings of Islam

itself, in labelling the first phase of Islamic history as the "ideal period".
Both the Book of Allah and the Sunnah emphasize the ascendancy
and nearness of Muslims to Allah in the early period of the existence
of this Ummah, and warn about its subsequent disintegration in the

latter days. There are many examples of this, but I shall cite only
several:
Concerning the people who shall be granted salvation and enter into
the Garden (Paradise) with joy and nearness to Allah, the Qur'an says:

Many from the former

And a few from the latter (56:13-14)

The implication is clear. A greater number of those saved from
damnation will hail from the people of former times, while relatively
few shall have salvation in the latter days.
According to the Sunnah, there are many Ahadith of the Prophet
(Sallallaahu 'alayhi wa 'alaa Aalihi wasallam) which give us the
unmistakable impression that the early days of Islam are superior to
its subsequent eras. For example, the Hadith: "The best of generations
is my generation, then those that come after them, then those that
come after them." Both the Qur'an and Sunnah contain countless
prophecies regarding spiritual, moral and social decay of the Muslims
in particular and humanity in general as the impending Judgment Day
draws near. In fact, it is said that this is the central theme of the Qur'an
itself.
Returning to Mawdudi's description of the "Ideal Period" as the first

phase in the history of the Mohammedan Ummah, while it is conceded

that such a period was indeed the "Ideal Period", yet not for the reasons
Mawdudi gives!
As we shall examine repeatedly in our analysis of Mawdudian thought
and writings, the obsessive political theme is inescapable.
For Mawdudi, the ultimate (and perhaps sole) manifestation of Islam
is as a government or state. Hence, he views the Prophet's (Sallallaahu

'alayhi wa 'alaa Aalihi wasallam) success in Madinah, "setting up a

model Islamic society" and becoming "head of state" as the crowning
achievement. For Mawdudi, the essence of Islam lies in its "social order",
things like "morality and social justice", "political ethics and economic
equity", "compassion and brotherhood", and "unity and social harmony".
No doubt, these are some of the sweet fruits that germinate as a
consequence of adhering, individually and collectively, to the central
message of Islam, yet Mawdudi has conspicuously ignored that
message altogether.
The Qur'an repeatedly emphasizes the need to worship Allah, Creator
of Heaven and Earth, alone, and not to associate any partners with
Him in that worship. The theme of Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah in
His Essence, Attributes, and worship) and of Shirk (the worship of
anyone or anything apart from Allah) is neglected by Mawdudi in
describing the ideal period of Islamic history.

Furthermore, Mawdudi describes the Islamic state in Madinah and its

subsequent expansion as "not merely a political revolution, but a moral
and spiritual transformation." It is strange that never once does the
Qur'an mention anything about the expansion of an "Islamic state" or
anything about a "political revolution" as the means of bringing about
a "moral and spiritual transformation". These ideas are alien to the
Qur'an, they are novelties of the modernist and politically obsessed
Mawdudian philosophy.
The thesis presented by Mawdudi that the Prophet's (Sallallaahu 'alayhi

wasallam) acts as "head of state" in Madinah must always be

interpreted as furthering the goal of the expansion of the Islamic state
and spread of its associated "political revolution" utterly fails upon a
closer examination of his life and works.
The Prophet (Sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam), after his first divine
revelatory experience in the Cave of Hira sometime in 610 C.E, invited
his people to abandon the devotion to idols and tombs, and worship
Allah, the One and Only God, for thirteen years in his hometown of
Makkah. Never once in all that time did he attempt to spark some sort
of political revolution or seize the reins of power. In fact, he lived in a
tribal society which could in a sense be described as anarchic and
stateless. His message was not at all concerned with establishing a
temporal domain or authority. Rather, it was purely doctrinal and the
nature of his Nabuwwah (Prophethood) was doctrinal and spiritual

reform. Reading the Qur'an, the sacred text of Islam, there are strong
critiques of paganism, Christianity, Judaism, and other doctrines
associated with different religions and religious sects. The Qur'an does
not present an alternative political vision to capitalism, Marxism, or
any other of the political "isms", which regrettably, is how Mawdudi
reads it. Quite simply, putting Islam in the category of political
ideologies simply because it contains guidance for social and political
affairs, is like putting it in the category of artistic schools of thought
(purism, impressionism, etc.) because Islam also contains guidance
with regard to fine arts (it discourages it).
Indeed, Islam contains guidance for virtually every aspect of human
life and activity. To a lesser extent, so does Judaism through its 613

mitzvot and even Christianity from the point of view of its moral
philosophy. But Mawdudi has drawn the wrong conclusion from this.
He perceives Islam as a political movement which must culminate in
the establishment of an expanding, imperialist state.
Returning to the life and acts of our Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu

'alayhi wa 'alaa Aalihi wasallam), we see that he did not at all harbor
any ambitions for an "expansionist" state. On the contrary, one of the
Prophet's most famous followers was the King of Ethiopia, the Negus.
He embraced faith in the Prophet (Sallallaahu 'alayhi wa 'alaa Aalihi

wasallam) during the early Meccan period, when some of the early
Muslims emigrated to Ethiopia seeking religious asylum from their

persecutors. It is strange (at least it should be from the Mawdudian

perspective), that the Prophet ( 'alayhis salaam) did not attempt to
exploit the King's conversion and utilize it as a major step to further
the goal of the Islamic "political revolution". Of course, in reality it is
not strange at all since there was no such "political revolution"
associated with Islam. Quite interestingly, neither did the Prophet
('alayhis salaam) instruct the Negus to abdicate his throne, nor did he
require him to migrate to Madinah with the rest of the refugees who
were obligated to do so. In fact, it is reported that the Negus himself
said:

Were it not for the position of kingship that I am in, I would come
to him (the Prophet) and carry his shoes. (Sunan Abu Dawud,
#3205)
As a side not, it's quite interesting that more often than not, the
followers of the Islamist political tendency decry dynastic monarchy
as a violation of the fundamental teachings of Islam. But from the
episode of the Negus, it appears that neither God nor His Prophet
(Sallallaahu 'alayhi wa 'alaa Aalihi wasallam) had any problem with it
at all. We shall later see how Mawdudi is also unfavorable to dynastic
rule/monarchy and cites it as one of the reasons for the decline of the
Muslims during the so called second phase.

Another episode from the biography of our Prophet (Sallallaahu 'alayhi

wa 'alaa Aalihi wasallam) is his sending of epistles to the various

great kings and chiefs of his time, inviting them to believe in him as
Allah's Apostle to all mankind. It is quite notable that the Prophet's
(Sallallaahu 'alayhi wa 'alaa Aalihi wasallam) epistles contain
absolutely no trace of political thought. He not only focuses his
message on inviting the kings and rulers to embrace his faith and
believe in him as a Prophet, but even promises them divine protection
and continued prosperity if they do so. One can hardly conceive of
Mawdudi or his likes writing such epistles to the present day rulers and
heads of state.

Is Islam a Political System?

(Part 2)

All praise belongs to Allah (Tabarrakahu wa Ta'alaa), Lord of the
worlds, and may He shower salutations of peace and blessings upon
our Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi wa alaa Aalihi wasallam).
Chapter One
The Prophets are sent by Allah (Tabarrakahu wa Ta'alaa) with the
express purpose of calling their people to worship Allah alone. Take
the example of the Second Adam, the Prophet Noah (peace be upon
him), about whom Allah says:

We Sent Noah to his people, so he said: O my people! Worship Allah,

you have no god besides Him. Verily, I fear for you the punishment of a
Great Day. (7:59)
According to this Ayah, not only did Noah, like all other Prophets and
Messengers, call strictly to the worship of Allah alone, but his message
was apocalyptic, insofar as warning them about the impending
doomsday.
Prophet Noah's message and mission to his people was not in the least
political. He did not call for the establishment of a state, government,
political party, or the removal of any existing state or authority. His
message was purely concerned with the worship of Allah alone, the
repudiation of Shirk, and warning about the consequences of the
failure to heed this message.
Recognizing that there is no way to deny that this is the essence of the
Islamic call, the adherents of the so called Islamic political ideology
and the various movements and groups it has spawned, have cleverly
attempted to re-interpret and redefine the very fundamental message
of Islam in order to market themselves.
With regard to Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah), they have introduced the
concept of Hakamiyah . By Hakamiyah they mean that the essence of
worshipping Allah alone is obedience to Him alone and recognizing
His oneness and supremacy in the sphere of legislation.
But here they have made a grave error in not only connecting
Hakamiyah with worship, but making Hakamiyah the essence of
worship of Allah.

According to Surah 10:18, the mushrikeen (polytheists) are condemned

and refuted for worshipping other than Allah, and attempting to
justify themselves by claiming:

These are our intercessors with Allah

Allah condemns the mushrikeen and rejects their futile argument that
their worshipping of others apart from Allah is intercession. Do they
presume to inform Allah about that which He knows not of in the
Heavens and the Earth?
From this we come to realize that in the sphere of worship, there is
absolutely no room for or concept of intercession. All worship of
Allah must be direct, and directed to Allah as the sole Object of
worship. Allah cannot be worshipped through the worship of others,
even if it is claimed as a form of intercession, such a claim is false and
illogical.
But if we substitute worship for the brand of Hakamiyah as defined by
the political ideology of Islamism we immediately see a major
problem and contradiction. Since they claim that Hakamiyah is the
essence of worship, then they will have to prove that in their idea of
Hakamiyah there can likewise be no question of intercession.
In other words, if worship is essentially Ita'ah (obedience), all of our
obedience must be directed to Allah solely without any intercession or
medium. However, the Qur'an emphatically states several times to
obey Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu alayhi wa
Aalihi wasallam). The Qur'an even obligates us to obey those people
who are neither Allah nor His Messenger but are in a position of
authority the Ulil Amri Minkum (4:59).

Our obedience of Allah is therefore not direct. We essentially obey

Allah through obedience of His Messenger (alayhis salam) as stated in
Surah 4:80. But if Ita'ah and Itteba (obedience and adherence) is the
foundation of worship, then no one apart from Allah would have the
right to have our obedience.
The reality is that Ita'ah (obedience) is not worship or a form of
worship, but a means of worship. This is a very important distinction
which should be preserved in the heart. A means of worship is
synonymous with a form of worship. Sajdah (prostration) is a form of
worship. In order to perform prostration, a person must possess a body
with limbs. Hence, a person's body through which he is able to offer an
act or worship becomes a means of worship. Similarly, obedience to
Allah (and His Messenger) is not technically worship itself, but a
means of worship. The foolish Islamists have not reflected on this
point and as a result of their haste, create confusion and contradiction
with their claim.
On the contrary, the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi wa Aalihi
wasallam) said:

Du'aa (supplication) is the essence of worship (Reported in Tirmidhi)

Chapter Two
The false political ideology of Islamism claims that Islam must be
established, and establishment of the Din requires political authority
or dominion in the Earth. But according to Surah 24:55, establishment
of the Believers in the Earth is the act of Allah Himself, and is done
only as a blessing and consequence of their piety, worship of Him, and
avoidance of Shirk. Then, according to the following verse (24:56), other
conditions are also mentioned, such as establishment of the Salat,
offering of the Zakat, and obedience of the Messenger (Sallallaahu
alayhi wasallam).

We are told throughout the Qur'an that the Believers must establish
Salat and offer Zakat. Some of the Islamists fallaciously claim that it
is only possible given the existence of an Islamic state. However, Surah
24:55-56 clearly refutes this theory, since it mentions that Allah, of His
own prerogative and as His own special act, grants establishment and
succession in the Earth to the believers as a consequence of their piety,
establishment of Salat, Zakat, etc. This clearly demonstrates that
establishment in the Earth is not a pre-condition for the establishment
of Salat or Zakat.
In fact, no where in the Qur'an is there a single command for the
Believers to establish themselves in the Earth.