The obligation of Khilafah – a selection of hadith and scholars

August 14, 2008

Our beloved Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) conveyed many sayings which emphasised the importance of the Khilafah.

Imam Muslim narrated from Abu Hazim who said:
‘I was with Abu Hurairah for five years and I heard him narrate from the Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) that he said: “The Prophets used to rule Bani Israel. Whenever a prophet died another prophet succeeded him, but there will be no prophets after me; instead there will be Khulafaa’ (Khalifahs) and they will number many”. They asked: what then do you order us? He said: “fulfill allegiance to them one after the other. Give them their dues. Verily Allah will ask them about what he entrusted them with”‘.

This Hadeeth is a clear statement of the fact that the form of government in Islam, after the Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) is the Khilafah, and not an Islamic Republic, Islamic Socialist Republic or Islamic Imarah. This understanding is supported by numerous other Ahadith that indicate the only system of government in Islam is the Khilafah.

Imam Muslim narrated from Abdullah bin ‘Umar who said that the Prophet (saw) said,

“One who dies without having bound himself by an oath of allegiance (to a Khaleefah) will die the death of one belonging to the days of ignorance (Jahiliyah)”.

Ahmed and Ibn abi ‘Asim narrated that the Prophet (saw) said,

“Whosoever dies and he does not have over him an Imaam, he dies the death of Jahilyyah”.

Thus the Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasallam) made it compulsory that every Muslim should have over him an Imam, which is also represented by having a pledge of allegiance (bay’ah) on his or her neck. The pledge of allegiance is not given to anyone except the Khaleefah. The Ahadith inform us that those who run the affairs of Muslims are Khulafaa’a (some times called Amir ul-Mu’mineen or the Imam). Therefore, this is a command to establish or appoint them.

The classical scholars have clearly clarified the necessity of the Khilafah, despite the fact they live whilst it existed.

“The Imams (scholars of the four schools of thought)- may Allah have mercy on them- agree that the Caliphate is an obligation, and that the Muslims must appoint a leader who would implement the injunctions of the religion, and give the oppressed justice against the oppressors. It is forbidden for Muslims to have two leaders in the world whether in agreement or discord.” [Al-Fiqh Alal-Mathahib Al- Arba'a (the fiqh of the four schools of thought), volume 5, page 416]

Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Shawkani (d. 1250 AH)

“It is known from Islam by necessity (bi-dharoorah – i.e.: like prayer and fasting) that Islam has forbidden division amongst Muslims and the segregation of their land.” [Tafseer al-Quran al-Atheem, volume 2, page 215]

Imam Yahya ibn Sharaf al- Nawawi (631-676 AH)

“(The scholars) consented that it is an obligation upon the Muslims to select a Khaleefah [Sharhu Sahih Muslim page 205 vol 12], He also said:It is forbidden to give an oath to two Imams or more, even in different parts of the world and even if they are far apart” ["Mughni Al-Muhtaj", volume 4, page 132]
He also stated:


“If a baya’a were taken for two Khulafa’aa one after the other, the baya’a of the first one would be valid and it should be fulfilled and honoured whereas the baya’a of the second would be invalid, and it would be forbidden to honour it. This is the right opinion which the majority of scholars follow, and they agree that it would be forbidden to appoint two Khulafa’aa at one given time, no matter how great and extended the Islamic lands become.” ["Sharhu Sahih Muslim" (explanation of Sahih Muslim) chapter 12 page 231]

Imam Abu Abdullah al-Qurtubi (d. 671 AH)

Imam Qurtubi said in his tafseer of the verse,

“Indeed, man is made upon this earth a Caliph” [TMQ 2:30]

“This Ayah is a source in the selection of an Imaam, and a Khaleefah, he is listened to and he is obeyed, for the word is united through him, and the Ahkam (laws) of the Khaleefah are implemented through him, and there is no difference regarding the obligation of that between the Ummah, nor between the Imams.”

Imam al-Qurtubi also said: “The Khilafah is the pillar upon which other pillars rest”

Hujjatul Islam Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazzali

Imam Al-Ghazzali (450-505 AH), when writing of the potential consequences of losing the Khilafah said:

“The judges will be suspeneded, the Wilayaat (provinces) will be nullified, … the decrees of those in authority will not be executed and all the people will be on the verge of Haraam.” [al Iqtisaad fil Itiqaad page 240]

Qadi Abu al-Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Habib al-Mawardi (362-448)

“Imamate is prescribed to succeed prophethoood as a means of protecting the Deen and of managing the affairs of this world.  There is a consensus of opinion (amongst the scholars – Ijmaa’ al-’Ulamaa’) that the person who discharges the responsibilities of this position must take on the contract of Imamate of the Ummah.” [Al-Ahkam us-Sultaniyyah, Chapter 1, The Contract of Imamate].

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (164-241 AH)

“The Fitna (mischief and tribulations) occurs when there is no Imaam established over the affairs of the people.”


Abu Hafs Umar al-Nasafi (d. 701)

“The Muslims simply must have an Imam (Khaleefah), who will execute the rules, establish the Hudud (penal system), defend the frontiers, equip the armies, collect Zakah, punish those who rebel (against the state) and those who spy and highwaymen, establish Jum’ah and the two ‘Eids, settle the dispute among the servants (of Allah), accept the testimony of witnesses in matters of legal rights, give in marriage the young and the poor who have no family, and distribute the booty.”

Imam Al-Haythami (d. 807 AH)

“It is known that the Sahabah (ra) consented that selecting the Imaam after the end of the era of Prophethood was an obligation (Wajib). Indeed they made it (more) important than the (other) obligations whilst they were busy with it over the burial of the Prophet.” [Sawaa'iq ul-haraqah:17]

Imam Sa’d al-Din Mas’ud bin Umar al-Taftazani (d. 791 AH), wrote:

“There is consensus that appointing a Khaleefah is obligatory. The difference of opinion is on whether the appointment must be by Allah or by his servants, and whether the basis (for appointment) is textual evidence or rational proof. The adoption is that it is obligatory upon the servants by textual evidence because of the saying of the Messenger, “Whoever dies not having known the Imam of his time, dies the death of the days of ignorance.” Also, the ummah agreed that this was the most important duty following the death of the Messenger, so important in fact that they considered it more important than the matter of his burial, and so also has it been after the death of each Imam.”

Imam Taqi ad-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah (661-728 AH)

It is obligatory to know that the office in charge of Imamah (ie: Khaleefah) is one of the greatest obligations of the Deen. In fact, there is no establishment of the Deen except by it….this is the opinion of the salaf, such as al-Fadl ibn ‘Iyaad, Ahmed ibn Hanbal and others.” [Siyaasah Shariyyah - chapter: 'The obligation of adherence to the leadership']

With such conclusive proof of the obligation of Khilafah, we have to wonder at those pro-secular muslims who, for the sake of appeasing the west, deny that Islam produced any political system in the first place! Let all Muslims awake to the true dimensions of the current war on terror. It is not a war on terror, but a war to prevent the Muslim world awaking from it’s current shackles, and establishing a just, fair and progressive system that cam to liberate all humanity – the Khilafah.

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Posted by Abdullah al Andalusi

Who Needs a Secular State?

August 12, 2008

 

This article was written for a leaflet given out at the talk: ‘Who needs an Islamic State?’ given by Abdul-Wahhab ul Affendi, hosted by City Circle on 6th June 2008 in Abrar House.

Who Needs a Secular State?

(or ‘Who needs a Secular Muslim Revisionist?’)

 

‘Who needs an Islamic state?’, the question would be funny if it weren’t so serious. It is the equivalent of asking ‘Who needs to believe in One God?’ or ‘Who needs to believe in Muhammed (saw) to be Muslim?’

 

Unfortunately, due to the absence of the practical implementation of the Islamic way of life on a societal level, and the pervasiveness of the Capitalist ideology (a.k.a ‘liberal democracy’), some Muslims have become so defeated, they question Islamic history from a pro-secular viewpoint, and adduce that Islam had no model for ruling and organising Man’s affairs (i.e. politics, economics, penal system etc).

 

This is despite the blatant fact that the Prophet Muhammed (saw) was a political leader who ruled according to the revelation from God, in ALL matters pertaining to politics, diplomacy, economics, social system, judiciary/penal system and many other areas.

 

‘And so (O Muhammad) judge/rule [Hukm] among them in accordance with God’s revelations to you’

[Quran 5:49]

 

Can we use Western methods to achieve Islamic objectives?

 

There is much talk of using ‘modern methods’ to establish ‘Islamic objectives’, but in reality these are deliberately misused in order to pervert the Islamic system of ruling, and turn the Muslim concept of politics into something subservient to western political theory and ruling systems.

 

Though Islam and the West have a concept called ‘Justice’, do they mean the same thing? Likewise, do Muslims and the West both have a conception of terrorism and fighting for justice, when Muslim anti-occupation fighters are called terrorists and the US Marines are called just?

 

Obviously, Islam has a very different concept of justice to the West. This is just as the West has a different concept of justice to communists. The West have, in the pursuit of it’s definition of justice, imposed virtually absolute legal equality upon it’s citizens, whereby everyone under the law gets equal rights. But it does not take into account that people are different from each other, with some who are stronger and others who are weaker than others (e.g. free speech for everyone to slander who they like and verbally defend themselves is good, until you consider that media mogul Rupert Murdoch has considerably more power than you to express his opinions! – though you both have equal rights!).

 

Likewise, communists believed in economic equality, where everyone gets the same about of wealth, thereby creating justice. The problem with this is, that different people have different abilities, thus those who had more to offer society felt oppressed and unsupported to reach their full potential.

 

Islam answers this differently. Islam does not believe in equality because people are different to each other in strengths, weaknesses, abilities and skills. Islam addressed man’s human nature by assigning to man EQUITY amongst his fellow man. The Islamic concept of justice is about preventing the strong from oppressing the weak, or having an advantage against the weak such that the weak do not realise their rights as humans [Islam also has a different concept of human rights, but this is for another discussion!].

 

Finally, since Islam was not the first to introduce the concept called ‘Justice’, why did the Quran come in the first place if it were possible to establish justice without revelation?

 

We have sent our messengers with Clarifications. And We revealed with them the Book (of Allah) and the STANDARD, so that people may establish Justice…

[Quran 57:25]

Secularism, an irrational ideology

 

In conclusion, Islam must be studied rationally, devoid of prejudice or bias to derive solutions for how mankind should live. Furthermore, it is not only Islam that should be studied rationally, but also Western political theory. If Western political theory was studied rationally, then the blatant flaws in it’s premises and derived solutions would become apparent.

 

If we looked at Secularism, we notice that it stipulates a separation of religion from lifes affairs (politics). If this is the case, does that make sense? How can man’s purpose in life be separate from his life’s affairs?

It’s like saying ‘a car’s purpose for transportation has no connection to its natural use’! Again, it would be funny if it weren’t so serious…

 

Response from the Quran to Western Social Theory

 

Would Allah (swt) fail to mention how humans should live in accordance with his purpose?

 

Does man think that he will be left aimless?

[Quran, 75:36]

 

Can humans determine there own criteria of what is good for them, and build a system of life around it?

 

It may be that you hate something when it is good for you and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. God knows and you do not know

[Surat al-Baqara: 216]

Was the Prophet’s state a democracy? Did he rule by will of the people?

 

‘Do not follow their wishes, and beware lest they divert you from some of GOD’s revelations to you, if they turn away, then know that GOD wills to punish them for some of their sins. Indeed, many people are wicked.

[Quran 5:49]

What does the Quran say about Majorities being able to make decisions?

 

“And if you obey most of the people on Earth, they will lead you astray”

[Quran, sura al-Anaam 116]

 

Has Allah (swt) not given us a method by which we may implement the laws of Islam?

 

‘To each among you have we prescribed a law [hukm] and a way [Tahreeq – method of implementation]’

[Quran 5:48]

 

Was the Prophet Muhammed (saw) merely an absolute ruler?

 

It is not (right) that a man, to whom is given the Book, and Wisdom, and the prophetic office, should say to people: “Be ye my servants rather than Allah’s”: on the contrary (He would say) “Be ye worshippers of Him Who is truly the Cherisher of all: For ye have taught the Book and ye have studied it earnestly.” 

[Quran 3:79] 

 

Can Islam use other Ideologies and theories to supplement it’s viewpoint to political system?

Say (O Muhammad): “Shall I seek for judge [HAKAMan] other than Allah? – when He it is Who hath sent unto you the Book, explained in detail.” They know full well, to whom We have given the Book, that it hath been sent down from thy Lord in truth. Never be then of those who doubt.

[Quran 6:114]

All these verses, conclusively prove that Islam has a distinct, detailed and elaborate system of ruling and government. This system is pure, consistent with human nature, and able to advance the potential of man further than any other ideology in the world today.

 

Instead of aping the West and prostrating ourselves to western political theory and solutions, let us be proud of Islam, strive to establish it and create a noble, progressive and advanced Khilafah, to take us into the 21st century and beyond.

 

May Allah (swt) bring victory to the dawah carriers, Unity to the Ummah and enlightenment to those who ponder over the signs of Allah (swt).

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