Author: Muhammad Dawood Yusufi Eshaqzahi
Islam and Democracy (Part 19)
Objectives of the Islamic Political System
The primary objective of the Islamic political system is to create and expand the conditions for drawing closer to Allah. The human being, as the only creature endowed with this capacity, as a part of the universal order and the noblest of creation, travels upon this path—from Him (inna lillah) and toward Him (ilayhi rajiʿun)—with his ultimate destination being to attain nearness to Allah.
The Holy Qur’an states this reality: انّ المتقين فی جنات ونهر فی مقعد صدق عند مليك مقتدر Translation: “Indeed, the righteous will be amid gardens and rivers, in a seat of truth near a sovereign, perfect in power.” [1]
The highest level of this status is reached when a person becomes beloved to Allah and his actions take on a divine character.
In an Islamic society, everything is directed toward the spiritual elevation of the human being. This process of spiritual advancement is achieved through drawing closer to Allah Almighty, and government also serves to create the conditions for such nearness and human development.
Of course, achieving this objective does not mean depriving people of their freedom and choice or using governmental coercion to force everyone in a particular direction. Such an approach would not result in genuine spiritual nearness and would not achieve the intended objective. The essence of drawing closer to Allah and willingly seeking such nearness is primarily spiritual and inward rather than physical or intellectual. Nearness is attained through love, which is an act of the heart and is dependent upon human will and choice. Therefore, a religious government, by expanding mechanisms and conditions that facilitate desirable choices and restricting and reducing the circumstances that corrupt those choices, creates an environment in which people are more inclined toward good intentions and sound choices, ultimately leading to greater nearness to Allah Almighty.
The objectives and functions of the political system can therefore be understood within this framework. They include the following:
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The Comprehensive Development of the Human Being
The first and most important objective of the mission of the Prophets (peace be upon them) is the growth, perfection, and advancement of human beings in both their material and spiritual dimensions toward Allah Almighty. Therefore, a system of governance based on these teachings must place human development and perfection at the center of its objectives. The natural consequence of establishing such a government should be the rapid advancement of human beings and the development of society in all its dimensions.
In this regard, several points should be noted:
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Human development and the pursuit of perfection cannot be achieved without righteous rulers. There is a reciprocal relationship between the establishment of an Islamic government and the progressive development of society. In other words, society cannot move toward perfection except under the framework of a just Islamic government; conversely, a just Islamic government can be established only when fundamental values are flourishing and developing within society.
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A society that genuinely moves toward perfection is more prepared to accept Islamic governance. This is because the mission of the Islamic community continued after the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), including during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, through the presence of individuals who had been spiritually and morally developed within the society.
Therefore, the relationship between the development of society and Islamic government can be described as mutually reinforcing. The more developed a society becomes, the more prepared it is for the implementation of Islamic regulations; likewise, the more consistently righteous governance and Islamic regulations are maintained, the faster society can progress. It took thirteen years for the society nurtured by the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) to become prepared for the establishment of Islamic justice. Therefore, a healthy and developing society can undertake the mission of an Islamic government.
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Establishing Justice: Implementing the Rulings of Sharia
Other objectives, which are in fact means of attaining the ultimate objective, may themselves serve as objectives of particular functions of the political system.
Establishing justice is one of the divine commands explicitly emphasized in the Holy Qur’an: «اعْدِلُواْ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَى» Translation: “Be just; that is nearer to righteousness.” [2]
Justice means placing everything in its proper position and encompasses the individual, social, and political responsibilities of members of human society. One of the important objectives of the mission of the prophets was to call the servants of Allah to justice and fairness. They called upon people to establish justice among themselves. However, because establishing true justice requires comprehensive knowledge of the outward and inward characteristics and circumstances of people—and such complete knowledge is impossible for human beings without connection to Allah Almighty—it is necessary for Allah, the Most Glorious, to provide the foundations and means required for establishing justice. One of these foundations is complete knowledge and awareness.
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Implementation of the Rulings of Sharia
One of the issues that has historically been a subject of disagreement among Muslims is the social and political leadership of the Muslim community. In reality, this responsibility is concerned with implementing religion within the actual life and structure of society.
The person entrusted with this position has a number of responsibilities, including maintaining order and discipline within the country, protecting the borders of the Islamic state, preserving the social order of Muslims, administering justice, implementing prescribed legal punishments, and other related duties.
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Establishing and Maintaining Order and Security
Perhaps one of the most important responsibilities of any government is to establish internal and external security. Indeed, many scholars and political thinkers have regarded the establishment of security as one of the principal purposes of government.
After explaining the reasons for the formation of human society, Ibn Khaldun states that when social organization is established among human beings and through it the world is developed, there must necessarily be a ruler among them to prevent one group from attacking another, because aggression is inherent in the animal nature of human beings. Due to this aggressive tendency, a powerful authority is necessary to prevent the strong from oppressing the weak.
Although social order and security are two distinct concepts, they are closely related and constitute essential means of establishing peace and stability within society. Order organizes society as an integrated system whose components are interconnected and defines the responsibilities of each member. Security prevents disruption of this order and protects individual and collective rights from violation.
The primary function of government is more focused on creating a safe and secure environment than on directly establishing social order, because the people and society themselves are the principal agents responsible for observing laws and social norms, while the government assumes the role of protecting and safeguarding the accepted system.
In Islam, social security and tranquility are respected and emphasized regardless of the particular type or form of political system. Disrupting social order and threatening the security of society are regarded by jurists as matters prohibited by consensus.
Psychological security is also closely connected to the perception of justice within society. When the indicators of established justice weaken, security becomes compromised, and the continuity and stability of government may be threatened.
Security, as an objective of the political system, holds great importance. Since the Renaissance, political philosophers have regarded the establishment of security and the prevention of chaos as among the most important functions of government. Thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes maintained that the purpose and function of government is essentially to establish order and security in society. According to him, human beings are like wolves toward one another, making it necessary to have an authority capable of restraining them and establishing security within society. In other words, the primary responsibility of government is to enforce rules and laws, prevent disorder and insecurity, and maintain a defensive capability against external threats in order to protect the existence and integrity of the country.
John Locke, who is regarded as one of the founders of the theory of imperialism, also identified security as one of the principal objectives of government.
Similarly, in Islam, social security and tranquility are emphasized regardless of the type or form of political system. Disrupting social order and the security of society is regarded by Islamic jurists as prohibited. Moreover, preserving security within the framework of the political system and confronting acts of sedition and actions that disturb the psychological well-being of society or undermine political and social security have received considerable attention.
To be continued…
References:
[1] Qur’an, al-Qamar: 54–55.
[2] Qur’an, al-Ma’idah: 8.
