Author: Obaidullah Nimruzi
Imam Shah Waliullah Muhaddis Dehlawi, “R.H” (Part 6)
Social, economic and political thought
Imam Shah Waliullah seriously tried to understand the relationship between social, moral and economic systems, and in his opinion, spirituality has two aspects: first, the personal relationship of man with Allah, and second, the relationship of man with his fellow men; So, if one seeks personal salvation in seclusion from society, one has not reached full spirituality, it is only in social organizations that one’s spirituality emerges; Therefore, Islam rarely examines the individual as a single person; On the contrary, he always imagines him as a member of the family or community; So, achieving social justice is necessary for the progress of the individual, and how to formulate and realize the ideal of social justice is a problem that Shah Waliullah has discussed in detail in his famous work “Hujjatallah Al-Balagha”.
In his opinion, justice is one of the coordinates necessary for the harmonious development of the human race, its manifestations may be numerous; But this is the only golden thread that is in the roots of various patterns of human life, when this progress manifests itself in the form of clothes, moral customs, it takes the name of politeness and in matters related to income and expenses, it is called economy and In matters related to the government, we call it politics.
Allamah Shah Waliullah discussed the issue of human relations under the title of heights has been discussed, he starts this discussion with the fact that man has countless needs, which motivate him to act, the satisfaction of human needs involves the mutual dependence of people, and this leads to the creation of society and its moral customs.
When humans work together for collective protection and security, government is created, and when they interact with each other to satisfy their material needs, an economic system is established.
The basic feature of a healthy system, whether social, economic or political, is a balanced relationship among different members of a social group, and this balanced relationship is undoubtedly a reflection of inner peace and a correct relationship with the Creator, and on the other hand, this social system, which is created by this relationship It evolves and leads to such peace and relationship instead.
Then Shah Sahib briefly discusses some of the basic aspects of the social system as a dynamic process, he starts this topic with language and points out that language is not only a means of expression; but it is an important factor in the development of culture and civilization ; then he talks about agriculture, which provides food for people, and it is in this process that mankind learns the art of irrigation, also domesticates animals and uses them in different ways, then in order to protect mankind against hardship and severity of weather and seasons they make houses.
All further progress of mankind depends on the establishment of the government, and a social group, no matter how uncultured, still needs a strong power to govern it properly.
In his opinion, the government should not limit the scope of its activities to the protection and security of people; but also to invent ways and means to achieve prosperity and progress of the whole society; Therefore, the eradication of all social evils, such as gambling, adultery, usury and bribery, etc., is within the scope of the government’s duties, and businessmen should also be carefully handled so that they do not contaminate themselves with evil practices.
Also, the government should monitor that people’s forces flow in beneficial channels, for example, supporting their proper distribution in different jobs.
Imam Shah Waliullah notes: When jobs are not distributed fairly among different sections of the society, the culture will be harmed, for example, if the majority of people engage in commerce, agriculture will necessarily be neglected and a noticeable decline in agricultural products will appear, as well as in If the masses of people are registered in the army, the people will face many hardships, because in this case, only a few people will be left to engage in agriculture and commerce, and in this way, the entire social system will be disrupted.
According to Shah Sahib, the most important activity in the country after the army and the police is agriculture, because it provides the necessities of life on which the existence of all people depends and the government should develop farming methods and every part of the soil should be properly cultivated and a program should be set up for crop rotation In addition to the government, it should adopt ways and means to encourage trade and industry.
In this way, according to Professor Shah Waliullah, the wealth of the whole society depends on its diversity, and this is a clear truth that cannot be overstated, and by employing people, paying attention to their talents in different jobs, this diversity should be achieved. and the unlimited and inherent possibilities of human beings can be manifested only if they let them choose their jobs according to their heart’s desire.
In his opinion, a healthy economic system is based on social justice and contributes to the prosperity of the society. If the government fails to promote or maintain such a system, its decline is inevitable. concludes; After a careful analysis and experience, I came to the conclusion that two main factors have caused the decline of Muslim culture, first: that many people left their jobs and became a burden on the government, they are actually a great burden on the government’s treasury, some of them are soldiers, and some of them consider themselves the owners of knowledge and grace; Therefore, they know their indisputable right to regularly use the financial assistance of the government, and those who receive donations, gifts and prizes from the court according to the past custom, such as poets and clowns, are also not few. Many people belonging to these groups, they have no share in the welfare of the society and despite this, it is allowed to suck its own blood, the sooner the government is saved from the hands of these parasites, the better.
Second: The government has imposed very high taxes on farmers and merchants, in addition to this, the brutal behavior of the government officials to the taxpayers when collecting taxes, while the economic situation of the people is deteriorating at a dangerous rate, and they complain under the pressure of high taxes. for this reason, it leads the country to destruction.
In this regard, Shah Sahib points to a very incorrect idea that is prevalent among Muslims, most of them believe that Allah loves poverty; Therefore, no good Muslim should try to get rich, such an opinion is wrong, the simple life that results in contentment is fundamentally different from the severe poverty that is often the result of the domination of the ruling classes over the weak groups.
According to Allamah Shah Waliullah, this imposed hunger of some classes is very harmful for the welfare of the society and is not a virtue; Rather, it is a crime, Islam does not allow any class to keep others in hard and low-paying jobs by force, on the contrary, the goal of Islam is to achieve social justice, which is only possible if the society is free from class conflict and everyone is provided with an opportunity to can develop his hidden talents and abilities and strengthen his individuality through free and active participation for the benefit of the material and cultural environment He goes on to say: The teaching of Islam is that, this strong, concentrated individuality, which has gained intensity and strength during a lifetime of practical experience, should not succumb to the temptation of self-conceit; Rather, it should be devoted to the service of Allah and through it to the improvement of humanity, Islam never advises its followers to submit themselves to an aggressive social system without hesitation.
Instead of poverty and scarcity, it is social justice that has been praised by the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, a justice that not only protects the individual from arrogant and proud behavior; Rather, it evolves a force in its existence, so that it can crush the temptation, bribery and other traps that a group of wrong leaders resort to, with which they seek to corrupt the dignity and character of their subjects.
Shah Waliullah agrees with Aristotle’s opinion that the purpose of the existence of the state is to promote a good life. The purpose of a good life is that life is good according to the explicit decree of Islam, and the state is a means for him and not an end in itself. Therefore, they are of the opinion that having coercive force cannot be justified regardless of the goals that are assigned to it. If the government uses this force correctly, then the highest duty of the individual is to become a loyal member of the government. But if this government becomes a government only in name, it is in fact a blind and barbaric force, and in that case, the emphatic duty of its members is to overthrow it; In this way, the important duty of a person is to become a member of the government; But more important than this is its duty to measure the quality of the government of which it is a member.
Imam Shah Waliullah clearly stipulates the duty of the Islamic state in his book entitled “Eliminating concealment from the Caliphate of the Caliphs” as follows: Caliphate is generally a type of government that was established in order to implement the laws of the Sharia and in accordance with the wishes of the Holy Prophet, PBUH. The most important functions of the caliphate are the revival of Islamic teachings and their transfer to practical life, mobilizing the nation for Jihad, and severely suppressing all evil that abuse originates from its actions.
Shah Waliullah Sahib clearly describes the relationship between the individual and the state. According to his theory about the state, which is actually derived from the teachings of Islam, the individual is not a part of a social whole, unlike bees, ants and other insects, and the individual is the real value. It has its own, because in Islam, the individual is the beginning and the end of every investigation; but because every human being lives in a society, as a result, it is through the social model that his spirituality is developed and because the Islamic state is the most powerful factor in the social model; Therefore, the responsibility for the all-round development of a person is primarily directed towards it.
Continues…
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