Defining the Islamic State

In this article, one of the Contemporary Muslim thinkers define what an Islamic State is:

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From: "Muzaffar Iqbal"

To: "Muzaffar Iqbal"

Subject: quantum note for friday march 1

Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 20:06:16 -0700

Friday March 01, 2002-- Zilhaj 16,1422 A.H.

Defining the Islamic State

Dr Muzaffar Iqbal

The writer is a freelance columnist

How would a contemporary Islamic state differ from non-Islamic states? Who

would rule this state and how? What would it be like to live in such a

state? What would such a state do with the enormous gap between the

economic, scientific and technological status of Muslims and non-Muslims?

These are some of the questions that need clear answers before any such

state can come into existence. These are also the questions which should

have been answered by Pakistan's Islamic parties in this election year, if

they are serious.

Muslims believe that the Qur’an and Sunnah are two living sources that are

as relevant today as they were fourteen hundred years ago when they were

first revealed. They also believe that these twin sources contain all the

guiding principles that are needed by them now. At least this is the

position of the normative Islamic tradition and it is held by all Muslims

who have their spiritual and intellectual roots in the Islamic tradition.

The real question, then, is how to translate the guiding principles found in

these two sources into a practical model that will work in our times. This

is the task and challenge that Muslims have been actively pursuing for more

than a century, after waking up from their slumber, they found themselves

colonized and realized that something has to be done. The most immediate

challenge was to get rid of the colonizing powers. But in the very struggle

for independence, there was something fundamentally wrong: no where in the

Muslim world did people realize that this struggle for independence has to

be based on Islam and not on nationalism.

This wrong footing was exactly what the French and the British colonizers

had hoped for. They had actively sought to create an intellectual northern

alliance, which would call for a western-style government and demand

independence on the model of Britain and France. And when the native

resources had been drenched and the cost of maintaining direct control on

the colonies was becoming more than what they were willing to pay, the

colonizers departed leaving behind the firm grip of an administrative,

educational and ruling structure so that it could be governed through remote

control.

Thus, Muslims in their own traditional lands were randomly divided into

contemporary states, each governed by a system which ensured their

continuous enslavement. For centuries, these people had lived in mutual

reliance, though not always in harmony. Between Hijaz and the great steppes

of Central Asia, there was a vast territory that was and still remains the

home of Muslims. But then it was linked together through a chain of great

cities which were also centers of learning. And while certain rulers at

certain times brought huge armies against other Muslim rulers, the Hajj and

trade caravans traversed the Silk Route and continued to serve as the most

important vehicle for the flow of ideas and goods.

All of this was shattered with the occupation of Muslim lands by Europeans.

And none of this was restored after their departure. This is a fundamental

point that needs to be understood in no uncertain terms. The nation states

that have emerged in the post World War II era are inherently incapable of

independent existence; this is also an economic impossibility. Thus no

amount of reform would make it possible for these countries to be

self-sufficient and truly independent states with enough human and material

resources to be free of IMF bondage. One cannot make a circle out of a

square, no matter how one bangs it around.

Given these fact, what is the route to real independence and an honorable

existence? How can Muslims regain control of their destinies? How can they

live a life that is not defined and dictated by the new Great Axis of Evil:

the United States of America, Britain and Israel? This is the question on

which all Muslim intellectuals and thinkers need to focus. The

post-September 11 events had hijacked all efforts from this most important

task faced by Muslims; it is time to return to it.

Those who think that they can achieve this by forming some kind of

underground network that kidnaps reporters and kills them are clearly

working against this cause. Likewise, those who wish to take up arms against

their own rulers, create nothing but chaos. Similarly, those who are busy in

propagating a made in America version of Islam are also playing with fire.

Islam, let us reiterate, is not merely a private affair that takes up public

face on Fridays; Islam is a living tradition, defined by an all-encompassing

code. Indeed, Allah has called Himself, al-Muheet, the all encompassing.

So, the task before Muslims is really clear. They need to devise a practical

strategy to regain control of their destiny as a community of believers. The

defining factor for their existence is neither sectarian, nor tribal or

national identity, but an identity based on the Qur’an. This is the

unambiguous position of the Qur’an itself. It declares in no uncertain terms

that Allah has made different communities and the best of communities is the

one which holds on to the rope of Allah. This is the community of believers:

"You are the best community that has been sent forth to mankind [in that]

you enjoin right and forbid wrong and have faith in Allah" (Q. 3:110).

In this task of regaining freedom, the very first thing to be understood is

that Islam cannot be imposed by somehow gaining hold of the government and

bringing out bands of militia. This is not the way of Islam. The struggle of

so-called Islamic political parties to win elections and form governments to

implement Islam is doomed. And so are those who demand imposition of Islam

by state decrees. True, there are some injections of Islamic Law (the

Shariah) that require state legislation. But most of Islam does not require

state laws for its implementation.

An Islamic state emerges; it is not established. An Islamic state comes into

existence through the most natural of ways, it is not a state that is

established by decrees. An Islamic state is the end result of a long process

of education, cultivation of Islamic ethos in private as well as public

life. An Islamic state is like a beautiful tree that comes into existence

because someone once planted a seed. An Islamic state is defined by the

character of its inhabitants, not by the writ of law.

The character of the inhabitants of an Islamic state is the defining factor

for the Islamic state. Given the current conditions of the Muslim world, the

greatest missing element in the emergence of an Islamic state is none other

than this defining factor. And this is what requires the greatest attention

of all those who wish to establish an Islamic state.

In the simplest of terms, an Islamic state is a state in which the prime

goal of the inhabitants of the land is to be a model of the Qur’anic

teachings. These are the people with whom Allah is pleased and who are

pleased with Allah, as the Qur’an tells us. This is the only route to an

Islamic state. Its most important constituent is none other than the men,

women and children who live in it.

Thus, any organization, political or non-political, which wants to

contribute toward the emergence of an Islamic state, need to concentrate on

its most important building block: individual human beings. But how? What

are the ways to do so? The answer must be sought in another question: How

did the Prophet of Islam do it? And that is the topic for the next column.

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Center for Islam and Science

www.cis-ca.org

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