THE ISLAMIC POLITICAL SYSTEM AND
THE POLITICAL FUTURE OF NIGERIA - 3
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[ Uncomfortable Truth ]
[Islamic System ] FUNDAMENTAL GOALS 1. Restoring Sovereignty to Allah The first
thing the Islamic political system does is to restore sovereignty to where it
is due. supreme and absolute power can only belong to the Supreme and Absolute
Authority. Ultimate and final decisions on how this world should be run can
only rest with the Creator, Sustainer and Lord of the world and all that is
contained in it. For the Islamic Political system acknowledges Allah's powers
and accordingly accords him His Rightful Position. It hasn't the slightest
doubt as regards the real possessor and controller of this world. The firm
words of the Qur’an are categorical in this respect. Say: “O God ! Lord of Power (and Rule), Thou givest Power To whom Thou pleasest, And Thou strippest off Power From whom thou pleasest: Thou enduest With honour Whom Thou pleases, And Thou bringest low Whom thou pleases: In Thy hand is all Good Verily, over all things Thou hast power. (Q.3:26) Thou causeth the night. To gain on the Day, And Thou causest the day To gain on the night; Thou bringest the Living Our of the Dead, And Thou bringest the Dead, Out of the Living; And Thou, givest sustenance To whom Thou pleasest, Without measure." (Q.:3:27) Even more compelling are the following ayas of the Our’an: Say: "Who is it in whose Hands is the governance Of all things? He protects (All), while against Whom there is no protection? (Say) if ye know." They will, say. "(all that belongs) To Allah." Say: "Then how are you Deceived and turned away from the truth? (Q. 23:88‑89) Man who has himself been created and having no absolute control in the running of the world cannot possibly shoulders the responsibility of sovereignty. By arrogating himself the powers of sovereignty, making laws for his fellow men, deciding what is wrong and what is right, man undertakes a task that was neither assigned to him nor has he the capacity to discharge and thereby denying his fellow men the justice of their equitable Lord thus throwing the whole humanity into chaos and confusion. It is significant that Allah in His infinite mercy has allowed man the freedom to accept or reject His Sovereignty, a freedom which more often than not man has abused. Infact the history of humanity is littered with instances where man, in exercise of his free will chose to usurp Allah's Sovereignty and make laws for his fellow men a feature which is rampant in this our trouble ridden world. Here in the
Nigerian Constitution, as, in the Constitution of Western countries from whence
all the ideas are borrowed, sovereignty belongs to the people. In other words
it is the "will of the people" that is supreme. But we all know
that we are ruled not by the "will
of the people" but by the whims of the powerful who have found their way
to seats of power either by the force of arms or by force of politics. Because this
usurpation puts them above the very laws that they themselves make and confers
on them the license to enslave other men, usurpers of Allah's sovereignty,
fight with all the means at their disposal any idea which suggest the
restoration of these powers to its rightful place. Knowing the havoc, which the
“will of the people” occasions, the Islamic political system insists from the
onset, that sovereignty is restored to Allah, the Most High. For only then can
men be liberated from the servitude of other men and absolute equality, justice
fairness be establish in Human Society. When Allah sent his messengers to one of the most celebrated tyrants the world has ever known, the notorious Pharaoh (Fir’aun) of Egypt, to call him to order, the tyrant in his characteristic arrogance asked the messenger of Allah who was this their Lord to whom all men should submit. Nowhere is the stupidity and absurdity of man's arrogance and usurpation of Allah's powers, laid so bare as in the reply Musa and Harun (A.S.) gave to Pharaoh: (When this message was delivered), (Pharaoh) said: "Who, then, Oh Moses, is the Lord Of you two? He said: "Our Lord is He Who gave to each (Created) thing its form And nature, and further, Gave (it) guidance." (Q. 20:49-50) "He Who has made for you the earth like a carpet spread out; has enabled you to go about therein by roads (And channels); and has sent down water from the sky.” With it have We produced diverse pairs of plants each separate from the others. Eat (for yourselves) and pasture your cattle: verily, in this are signs for men endued with understanding. From the earth did We Create you, and into it shall We return you, And from it shall We bring you out once again. (Q. 20:53-55) 2. Upholding Sharia The Sharia is
the embodiment of the laws which Allah has made for mankind to live a just,
equitable and harmonious life on earth. It has a divine component which
stipulates the limits and principles; and a human components which translates
the latter in practical terms at different times and in varying circumstances.
The Sharia is thus a living and dynamic law anchored in very firm and immutable
principles, comprehensive in its scope, discreet in its operations, it ensure
the attainment of justice and equity in human society in all times and
circumstances. It is a
fundamental goal of the Islamic political system to procure the full
application of the Sharia so that men are judged in accordance to the
equitable laws of Allah, and society
given a stable code, saved from the
kind of confusion we in Nigeria suffer. Indeed like the Qur’an has declared. “……………..the ( law) is none but Allah. He hath
commanded that ye worship none but him; that is the
right way of life, but most men understand not….” (Q 12:40) The supremacy
of the Sharia, as opposed to the supremacy of the wishes and caprices of the
dominant interest in society – such as supremacy of the imposed English law –
ensures that people are treated equally before the law, and that the law itself
operates to give full and unconditional justice to all (including the
non-Muslim subjects of the state); and that justice is not made into a
commodity for sale to the richest and highest bidder. As far as the Islamic
state is concerned the restriction of justice to the wealthy and the men of
influence in society, to the exclusion of the poor is not only an unpardonable
error, but one which is most certain to lead society to perdition. 3. Social
Justice Social
Justice is not only a fundamental goal for the Islamic political system but one
in which it has placed its highest premium. The policy is that every soul that
resides in its state has to be provided with the basic necessities of life in a
manner preserves its honour and dignity. The
Qura’n in numerous places has categorically impressed on the state, the
individual and the society at large the obligation they owe to the poor and
the needy within their reach. In every wealth, "Is a recognized right. For
the (needy) who asks and him who is prevented (for some reason) from
asking" (Q. 70:24 ‑ 25). The Prophet (SAW) has listed four things as
the irreducible requirements of all people and which the state must endeavour
to provide. Food, Shelter, Family Life and Transportation. The State does not
fulfill its purpose if some of its members (of course including non‑Muslims)
are having to go to bed with empty stomach, let alone starve; or if some live
like wild beasts, without shelter; or if others are incapable of maintaining a
family with decency and satisfaction. Social justice cannot of course be
attained if ordinary people are denied access to resources, which Allah has
made available to all people, if the economic system justifies and protect
accumulation of wealth for its own sake, or fails to take cognizance of the
needs of all human being to decent life and to economic security. For that
reason, equitable distribution of resources, free access to land in particular
by all people, and fair taxation, i.e. one that excludes the poor from payment
of taxes and levies, are some of the priorities of the Islamic State. While every man is provided for and protected from the economic exploitation of the strong, the latter is protected from the envy and grudge of the poor in a manner which breeds harmony in society. This harmony is essential to the kind of social justice Islam sets out to achieve and here it contrasts sharply with Marxism. The latter working on the erroneous view that "opposition is inherent in the nature of the world and man" thrives on a conflict theory so that even if the battle is won, conflict remains the dominant feature of society. ‘The denial of the "conflict basis" of society’, as Mahmud Tukur has rightly observed, ‘is basic to Islamic political theory since it is an aspect of Tauhid” . ‘Western Social Science,’ he continues ‘for its part, has come to place such emphasis on "conflict theory" that adolescents leave the Universities with the impression that class and other conflicts are the fundamental laws of social relations.’ Central to
this policy of Social justice is the institution of Zakkat with its boundless
resources constantly and continuously flowing and being replenished. This makes
the Islamic goals of social justice both realistic and practical, distinguishing
it from such empty claims as Marxism and its numerous offshoots. History has
long registered not only the distinguished records achieved by Islam in the
field of social justice but its commitment to it. The first battle the Islamic
State in Madina waged soon after the departure of the Prophet, was on behalf of
the poor to secure the Zakkat which has been specifically assigned to their
Welfare. History has not known any battle fought on behalf of the poor outside
the I0slamic Political System. 4. Freedom The Islamic Political System seeks to provide the necessary moral and spiritual atmosphere where human beings can develop their moral and spiritual potentials in total freedom, and without hindrance or impediment, it also provides the freedom to all individuals to engage in such trades or occupation as they desire, as long as the vital interest of the Muslim Ummah can be safeguarded. Freedom in terms of belief, conscience and upliftment of moral values, and freedom in terms of the choice of occupation and other vital human endeavours and freedom to proclaim the truth and propagate it form an integral part of the State only. There are those who may disagree with the ideals and even the very foundation of the State: but as long as they remain loyal to the State, they are deemed to be under the "protection of Allah and His Messenger." In other words, inviolable as to their lives, property and honour. 5. Commanding the Good and Elimination of Evil Founded on moral responsibility to Allah, the Islamic Political System must, a matter of necessity, guard jealously its moral value and defend its moral integrity. Hence one of its goals is Amr bil malaruf wil. Nahyi'inil Munkar, to "command the good and eliminate evil." Whatever brings about the perversion of justice, or the deterioration of the human character, or the vulgarization of the political process or subvert the order of society is considered evil, which must be eliminated. Whatever brings harmony in society, aids the cause of justice and the proper order of society, or whatever can aid the realization of basic human needs is considered good, which must be promoted. The Islamic State is required to fight evil tooth and nail and to cut off its roots once and for all. It thus can not condone corruption, nor allow, under whatever guises, the trivialization of morality. Since society thrives principally on sound moral attitudes, the State can not afford to treat the issue of morality lightly. Moreover, the State has a duty to continually assess its moral commitment: hence the institution of Hisba, along with the Islamic Judicial System, is established to ensure that the economic arrangement in society is free of injustice, deceit or fraud; that citizens deal with one other, especially in economic and social sphere, just and equitably; that Islamic moral injunctions especially in relation to the safeguarding of the family, the human intellect and human life are strictly adhered to in society. |
