Note: All references made to Qur’an in this post are in the form of ”(Chapter:Verse#)”. For example (3:19) means Al-Qur’an – Chapter 3 – Verse 19.
If you ask my vote to implement Islamic Shari’ah, My answer will be “YES”. But wait a minute: do not make a mistake. What do you mean by Islamic Shari’ah? What do you mean by Islam? Let’s first find this out.
A Passage from the History:
1400 years ago, when Mohammad P.B.U.H started calling people towards Islam, the majority of Arabs resisted his movement. Despite the fact that he never forced anybody to embrace Islam (2:256) (10:99) (18:29) (109:1-6), the number of his enemies increased day by day. The leaders and upper classes (34:34) in Arab offered several great deals to Mohammad P.B.U.H to stop his activities (68:9), but he refused. His opposition in Mecca did not leave any opportunity to torture him and his supporters. They tried their best to stop people listening to Mohammad P.B.U.H (41:26). When the opposition reached to a greater extent (8:30) and Islam had influenced the people outside Mecca, he migrated to Medina. But the opposition in Mecca did not let him continue his activities and tried all possible ways to interrupt him in his activities. From the day Mohammad migrated to Medina to the day he entered back in Mecca, he and his companions were attacked 82 times by the opposition who traveled 300 miles on their horses and camels from Mecca to Medina.
But
Keeping the traditional view of Islam in mind it becomes either difficult or confusing to understand the situation described in the above passage because, in a traditional approach, Islam is not much different than other religions in the world. You find same concepts in Traditional Islam as in other religions just with some different glossary and different styles. As observed in daily life, worshiping a single or multiple supreme beings, practicing rituals, having beliefs without laws, following orders without looking into the wisdom behind and dogmas do not affect the activities of other people in the society. At our work place, we, belonging to different religions or belonging to different schools of thought, work together to achieve a single objective and none of our religious differences affect our progress. The employer also does not care about the religious differences when hiring people. Also families belonging to different religions live in adjacent houses. Some worship idols, some worship fire, some worship a single supreme being in their houses or in religious centers. But one’s worshiping style does not give any harm to others. One’s cap, beard and high-ankle bottoms also do not affect others.
Then:
- What Mohammad P.B.U.H preached and practiced so that people especially who were well-established in the existing systems (43:23) became his enemies?
- Why the people in opposition who did not want to follow the way of Mohammad P.B.U.H also did not want others to do the same?
- Why the tribe-leaders and rich businessmen offered great deals to a person (Mohammad P.B.U.H) who was neither a leader, at that time, nor a rich businessman?
- Why slaveholders used to torture their slaves? For example: Ummaya used to make Bilal lay on the hot sand and put heavy stones on his chest so he could not move. Why Ummaya was afraid of Bilal’s belief?
- Why the opposition party from Mecca traveled 300 miles, spent so much money, lost so many lives in wars against Mohammad P.B.U.H and his companions? What they were afraid of?
What was Islam?
There was never a nation but a warner had passed among them (35:25). The only DEEN each warner brought was Islam (3:19). Mohammad P.B.U.H was not the founder of Islam. He had to follow what other blessed-people had already done in the past (1:6). He was explicitly told to follow the way of Abraham (16:123). The division into different religions was not an objective of prophets and also none of the prophets brought any religion. Also the deep study of Qur’an produces no feelings of a religion. It criticizes all the existing religions of its time but recognizes the men behind those religions as prophets or revolutionists. When reminding about previous prophets, it never discusses their religious practices. When reminding about previous destroyed nations, it never reminds their ignorance towards religious practices. It always reminds about a revolution each prophet brought against two deep-rooted systems in the society– Religion and Demonic System.
Religion – that is a subjective experience and concerned only with a private relationship between man and GOD and the objective of everyone in this system is his own salvation. Religion – that takes you far away from the real world problems and handover the control of the society to Demonic Systems. Demonic Systems – in which powerful bodies in the society take control of the natural resources and deprive them from needy people (28:23). Demonic Systems – in which wealth moves in the hands of a few. Demonic Systems – in which farmer remains hungry in the farm and all profit goes to the landlord.
Each prophet removed the mistaken religious thoughts owned by Priesthood to reform the character of individuals so a System against the Demonic Systems could be built with the help of those individuals. Therefore, each prophet faced opposition from priesthood and demonic systems. But after a lifetime struggle, eventually, each prophet got succeeded in building a system that overruled all the other demonic systems of its time and religions could not stand firm against revolutionary thoughts. But this glory did not sustain longer. The revolutionary thoughts of each prophet got lost in the fog of religions and a brand new religion came into existence with same concepts but with new glossary and the destroyed demonic systems came into power again – till the next prophet.
Demonic Systems are never afraid of religions. Demonic Systems can survive easily in the existence of one or more religions because religions do not give any harm to anyone in this world as defined earlier. The demonic systems can only not survive when there is already a system in which natural differences among humanity make no differences. The system established by the prophet can only be drowned by introducing some concepts among the maintainers and supporters of the system which could take them far away from the real problems of this world so the control of the society can go back in the hands of demonic systems. And what was more viable than a religion for this purpose? People get emotionally attached with religions very quickly. The emotional quotient has always been proved more affective than intelligence quotient. The majority of people try to find ease and religion gives them that. It was not a difficult task for demonic systems; they simply had to portray a prophet as a superman and to borrow concepts from other known religions so that they could form a brand new religion with old concepts in a new dictionary associated towards prophet. Also when people of different thoughts used to embrace Islam, they used to bring their concepts along. This was the reason that whenever a new prophet reminded people about the original teachings of previous prophets, they became the enemy of him. They always had an objection that why the prophet did not have any supernatural attributes (17:89-94) (25:7-9) because of their untrue religious thoughts or dogmas. No prophets claimed such attributes (17:94-95) (25:20). And each of them said “I am a human like you (18:110)”. Obviously a human having supernatural characteristics can not become a role model for those not having supernatural attributes. Not only prophets, whoever spoke against their traditional approach they considered him a “Murtad” or an apostate. Intentionally, the punishment of apostasy was set as “Death” so no-one else could ever dare to deviate.
Zahid-e-Tang-Nazar Ne Mujhe Kaafir Jaana
Aur Kaafir Yeh Samajhta Hai Musalman Hoon MeiN
Same was happened to Mohammad P.B.U.H. He reminded the original teachings of previous prophets, was criticized by the followers of existing religions (25:7-9), was tortured by the authorities of demonic systems, and built a system. But later on his teachings ruled out by the concepts that were not the objective of his real teachings at all. A brand new religion was formed and interestingly its name was “Islam” and followers of that religion were called “Muslims”. However, The word “Islam” was never a label to any religion but was used as a concept through out history in which men is released from the grip of other men in the society by declaring that the right of sovereignty over every human being belongs only to a single supreme power (12:40) so the other powerful bodies in the society can not grasp the rights of other weak people in the society. It releases people from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them (7:157). The word “Muslim” was never a label for the follower of any religion but was used as an adjective attributed to all those who converted the concept of “Islam” into reality. The way, each prophet followed, to make the society a paradise was “Islam” and people who contributed in the development and then maintenance of that society were called “Muslims”. But later “Islam” was transferred to generations in form of inheritance or recitation of First Kalima could easily make you a “Muslim” anytime in your life. I believe if “Abu-Jehel” knew that he wouldn’t delay a minute in embracing “Islam”. The term “Non-Practicing Muslim” is a paradox itself. Obviously one can not be a “Muslim” and “Non-Practicing” at the same time.
Mohammad P.B.U.H did one thing that no previous prophets could do due to unavailability of resources. He saved, that he was guided with, in a way that no one may alter it easily and the single-word change could be caught clearly. He got his companions memorized the Qur’an word-by-word and started binding the Qur’an in his lifetime. But I still say that the Qur’an was altered in a manner that its words remained same but lost their original interpretation. The demonic systems never wanted people to listen Qur’an (41:26) because they knew if people would ever read that again, it will disclose the facts. But they could not refuse people clearly so a concept was introduced that the recitation of Qur’an, whether you practice it or not, gives you reward hereafter. Will you study JAVA if I promise you the same results without understanding and practicing it? The only difference is that I won’t be able to show you those results in this world. The clergy then took the responsibility of understanding the Qur’an and others followed what clergy understood according to its intellectual level and according to the requirements of its era. The interpretation then was considered “unchangeable” forever. This was where the stagnation in Islamic thoughts started from.
Where to derive the Islamic Shari’ah from?
There are two reasons that the traditionalists consider Qur’an an incomplete book and make it dependent on the other resources. First, they try to dig the religion out of it and it’s not there. The reason of this I have explained in previous paragraphs. Second, they try to find all Islamic laws from Qur’an and they don’t find details there. On several places Qur’an calls itself a book that has been explained in detail for those who understand (41:3). No doubt, the Qur’an has explained few of the orders in very detail especially relating to the institution of family, even about asking the permission before entering someone’s house (24:27). Then why no details of the other laws are found there? The reason is very simple. The laws relating to family remains same forever for all regions and for all generations but that is not the case with others. The world evolves day by day with new problems for which the solutions can not be predicted at an earlier stage. Qur’an gives a few basic principles and draws few boundaries, and leaves all other details on an advisory council (42:38) (3:159) where the constitution can be composed by looking into the regional matters and their solutions according to the regional requirements of its time within the boundaries of Qur’anic principles. However, that can not be considered as a universal constitution too.
In the lifetime of Mohammad, there were two entities that used to be considered as the sources of laws – The Qur’an and a legislative body whose head was Mohammad P.B.U.H. Mohammad did not have anything except Qur’an with him but he also established the laws according to the procedure described above. The prophet is actually responsible to train one particular people and to use them as a nucleus for later generations. The laws resulting after following this practice were specific to that people and the future generations had to compose their own constitution by following the same demonstrated procedure. This was the reason that Mohammad P.B.U.H did not leave anything beside Qur’an after him intentionally. He, according to few ahadith books, even refused collecting anything from him except Qur’an. If we had followed the same approach, we would have lived in a different world. But:
Zara Si Baat Thi Andesha-e-Ajam Ne Jise
Badhadiya Hai Faqat Zaib-e-DastaN Ke Liye
The Last Words
Apart from Qur’an, there was no written constitution of Islam from the earliest times to the rise of the Abbasids. The rationalist movement in the early days of Abbasids compelled the conservative thinkers to preserve the social integrity of Islam. This step received full support from Abbasids rulers, not because of their interest in Islamic Shari’ah but the fearing factor of political implications of rationalism. I won’t describe the whole story again that I have already explained above in detail but we see that not less than nineteen schools of law and legal opinion appeared in Islam from the middle of the first century to the beginning of the fourth. From 800 to 1100 not less than one hundred systems of theology appeared in Islam.
Now, I can hear the demands of Implementing Shariah in the country from same schools of thought who were against the demand of separate homeland – Pakistan – 62 years ago. At that time they did not have any intensions to implement Islamic Shariah, because if they had they would have supported the demand of a separate homeland. Obviously, you can’t implement shariah where you are not in power. But why now? And the most important question is – Which Shariah?
Please Think, You Can Think
!mran
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