Quranic Foundations And Structure Of Muslim Society
4. DUTIES RELATING TO THE SOCIETAL WHOLE
Duties relating to the Societal Whole split up into two categories, namely: (1) Duties to the Societal Whole; and (2) Duties of the Societal Whole.
With reference to Duties to the Societal Whole, the Holy Qur’an has commanded thus:
“And hold fast, all together, by the Covenant of Allah (habl-Allah), and be not split up among yourselves.” (3:102).
The word habl, translated here as Covenant, means primarily a rope or a cord, and hence a cause of union or a Covenant which renders one responsible for the safety of a person or a thing. (Lane’s Lexicon).
The habl-Allah (Covenant with God) is, abstractly, allegiance to the objectives of al-Deen, or, the Way of Collective Obedience to God, and, concretely, loyalty to the Islamic Society through loyalty & devotion to its Founder & Leader, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!), which loyalty should manifest itself basically in doing utmost to preserve the unity, the solidarity and the social, moral and spiritual health of the Islamic society. Hence the Duties to the Societal Whole.
Similarly, the Duties of the Societal Whole towards the Individual have been emphasized in the Holy Qur’an; for instance, in the following verse which bears comprehensive reference to the spiritual, economic, moral and social welfare of the individuals:
“(Muslims are) those who, if We establish them in the land, set up regular Prayer and give regular charity, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong …” (22:41).
Now, every organized Societal Whole takes, whenever and wherever possible, the form of the State, which, as an institution, is an indispensable means for the realisation of the social ideal. As regards its structural ethics, the following observations may be made.
Organisation of the Societal Whole as a state gives rise to subordination and super-ordination, wherein the foremost duty of the subordinate becomes obedience to the super-ordinate (4:59) and of the super-ordinate to administer the state through coercive authority, or, al-Amarah (mentioned in 4:59),—and that in the interest of the subordinate. Besides the multifarious dimensions of positive administration, the duty of punishing offenders for all cognizable offences against life, honor, property, and ensuring the spiritual, moral and economic well-being of the people, also devolves on the super- ordinate. Then, a further duty of the super-ordinate is that of preserving or reclaiming, as the case may be, the autonomy of the state against internal turmoil and external aggression, and for that purpose to wage war against all hostile forces.
An important fact should be noted here with respect to the State Authority. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!) is the founder of the Islamic society, as also of the Islamic state. As such, and as the Medium of Obedience to God—indeed, as the representative par excellence of the Authority of God on earth, he is the Super- Leader of the Islamic state for all time (4:80; etc.). Hence no State-Authority can claim Islamically the right of obedience to itself except as the representative of the Holy Prophet (Peace be on him!).
Note on Penal Code:
In the perspective of the super-ordinate’s duty of punishing offenders of the Law, mentioned in the foregoing, emerges the Penal Code, to which we have devoted a separate section. As to the Qur’anic Philosophy of Punishment, readers should refer to Volume 1, Book II, Chapter IV of the present book, where we have come to the following conclusion:
“Viewing the Qur’anic punishments in the light of ethics, the punishments relating to fornication, adultery and homosexuality are reformative in the sense that they imply the spiritual purification of the offenders; the punishments prescribed for theft, robbery and treason are of deterrent character; and the punishment in respect of murder is based on retribution which is tempered with mercy (2:178).
The guiding light in all cases, however, is the procurement of spiritual good of the individuals concerned and of the society.”
Note on Tabligh:
The word tabligh means ‘to reach out the Message’. As a term it means ‘propagation of the Message of Islam’. The Holy Qur’an has given to it the status of an institution (3:104, etc.) and has ordained it as an important societal duty.
This duty has been conceived to function at two levels, i.e., within the Islamic social order, and outside the Islamic social order, where entire humanity comes under its purview.
The ends it serves are: (1) preservation, (2) development, and (3) perpetuation of the Islamic Community—and that in service to the cause of humanity (3:110).
The dimensions of this duty are:
1. education of new generations of Muslims in Islam;
2. improvement in Islamic knowledge and inspiration of the grown-up Muslims;
3. dissemination of the knowledge of Islam among non-Muslims—all the non-Muslims of the world wherever they may be found—in order that they may know the Divine Message that has come for them, and those among them who are seriously dedicated to Truth may accept it for their own good; while, in the case of others, correct knowledge about Islam may dissipate their ignorance and the consequent misunderstandings, finally bringing about among them goodwill for Islam—which, in itself, forms a genuine contribution to the promotion of inter-communal and international goodwill.
Thus, tabligh stands out as a duty towards other individuals in respect of their spiritual and moral progress. Also, it contributes simultaneously to the spiritual and moral development of the persons who undertake it, and thus it becomes a duty to Self.
Its role, however, as a collectivistic or societal duty, remains supreme. Indeed, from that point of view, it stands out as the foremost duty without which the very existence of Islam becomes jeopardized.
As the Holy Qur’an affirms, the Islamic Community is meant to continue to exist for all time—up to the Last Day. This is in the very nature of the case, because the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him!) is the last and final Divine Messenger, and the Muslims are the last divinely-raised religious Group. As such, disappearance of the Islamic Community at any time in human history is not conceivable. But, the dissipation of the energies of communities and nations—both ideological and non-ideological—being the Law of History, one of the most important instruments for keeping the Islamic community alive and functioning genuinely and truly is the repeated infusion of fresh blood into the body-politic of Islam.
This has already happened in Islamic history, as, for instance, when towards the end of the Abbaside period, the Muslim world began to show signs of lassitude and weakness, the conversion of the Turko-Tartars revitalized the Islamic community to an extent that it could maintain its glory for several centuries more. The same seems to be the crying need today. But this need cannot be fulfilled without resort to an enlightened, dynamic and multi-dimensional movement in the field of tabligh, and not just a ritualistic or professional performance.
to be continued . . . . .
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