10 Salient features of Islamic Caliphate (Khilafat ur
Rashida)
1. Sovereignty of Allah
2. The goal of the government is "Establishment of Deen"
Spreading the virtues & Eradicating Evils.
3. Free & Fair Elections
4. Governance by Counselling
5. Freedom of criticism and expression
6. Accountability before God and the people
7. Bait al-Mal is Amanah
8. Rule of Law: No one is above the law.
9. Equal rights for all
10. A simple life
1. Sovereignty of Allah: Humans have been sent in
this world with free choice and no compulsions. Humans tends to try & gain
maximum benefits for themselves and their near and dear ones (Colonization,
Imperialism sanctioning etc.), sometimes at the expense of others’ rights. No
group and nation can make laws and rules which are just, universal, and
acceptable to all. Hence our Almighty Lord has laid down certain rules and
principles which are fair and suitable to all humankind. Islamic Caliphate
believes that the absolute sovereignty lies with Allah and the ruling class
must frame rules and regulation in accordance with the diving laws and not
against it.
Modern
thinkers try to oppose the concept of Sovereignty of Allah terming it as savage
& Brutal and justify that now the modern man have been enlightened, matured
and evolved to a level where he understands the modern requirements of humanity
and hence, he can legislate suitable laws independent of any supreme authority.
إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ ۚ أَمَرَ
أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَٰكِنَّ
أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤٠﴾
All
authority to govern rests only with Allah. He has commanded that you serve none
but Him. This is the Right Way of life, though most people are altogether
unaware. (12:40)
Lo! His is
the creation and His is the command. Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the
universe. (7:54)
Some
people ask for share in legislation; Allah said
يَقُولُونَ هَل لَّنَا مِنَ الْأَمْرِ مِن
شَيْءٍ ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ الْأَمْرَ كُلَّهُ لِلَّهِ ۗ
'Have we
any say in the matter?' Tell them: 'Truly, all power of decision rests solely
with Allah. (3:154)
Whatever
Allah order is just, suitable to all without exploitation. Based on our
limitations sometimes we don’t understand the reasoning behind it as Quran says:
وَعَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ
خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ ۖ وَعَسَىٰ أَن تُحِبُّوا شَيْئًا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٢١٦﴾
it may be
that you dislike a thing and the same is good for you, and you love a thing and
the same is bad for you: Allah knows but you do not. (2:216)
In
Khilafah system, The caliph work as Vicegerent of Allah and ensure that the
rules are made within the framework of divine guidance which aim at justice and
equality.
2. Goal of the government: The
goal of government is to establish Justice among the people, ensure that human
rights are fully established and followed.
لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا
بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَنزَلْنَا مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْمِيزَانَ لِيَقُومَ
النَّاسُ بِالْقِسْطِ
Indeed, We
sent Our Messengers with Clear Signs, and sent down with them the Book and the
Balance that people may uphold justice. (57:25)
Similarly, they will ensure that virtues are promoted, and evils
are curbed.
الَّذِينَ إِن مَّكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ
أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا
عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ ﴿٤١﴾
(Allah will
certainly help) those who, were We to bestow authority on them in the land,
will establish Prayers, render Zakah, enjoin good, and forbid evil. The end of
all matters rests with Allah. (22:41)
3. Free & Fair Elections: Islam
has not specified any particular form of election process, but the ruler should
be elected freely and fairly from among themselves. Verily
Allah commands you to make over the trusts to those entitled to them… (Ch.4:V.59) When Prophet Mohammed PBUH passed
away, people selected Abu Bakr RA as Caliph who took the oath of allegiance
from all with their consent. Later, Abu Bakr nominated Omar RA after consultations,
who was not related to him but was the best among the rest. Omar before passing
away nominated six of the best men from whom the caliph to be chosen and the
people selected Usman RA. After Usman RA majority of Muslims selected Ali RA
who ruled them for few years. These are the 4 different models of elections
followed by the Muslims of that time where the ruler was selected on merit
without preference to nepotism. A similar process can be adopted but it should
have acceptance of the majority.
4. Governance by Counselling: Islam
has emphasized that the rulers should consult with the learned people about the
matter concerning the governance. Prophet Mohammed PBUH who although was
divinely guided but he excessively used to consult his companions on all the
matters. The same was adopted by all the four rightly guided caliphs. The
counsellors were people of high trust and command deep respect among society.
وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَىٰ بَيْنَهُمْ
5. Freedom of criticism and expression: In
Islamic Caliphate people can constructively criticize the ruler and can express
his dissatisfaction in front of him.
Al-Hasan reported: A man said to Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, “Fear Allah, O leader of the believers! By Allah, the matter is not as you said!” The people rushed to the man and they said, “Do not criticize the leader of the believers!” When Umar saw them crowding around the man, he said, “Leave him alone. There is no goodness in him if he did not say it to us, and there is no goodness in us if we do not listen.” Source: Tārīkh al-Madīnah 1235
عَنِ الْحَسَنِ قال قال رَجُلٌ لِعُمَرَ رضي الله عنه
اتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا الأَمْرُ كَمَا قلت
قال فَأَقْبَلُوا عَلَى الرَّجُلِ فقالوا لا تَأْلِتْ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
فَلَمَّا رَآهُمْ أَقْبَلُوا عَلَى الرَّجُلِ قال دَعُوهُمْ فَلا خَيْرَ فِيهِمْ
إِذَا لَمْ يَقُولُوهَا لَنَا وَلا خَيْرَ فِينَا إِذَا لَمْ تُقَلْ لَنَا
There are
many such incidents which highlighted the atmosphere of constructive criticism
among Muslim of that era.
6. Accountability before God and the people:
In Caliphate, the ruler feels his responsibility of his rulers and consider
himself answerable to Allah and the people
There
was a moving example of a woman trying to lull her children to sleep by
pretending to cook food in an empty pot. `Umar was shocked when he entered this
house and asked the woman why she had not sought assistance from the public
treasury. The woman, not knowing the identity of `Umar, said, “Who cares for
poor people?” `Umar then brought grain for her, carrying it by himself on his
back, and cooked for the hungry children. He was so kind and generous with them
to the extent that the woman said, “I wish you were the caliph.” `Umar told his
servant, who was remonstrating, that Allah would hold the caliph accountable
for the hunger and poverty, which people suffered from.
Thabit
ibn al-Hajjaj reported: Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him,
said, “Hold yourselves accountable before you are held accountable and evaluate
yourselves before you are evaluated, for the Reckoning will be easier upon you
tomorrow if you hold yourselves accountable today.” Source: Muḥāsabat al-Nafs
2
عَنْ ثَابِتِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ قَالَ قَالَ
عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ حَاسِبُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ قَبْلَ
أَنْ تُحَاسَبُوا وَزِنُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُوزَنُوا فَإِنَّهُ أَهْوَنُ
عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْحِسَابِ غَدًا أَنْ تُحَاسِبُوا أَنْفُسَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ 2 محاسبة النفس لابن أبي الدنيا
7. Bait al-Mal is Amanah: the rightly guided
caliphs considered the public money (Baitul Mal) as a trust (Amanah). Every
single penny which went in or out was monitored carefully. Caliph
doesn’t used the same for their personal life except the bare minimum stipend
fix for them.
Abu
Bakr: "I have no money to arrange for the dish." His wife: "If
you permit, I shall try to save something daily from our allowance, which will
some day make enough to enable us to prepare the sweet dish." He agreed. A
little money was saved in many days. When his wife brought him the money to make
purchases for the sweet dish, he said: "It seems that we have received so
much over and above our needs." He deposited the saving in the Bait-ul-Mal
and for the future got his allowance cut down by the amount saved by his wife.
Hadhrat
A'ishah (Radhiyallaho anha) says: "At the time of his death, Abu Bakr
(Radhiyallaho anho) directed me to hand over to his successor all that was
issued to him from the Bait-ul-Mal for his household needs. It is said that
Hadhrat Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) left no cash after him. Anas (Radhiyallaho
anho) says: "Abu Bakr (Radhiyallaho anho) left a milch she-camel, a bowl
and a servant."
8. Rule of Law: No one is above the law.: They
clarified that “The weak among you shall be strong with me till God willing his
rights have been vindicated and the strong among you shall be weak with me
till, if the Lord wills, I have taken what is due from him.”
Hazrat
Umar was the first ruler in history to separate judiciary from the executive.
The Qadis were chosen for their integrity and knowledge of Islamic law. High
salaries were fixed for the Qadis so that there was no temptation for bribery.
Wealthy men of high social status were appointed as Qadis so that they may not
have the temptation to take bribes, or be influenced by the social position of
anybody. The Qadis were not allowed to engage in trade. Judges were appointed
in sufficient number, and there was no District which did not have one.
Once a
dispute arose between Hazrat Umar (ra) and a Muslim called Ubayy bin Ka`ab over
some money. The case came before Qadi Zaid for hearing who ordered Hazrat Umar
(ra) to appear before him to plead his case. As the parties arrived in court,
Zaid, out of respect for the Khalifah, invited Hazrat Umar (ra) to sit with
him, but he declined by saying, “This is your first injustice. All are equal
before the court of law.” He then went and sat along side Ubayy bin Ka`ab.
During the hearing Ubayy was
asked to produce any evidence for his claim but he failed to do so. Hazrat Umar
(ra) totally denied that Ubayy had any claim over him. At this Ubayy requested
the court to get a statement on oath from Hazrat Umar (ra). Qadi Zaid hesitated
by saying that it was not proper for the Khalifah to sign such a statement but
Hazrat Umar (ra) reprimanded the judge by saying, “You can administer justice
only if you remain impartial” (3). Hadrat Umar Farooq (ra) by Rashid Ahmad
Chaudhry https://www.alislam.org/library/books/Hazrat-Omer.pdf
Hazrat Umar (ra) always
advised his governors in the following manner:
·
Do not be discourteous to anyone whether
he is a Muslim or a non-Muslim.
·
Do not misuse your office for your own
benefit or for the benefit of your friends and relatives.
·
I have not appointed you to treat people
harshly. You should do justice to them at all times.
9. Equal rights for all: The concept of equality flourished
during Islamic Caliphate. Some of the incidents are cited below:
Umar practiced social equality was best demonstrated when he entered Jerusalem as a liberator, not as leaders would act. He entered Jerusalem in humility, walking on foot with his servant comfortably riding a camel, as they had been taking turns riding. He, then, gave Muslims another practical example of how to treat Christians and non-Muslims, when the Prelate of Jerusalem asked him to pray in the sepulcher, but `Umar chose to pray some distance away from the church: saying that he was afraid that in the future Muslims could use this as an excuse to take over the church to build a masjid claiming that this is the place where `Umar prayed
Hazrat Amr bin Al-Aas’s (ra) son hit a poor Egyptian for no apparent reason. Hazrat Amr bin Al-Aas (ra) arrested the Egyptian and put him into prison so that he could not go to Hazrat Umar (ra) and complain. Shortly afterwards, when the poor person was released, he went straight to Hazrat Umar (ra) and told him the whole story. Hazrat Umar (ra) called Amr bin Al-Aas and his son to Medina. When they arrived, he told the Egyptian to take his revenge from Amr’s son. The Egyptian hit the boy so hard that he was injured. When he finished, Hazrat Umar (ra) gave him permission to hit the Governor as well saying: “Had he not been the son of a Governor, he would not have hit you.”
Hazrat Amr bin Al-Aas
pleaded, “Sir, the offender has been duly punished.”
Hazrat Amr bin Al-Aas
was so ashamed at his conduct and that of his son that he sought forgiveness
from Hazrat Umar (ra), which was duly granted.
10. Simple Life of the Caliphs:
The caliphs lead very simple life which was acknowledged by western authors as
well. Lieutenant-General Sir John Glubb writes in his book: The Empire of the
Arabs, p.26:
‘Both Abu Bakr and
‘Umar had been close intimates of the Prophet and were utterly dedicated to the
service of Islam. Like the Apostle himself, they were indifferent to money and
continued when they had attained power to live simple peasant lives. Clad in
patched garments made of coarse woolen material, they were not above milking
their own goats as they had always done.’
Umar
(R.A.) was most humble to Allah and led an austere life. His food was very coarse,
and he would patch his cloth with leather. He used to carry a water
skin on his shoulders in spite of his great esteem. He used to laugh
little and never joked with anyone.
May
Allah make people understand the beneficial aspects of Khilafat ur Rasheda and develop
the consensus to adapt their principles.
Aameen.
References:
Khilafat wa Mulokiyat – Syed Abul Ala Maududi
Principle of Governance in Islam - Syed Abul
Ala Maududi
Islamic state – Syed Amin Islahi
http://www.alim.org/library/biography/khalifa/content/KAL/84/10
https://www.alislam.org/library/books/Hazrat-Omer.pdf
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