|
Independent Islamic Entity
16|03|2007 |
Adduonline |
In line with the recently setup
independent commissions, the idea of establishing an independent
religious body has been floating for a while. This idea
originally suggested by the Islamic party in the country was
dismissed by the opposition as a 'shiite' concept while the
supporters of this idea claim that such an independent body is
of immense importance because the evolving democratic ruling
system in the country provides the opportunity for the people to
elect a ruler who can legitimise matters prohibited by Islam.
That is to say, the existence of an 'independent religious body'
can act as a bulwark against the scenario where the ruler
attempts to legitimise matters prohibited by the deen or so
argue the supporters of this concept. The opponents of this idea
argue that establishment of such a 'religious body' would be
tantamount to separating religion and politics.
The checks and balances of the Islamic system are not
established on the premise that 'someone will surely implement
kufr'. This situation does not arise unless the system is in a
position of ideological slumber and such a situation cannot be
remedied by political decisions.The uthmani khalifah during its
dying days had a ruler with sharp political thinking, yet he was
not able to change the tide of western ideas circulating in the
Islamic state.
Rather the checks and balances in the Islamic system serve a
different purpose and it is premised upon the reality that the
laws are applied by fallible humans subjected to human error due
to their disparities in
understanding of legal texts and their varied perceptions of the
reality. Hence the procedures of checks and balances ensure that
human errors are compensated and Islam is applied as perfectly
as humanly possible. However, if the masses are willing to
appoint a person who will implement
kufr in place of Islam and the ruling mechanism provides such an
opportunity, then the real issue to be addressed is about
people's confidence to live by Islam. This confidence cannot be
implanted in people's minds by an 'independent religious body'.
As for the issue of whether such a body existed during the times
of Prophet and the noble Sahabah, it can be said that Islam
allows anyone who is equipped with required knowledge to voice
their Islamic opinions. However, every opinion be it from a
scholar, layman or political party, is not binding. The opinion
adopted by the ruler alone is binding and it is his exclusive
duty to reconcile differences of opinion by adopting the
strongest opinion. The evidence for this is the the principle
:The order of the imaam settles the difference
Also, it is the ruler's responsibility to foster strong internal
debate through various channels and push the ummah towards the
optimum application of Islam. Therefore, it can be concluded
that various entities in the Islamic system are established upon
the principle of of 'task separation' which is quite distinct
from the concept of 'independent' entities.
This is a description of how Islamic system operates when it
exists. Those who have assumed the responsibility of reviving
Islam in Maldives should realise that they are not in a position
where Islam exists such that they have to defend it from
external attacks by political participation in the status quo.
Rather they have to work towards its establishment through
intellectual efforts.
Ends.
|
