The Structure of
Khilafah (Islamic State)
A State may be
defined as the power or authority represented by a body of people organised
under one government within one or more territories.
In other words, a State is an entity for the implementation of a collection of
measures understandings and convictions held by
a group of people.
From this definition, the Islamic State is the entity empowered to carry out the Islamic laws, ideals and measures.
Islam is a belief and a system stemming from this belief. The Islamic belief, aqeeda, is the foundation for the Islamic
system, its civilisation, its norms and criteria. Therefore, aqeeda is the only
basis for the Islamic State, it's constitution and laws.
A state
may call itself Islamic, or it may state in it's constitution that the official religion is Islam. It's constitution
may contain an article stating that Islam is
the main source for the formation of
the constitution. None of these nor all of them combined would be
sufficient to make the state or it's constitution
Islamic. Islam must be the only source, foundation and pivot around
which the state builds its dealings inside as well as with other nations. Islam
must be the basis for the State's accountability
and nothing else should be employed in judging the state's performance
on all grounds.
Criteria or views held by followers of other ideologies such as socialists, communists, capitalists, nationalists, provincialists or those who hold to a certain
school of though `madhab' should not
be the basis for the State's accountability.
Additionally,
the Islamic State should belong to all Muslims. The Islamic State should not
belong to only a certain nation, people or school of thought. The State is not
Arabic, Persian, Pakistani, Afghani or Saudi. It is not Hanafi, Shafi'i nor
Jaafarie. It is an Islamic State and nothing else.
Another condition is that the authority of the State lies in the hands of the Muslims only. The
security of the Muslims inside and
outside the State should be the result of the global security of Islam
and not security granted by or stemming from the systems of non-Muslims.
When all
these conditions are realized, i.e. when the security of the State is in the
hands of Muslims, when the source of it's
authority is Islamic, when the system of government, it's
foreign policy, the economic and social system, system of punishments and
dealings, the system of worship, education
and justice, are all Islamic in their foundation
and implementation, and when the State is
for all Muslims, then and only then is
the State an Islamic State. Therefore, what is important is not the name but the content behind the name of the
Islamic State.
Islam has
defined the system of government to be the KHILAFAH. It is not a kingdom or
monarchy, it is not an imperial democratic, dictatorial nor theocratic system.
This is deduced from the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammad (SAW) and the ijma
(consensus) of the Sahaba. The Prophet (SAW) told
us about the Khilafah when he said, "If the allegiance was given to
two Khalifahs, then kill the second one." And also, "There will be
Khulafa..." and "Any one who gives his allegiance to an
Imam..." and so on. On this, the Sahaba were unanimous.
In the
Qur'an Allah (SWT) said, the meaning of which is, "...and rule among them with what Allah has revealed. " And,
"...and for each We
have made a law and a course... ". Therefore, the method followed by the Prophet (SAW) in governing is
to be considered an implementation of this ayah and it becomes fard for the
Muslims to do so in the same manner.
Therefore,
from the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and the ijma of the Sahaba
(consensus), we conclude that the system of government in Islam is:
1. One Khalifah (head of the State) for all Muslims to implement the laws of Islam comprehensively.
2. The delegated (tafweed) assistant of the
Khalifah to assist the Khalifah in matters of ruling and the affairs
of the State.
3. The executive (tanfeed) assistant of the
Khalifah to implement the orders of the Khalifah.
4. Amir of Jihad. He looks after the Foreign
Policy, Military, Internal Security and the Industry.
5. The Governors of the
Provinces, appointed by the Khalifah to run
the affairs of the Muslims in their governate.
6. The Administration Systems.
7. The Judiciary.
8. Majlis as-Shura to give opinions on certain
matters, to assess the performance of the State, to nominate the individuals
for the position of Khalifah and to discuss various laws in the area of al-Mubah.
So this is
the Islamic State which must be established and this is it's systems of government according to Islam. Based on
this criteria, any country that declares itself to he an Islamic State must be
judged.
A brief history of the
Islamic State
(622 - 1924 C.E.)
(622 - 1924 C.E.)
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) establishes the first Islamic State in Medina (622-632)
The Prophethood began in
the month of Ramadan, 610 C.E. in Mount Hira. Angel Gabriel appeared before the
Messenger of Allah (SAW) and commanded,
"Recite in the name of your
Lord who created... " (96:1-5]
In the following 13 years he
built a strong body of people around him, moulded them according to wahi
(revelation) and prepared them for an intellectual struggle against the concepts, practices and beliefs of jahiliyya (ignorance). This culminated in the establishment of the Islamic State in Medina in 622 C.E.
During the rule of the
Messenger of Allah (SAW), the Islamic State
spread across the entire Arabian peninsular. The best way to call to Islam is through example and the Islamic State was
an example of Islam being implemented perfectly. Masses embraced Islam
when they saw it in practice in Medina. By
the time of the death of Messenger of Allah (SAW) there were 7 million Muslims.
So we can see that in the
first 13 years of Islam only few hundred people embraced Islam. However,
when Islam was established as a State which
implemented the entire system of Islam, and
called to it through invitation and Jihad, millions accepted Islam within a
period of 10 years.
. Khulafah ur-Rashidun (The Rightly Guided Khulafah) (632-661)
632-634 Abu Bakr
634-644 `Umar
644-656 `Uthman
656-661 'Ali
The first four Khulafah
strictly followed the path of the Prophet (SAW) in every aspect of the ruling.
They were the ideal rulers who discharged their duties faithfully and they were the ones who were promised jannah (paradise) whilst they were alive. Hence, they were called Khulafah
ur-Rashidun (Rightly Guided Khulafah).
Islam spread with great
speed past the Arabian peninsula during the time of the Khulafah ur-Rashidun.
Some of the important places, like al-Quds, became part of
the Islamic State and two superpowers
of that day, the Persians and the Romans,
were destroyed by the Muslims.
When the Prophet (SAW) died,
the Muslims were left without a leader. The Sahaba then were confronted with
the burden of running the affair's of the people according to the
Qur'an and Sunnah. However, they had to elect a
Khalifah who would then take charge of the
State. For three days and two nights, the Sahaba were in the process of
deciding who should be the Khalifah. They did
not bury the Messenger of Allah (SAW) despite the fact that the Messenger of
Allah's saying that the best thing we can do for a dead person is to
bury him/ her quickly. The Sahaba chose Abu
Bakr as the Khalifah and then they buried the Messengerof Allah (SAW).
The rest of the Muslims then gave bay'a
(pledge of allegiance) to Abu Bakr.
So the
election of the Khalifah was a matter of life and death for the Ummah. Hence, from this we can conclude, among other evidences
from the Qur'an and the Sunnah, that the establishment of the Khilafah
is fard and we will be sinful if we do not
elect a Khalifah within three days and two nights after the death or removal of
the previous Khalifah. And we have been without a Khalifah since 1924!
During the time of Abu Bakr, the Muslims were able to inflict many defeats on the Persians under the command of one of the most successful Muslim generals,
Khalid bin Walid. The crushing
victories brought many parts of the Persian (Iranian) territory under Dar al-Islam (Land of Islam).
Also during this period there were many encounters with the Romans. The
Romans had control of area ranging from Syria to Egypt with Constantinople (now
Istanbul in Turkey) as the
Capital. Under the command of Muthanna bin Harith and Khalid bin Walid, the Muslim armies defeated the
Roman in the famous battle of Ajnadayn in 634 C.E.
Heraculius, the ruler of the Romans, had no choice but to withdraw his
forces out of Syria. Hence, the
Southern region of Syria also became part of
Dar al-Islam.
During the
time of `Omar, the Persians made an attempt to
recapture their lands. This time, however, the Muslims did not stop until the kufr Persian Empire was crushed.
The Muslim army of about 30,000 men defeated over 120,000 Persian soldiers to
make that campaign one of the most successful against the superpower. In
the East, the frontier of the Islamic State now extended up to Makran (now in the
Province of Sind, Pakistan.)
Also under the Khalifah `Umar, the Romans were further driven back. Iraq, Syria and Egypt were opened up to Islam as well as Jerusalem. `Umar went to Jerusalem from
Medina to conclude the famous treaty with the Christians not to allow Jews
to enter the city of Jerusalem. The Sahaba agreed with the treaty,
hence, it has become prohibited for the Jews to enter the city and this order will last until the Day of
Judgement.
Islam spread even more during the time of
'Uthman. Anatolia, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, parts of Afghanistan,
Samarkand, Tashkent, Sajestan, Arghiyan, Turkmenistan,
Khursan, Tabrstan, Libya,
Tunisia, Morocco and parts of Algeria were open up to Islam.
When Ali was elected as the Khalifah in 656 C.E.
after the murder of 'Uthman, there
much unrest in the Ummah. Consequently,
Ali was very much occupied with the internal problems and this situation did not allow much expansion of the Islamic State. 'Ali was murdered in 661 C.E. and was
succeeded by Mu'awiyah as the Khalifah.
Thus, we can sec that the
period 632-661 C.E. saw the establishment of
Islam as a powerful force in the Middle East and beyond. The destruction of the kufr Persian
Empire and the retreat of Romans from
the Arabian peninsular left the Muslims in a very strong position. Muslims
flourished when the deen of Allah (SWT) was implemented in its totality.
The
Ummayad Period (661-750)
661-680 Mu'awiyah 680-683 Yazid
683-684 Mu'awiyah II 685-705
'Abdul Malik 705-715 Al-Walid
715-717 Sulayman 717-720 'Umar II
720-724 Yazid II
724-743 Hisham
743-744 Al-Walid II
744 Yazid
Ill
744 Ibrahim
744-750 Marwan II
This expansion of the
Islamic State continued during this period,
despite the fact that the State was exclusively ruled the by Ummayyah family. However, the rulers all met
the conditions of being Khulafah because people gave bay'a to them, one after
another, and Islam was implemented completely.
The frontiers of the
Khilafah kept on increasing in all directions. In the East, the Muslims pushed
past Makran and captured Sind, Punjab and more areas of Afghanistan. The southern republics in the former Soviet Union, like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan also became part of the
Islamic State. In the West, more territories
of North Africa were opened up for Islam.
Under the rule of Hisham,
the Islamic State, based in Damascus (Syria), reached the meridian of its power and glory. It reached its
greatest expansion, stretching from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees to the Indus and the confines of
China.
However, despite the glorious achievements of the State, the Ummayyah
family kept a tight control on the State. The harsh treatment of the citizens
and the corruption within the Ummayyah ruling
family led to discontent in the State. There
were many uprisings and eventually the Abbasids gained control. Abbasids wiped
out the entire Ummayyah family except Abd ar-Rahman, who escaped to
Spain where he set up the rival Ummayyah rule
there in 756 C.E.
The 'Abbasid Period (750-1517)
|
Baghdad
|
|
|
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750-754 Al-Saffah
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940-944
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Al-Muttaqi
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754-775 Al-Mansur
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944-946
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Al-Mustaqfi
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775-785 Al-Mandi
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946-974
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Al-Muti
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785-786 Al-Hadi
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974-991
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AI-Ta'i'
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786-809 Al-Rashid
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991-1031
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Al-Qadir
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809-813 Al-Amin
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1031-1075
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Al-Qa'im
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813-833 Al-Ma'mun
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1075-1094
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Al-Muqtadi
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833-842 AI-Mu'tasim
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1094-1118
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Al-Mustazhir
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842-847 Al-Wathiq
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1118-1135
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Al-Mustarshid
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847-861 AI-Mutawakkil
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1135-1136
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Al-Rashid
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861-862 Al-Muntasir
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1136-1160
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Al-Muqtafi
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862-866 Al-Musta'in
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1160-1170
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Al-Mustanjid
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866-869 Al-Mu'tazz
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1170-1180
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Al-Mustadi'
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869-870 AI-Muhtadi
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1180-1225
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Al-Nasir
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870-892 AI-Mu'tamid
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1225-1226
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Al-Zahir
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892-902 Al-Mu'tadid
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1226-1242
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Al-Mustansir
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902-908 Al-Muktafi
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1242-1258
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Al-Musta'sim
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908-932 Al-Muqtadir
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1258-1260
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Al-Qutuz
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932-934 Al-Qahir
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1260-1261
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Al-Bandqadaria
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934-940 Al-Radi
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Cairo
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1261 Al-Mustansir
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1389-1406
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Al-Mutawakkil
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1261-1302 Al-Hakim
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1406-1414
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Al-Musta'in
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1302-1340 Al-Mustakfi
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1414-1441
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Al-Mua'tadhid
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1340-1341 Al-Wathiq
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1441-1451
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Al-Mustakfi
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1341-1352 Al-Hakim
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1451-1455
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Al-Qa'im
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1352-1361 Al-Mua'tadhid
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1455-1479
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Al-Mustanjid
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1361-1383 AI-Mutawakkil
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1479-1497
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Al-Mutawakkil
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1383-1386 Al-Wathiq
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1497-1515
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Al-Sabr
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1386-1389 Zakaria Ibrahim 1515-1517
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Al-Mutawakkil
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The capital of the Islamic State moved from Damascus (Syria) to Baghdad
(Iraq) during the rule of the Abbasids and remained there until 1261 when it
moved to Cairo (Egypt).
Under the Abbasids, the
Muslims nation attained its greatest development. Centres of learning
flourished and advances were made in medicine and natural sciences. Even the
European Kings of that time sent their children to
the Muslim world
since it was the
leading civilization, unlike today where the trend is reversed. Nowadays
Muslims come to institutions in the West to gain knowledge, even about Islam.
This is an indication of how much we have declined when we stopped implementing
Islam.
Internal problems faced by the Abbasids led to
their weakness and eventually they were toppled in Baghdad. The Abbasid
Khalifah in Baghdad, al-Musta'sim, was killed by the Mongols but his uncle fled
to Cairo where he became the Khalifah later on. The rule of the 'Abbasids
therefore continued in Egypt from that time
until 1517, when the seat of the Khilafah was moved to Istanbul, Turkey.
One important fact that
must be highlighted is that Istanbul was
opened up for Islam in 1453. Istanbul was formly know as Constantinople and was the Capital of the Christian Roman
Empire. The Messenger of Allah (SAW), in one hadith, described how the territories of Khilafah would expand and its
conquests would be many, including Istanbul and Rome. Imam Ahmad and al-Darmi narrated on the authority of Abu Qubail,
who said,
"We were with Abdullah ibn Amr bin al-Ass
and he was asked, 'Which of the two cities will be opened first, Constantinople
(Istanbul) or Rome?' Abdullah sent for a
box which contained rings. He
brought out of it a book and said, 'While we were sitting around
the Messenger of Allah (SAW) writing, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) was
asked, 'Which of the two cities will be opened first, would it be Constantinople or Rome?' The Messenger of Allah (SAW)
said 'The city of Heraculius (meaning Constantinople) will be opened first'
'."
The first part of the
hadith was fulfilled with the conquest of
Constantinople in 1453 but the second part remains. This means that Rome
(hence, European territory) will be part of Khilafah in the future. And this
will not be achieved without the Muslims first establishing the Islamic State,
becoming self-sufficient, economically and technologically, establishing strong
armed forces and eventually unifying the Muslim lands. This is the only way to become a superpower, and only then
will we be able to challenge the kufr European nations. Allah (SWT) has promised
to us the finally victory, so we must strive hard to achieve this goal.
The failure of the Abbasids in keeping the flame
of Islam burning, especially during the later years, ultimately led to its decline. The mechanism of the State no longer
worked as they did before and many groups emerged that opposed the order
of Khalifah. Also, the Muslims translated Greek, Persian and Indian books into
Arabic, and therefore were influenced by these philosophies. The level of
thought declined and Jihad became less
important. Hence, progress in every field became stagnated as the Ummah
became passive.
'Uthmaniyah Khilafah (1517-1924)
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1517-1520
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Salim I
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1703-1730
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Ahmad ill
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1520-1566
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Sulayman I
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1730-1754
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Mahmud l
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1566-1574
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Salim II
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1754-1757
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'Uthman III
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1574-1595
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Murad III
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1757-1774
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Mustafa III
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1595-1603
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Muhammad III
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1774-1789
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Abd al-Hamid I
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1603-1617
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Ahmad I
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1789-1807
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Salim III
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1617-1618
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Mustafa I
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1807-1808
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Mustafa IV
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1618-1622
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'Uthman II
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1808-1839
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Mahmud II
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1622-1623
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Mustafa I
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1839-1861
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Abd al-Majid I
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1623-1640
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Murad IV
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1861-1876
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Abd al- Aziz
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1640-1648
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Ibrahim
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1876
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Murad IV
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1648-1687
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Muhammad IV
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1876-1909
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'Abdul Hamid II
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1687-1691
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Sulayman II
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1909-1918
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Muhammad V
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1691-1695
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Ahmad II
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1918-1924
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Muhammad VI
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1695-1703
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Mustafa 11
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Wahid al-Din
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In 1517 Muhammad al-Mutawakkil handed the seat
of Khilafah to Salim I of Turkey and the
Capital was moved from Cairo to Istanbul.
Seeing that Islam was knocking at the door of Europe, the European nations felt threatened and took measures to destroy the Khilafah. They could not match the
superiority of the Muslim military strength, so they began to infiltrate
the State. They used nationalism to destroy
the Khilafah. They set Arabs and Turks against each other and this led
to a rapid decline in the authority of the
State. Many regions came under the control of British agents, who were
paid by the British government to revolt
against the Khilafah. The State became so weak that in 1924 the British and the French finally succeeded in
overcoming the Muslims with their military might.
It must be noted carefully that even though Muslims started to decline during the later stages of Abbasids, they still implemented Islam. The records of cases decided by
the courts can be found even today in countries like Turkey, Iraq and
Egypt and they all show that no other source was ever used except Qur'an and
the Sunnah. Therefore, Islam was implemented until 1924.
Hence, the Islamic State that was ordained by
Allah (SWT) and
established by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in 622 C.E. came to an end in 1924 C.E., with a
glorious history of 1302
years.
