Caliphate Implementation in the Modern Time
Following points are noteworthy in this context:
System of Caliphate on the pattern Prophet-hood as a
term is applicable to the establishment of state of Madina by the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) and also to the time of the rightly guided Caliphs, i.e. the first four
caliphs of Islamic society/history after the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
The Islamic
caliphate will once again be established in the world according to the
prophecies of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
However, the era of rightly guided
caliphate will never be recreated as it was established for the first time. The
substantiation of this argument would be as follows:
The age of rightly guided caliphate was an addendum or
appendix of the age of the prophet hood itself and on Mohammad PBUH the
institution of the prophet hood has come to an end.
The four rightly guided caliphs of Islam were trained
and educated by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) himself, who had purified the souls of
his companions to the utmost degree.
There was an unambiguous and clear cut hierarchy among
the companions of the Holy Prophet PBUH as to who were the ten of them given
the news of paradise in this life and who were the people of the first battle,
“Badr” an so on.
Society at that time was tribal in character which
meant that instead of having an adult franchise it was enough to take the
opinions of elders of each clan.
Therefore, now, we should take the principles and
ideas of the model of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the rightly guided caliphs,
and then in- corporate these in the political institutions, that have been
developed in the civilized contemporary world as a result of the continuous
process of social evolution.
As far as the details of state and government
functioning is concerned, there is no binding structure provided in fact, all
the various forms of government that are in practice today are permissible in
Islam.
From the Islamic view point, it does not make much difference if the
government is federal, con- federal, unitary, and rather it is parliamentary or
presidential.
But there are basic principles and solid guidelines
which are as follow with regard to the government frame work:
· Sovereignty
belongs to Almighty Allah alone.
· No
legislation can be done at any level which is totally or partially repugnant to
the teachings of Quran and Sunnah; and
· Full
citizenship of the state is for Muslims only, while non-Muslims are a protected
minority.
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