By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age
Islam
02 August 2018
Pakistan’s 19th prime minister-in-waiting
and the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan avers that he has
envisioned an Islamic welfare state as was set up in the holy city of Medina by
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Here’s his exact quote:
"My inspiration comes from the last
Prophet who set up an ideal welfare state in Medina. I want Pakistan to become
like that. A humanistic not an animalistic state," he said in a speech
made from Bani Gala in Islamabad. “I want to share the kind of Pakistan I
envision – the type of state that was established in Madina, where widows and
the poor were taken care of,” he added.
Thus, in his 31-minute address to his
nation, the cricketer-turned-politician has flaunted his ‘ambition’ to create
an Islamic welfare state where his guiding principles will be the same as
adopted by the holy Prophet in setting up one of the “greatest civilisations”.
“I pledge to our people that I will introduce a system that is for the masses,
all policies will be for the people and not for the elite,” he vowed. “I will
live humbly. So far we have seen that everyone who comes to power changes. That
will not happen with me,” he promised.
Even before the general election, the PTI's
manifesto avowedly stated its 'mission' to make Pakistan an Islamic welfare
state in line with the humane and just principles that made the foundations of Misaq-e-Madina—a
written charter of human rights in state of the Prophet (pbuh).
What is particularly interesting to note
that Imran Khan referred to Misaq-e-Madina (or the Covenant of Madina) which
particularly ensured protection of religious minorities in a Muslim-majority
state. It is unclear whether he will deliver on his promise. But I would like
to weigh in on what Imran Khan meant by governing as per the Madinite Islam and
how the Indo-Pak Islamic scholars should view this. Notably, some of the
prominent Muslim intellectuals in India have appeared quite optimistic about
this. Professor Akhtar ul Wasey, President of Maulana Azad University of
Jodhpur has written an op-ed piece in Roznama Rashtria Sahara welcoming
Khan’s ambition to create an ‘Islamic welfare state’ as a well-intentioned
gesture for peace and pluralism. Similarly, Dr Zafar ul Islam Khan, chairman of
Delhi Minorities Commission was recently quoted in the Urdu daily Inquilab
favouring the ‘peace overtures’ of Pakistan over ‘India’s reluctance in holding
the talks’.
But given Pakistan’s self-styled
Nizam-e-Mustafa (the Prophetic system of governance) which is already brazenly
violated in the country, several questions emerge on this. Deplorably enough,
Pakistan was created as an Islamic nation on the basis of “Nizam-e-Mustafa”,
but its constitution and many of its civil laws seriously violate the minority
rights. Let alone the religious minorities in the country, not even Muslim
minorities are safe. Basic human rights as enshrined in the Prophet’s
constitution are brazenly violated day in and day out. Hence, the fundamental
question is: Can an Islamic welfare state really exist in Pakistan? And, if
Khan considers the Madina state a standard system of governance for a
Muslim-majority country, then how his ambition is going to be different from
the notions of many other political Islamic parties operating in Pakistan, all
vying to re-establish an ‘Islamic state’?
To discuss these questions, first, let us
recount the key preambles of the Madina Covenant or Misaq-e-Madina to the
extent that its essence is not lost in paraphrasing:
• The concept of one nation
(Ummat-e-Wahida): All those who lived in Medina— Muslims, Jews, Christians,
polytheists, pagans, tribes, clans, rich, poor, masters, slaves and
others—belonged to one nation. It also included immigrants from Mecca,
residents of Medina, neighboring tribes, and those who fought with and for
them.
•
Prevention of abuse in loyalty: Poor or rich, master or slave, high
ranking or layman, black or white, or others; all citizens are equal before the
law. It ensured an inclusive cooperation among all citizens to reject any abuse
or misuse of the laws. Citizens were considered under this clause of the
constitution as a beautiful piece of mosaic.
•
Joint Defense: Muslims and non-Muslims should defend each other
according to this constitution, and the rules and regulations were made out of
careful consultation from the citizens and their representatives.
•
Accountability: Whoever breaches or breaks any article in this constitution
will lose the privileges entitled by this constitution and will meet the
consequences, and no one carries the burden of the other.
• Pluralism: Recognizing and accepting
the special religious, traditional and cultural aspects of each component in a
multi-cultural and pluralistic society.
These are some of the clauses of the Madina
Covenant that made Medina a sacred state in the Islamic history. Composed of 52
articles, this document particularly stressed peaceful coexistence of different
religious communities. Notably, it was not meant for only for the state of war
but also for peaceful times.
The concept of Ummat-e-Wahida (“one
nation”) through the terms of the Madina constitution clearly shows that the
Muslims and non-Muslims whether from Makkah or Madinah were one community.
Thus, this Prophetic principle recognized the “nation” for the first time in
the history as a one indivisible unit, moving from the individual or the tribal
life to the life of the single nation. It is not characterized by any
particular religion, racism or tribalism. It rather ended racism and
discrimination on the basis of religion:
“The Jews shall be responsible for their
expenses and the Believers for theirs… The Jews shall maintain their own
religion and the Muslims theirs. Loyalty is a protection against treachery… The
Jews of Banu Najjar, Banu al-Harith, Banu Sa’idah, Banu Jusham, Banu al-Aws,
Banu Tha’labah, Jafnah, and Banu al-Shutaybah enjoy the same rights and
privileges as the Jews of Banu Aws…”
(Source: Sunan Al-Bayhaqi, no. 16808 and
see the whole constitution in Ibn Katheer’s biography, part 2, page 321, and
Ibn Hisham’s, part 1, page 501.)
Significantly, the theological
justification for Muslims to live with non-Muslims in a pluralistic society and
particularly, to embrace the world’s largest secular democracy—India—came from
the Madina Covenant.
Barbara Daly Metcalf, an expert on the
history of Islam in South Asia, wrote that Maulana Husain Ahmad Madani
(1879-1957)—renowned Indian Islamic scholar and one of the profounder of
“composite nationalism” (Muttahida Qaumiyat) campaigned for democracy
and national integration on the very basis of the Madina Charter. He contended:
“Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the fourteenth year of his Prophethood, formed a
united front between the Companions and the resident Jews of Medinah based on a
written constitution that brought them together” (See Maulana’s book Islam and
Composite Nationalism).
Now consider Imran Khan’s vision of the
Islamic welfare state. He has averred that welfare states do exist in Europe
today, but has produced no modalities to turn the war-torn Pakistan into an
'Islamic welfare state'. Khan has only buttressed that his guiding principles
will be the same as adopted by the last Prophet in setting up one of the
"greatest civilisations". Thus, he merely flogged off his story of
inspiration emanating from the Misaq-e-Medina. “Though our society is totally
opposed to it, we will run Pakistan on the same principles as the state of
Medina”, Imran said as reported in Samaa TV.
But there are many implications in big
statements like this. Some would argue that Meccan Islamic principles, as
compared to the Madinite period of Islam, was more pluralistic, peaceful and
inclusivist, though under compulsive circumstances. However, the Islamic state
in Madina witnessed an aggressive phase including Ghazwas (Islamic battles),
enactment of blasphemy laws, extradition of Jews and Christians, abrogation of
the peaceful verses of Qur'an such as La Ikraha Fid-Deen (“No coercion
in matters of Religion”). This is the view of almost all political Islamist
parties in Pakistan. What’s to be seen now is whether Imran Khan goes by the
true model of the Medina-like welfare state placed by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
himself or by the one that is taken hostage by extremist ideologues in
Pakistan.
Regular Columnist with Newageislam.com, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is a
classical Islamic scholar and English-Arabic-Urdu writer. He has graduated from
a leading Islamic seminary of India, acquired Diploma in Qur'anic sciences and
Certificate in Uloom ul Hadith from Al-Azhar Institute of Islamic Studies.
Presently, he is pursuing his PhD in Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
9:21 AM
Moderate Islamist here
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