Khilafat is a very important concept in Islam. It has
important implications in the political system of Islam. Many important
groups have made it a part of their programme to establish Khilafat.
It is therefore necessary to be clear about the concept of Khilafat has
three important dimensions. In the moral and spiritual sense, Khilafat
means that all human beings are 'Khalifa of Allah' or representatives of
Allah on earth. This is the purport of the verse "Surely, we are going to
place our representatives (Khalifa) on earth" [verse 30 : Sura Baqara].
All human beings are khalifa of Allah though many of them commit sins and
do not act like khalifa. (Ref. : Quran - 6:165; 27:62 and 35:39). This is
the spiritual khilafat in Islam.
Khilafat also means the political system of Islam. This is the most
mentioned dimension of Khilafat. Khilafat, as a system of politics and
management of state was established by the companions of Prophet (SM). The
main points of khilafat or political system of Islam are as follows :
a. Sovereignty of Allah which means supremacy of Shariah (Quran and Sunnah).
The basic law of the state shall be based on the Quran and the Sunnah. The
detailed subsidiary law is obtained by Ijtihad carried out by individual
or groups of scholars or made by the Parliament in the present day world
with the aid of the Ulama or scholars of Islam.
b. Government established by the free choice of the people. This is the
majority view. In the present world, this means government elected by the
people. There is agreement on this among the Ulama of Islam. There is
hardly any major difference. This is the system accepted in the Islamic
constitutions in force in the Muslim world.
c. Fundamental rights : All citizens should have human rights irrespective
of gender or creed. The Islamic Constitutions of the world have a chapter
on the Fundamental rights or Rights of the people which are available to
all the citizens in the state. These rights have been agreed to or
confirmed by Ulama after long debates in the light of the Quran and Sunnah.
d. Rule of Law and Independence of Judiciary are important points of
Islamic political system.
e. Shura or consultation with the people and among the persons in the
Government through various forum including Parliament is an important
element in Islamic political theory. This is the basis of democracy in
Islam.Large number of scholars feel that the term democracy can be used in
Islamic framework. (Ref. : Preamble of Islamic constitution of Pakistan
which says that the state shall strive to observe "democracy as enunciated
by Islam". Ulama accepted this phrase. )
These are the various elements of Islamic political system which go to
make Khilafat (Ref. : Khilafat and Mulukiat by Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi,
other books on Islamic Political thought and Islamic Constitutions of Iran
and Pakistan).
The third dimension of Khilafat is that it means the form of Government in
Islam. The Ulama have now agreed by and large that in the framework of
overall Islamic political theory, both Presidential and Parliamentary
Governments of to-day are consistent with Islam (Ref. : Islamic
Constitution of Iran and Pakistan, Islamic Law and Constitution by Sayyid
Abul Ala Maududi,).
In the present circumstances, it is our duty to try to run our respective
states on the basis of Islamic principles or the principles of Khilafat as
outlined above. In fact almost all major Islamic parties are working in
this direction which is the right political course in the present
circumstances.
In conclusion, we can say that Khilafat does not only mean that the
President should be called Khalifa, it is much more than that. It is in
essence the political system of Islam. |