16:38 And those who answer the call of their Lord and
establish worship, and whose affairs are decided with Shura, and who spend of
what We have bestowed on them.
Allah SWT has commanded us to decide our affairs in Shurah. Shurah means consensus, not just consultation. This was the Sunnah of our beloved Rasul Allah SAW.
Remember the story of Uhud. After Badr, the people were enthusiastic to support Islam and gain rewards - some for the hereafter, and some of this duniyah, in the form of booty. Either way, when the army from Makkah headed for Al-Madina, the people were eager. Some wanted to go out and meet the oncoming army. Others were more cautious and wanted to stay in Al-Madina, since it was a very defensible city. The Prophet SAW was one of these. However, after the community came together and discussed the matter, they crafted an agreement to go out to Uhud.
The going out to Uhud is a wonderful example of a carefully crafted agreement by the Ummah. Here all parties had a chance to express their views and reasons. Each was equally heard and respected, and each stakeholder got a "seat at the table." Then the community came to a mediated decision that respected those who were eager to meet the impending army, and those who felt that defense of the city was also important. Going to Uhud meant that the Muslims would look strong, and they could build adequate defenses for their forces, and they would still be close enough to Al-Madina to defend it, should it be attacked.
By allowing all stakeholders to express their views and reasons, the Ummah could draw on the collective experience and intellect of all of its members, not just a few "leaders." The Ummah could explore all possible actions, the pros and cons of each, and consider all possible outcomes. They could craft a decision.
Studies have found that people are more likely to comply with decisions in which they have a stake. For example, people are 33% more likely to comply with a mediated settlement, than with a judicial decree by a judge. People do not like being told what to do, as much as they prefer to do what they have voluntarily agreed to do. Just as mediation or sulh allows people to voluntarily agree to settle a legal dispute, shurah allows communities to voluntarily decide their affairs.
In this ayat of Surah Al Nahl, Allah SWT tells us that deciding our affairs in this manner is part of answering the call of Allah SWT, of being obedient to Him. And it is as important as establishing the prayer in a community and spending in the cause of Allah.
Shurah is not Islamic dictatorship or kingship, with the tyrant "consulting" the people. It is democratic consensus government. The same as that utilized by some Native American tribes in Canada, and some municipalities and international bodies.
As described by the great shaheed, Sayyed Muhammad Baqir Al Sadr, Islamic democracy based on Shurah and Wilayyat al Ummah or governance by the people, is the foundation of a proper Islamic State.
The Prophet SAW was not the father of any man among us, as the Qur'an notes. The wilayyat or governance after him falls on the Ummah. Allah SWT notes in Surah Al Baqara, that mankind was created to be the Khalif of this world. We are the stewards of the earth. This Khulafa' is the duty of all mankind. But Wilayyat or "protecting governance" is for the Ummah of the Believers, the Muslims.
Wilayyat is not for one tribe or another. It is not for the Bani Umayyah, or the Bani Abdul Muttalib. It is for the entire Ummah. This was clearly laid out by Sayyed Al Sadr. Sayyedna understood the Qur'an so deeply, and so he knew that the Qur'an itself provides proof of this Wilayyat through the ayat we have mentioned.
Many today desire a new system, one that is free of the corruption of the old, imperialist-supported regimes, free of tyranny, free of sin and rancour. They want a system that is Islamic, really Islamic, not a veneer of Islam hiding an "old boy" network of thugs and mujrims. They want material success - the Twitter/YouTube/FaceBook social networks and fast food conveniences. But they also want morality, and freedom, and a say. And they want it in a manner comfortable for people who care about community, and who are not the Western ideal of a rugged, lonely individualist.
Sayyed Al Sadr, in the Introduction to his great book, Iqtisaduna, discusses this need for the Muslim world to have Muslim solutions; solutions that organically rise from within it, not that are imposed from without by a system which is underpinned by a vastly different ethos.
So we suggest Wilayyat Al Ummah coupled with the La Rabawi/Zakat economy as a viable alternative to the Democratic/Capitalist system, ill-suited to the world of tribes, families, and communal identities.
If Allah SWT give us life, we will explore the attributes of both this Wilayyat Al Ummah, and the La Ribawi/Zakat economy in future posts.
May Allah forgive my many faults. I ask for His forgiveness and seek only His Face.
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