THE REAL ISLAMIC STATE: WILAYAT AL UMMAH

The Islamic State

2:30 And when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am about to place a khalifah in the earth, they said: Wilt thou place therein one who will do harm therein and will shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise and sanctify Thee ? He said: Surely I know that which ye know not.

The word, khalifah, comes from the Arabic root, kh-l-f, which means to follow, to come after, to succeed.  From this root we get words like khalaf (successors), and khalfahum (follow them).  In this ayat in Surah al Baqara, Allah SWT uses to term for mankind.  Even though the first human He creates is an individual, Adam AS, in this ayat Allah SWT uses the term to refer to all of humanity, not an individual.  This is born out by the words of the Malaikah.  They ask “Wilt thou place therein one who will do harm therein and will shed blood.”  Adam did not shed blood, but his progeny did. 

So the first thing we should understand from this ayat is that the term khalifah does not apply to an individual, but to all of humanity.  But what is the nature of this khalifah?  What is it for humanity to be khalifah? 

As we noted, linguistically the term means follower or successor.  In fact, some have interpreted the term, as used in this ayat, to means successor.  Successor to who?  Allah SWT?  Other translations are “vicegerent” or “viceroy.”

Perhaps we can more fully understand the use of this term by looking at the next ayaat in the surah.  In the next ayat, Allah SWT teaches Adam the names.  He gives mankind the ability to name, to distinguish forms and essences of things.  In this way, we are able to understand and gain both acquired knowledge and innate knowledge – through perception and the operation of the mind.  Later on Allah SWT grants mankind wahy, revealed knowledge, to enable us to obtain moral certainty. 

Then, after He teaches Adam the names and tells him to relate them to the Malaikah, He SWT orders the Malaikah to bow to Adam.  So have we become successor to Allah in terms of worship by the rest of creation?  Surely this is not the case.  Whether willingly or unwillingly, all Creation prostrates before its Lord. (13:15)

The important words are “jaa ‘ilun fi al Ard” make in the Earth – “khalifatun”.  He has already created mankind.  He created us and gathered us all together before Him and asked us, “Am I not your Lord?” and we said, “balaa” – of course. (7:172) 

So now Allah SWT is putting use in a position.  He is making us khalifatun fi al Ard.  Here again, we note that the Malaikah speak and ask if Allah SWT is going to put one there who will do mischief and shed blood.

So we must ask, where the Malaikah on Earth first?  Yes, they were.  So are we succeeding them?  Yes, we are. 

So this term khalifah refers to our coming after the Malaikah on this Earth.  It is the next ayaat that show the role of mankind on this Earth.  We are given the knowledge of the names – the ability to distinguish forms and essences, to have innate intuitive knowledge of logic and mathematics, as well as to have acquired knowledge through perception.

Because of the attributes with which Allah SWT has bless us, Allah has honored us by ordering the Malaikah to bow to Adam.  “Wa laqad karramna Bani Adam. (17:70).

Many have interpreted our khalifat to be vicegerent – protector of this world, responsible for its maintenance.  Certainly, we have a duty to protect the Earth.  On Yawm al Qiyyamah, the Earth will be brought forward and she will be asked how we treated her.  (See Surah Zilzaal).  But in this instance, the term as used in Surah Al Baqara seems to refer to a successor to the Malaikah upon the Earth. 

Since Allah SWT is the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth, this successor-ship does not appear to imply any form of authority or rule.  This is also clear in considering the role of the Malaikah.  They do the bidding of Allah SWT.  They are His faithful servants, going about at His command.  So if we are their successors, we too should be his faithful, obedient servants. 

The Malaikah are concerned, however.  They know we have free will.  So we might disobey, something they are unable to do.  We could bring mischief and shed blood.  But Allah SWT knows something they do not.  He knows we are also capable of obedience and service, and amazingly, we can do this freely, without any compulsion – out of love of Allah alone. 

So the term khalifah refers to a successor to the Malaikah upon the Earth, who will be Allah’s faithful servants, obedient to Him out of freewill and love.

Clearly, this term does not refer to any particular individual and it does not refer to some office of authority.  So how did it get such a connotation?

Origins of Khalifat

After the death of Rasul Allah SAW, our community sought a leader.  Leaving aside a recounting of the history of that period, and the debates over who should have been chosen, let us concentrate on the office of leadership.  Abu Bakr was the first to assume the temporal leadership of the nascent Ummah.  In this case, according the Arabic language, he might have been called “khalifah,” the one who succeeds – the successor.  He followed the Prophet SAW in temporal leadership.  No one succeeded him in Prophethood.  He was the khatma al anbiyyah. 

But were our early leaders actually called khalif?  After Abu Bakr came Umar.  So what was he called?  He was not actually called khalif, but Amir al Mu’minin.  And we know that Ali ibn Abi Talib was also called Amir al Mu’minin.  So the early leaders did not call themselves khalif.  They called themselves Amir al Mu’minin. 

This term khalif did not really come into usage until the era of hereditary rule – the Umayyad and Abbasid periods.  However, now we might ask is this form of government Islamically acceptable?

Allah SWT orders us to govern our affairs through shura consensus.

3:159 It was by the mercy of Allah that thou wast lenient with them (O Muhammad), for if thou hadst been stern and fierce of heart they would have dispersed from round about thee. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult with them upon the conduct of affairs. And when thou art resolved, then put thy trust in Allah. Lo! Allah loveth those who put their trust (in Him).

The Prophet SAW used this method in two well known incidents – the going out to Uhud, and the division of the spoils after the Battle of Hunain.  From these incidents, we learn that shura is not just consultation, but consensus.  And consensus is NOT ijma.  Ijma in unanimity, as the root j-m-a implies.  Shura means to consult the people and seek a decision that all the people can live with.  They might prefer another course, but all can at least go along with the chosen course of action. 

Shura is like mediation, it is crafted and each person participating has a stake in the resulting action.  Like mediation, people prefer to do what they have agreed to do, freely.  No one likes a thing forced upon them.  Like mediation, an agreed upon course of action is more likely to be enthusiastically put into practice.

Hereditary rule, however, is dictatorial.  No matter how “nobel” the ruler, he is a dictator, and the people are forced to do what he says.

Islam, however, is not dictatorial.  In the above ayat, we find the seeds of wilayat al ummah.  For after the death of Rasul Allah, we, the Ummah of Muhammad succeed him as the witness and role model for all mankind

3:110 Ye are the best community that hath been raised up for mankind. Ye enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency; and ye believe in Allah. And if the People of the Scripture had believed it had been better for them. Some of them are believers; but most of them are evil-livers.

2:143. Thus have We made of you An Ummat justly balanced,
That ye might be witnesses Over the nations,
And the Apostle a witness  Over yourselves;
And We appointed the Qibla To which thou wast used,
Only to test those who followed The Apostle from those
Who would turn on their heels (From the Faith). Indeed it was
(A change) momentous, except To those guided by God.
And never would God Make your faith of no effect.
For God is to all people Most surely full of kindness,
Most Merciful.

Thus, the Ummah assumes the Wilayat after Rasul Allah SAW, and is to serve as a witness unto mankind to the truth sent down by Allah SWT through His Rasul, Muhammad SAW.  We serve as shaheeds by putting our faith into practice and being living role models, just as he SAW served as a role model and witness for us.

Such an Ummah, tasked with serving as the most just society and role model for governance to all mankind, could never conduct its affairs in a manner that is unjust and oppressive.  It could never be a dictatorship.  It must be one of consensus.  This is what is means to be an Ummah Wasitan.

Imamate

So does this mean we are leaderless?  Obviously even such an Ummah, based on consensus, must have a facilitator who guides the consensus process and who leads during emergencies.  However, such a person must also be chosen by consensus.  He must emerge from the community itself, and be one who is most desirous to serve it and its people. 

2:124. And remember that Abraham Was tried by his Lord
With certain Commands, Which he fulfilled:
He said: "I will make thee An Imām to Mankind."
He pleaded: "And also (Imāms) from my offspring!"
He answered: "But My Promise Is not within the reach
Of evil-doers."

Ibrahim was tried by Allah with the command to sacrifice his son.  He fulfilled these commands.  And Allah SWT substituted the ram for Ismael.  We remember these events on the Hajj and at Eid al Adha every year.  For his obedience, Allah SWT made Ibrahim AS Imam to all mankind (nas).  Ibrahim then asks Allah SWT to also make his offspring to be Imams, but Allah SWT gives a condition – they must be just, and not dhalimun.

From this we learn a lot about Imamate.  The Imam must be one who is foremost obedient to Allah SWT, and puts Allah SWT before all else.  He must be willing to give up everything for Allah, including that which he hold most dear.  This might be his own life or in the case of Ibrahim, his son.  This ayat also teaches us that the Imam cannot be unjust, a dhalim. 

21:73. And We made them Imams, guiding (men) by
Our Command, and We Sent them inspiration
To do good deeds, To establish regular prayers,
And to practice regular charity; And they constantly served
Us (and Us only).

Here, we see the Imam guides people, is inspired by Allah SWT to do good deeds, and is one who establishes salat and practices zakat, and who constantly serves only Allah SWT.

Linguistically, the term “imam” means ‘in front.”  We call the one who leads the prayers, “Imam as-Salat.”  We call the one who leads a masjid, “Imam al-Masjid.”  But notice we do not call such a person “al Fawq.”  He is not the “on top.”  He is the first among equals. 

The picture of an Imam al Ummah that emerges from the Qur’an is one who serves Allah SWT, who is the best role model for the people, who acts as a true shaheed – a witness over us and if necessary, he is willing to give all fi sabilillah. 

Such a person could never be a dhalim, could never be a dictator.  He could only be one who is loved by the Ummah because he loves them for the sake of Allah SWT.

Such were men like Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Hussein ibn Ali.  Such were men like Malik ibn Anas, Shafi’I, Abu Haneefa, Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Zaid ibn Ali ibn Hussein ibn Ali.  We call them Imams because they were.  They stood up to tyrants and condemned oppression.  Some were beaten, some jailed and tortured, some killed.  All gave their lives as living witnesses to the truth of Islam. 

Khalifat vs Imamate

These days, we have someone who is claiming to be khalif of an Islamic state.  In examining the claims of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his Dawlat al Islami, we see only the hate-filled oppression of a dhalim.  Not only has it been stated by Edward Snowden (may Allah SWT guide him to Islam) that al-Baghdadi was trained by the Mossad and CIA, but his doctrines match up almost word for word with the Islamiphobic ranting of Daniel Pipes and Steven Emerson.  The so-called ISIS has attached Christians in Iraq claiming that they either have to convert or pay jizyah.  This call for jizyah is exactly what Emerson and company have been scaring Christians with here in the United States.

Now the ISIS is calling for female circumcision.  This is an East African practice, pre-Islamic in nature, with no precedent in Islamic law.  Many of my fellow Muslims may not have even heard of such a thing.  No hadith mentions it.  It has no support in the Qur’an or Sunnah.  So where did the ISIS get it from?  Obviously, their Mossad and CIA handlers.  Such a call can only be to denigrate Islam. 

The so-called Dawlat al Islami and it self-proclaimed Khalif are nothing more than enemies of Islam spouting rhetoric written by Zionist hatemongers. 

Moreover, no call for Khalifat is legitimate.  As we have seen, khalifat is not governance of the Muslims.  It is a bida’a.  A oppressive innovation begun by people who sought to become hereditary rulers and dictators over the Arab people. 

True Sunnah governance in Islam is Shura Consensus Democracy - Wilayat al Ummah, with Imamate of an Imam, who emerges and is chosen through consensus by the people.