Food Justice: Some Thoughts on the Role of Zakat and Eid al Adha in the Redistribution of Wealth in Islamic Society

Food Justice: An Islamic Obligation

Islam is built on three pillars, Freedom, Justice and Equal Dignity.  The lives of all human beings must be free of oppression, duress, injustice, discrimination, and disparate treatment.  Such freedoms are essential for a human being to be able to fully actualize his or her potential according the surah, the blueprint or pattern upon which Allah SWT has created him or her.  In the Qur’an, Allah SWT reminds us that the fundamental purpose for which He created us is to worship him.  This purpose lies at the heart of Islam, surrender to Allah SWT.

In order to fulfill this purpose, Islam posits Five Pillars of Ibaadah or Worship; the Shahada or Witness, Salaat or Communion with Allah, Sawm or Fasting, Hajj or Pilgrimage, and the pillar most often paired with Salaat, Zakat.

Zakat means to purify.  As Muslims, we are required to give 2.5% of our total wealth each year to the poor, needy and deserving of support.  We are also encouraged to spend even more of our wealth to help others and to engage in ethical action, to put our faith into action through jihad (striving according to the Path of Allah)[1].  Such charity purifies our wealth by reminding us that our wealth is a gift from Allah, and that we should be grateful for it.  It also purifies wealth by keeping our intentions in acquiring wealth, pure. 

We are reminded that the acquisition of wealth is only a means to an end and not an end in itself.  Wealth allows us to provide for our needs, and for the needs of our families, and we are also able to provide for the needs of others in our communities.  It is a means for gaining the pleasure of Allah, and the pleasure of our whole community, not just in some selfish way, but because it builds happy communities from which we all derive joy.

And in keeping with this focus on community relations, zakat also purifies our thinking about each other.  When the wealthy give their due, willingly and whole heartedly, people will not feel ill will toward them.  And the wealthy will not feel ill will toward the less fortunate.  Instead, they will be viewed with compassion and brotherhood.  And neither will disparage the other because each is providing the other a valuable opportunity to show patience, constancy, generosity, and gratitude. 

So we can see that social justice lies at the very center of the Islamic faith.  The Prophet SAW was greatly concerned about the plight of widows and orphans in his society.  He was appalled by the injustices perpetrated against women, laborours, indentured servants and slaves.  He strove all his life against these injustices.

Allah SWT instructs us on the ideal employment relationship in the Qur’an al-Hakim:

Al-Qasas  28:26 One of the two women said: O my father! Hire him! For the best (man) that thou canst hire in the strong, the trustworthy.

27 He said: Lo! I fain would marry thee to one of these two daughters of mine on condition that thou hirest thyself to me for (the term of) eight migratory circuits. Then if thou completest ten it will be of thine own accord, for I would not make it hard for thee. Allah willing, thou wilt find me of the righteous.

28 He said: That (is settled) between thee and me. Whichever of the two terms I fulfil, there will be no injustice to me, and Allah is Surety over what we say.

In these ayaat from Surah al Qasas, Allah SWT narrates to us something of the life of Moses AS.  Moses came to Madian in the Arabian Desert, and found two women trying to water their flocks at a well.  The male shepherds were preventing them from coming near the well. To prevent this injustice and establish fairness on their behalf, Moses assisted them.  One of the women was impressed by his selfless action and good character, and advised her father, the Prophet Shu’ayb AS, to hire Moses. 

Their discussion reveals key points in fair employment practices:

First, in the spirit of justice, the employment agreement, job description, compensation and term of employment should be clearly written out.  Islam prohibits gharar or uncertainty in contracts, and that includes employment contracts.

Second, in the spirit of equal dignity, workers should be treated with respect and dignity and no workers should be treated unkindly.  The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Your brothers are your responsibility. ALLAH has made them under your hands. So whosoever has a brother under his hand, let him give him food as he eats and dress as he dresses. Do not give them work that will overburden them and if you give them such task then provide them assistance" (Al-Bukhari). 

Thirdly, in the spirit of justice, workers should be compensated in a fair and timely manner.  Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Give to the worker his wages before his sweat dries" (Ibn Majah)

Al-Araf 7:85 And unto Midian (We sent) their brother, Shu'eyb. He said: O my people! Serve Allah. Ye have no other God save Him. Lo! a clear proof hath come unto you from your Lord; so give full measure and full weight and wrong not mankind in their goods, and work not confusion in the earth after the fair ordering thereof. That will be better for you, if ye are believers.

Food Justice in Islam

Here Allah SWT orders us to what is referred to today as “Food Justice.”  Fourteen hundred years ago, we were ordered by Allah to give fair and full measures of food stuffs, and not to wrong each other in what we are due as to our provision, be it in food stuffs, as was common in the past, or in money, as is common today. 

What is most important is that Allah SWT tells us that to not be just in these matters is a crime.  Wa la tufiduu fi al ard ba’da islaahiha – do not commit crimes and cause disruption and disorder on the earth after it is peaceful and well ordered. 

Modern Food Justice brings together concerns for healthy, natural, unadulterated foods; concerns for economic justice; and concerns for social justice.  Food justice includes the right to be able to obtain healthy foods, free of chemicals and additives, and free of adulteration at the macro level as well as on the level of their DNA. Food justice includes the right to a living wage for work in industries that grow, harvest, process, store, prepare and serve food.  Food justice also includes the right to have safe working conditions in these industries.  And, perhaps most importantly, food justice includes the right to food security.

Certainly, Islam mandates every one of these rights. 

Through the Shariah law of tahara or purity, Islam prohibits the addition of impure and dangerous substances to food and water. 

Islam also prohibits the alteration of that which Allah SWT has created, as well as hiding defects in goods.  Hadith expressly forbid watering down milk, not milking animals so they will look better before sale, hiding bad or spoiled food stuffs in amongst the good ones, and other deceptive practices.  Hence, packaging which masks the food, oils or wax that make the produce appear more shiny and ripe or more appetizing, chemical additives and dyes that are designed to “puff” the product and make it appear fresher, and other cosmetic practices are prohibited. 

Sometimes additives and coatings are added to help extend shelf life of products.  Although this is not expressly forbidden under Shariah law, it certainly would be a better policy not to market food that is not native to an area or is out of season for an area.  Having summer fruits in winter is a convenience, but perhaps not as healthy as we imagine.  Allah SWT gave us His provision when He decreed to give it, and He is the best to understand why He made grapes to grow in summer, and apples in the fall.  Allah Ta’ala Alam.   

Islam also expressly prohibits genetic engineering of anything. 

Al-Nisaa  4:119. "I will mislead them,
And I will create
In them false desires; I will
Order them to slit the ears
Of cattle, and to deface
The (fair) nature created
By God." Whoever,
Forsaking God, takes Satan
For a friend, hath
Of a surety suffered
A loss that is manifest.

Improving a plant or animal through natural means, such as selective breeding, is beneficial, and has been the long standing method for increasing yields, improving size and taste of fruits and vegetables, and disease resistance and heartiness of plants and animals.  This method follows the natural method used by Allah SWT to improve species.  Allah SWT states that He created male and female, and He is intimately aware of all of His creation, including the smallest animal or insect, and every seed or leaf that grows.

As for fair treatment of workers, it is related on the authority of Ibn Majah (RA) that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, “The wages of labour must be paid to him before the sweat dries upon his body. “In another Hadith the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, “It is the duty of employer to take only such work from the employees, which they can do easily. They should not be made to work so that their health is impaired.” The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said: “He is not Momin (true Muslim) who eats full stomach while his neighbour is hungry.”

Workers rights in Islam stem from the belief that all people are equal. It does not make any difference to what race they belong, what color they are, what country they come from, what their gender is or what their occupation is. Young and old, rich and poor, white and black, citizens or foreigners with legal work permits are all equal; and they all should be respected, honored, and treated equally.

Almighty Allah SWT says:  O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full Knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things)] (Al-Hujurat 49:13).

The wages should be reasonable — commensurate with time, skills, and the labour involved. Thus, Islam mandates a living wage.  Wages have to be settled at the time of employment and paid “before the sweat of the workman dries up” (promptly). Employees are not to be burdened with excessive workload beyond their capability as Shoaib (A.S.) said while employing Musa (A.S.), “...I intend not to place you under difficulty. Allah willing, you will find me one of the righteous” (Al Qasas:27). In the words of the holy Prophet (SAW), “A worker is a friend of God.”  (From Labor Dignity in the Eyes of Islam, Imran Mangrio, hamari.web, http://www.hamariweb.com/articles/article.aspx?id=6970 (Accessed 9/28/2014).

Finally, Islam absolutely and unequivocally mandates food security.  The Pillar of Zakat requires us to provide food or the means to obtain food to those who are unable to provide it themselves. 

Zakat lies at the heart of the Islamic Capital Flow Economic system.  It encourages the productive movement of resources in the economy, and discourages any form of hoarding or excessive accumulation of capital. Such accumulation, of necessity, will remove resources from someone’s hands, and increase poverty and food injustice.  The Islamic economic system, then, promotes economic justice and food justice by circulating the wealth and ensuring that those, who are unable to obtain food and necessities through their own efforts, are able to do so. 

Ibn Khaldun, in his Muqaddimah, and later Abraham Maslowe, in "A Theory of Human Motivation,” both identify food as a fundamental necessity of human life, along with water, air.  These physiological needs are of critical importance, as are the need for shelter and clothing, and the need for sex.  No human being should be denied these needs, and the since humans are social, our societies are charged with assisting us in meeting these needs.

This is why under Shariah law, if a person is compelled to steal food to feed himself and his family, he can not be held accountable.  The Hadd punishment for theft, mandated by Allah SWT in the Qur’an, will not be imposed in such a case, and the person will not be punished.  In fact, it is the government leaders who are to be punished for failing to provide that person zakat support.

Recently, we celebrated Eid al Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice.  On this day, we remember the covenant of Ibrahim with His Lord, Allah SWT, and how Allah SWT sacrificed a sheep in fulfillment of Ibrahim’s commitment to obedience to Allah SWT.  On this day, many sacrifice animals and give the meat to the poor.  Millions of tons of food are processed and spread all over the globe to provide essential protein to millions all over the world.  I do not know if anyone has ever compiled the statistics, but I suspect that it is the single largest redistribution of foodstuffs on the globe.  And we do not just give away surplus grains or vegetables, but high quality meat. 

I remember years ago, the US sent the starving people of Biafra, a small African region, Gerber baby food and Jello.  Every year Muslims send out millions of tons of tinned meat – beef, lamb and goat.  

Let us not forget that Islam called humanity to justice 1400 years ago.  We should be the first in this movement toward food justice.  We should be the first to call for economic justice, food justice, environmental justice, employment justice and every other form of resistance to the culture of  selfishness and greed that acts as a parasite on the majority of the population of this planet.

Allahumma, aghfi lilmuslimeen wa almuslimaat, wa almu’mineen wa almu’minaat il-ahyaa’a minhum wa al-amwaat, innaka sami’u qareebun mujeebu udda’awaat.

---

[1] For a full explanation of the term “jihad,” please refer to other articles on this topic.  Jihad means to strive, and in Islam, it means to strive according to the ethical teachings of Islam.  There are three forms of jihad; jihad of the soul, jihad of the mind, and jihad of the body.  Although the physical jihad may include countering violence with equal violence, harb or war is expressly forbidden.  The ends do not justify the means in Islam; therefore, if a course of action is not effective or would cause greater harm, it must be abandoned.  Physical jihad more correctly includes doing charitable works, such as building houses or cooking for the poor or other physical acts that help others.

Fatwa on the Islamic State - Dawlat al Islamiyy fi Iraq

Dawlat al-Khawaarij

I hearby join others and issue the following verdict regarding the group calling itself Dawlat al Islamiyy, and known in the West as ISIS or ISIL.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

All praises are due to Allah.  We praise Him and seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness.  We seek refuge in Allah from the evil in our own souls and from our sinful deeds.  Whoever Allah guides, no one can mislead, and whoever Allah misguides, no one can guide.  I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah.  He is one, having no partner.  And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. 

O believers, have taqwa of Allah according to His right and die not except as Muslims.  O mankind, have taqwa of your Lord, the One who created you from a single soul, and from it He created his mate, and from them both, He spread many men and women.  And fear Allah from who you demand your mutual rights, and do not cut off familial ties.  Surely, Allah is ever an all-watcher over you.

O believers, have taqwa of Allah and always speak the truth.  He will direct you to do righteous deeds and will forgive you your sins.  And whosoever obeys Allah and His messenger has indeed achieved a great achievement. 

To Proceed:

Currently, a group calling itself Dawlat al Islamiyy has arisen in Western Iraq and Syria.  Western analysts hold that this group grew out of a insurgent movement among the Sunni Arabs of Western Iraq.  Led by the mysterious Abu Mu’sab az-Zarqawi, this group began a campaign of terror, and beheadings of Westerners.  After the killing of az-Zarqawi by the US forces in Iraq, the group floundered until the US withdrew its forces.  Then the group continued its insurgency against the US-installed government of Nuri al-Maliki, dominated by ethnically Shia politicians.  They then renamed themselves the Dawlat al Islamiyy fi Iraq or Islamic State of Iraq. 

After the beginning days of the civil war in Syria, between the Baathist atheistic socialist regime of Bashar al Assad, and the joint resistance of both Sunnis and Shia in Syria, the Dawlat decided to take advantage of the disorganization and instability, and moved into Syria, renaming itself Dawlat al Islamiyy fi Iraq wa Suriyya.

Gaining strength from the free flow of arms into disrupted Syria and the inflow of mujaahideen from all over the world, including the West, the Dawlat became quite proficient in warfare and in training and commanding troops.

However, the group, now under the leadership of the also mysterious Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (Edward Snowden claims he was trained by the Mossad), began to promote ideological positions.  Although originally viewed as a Sunni insurgency, the pro-Dawlat, sometimes called Al-Qaeda in Iraq by Western analysts, never really promoted a religious position.  Jihaadists, in general, sometimes promote a pseudo-Salafi doctrine, claiming that their activities are based on the Qur’an, Sunnah, and teachings of the Salaf.  In particular, such groups follow a dhahiri or literalists approach favored by Shaikh Albani, the modern hadith scholar.  They use not only hadith as binding proofs, but also athaar of the Sahabi and reports of the sayings of scholars, especially the Hanbali scholar, Ibn Taymiyya. 

However, as noted by the great Salafi mujtaheed, Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen, such groups have a very poor understanding of the sources, and often distort them to their own ends. 

“The Shaikh (Ibn Uthaimeen) replied: "Those who make takfir, they are the inheritors of the Khawaarij, those who rebelled against Ali bin Abi Taalib (radiallahu anhu). The kaafir is the one whom Allaah and His Messenger have declared a kaafir, and takfir itself has conditions, amongst them, ilm (knowledge) and amongst them iraadah (will, intent).”

Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen: "There is an athar (narration) from Ibn Abbaas concerning this verse, which explains that the intent is the kufr which does not expel from the religion, as occurs in the saying of the Messenger (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam), "Reviling Muslim is sin (fusooq) and fighting him is kufr (disbelief).

This last hadith is very important.  One of the greatest fitnahs in the history of Islam centered around this; the fitnah between Ali and the Khawaarij.

The Khawaarij were a group that separated themselves (Kh-R-J) from the Muslim Ummah.  They held they were better than everyone else and that only they had the truth.  They were the only “saved sect.”  They based their entire creed on the verse “There is no command except that of Allah.”  They ignored all other evidence for the permissibility and role of human judges and the fact that the Prophet SWT had appointed governors and judges to different communities.  They reviled Umar, Uthman and Ali as kaafirs, and one of them, Ibn Muljam, assassinated Ali, in a plot intended to kill all the major Muslim leaders, including Mu’awiyyah. 

The essence of their distorted beliefs is;

1. Making Takfir of other Muslims.
2. Renouncing obedience to the leader or government.
3. Declaring the blood of other Muslims lawful to spill.

This is precisely the methodology of the Khawaarij. Even if a person were only to believe any of these things with his heart, yet he may not actually speak or do anything of them, he is still one of the Khawaarij in his baseless belief and opinions.

http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=31&Topic=10964

Other characteristics of this group are:

1. shaven heads
2. appearance of great piety
3. adherence to personal opinion as to the letter of the law
4. twisting meanings of hadith and Qur’anic verses
5. thinking the Qur’an supports their views while it actually refutes it
1. The reason for this ignorance of theirs is that they abandon and avoid the genuine scholars. They conceitedly consider themselves higher than the scholars, and discourage others from attending their lectures. All this because they think they are the ones responsible for scrutinizing and monitoring the scholars. This is what ignorance does to a person.    http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=31&Topic=10964
6. Prophet (salallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) described them: Young in age, having reckless and deficient intellects.   (Ibid.)

The Rise of Takfiri Dogma – the First Step to Kharajah

For several years now we have seen the rise of takfiri groups, groups who claim anyone who does not follow their particular interpretation of Qur’an and Sunnah are Kaafirs. They based this belief on the following hadith:

1) أخبرنا أبو العباس قاسم بن القاسم السياري بمرو ثنا أبو الموجه حدثنا أبو عمار : ثنا الفضل بن موسى عن محمد بن عمرو عن أبي سلمة عن أبي هريرة : أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم قال : افترقت اليهود على إحدى و سبعين فرقة أو اثنتين و سبعين فرقة و النصارى مثل ذلك و تفترق أمتي على ثلاث و سبعين فرقة (المستدرك) 

“Abu Hurayrah (RadiyAllahu Anhu) relates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: ‘The Jews were divided into 71 or 72 sects as were the Christians. My Ummah will be divided into 73 sects.”   (Al-Mustadrak)

The hadith of our beloved Prophet is in Hadith book Abu Dawood:

In this hadith the prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said, “My community will be split up into seventy-three sects.”

(Sunan Abu Dawood Hadith No. 4579)

2) Another Hadith is there in Hadith book Tirmdhi Hadith no 171 Narrated byAbdullah ibn Amr, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: There will befall my Ummah exactly (all those) evils which befell the people of Isra'il, so much so that if there was one amongst them who openly committed fornication with his mother there will be among my Ummah one who will do that, and if the people of Isra'il were fragmented into seventy-two sects my Ummah will be fragmented into seventy-three sects. All of them will be in Hell Fire except one sect. They (the Companions) said: Allah's Messenger, which is that? Whereupon he said: It is one to which I and my companions belong.

http://aqeedahinislam.blogspot.com/2013/01/hadith-about-73-sects-of-muslims.html

Name Calling and Distortion of Texts

 So, in their arrogance, that ugly sin first committed by Shaytan, these groups began to elevate themselves by name calling.  They called followers of other madhdhaahibs, kafirs.  So Hanafis, Malikis, Shafiis were kafirs.  They called Ja’afis and Shia kafirs too.  They began to create fitnah in our masaajids, fighting adherents of the Hanafi madhdhab in the mosques, especially the Tablighi Jamaat.  However, because the Salafi madhdhab grew out of Hanbali madhdhab, they did not criticize them, until more recently. 

The Salafi madhdhab has two furu’ or branches: 

1. The branch of Shaikh Bin Baz – follows classic Hanbali minhaj with the addition of including the positions of the Salaf as highly persuasive
2. The branch of Shaikh Albani – follow the school of Ibn Hazm, and includes athaar, and reports of the Salaf as binding.

This takfiri group began to exploit the Albani approach by using not Qur’an and Sunnah as proof, but misinterpreted athaar.  For example, a few years ago they created fitnah in our masaajid regarding itikaaf.  They claimed it was haram outside of Three Masaajid.  They based this on one twisted piece of evidence, an athaar from Ibn Masud.  In this athaar, another Sahaba asked ibn Masud a question regarding the practice of the people of Kufa in making itikaaf in the masjid of Kufa during Ramadan.  He asked ibn Masud if the had heard a hadith from Rasulallah stating that it was not permissible to make itikaaf outside of the Three Masaajid.  Ibn Masud replied he did not know that. 

First, we note that this is not a hadith.  It is an athaar.  And Ibn Masud stated he did not know of such a hadith.  So the takfiris have twisted an athaar to appear to be a hadith and then ignored ample evidence in the Qur’an and Sunnah for the permissibility of itikaaf in any suitable masjid. 

Shaikh ibn Baz wrote:  It is valid to observe I`tikaf in any Masjid other than the three Masjids, on condition that congregational Salah (Prayer) is established therein. For, if this condition is not fulfilled, it becomes invalid to observe I`tikaf there.

The reasoning behind this fiqh decision is that Jumuah is fard, and so if one is doing itikaaf, in a masjid where the Jumuah is not established, he would fail to complete this fard and fall into sin.  This is based on a principle of fiqh that fard obligations hold precedence to nawaafil ones.  So Jumuah, the fard, holds precedence over itikaat, the nawful.

Hijacking Jihad – the Culture of the Extreme

These groups also hijacked the meaning of Jihad.  While it is true that this term became first distorted by the “Islamic” empires in their efforts to acquire territory, the takfiri groups hijacked it for a psychotic attraction to adrenalin and violence.  This age we live in is characterized by extremism in everything.  Our youth are attracted to extreme sports, extreme drug taking (crystal meth and Ritalin), extreme sex, extreme partying, extreme everything.  So, they are also attracted to extreme violence.  One American Shabaabi in Somalia stated, “It’s like Disneyland over here.” 

Our kids grow up on a steady diet of violent video games, violent TV shows, and violence on the news.  Many of them have no fear of death because in the movie, the dead guys show up in another movie next week.  Death is not real in the virtual world, where you can “buy” a new life, or just stop the game and reboot.  They do not understand that they cannot reboot their own lives.  This life counts, and it continues to count in the next life.  So, they crave adrenalin, they crave violence, and they are easy pickings for agent provocateurs who are after their souls with doctrines they do not really understand but that sound great. 

So, now we have the Shabaab in Somalia, and the rise of the takfiri Ahbash in Ethiopia.  We also have Salafi-inspired groups rising in Syria and Iraq. All of them preach the doctrine of the “saved sect,” and pursue violence in the name of Islam.

We Have Failed Our Youth

We are to blame for this rise of the Khawaarij.  We failed to learn the deen ourselves, and so we are not able to teach our youth the deen.  The agents come with well packaged dogma, and lure them into that glamorous “Jihadi” lifestyle of constant adrenalin.  And now we have Khawaarij. 

The Khawaarij were the first to execute people through dhabihah, slitting the throat.  This form of killing has never been proscribed in Islam for human beings.  It is only for food animals, for kabsh. To kill a person, a fellow human, in this manner is one step from cannibalism. 

Moreover, they have killed Muslims.  They killed one man while he recited the Shahadah.  They killed prisoners of war, a haram act in Islam.  Prisoners should be well treated and cared for in a gracious manner.  The Prophet SAW used to random them or free them if they taught Muslims to read and write.  These khawaarij have stripped prisoners to their underwear, exposing their awrahs, and then executed them by mass shooting.  May Allah SWT curse them.  They have also wontonly abused women and children.  The disgusting manner in which they have treated innocent women and children is a horrible crime, punishable only by manner Allah SWT has prescribed in the Qur'an for hiraba. 

And the Khawaarij declared a separate State.  “…after a good deal of deliberation” (the leaders of the Khawaarij) decided “that they should leave Basrah and make the hills the seat of their independent rule…”  (The History of Islam, vol 1, Akbar Shah Najeebabadi, p. 487).  

Our Khawaarij have also created a separate state, without the consensus (shura) of the Ummah, and without any support from Qu’ran and Sunnah for their positions. Moreover, they have appointed people of ignorance and imbecility as leaders.  None of their number is remotely qualified by education or intellect to be called a Khalif or an Imam.

We know the history. TheKhawaarij fought Ali at Nahrawan, and later killed him in Kufa.  And in each generation, they seemed to rear their ugly heads to fight and attempt to kill the very heart of our deen of Islam.  But:

61:7  Their intention is to extinguish Allah's Light (by blowing) with their mouths: But Allah will complete (the revelation of) His Light, even though the Unbelievers may detest (it).

FATWA

The group calling itself Dawlat al-Islamiyy fi Iraq wa Surya is a dangerous enemy of Islam, and is guilty of the same crimes against Islam and Humanity as their evil predecesors, the Khawaarij.  Their dogma is the same and their methodology and acts are the same.  In fact, their resemblance to the Khawaarij is almost total. 

Because they are distorting Islamic Shariah and Aqeedah, we must fight them ideologically with written material, internet websites, facebook, twitter and other social media campaigns.  We must issue press releases condemning their beliefs and acts explicitly – in detail with dalil from the Qur’an and Sunnah.  We must conduct classes for our youth explaining in detail the error and purposeful distortions committed by these takfiri groups.  Our children need to be taught this deen in detail and not just in superficial literal rulings.

We also need to conduct lectures on college campuses to reach our young adults and their friends.  This will also help to combat the rise of evangelical atheism sweeping college campuses and creating a generation of youth from all backgrounds and religions who are stripped of ethics and faith. 

We must support efforts to educate the members of these groups to lead them out of the brainwashing of their handlers and teach them the true deen.  To kill them before attempting to de-program them would mean we are no different then them – calling kafir and killing.

Finally, we need to target those who are funding these groups and who are creating their dogma.  We need to identify the source – be it within our own community, or outside of it, and strike at them.  They are the real shaytans. 

In short, the Dawlat al Islamiyy group are Khawaarij and are enemies of Islam.

Again, Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen said, in speaking of those who commit takfir and violence:

This act [bombings] of theirs is the act of the Khawaarij. Rather, they are even more violent and extreme than the (original) Khawaarij. The (past) Khawaarij did not use to destroy buildings and residents. The Khawaarij used to show up face-to-face on the battlefield. They used to fight on the battlefield despite what they were upon of ignorance. But they did not used to collapse buildings on everyone inside them - women, children, the innocent, those at peace with Muslims, people with whom Muslims have a treaty, and other people guaranteed safety. The Khawaarij used not to do this. This is worse and more violent than the actions of the (original) Khawaarij. This is more like the actions of the Qaraamitah (a severely violent, misguided sect)...  http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=31&Topic=10964

(The Qaraamitah were an extreme Ismaili group that believed the Hajj was not part of Islam and attacked pilgrims.  They attacked Makkah itself and stole the Hajr al Aswad.  It was later recovered in the pieces we have today.)

Khalifat vs Imamate

Khalifat al Insaaniyya

Allah SWT says in the Qur’an: 

2:30. Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create
A vicegerent on earth." They said:
"Wilt Thou place therein one who will make
Mischief therein and shed blood?—
Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises
And glorify Thy holy (name)?"
He said: "I know what ye know not."

31. And He taught Adam the nature
Of all things; then He placed them
Before the angels, and said: "Tell Me
The nature of these if ye are right."

32. They said: "Glory to Thee: of knowledge
We have none, save what Thou
Hast taught us: in truth it is Thou
Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom."

33. He said: "O Adam! tell them
Their natures." When he had told them,
God said: "Did I not tell you
That I know the secrets of heaven
And earth, and I know what ye reveal
And what ye conceal?"

34. And behold, We said to the angels:
"Bow down to Adam: "and they bowed down:
Not so Iblīs: he refused and was haughty:
He was of those who reject Faith.

35. We said: "O Adam! dwell thou
And thy wife in the Garden;
And eat of the bountiful things therein
As (where and when) ye will; but approach not this tree,
Or ye run into harm and transgression."

36. Then did Satan make them slip
From the (Garden), and get them out
Of the state (of felicity) in which
They had been. We said:
"Get ye down, all (ye people),
With enmity between yourselves.
On earth will be your dwelling-place
And your means of livelihood—
For a time."

Thus began our relationship with this earth.  Our Earth was created by Allah SWT and he has the ultimate dominion and control over this world. It is His.  In Western belief, the earth belongs to mankind.  We can do with it what we want, but in Islam, Allah makes it clear it is HIS! 

2:255. God! There is no god But He,—the Living,
The Self-subsisting, Eternal.  No slumber can seize Him
Nor sleep. His are all things In the heavens and on earth.
Who is there can intercede In His presence except
As He permitteth? He knoweth What (appeareth to His creatures
As) Before or After Or Behind them.
Nor shall they compass Aught of His knowledge
Except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend
Over the heavens And the earth, and He feeleth
No fatigue in guarding, And preserving them
For He is the Most High, The Supreme (in glory).

Allah (SWT) also says:

2:168. O ye people!
Eat of what is on earth,
Lawful and good;
And do not follow
The footsteps of the Evil One,
For he is to you
An avowed enemy.

Therefore, Allah makes it clear from this ayat, that while we are permitted to take our sustainance from the earth, but we must also observe limits.  We do not have a blank check, we do not have carte blanche.

41:9. Say: Is it that ye Deny Him Who created
The earth in two Days? And do ye join equals
With Him? He is The Lord of (all) The Worlds.

10. He set on the (earth), Mountains standing firm,
High above it, And bestowed blessings on
The earth, and measured therein All things to give them
Nourishment in due proportion, In four Days, in accordance
With (the needs of) Those who seek (sustenance).

11. Moreover He comprehended In His design the sky,
And it had been (as) smoke: He said to it
And to the earth: "Come ye together, Willingly or unwillingly."
They said: "We do come (Together), in willing obedience."

12. So he completed them As seven firmaments
In two Days, and He Assigned to each heaven
Its duty and command. And We adorned The lower heaven
With lights, and (provided it) With guard. Such Is the Decree of (Him)
The Exalted in Might, Full of knowledge.

The creation of this beautiful earth, so filled with bounties, is a thing of amazement.  How we take it for granted!  The fact that it is mostly water, and because of that we have this beautiful blue sky.  And we have mountains, and minerals and valleys and farms.  It is all a thing of amazement.  Subhanah Allah!.

21:30. Do not the Unbelievers see That the heavens and the earth
Were joined together (as one Unit of Creation), before We clove them asunder?
We made from water Every living thing. Will they Not then believe?

31. And We have set on the earth Mountains standing firm,
Lest it should shake with them, And We have made therein
Broad highways (between mountains)
For them to pass through: That they may receive guidance

And lest we forget, we are ourselves created from this very Earth. 

30:20. Among His Signs is this, That He created you
From dust; and then,— Behold, ye are men
Scattered (far and wide)!

With these verses of the Qur’an, Allah informs humanity that He (Allah SWT) is the vested owner of all that is in the heavens and the earth, and all in between and any right or interest a human has in property is contingent upon that ultimate divine ownership. 

The concept of dual ownership [human being-God] is one of the special

features of the Islamic doctrine of economics.  Islam protects and endorses

the personal right to own what one may freely gain, though legitimate

means … . It is a sacred right.  Yet human ownership is tempered by the

understanding that everything, in the last analysis, belongs to God… .

What appears to be ownership is in fact a matter of trusteeship, whereby we

have temporary authority to handle and benefit from property.  [1]

The Islamic concept of property ownership in Islam is therefore quite different from that of English or American Common Law.  Under American law, there are two forms of ownership of land, private ownership and state ownership, and a private owner’s use and enjoyment of the land is only tempered by compelling state interests in the protection of the health and safety of other members of society.  However, in Islam, we find five basic forms; commonage held by all humanity and administered by the state (afraq), state owned property (hima or miri), charitable trust property (waqf), communally or jointly owned property (shuyuu) and individual private ownership (mulk). 

All of these forms of ownership are tempered by both the rights of others and the rights or huquq of Allah – the ultimate owner.

The point is that mankind may have rights to this earth and all that is upon it, but those rights are not unlimited.  We have to consider the rights of others and the rights of Allah.

These rights, Huquq al-Allah and Huquq an-Insaan, have a direct bearing on the nature of the office given to Man by Allah, the Khalifah fi al Ard.

Khalifah fi al Ard

As we have noted previously, the term khalifah implies successorship, coming after another.  We are the successors to the Malaaikah upon the Earth.  So what was the role of the Malaaikah?  Did they just abide here, or did they have some form of responsibility here or duties they carried out upon the Earth? 

We have noted before that this ayat does not seem to directly imply Amirate or rule.  Allah SWT is the ruler of the Heavens and the Earth and all in between. The Malaaikah were not rulers on Earth either.  Instead, they acted as agents of Allah SWT, doing His bidding, and serving Him.  They were responsible for carrying out His commands. 

97:4. Therein descend The Malaaikah and the Ruh By God's permission,
On every command (min kulli amrin)

The Malaaikah are not Amirs, instead they carry out “kulli amrin.” 

As their successors, humanity also has a responsibility towards the Earth.  We will collectively be held accountable for our treatment of her. 

We are collectively charged as trustees with the care of the earth, the property of Allah.  And we will be held to account for how we treated that trust property.

  39:68. The Trumpet will Be sounded, when all
That are in the heavens And on earth will swoon,
Except such as it will Please God (to exempt).
Then will a second one Be sounded, when, behold,
They will be standing And looking on!

69. And the Earth will shine With the glory of its Lord:
The Record (of Deeds) Will be placed (open);
The prophets and the witnesses Will be brought forward;
And a just decision Pronounced between them;
And they will not Be wronged (in the least).

Thus, our Earth will be present on that day when we are all judged and she will testify against us, collectively.

al-Zilzalat

1 When Earth is shaken with her (final) earthquake

2 And Earth yieldeth up her burdens,

3 And man saith: What aileth her ?

4 That day she will relate her chronicles,

5 Because thy Lord inspireth her.

6 That day mankind will issue forth in scattered groups to be shown their deeds.

7 And whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it then,

8 And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it then.

 39:70. And to every soul will be
Paid in full (the fruit)
Of its deeds; and (God)
Knoweth best all that
They do.

We are, in fact, trustees of the earth and we have a responsibility to maintain the property on behalf of the trustor – the One who made us the trustees, Allah (SWT). 

Under Western law, a trustee that does not properly maintain a property can be charged with waste and be held liable for any loss of value of the property.  The same applies under Shariah law to trustees who are charged with maintaining the property of orphans, for example.

2:220. (Their bearings) on This life and the Hereafter.
They ask thee Concerning orphans.
Say: "The best thing to do Is what is for their good;
If ye mix Their affairs with yours,
They are your brethren; But God knows
The man who means mischief From the man who means good.
And if God had wished, He could have put you
Into difficulties: He is indeed Exalted in Power, Wise.

So in understanding the nature of Human Khalifate, we understand that it was bestowed upon us by Allah.  However, while term khalifah might imply succession, it does not imply succession of Allah’s dominion.  Allah SWT has Qadaa wa Qadar – Dominion and Control.  We are instead, successors to the Malaaikah as the ones responsible for acting as agents of Allah, His servants, and as trustees of Allah’s property, the Earth.

7:128. Said Moses to his people:
"Pray for help from God, And (wait) in patience and
constancy: For the earth is God's, To give as a heritage
To such of His servants As He pleaseth; and the end
Is (best) for the righteous.

Khalifat vs Waliyyu l’Amr

In his discussion of the difference between the Islamic economic system and the Capitalist and Communists systems, Sayed Muhammad Baqir al Sadr also notes that khalifat is collective. (Iqtisaduna Vol. II, English Trans. P. 54).  It belongs to all Mankind, and is not the province of an individual.  However, his translators at least, seem to equate the term with Waliyyu l’Amr, a term we shall endeavor to define shortly, Inshaa llah. 

As humans, we are individuals, but we are also social.  We require society to survive.  This is born out by science.  Feral children, raised in isolation, if not socialized at the appropriate age, will die.  Moreover, solitary confinement in prisons has been shown to lead to insanity.  The resulting depression and insanity can lead to death.  Anthropologists have a saying, “A lone ape is a dead ape.”  We are by necessity, social.

So what is the essence of being human?  When we think of the tasawwur of al-Insaan, what comes to mind?  What is our natural state, our essence?  Are we individuals who happen to form social groups or are we by our very essence, social?  Clearly Islam assumes we are individuals, capable of individual action and responsibility.  Over and over, Allah SWT tells us in the Qur’an we are each, as individuals, responsible for our own souls.  And no one can bear the burden of another.  Moreover, many acts are individually obligatory, the Fard al Ain.  Prayers, fasting, Hajj, etc may have communal components, but each person is obliged to perform these acts of Ibadaah.

Islam also recognizes our social collective nature.  We worship in jama’a.  We do all of our acts of Ibadah communally, including Hajj.  Each act of worship in Islam has individual and collective components that speak to the full human being.  Moreover, we have certain duties that are Fard al Kifayyah – collective responsibilities.  Islam does not make each person responsible for these acts, only the whole community, but if no one is performing them, then the responsibility becomes individual.  An example is knowledge of inheritance law.  Not everyone needs to know it, but if it were in danger of being lost, everyone would be responsible for it, until such a time as someone came forward and assumed that responsibility.

So is khalifat related to our natural individual aspect or our social aspect?  Are we each individually Khalifah?  Is khalifat Islamically a Fard al Ain?  If so, what would that responsibility be?

If khalifat meant rule or authority over the Earth, then we would be the successor to the one who originally ruled and had authority – Allah SWT.  Istaghfirullah.  This is patently false.

7:128. Said Moses to his people:
"Pray for help from God, And (wait) in patience and
constancy: For the earth is God's, To give as a heritage
To such of His servants As He pleaseth; and the end
Is (best) for the righteous.

Moreover, if khalifat was about waliyyu l’amr or rule, there would be a shariah or law which we, as rulers, would enforce.   However, the laws governing the Earth, the natural laws, are only enforceable and actually enforced by Allah SWT.  We do not enforce gravity, physics, chemistry, geology etc.  We may discover these laws, but we are in no way in authority to enforce them.

Shariah or Divine Legislation and its human understanding, fiqh, are the only laws enforceable by man.  And these laws only touch human society. 

So khalifat is not rule by humanity over the Earth.  What then, is it?  What were the Malaaikah doing here?  We learned before they were serving Allah SWT unquestioningly.  Allah SWT says, “ I have not created men and jinn except to worship me.”  The Arabic term implies not only worship, but servitude – Uboodiyah.  We were made successors upon this Earth to serve Allah and treat the Earth and its inhabitants as Allah orders us to do so. 

Allah SWT tells us we should not waste; we should not hoard or prevent others from obtaining their needs.  This applies to all living things, not just people.  We all know the hadith about the woman who locked her cat in a closet and refused it food, as well as the one about a prostitute who gave water to a thirsty dog.  No matter what your opinion regarding the authenticity of these reports, no one can deny that we have not only reciprocal human responsibility but also responsibility toward all Creation because we are human and the most honored of all creatures by Allah SWT. 

Our khalifat is collective and it is a collective responsibility to treat all of Creation as Allah would treat it.  To be just to all living things, and even to inanimate creation, is our duty.  That is the true nature of khalifat.  Not rule and command over Creation, but trusteeship and stewardship as servants of Allah SWT.

Waliyyu l’Amr

So, what then is Waliyyu l’amr?  As we noted above, it is tied to our social aspect.  Command can only be through Law, and since natural laws are enforced by Allah SWT, then for humans, the only law that we have the ability to enforce is social law.  In Islam, our social law is sourced in the revelation provided by Allah SWT.  He is the Divine Legislator and Shariah is the Divine Legislation.  Mankind then, is tasked with understanding that law in Fiqh, and enforcing it in Qadaa. 

The Qur’an tells us to obey Allah and His Messenger, and those empowered with Amr from among you.  Those who have been empowered with Waliyyu l’amr are those who have been empowered with understanding, deriving from the sources and enforcing the fiqh.  These included the Ulema’ and the Qadis, the mujtahids of this deen. 

However, we must emphasize that this Waliyyu is not just commanding (amr) but Waliyyu.  What is a Waliyy?  A Waliyy is not just in a position of authority over another.  He is in a position of protection and responsibility for another.  He is a sincere advisor, seeking the best interest of the other.  He is a fiduciary.  Like the director of a corporation, he has a duty to look out for the one over which he has authority.  And his authority is not autocratic. 

The above position best describes the role of our Ulema’ and Qadis.  They are charged with looking out for the best interest of humanity given the guidance of the Qur’an and the Sunnah as to what that best interest is.  For Allah SWT knows best what is best for His Creation. 

Political Authority

However, it would be wrong to assume this Waliyyu l’amr is the same as political authority.  As we said, those carrying out this Wilayat are fiduciaries. Like a director of a corporation, they are responsible for looking out for the interests of the owners.  Who is the owner then? 

In order to understand who the owner is in this case, we must understand the nature of the property owned.  If we were talking about Creation or the Earth, the owner is Allah SWT.  And He already has appointed a trustee over this property – humanity collectively.  So when Allah SWT refers to obeying Allah and His Messenger and those who are given responsibility for carrying out the commands of Allah and His Messenger, He is calling on us to individually obey Allah and His Messenger and what they have commanded, as well as to obey those who are entrusted with carrying out those commands. 

We note first that each individual is charged with this obedience.  It is a Fard al Ain.  It is not a collective duty.  We are each charged with what?  Obeying the Shariah – the Divine Legislation.  The commands of Allah and His Messenger comprise the Shariah.  As we noted, the human understanding of this Shariah is Fiqh.  Those who are Waliyyu l’amr are the humans who apply their understanding and derive Fiqh, the mujtahids and fuqaha. 

So this Waliyyu l’amr is not political authority, but the authority to derive fiqh, and advise the Ummah as to the commands of Allah SWT and His Messenger. 

That is all well and good, but who are these mujtahids and fuqaha?  How to we know they know what they are doing?  Who chooses them to be on the Board of Directors?

Ah, here we find out who the owners are, and of what?  These Waliyyu l’amr are advisors to the society of Muslims, the Ummah.  Although the obligation to obey is individual, the fiduciaries advise all of us individuals, they advise society as a whole. 

This is also borne out by the fact that Shariah has two branches; fiqh al ibadaat and fiqh al mu’amaalat.  Ibadaat regulates our individual relationship with Allah.  Although our ibadaat is often congregational and communal, it is designed to address to whole human being, and humans need social interaction.  But ibadaat is not by its nature social.  It is the mu’amalaat that address human society.  Although mu’amaalat regulates individual action as well, it is designed to create a just society where no one impinges upon the rights of others.  It then, creates a society that is capable of elevating mankind as a whole, not just as an individual. 

So the corporation for which the fiduciary fuquha form the Board of Directors, is human society, or more specifically, the Ummah.  And the shareholders, the owners, are the individual Muslims. 

Wilayat al Ummah

So our corporation is the Ummah of Islam and its shareholders are individual Muslims.  So who chooses the Board of Directors?  As with any corporate entity, it must be the shareholders.  And it is this power of the shareholders to elect their Directors which we refer to as political power. 

Elsewhere we have discussed Wilayat al Ummah and Shura Islamic Democracy.  But briefly, governance in Islam is in the hands of the individual Muslims, who agree through Shura Consensus on who should have authority over them.  It is the Ummah that reaches consensus on the qualifications of its mujtahids and fuqaha.  It does so based on the command to obey Allah SWT and His Messenger SAW.  Thus it bases its decisions on the guidance of the Qur’an and Sunnah. 

We are all Ahl al Sunnah.  The Umayyads and their Mu’tazilah theorists based decision on concept that wahy is subservient to reason and so reason alone can derive fiqh.  They are the Ahl al Rayy – the people of human opinion.  But we today, Hanifiyya, Zaydi, Maliki, Shari’I, Hanbali, Ikhwani, Salafi, Ja’afari; all follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah.  We may have different minaahij for deriving fiqh, but we all recognize the source of Shariah as the wahy contained in the Qur’an and Sunnah, and that wahy is not subservient to reason.  [2]

Despite the differences (iktilaf) we have in fiqh, we are all able to reach consensus on the Sources of Shariah, and that we require minaahij to understand the Shariah.  We have consensus that opinion alone, despite being based in reason, is not a legitimate way to derive fiqh, and so any one who uses this method would not be qualified for our Board of Directors.  We have reached consensus that our mujtahids and fuquha must have knowledge and must have a minhaj for deriving fiqh that is based in the Qur’an and Sunnah. 

The Directors must base their decisions on dalil or evidence, and not simply opinion.  We may not agree on the result, but with dalil we are able to see the faqih’s steps at arriving at a decision and thereby make up our own minds.  Since we are individually tasked with obeying Allah and His Messenger, this provision of evidence, dalil, is critical in order to satisfy our own due diligence.  After all, ijtehad is due diligence, and as fiduciaries, our fuqaha must exercise it.  And we require it to assure our own minds of the validity of the rulings of fiqh these fuqaha derive. 

So the Ummah is responsible for Wilayat – governance by being responsible for choosing those who are Waliyyu l’amr. 

But, governance is not all legislation and regulation.  What about enforcement?  We are each charged with obeying, but reality is we do not always do so.  So who enforces the law?  And who determines who does so?

Imamate

Enforcement.  It is not a pleasant word to many.  Would not it be wonderful if we could live in a world where everyone really cared about everyone else and we all kept the interests of others in mind and did not act in conflict to the rights of others?  Maybe in the next life, but this Hayyat al Duniya is different.  There are those who either due to weakness in controlling their ego and selfish tendencies, or due to actual desire to harm, insist on disobeying the laws Allah SWT has provided to create a just society.  They disobey Him and break the social contract with us. 

Allah SWT has stated in the Qur’an that He will punish wrongdoers in this life and the next.  He is fully capable of enforcing His own laws, His Huquq Allah.  He needs no one to do it for Him. However, He has also made provision in His Qur’an for addressing the fact that wrongdoers also break the social contract with us, and so He has made provision for enforcement of the rights of man – Huquq al Insaan.  And He has given us guidance for the punishment of crimes that involve the rights of Allah and of man. 

Allah SWT has revealed the Hadd punishments for serious felony crimes such as hirabah, theft, adultery and fornication, slander, and murder.  He has also given us guidance as to how to judge crimes with more discretionary punishments, through the record of the judgments of the Prophet and of Ali ibn Abi Talib.  Through the practice of the Prophet SAW, we also learn how to appoint Qadis, police officials, zakat collectors, and governors; all forms of enforcement officials.

Through the Sunnah, we also learn about how to appoint amirs or leaders.  These leaders form the project directors and teams leaders who will deal with implementing the law and ensuring that the Ummah achieves the objectives (maqaasid) of the Shariah. 

So continuing our analogy with a corporation, our Ummah needs a CEO: Our Imam.  This is Imamate.  And like the Board of Directors, he must be chosen through consensus by the Ummah.  I can find no ayat of the Qur’an or authentic Sunnah that supports the Imam being of any particular race, group or tribe.  All evidence from the hadith is far to biased to be authentic.  Sunnis claim only Quraish, but not the Bani Abdul Muttalib, and Ithna Ashari claim only descendants of Imam Hussein.  Zaydis, however, have claimed that it can be anyone of the descendants of Hassan or Hussein, as long as they call the people to action and striving in the way of Allah, and in the establishment of a true Islamic Society under Shariah.  I am not convinced that hereditary rule of any kind is called for by Islam.  Although other Prophets were followed as Imams by their descendents, and Ibrahim prayed for such, the Qur’an also reminds us that Muhammad is not the father of any man among you.  He is the khatma al anbiyya.  He has no successors in wahy or nubuwwah. 

So what about Imamate?  No where in the Qur’an or Sunnah is the Prophet SAW called Imam.  He is Nabi’, Rasul, Mustapha, but not Imam.  So to understand Imamate, we must look to Ibrahim.  He asks to be Imam, and also asks Allah SWT to make his sons Imams.  Allah agrees, but only if those sons are righteous.  Imamate depends on the quality of the person, not heredity. 

So does Allah SWT appoint Imams? Or are they chosen by the Ummah they stand before?  Historically, Allah SWT does not appoint, but He makes Imams.  He grants these men the character and abilities that would qualify them to be the best Imam for that time, place and people.  Then, it is up to that Ummah to freely choose that Imam as their Imam.  Such was Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib and Imam Hussein. 

Leaving aside for the time being the issue of the other Amir al Mu’mineen, after the death of Uthman RAA, the community gathered in Madina.  Representative from all over the Muslim world were present and they agreed by shura consensus that Ali ibn Abi Talib should be their Amir al Mu’mineen. 

Let us take a moment to look at these two terms, Amir al Mu’mineen and Imam.  Going back to our corporate analogy, we note that a CEO is often President of the Board as well.  He is the Chief Executive Officer, in other words the chief enforcement officer of the law, but he is also the head of the fiduciary body, responsible advising and guiding our Ummah.

 His role as Amir al Mu’mineen may be easier to characterize and define.  He is there to provide leadership in emergencies, to direct us in times of crisis, to oversee enforcement, to ensure our Ummah achieves its goals and objectives. 

His role as Imam may be harder to capture.  He bears the ultimate responsibility for guidance, and the ultimate responsibility for amr bi al ma’ruf wa nahi anni al munkar.  Not through dictatorial means as some might assume, but through being a role model and a shaheed, a witness. 

We have spoken of the meaning of shaheed elsewhere, and we noted it means witness.  It does not imply martyrdom, but committing your whole self to the cause of Allah in such as way to be a living Qur’an, a living witness to the truth it contains and of Allah’s knowledge of what we have the potential as humans to be. 

2:30 "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make
Mischief therein and shed blood?—
Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises
And glorify Thy holy (name)?"
He said: "I know what ye know not."

While we, who have free will, have the potential to make mischief and shed blood, we also have the potential to freely celebrate His praises, and glorify His name – not out of instinct or habit, but out of free will and love.

---

[1] Siraj Sait and Hilary Lim, Land, Law and Islam: Property and Human Rights in the Muslim World, (Zed Books, London 2006) 1. (quoting Abdul Rauf 1984:19). See also Sayed Muhammad Baqir Al-Sadr, Iqtisaduna, Vol II, English Trans. Pp. 49-52. 

[2] Elsewhere we have discussed the epistemological status of wahy as one of the three forms of knowledge; acquired, intuitive/innate, and revealed.