Chapter One

God wanted this unnatural system of coercion to be ended and for the whole of human life to run according to the natural conditions that He has laid down in order to test human beings— that is to say, people should be free to do what they like without the permission of the political authorities. In the early period of Islam, the overthrow of mulukiyat or monarchical despotism and its replacement by the Caliphate was the beginning of this phenomenon. This system was first established in Arabia. At that time, there were two big empires in the region—the Byzantine Empire and the Sassanid Empire. The establishment of the Caliphate and its programme of reform was a major challenge to these two powers. Hence, they wanted to quell this reformist movement. As a result of this, the Companions of the Prophet had to face stiff opposition from them. With God’s assistance, they were victorious in this confrontation, and the coercive system of what the French historian Henri Pirenne termed as ‘Absolute Imperialism’ was ended. Ending a system of coercion that was several thousand years old and replacing it with a system based on freedom was a very revolutionary development. This development could not be completed in its initial phase itself. With God’s help, Islam, in the seventh century C.E., broke the historical continuity of this ancient coercive system. After this, this transformation assumed the form of an ongoing process that became central to human history. It continued, through various natural ups and downs, until in the 20th century it reached its culmination. Decentralization emerged as a reality in the early 20th century. And so, political power has now become very limited, remaining restricted essentially to the form of administration. Today, the interference of political institutions in human life is minimal. In almost all spheres and aspects of life people are free to manage their lives as they like. This enormous change in the system of human life is in favour of Islam. As with other people, it is now possible for the followers of Islam, too, to go ahead with their plans and activities