ORGANISATION

Organisation ~ 163 ~ hereafter denies me shall stray from the right path’ (5: 12). This contract—or covenant—stipulates several religious duties, the first of which is prayer, a way of bowing to God and seeking to be close to Him. Next is zakat which obliges one to be good in giving to others, to behave, in fact, as if they had a basic right to a share in one’s earnings. Then there is the duty to spread the word of God. When one hears the call of truth one is obliged to commit oneself unstintingly to its support and furtherance, and to give one’s whole-hearted assistance to those who call mankind to the truth. All of these religious duties taken together are what make up the contract according to which a Muslim must pattern his life. Those who live their lives in such a manner find themselves close to God, and become worthy of His divine assistance. In order to preserve this God-fearing aspect of life in its true form, Muslims have been called upon to organize themselves, i.e., to set up a system in their society based upon what the Quran calls “hearing and obeying”. For this system to function