THE CONCEPT OF STATE IN ISLAM — An Analysis

Another point made clear in this verse is that the receiving of political power depends solely upon Divine succour. Victory and defeat apparently belong to the human world, but both are totally governed by God. As we learn from the Quran, God grants victory to whomsoever He wills and defeat to whomsoever He wills. From this understanding, it emerges that political power is a promise from God, and not a target. That is, it is not something that Muslims should aim at, for they can receive it only by divine edict. Another point that we learn from this verse is that power is not granted to any group simply because of its struggle for that end, but, rather, on the fulfilment of two specific conditions. The Quran makes it clear that true faith and virtuous character alone are the deciding factors in receiving political power. The actual possessor of power is God, and it is He who grants power on earth to whom He wills. What is meant by faith is that the group who is to be the recipient of political power should have undergone the intellectual and spiritual revolution called Iman (faith) in the Quran, that is, they should evince absolute trust in God, total submission to the Prophet, full conviction regarding the existence of the angels, of the hereafter, of hell and heaven; in short, they should display a keen desire to mould their lives in accordance with the spirit of the Quran. When such qualities of faith are produced within a group, the time will come for it to be considered by God for the grant of political power. Good deeds necessarily entail full conformity with the divine commands regarding worship, moral character and the upholding of justice. In the words of the Quran, our lives should be wholly dyed in God’s hue. When this quality of good character has been developed in the majority of the people, only then is political power given to that group by God’s command. Then there is another verse in this connection which throws further light on the subject. This is in the context of the granting of political power to the Prophet Solomon. The words uttered by the Prophet Solomon after receiving power was ‘le-yabluwani’ (This is meant as a test for me). These words tell us that political power is given in order to try us. The test contrives to separate the grateful from the insolent servants of God. (THE QURAN 27: 40)