THE CONCEPT OF STATE IN ISLAM — An Analysis

he had to spend the money of the treasury to fulfil the requirements of the public; he had to discharge his religious responsibilities and see to it that the public had no difficulty in discharging religious rites. Anyone could approach the king to register his or her complaint. And there was a proper arrangement by the government for the free religious education of the people, etc. From our study of the Quran, Hadith and Islamic history, we come to these conclusions: 1. The position of political rule in Islam is not that of the target of action, but is rather the result of action. That is to say, fulfilling the criteria of faith and good deeds alone makes one deserving of political power. 2. There is no hard and fast rule for the political structure in Islam. Rather, we find great flexibility. 3. Although there may be adjustment so far as the political structure is concerned, there can be no adjustment or concession so far as the Islamic spirit is concerned. 4. According to the study of the Hadith, our actions towards political reform will be limited to the giving of advice, i.e. by peaceful means. This should never go to the extent of launching violent movements aimed at ousting the rulers. As the Hadith traditions have it: “When you find corruption among the rulers, you must pay your due and ask your due from God”. It is as if the principle of Jesus Christ is also accepted in Islam: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Luke: 20: 26). The Quran tells us: “God enjoins you to do justice”. This justice in its basic sense pertains to individual character. It demands that everyone in his personal life should develop a character based on justice. When the number of these just people grows into a large group, then they desire to lead their lives based on justice at the congregational or social level. When this social life manifests itself in the form of an organized social institution, it is called a state. This action (the desire to lead a just life) will be called just character from the individual point of view, and this same action at the social level will be the mainspring of the just state. o