THE ‘ISLAMIC STATE OF IS’ IS NOT AN ISLAMIC STATE Against True Islam

THE ‘ISLAMIC STATE OF IS’ IS NOT AN ISLAMIC STATE Against True Islam O N June 29, 2014, an extremist leader from Iraq, Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, announced the establishment of a government and declared himself its caliph. He named it the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). This event led to the creation of sensational news all over the world. On September 11, 2014, a report appeared in the media according to which ten Arab countries have agreed to help the United States in its fight against the extremist group, Islamic State (IS). After talks with US Secretary of State, John Kerry in Jeddah, the Arab nations pledged to provide military support and humanitarian aid, and to halt the flow of funds and foreign fighters to IS. (BBC) The above news has great significance in this regard. It means that the majority of the present Muslim world has disowned the ‘Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’. In fact, this so-called State is neither a state nor is it Islamic: it is not a state because the United Nations has not recognized it as such, and it is un-Islamic because the majority of Muslims have disowned its claims. In Islam there is no concept of an “Islamic State”. The term ‘Islamic State’ itself has been invented, as this phenomenon was not found in the early period of Islam, which is considered to be the authentic period of Islam. The political leader in Islam is decided not through appointment, but by election. How did the ISIS come into existence? It is a known fact that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a self-proclaimed caliph. It is said that the Prophet of Islam established a state in Madinah after the Hijrath, or emigration to Madinah. However, the Prophet never proclaimed that he was the khalifa of Madinah, or the ruler of Madinah. According to books of the Prophet’s biography, people of Madinah themselves gave this position to the Prophet at the time of Hijrath. History tells us that when the Prophet, accompanied by his Companion Abu Bakr, reached Madinah after migrating from Makkah, the people of Madinah welcomed him with these words: ‘You are our leader. We are ready to obey you.’ (Musnad Ahmad)