Syed Abul A‘la Maududi
ISLAMIC PUBLICATIONS (PVT.) LIMITED
13 -E, Shahalam Market, Lahore (Pakistan)
System of Government under the HOLY PROPHET (Peace be upon him)
(Following is the full text of the interview given to the Radio Pakistan by Maulana Syed Abul A‘la Maududi, Nasir Qureshi and Abdul Waheed Khan conducted the interview. it was recorded on the 8th and 10th March, 1978 and relayed in the National Programme on the 7th and 8th April, 1978).
Nasir Qureshi
Leader of the Islamic movement, ‘Maulana Syed Abul A‘la Maududi ! It is really @ privileged moment that a representative of Radio. Pakistan has the honour of being in your presence. The question which has brought us here, to seek your guidance, is that the Muslims of this divinely bestowed State of Pakistan, after thirty years of waywardness, are now trying to cling to the rope of Allah. Sir, there are, of course, many other leaders also but the state of our mental chaos is similar to a traveler who has yet to discover his guide. In order to tread the straight path, we want the guidance of the Real Leader (peace be upon him) so that our faith and life is improved. Sir, the first thing I would request for is that you enlighten us about the System of Government which prevailed under the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), Secondly, I would request you to guide us as to how could we adopt this system in the modern’ age.
In our present-day world four aspects are taken into account for the evaluation of a State’s development:
1. Who is the ultimate sovereign?
3. How far is its Judiciary impartial and independent?
4. What are the limits, powers and characteristics of its Executive?
May I request you to enlighten us about these aspects of the auspicious regime of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). We are searching for a treasure which would enable us, not only today and tomorrow but in all ages to come, to mould our lives in accordance with the injunctions of Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him).
Maulana Abul A‘la Maududi
It is a matter of great pleasure for me that you have today provided me an opportunity to explain, to the Muslims of this country in general and to its rulers in particular, the basis and the form of government which was established by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
The basic principle which the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) stressed above all else was that the ultimate sovereignty vests in Allah and none else. The earth belongs to Him. The Air, the Water, the Light and everything which sustains our life has been provided by Him. The body we possess and all the energies and organs it is equipped with have been bestowed upon us by Him. We have no share in, or right to make a claim to, ultimate sovereignty. Nor should we accept any such claim from any individual or group. The very first thing which the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) tried to impress on the mind of man, and invited people to believe in, was that the kingdom belongs to Allah; He alone has the authority to command and no one except Him has the right to legislate.
The second point in his basic teachings was that the Divine Laws are not revealed to mankind directly. This is done through His Chosen Messengers. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was not elected by any one as ruler. Nor was he a self-made ruler. He was appointed on this office by Allah so that he could educate. people, train them in the Divine Discipline, reform their minds, thought and character, communicate Divine Injunctions to’ them and implement the Divine Mission through those who accept and believe in the truthfulness of these injunctions.
For thirteen years continuously the Holy Prophet (peace be - upon him} presented these ideas to the people of Mecca, though exhortation and preaching, and those who accepted them were organized by him into a party, a community (Ummah). During the last three years of his stay at Mecca a small group of persons from Madina embraced Islam and they invited him to come to their city along with his companions. The statement of Hazrat Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was very true when she said that Madina was conquered by the Quran. That is to say that there was no sword, no oppressive force whereby the citizens of Madina could be coerced into accepting Islam. The fact is that as soon as they had access to the Quran and came to know of the Surahs revealed at Mecca they not only accepted Islam but also extended invitation to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions {may Allah be pleased with them)- to share their small dwellings. This invitation was not meant for simply providing refuge to him. It was, instead, for making him their teacher, mentor, and ruler, as also for merging the Muslims of Medina and the Muslims of Mecca into a single community of believers to establish thereby a system of life in Madina on which this community had reposed its faith. ‘This is how the Islamic government was founded on the. very day when the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had arrived in Madina.
The foremost function of this government was dissemination of Islamic teachings among the people, because Islam is the knowledge of divine guidance and ignorance is a hinderance in his path. The Holy Prophet (peace. be upon him) and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) spent all their energies on making people understand the faith and accept it with conviction. As this knowledge spread, and the people adhered to it, the power of Islam grew steadily.
The second great task before the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was
the reformation of their morals. and creation of a society founded upon
high morality. No system of government, however magnificent in
appearance it is, and however excellent its laws, can succeed if its
structure does not rest upon the firm foundation of good conduct, if its
officials are not men of high character and the society in which it Is
introduced is not
Such a situation does not require the use of force for the obedience of jaw. It suffices to say that this thing has been ordained by Allah or prohibited by Him. After that people obey on their own. During the times of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) there were no Police. Nor was there any jail or any system of espionage. It was unthinkable that people would receive an order from the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and disobey it. For instance, we can take up the case of the prohibition of alcohol. When it was proclaimed in the - city of Madina that it had been declared unlawful, the vessels full of alchohol were broken and the people immediately stopped drinking there and then. History fails to provide example of such spontaneous Obedience to law. On the contrary billions of rupees were Spent in America for convincing people of the evils and ill-effects of alcohol. A mighty propaganda campaign was launched against it and with the sup- port of public opinion an amendment was made in the American Constitution to pass a law for its prohibition. But on the very next day after its enforcement people started violating it. People took to many kinds of poisonous drinks. This evil spread to such an extent that eventually the law was withdrawn. Let us now compare the two situations. On the one side an order is issued and it is instantly obeyed. On the other side a law is made after great preparation and prior consent of people and they violate it. It goes to prove that the foundation of a good system of government rests on faith and good ‘conduct. Where these two things are lacking, however excellent the laws and constitution are framed on paper, they will never succeed in practice.
Nasir Qureshi
The present-day Western Democracy is based on four pillars. In what form did they exist in the days of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)?
Maulana Abul A'la Maududi
So far as the sovereignty is concerned I have al- ready told that
according to the teachings of the ~Hely Prophet (peace be upon him} it
belongs to Allah only, the division of government into three branches,
as it exists today, did not exist in the order of the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him). He was the Law-giver, the Judge and the
Administrator at the same time. As a ruler appointed by Allah these
powers were vested
One such instance.is the Battle of Badr, in which one of his companions’ questioned him about the choice of the camp. He asked the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) whether the selection of camp was ordained by Allah or had been made by him? The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) replied that the choice had been made by him. Thereupon the companion submitted: that another site would be preferable and his suggestion was accept- ed. It can be understood from this incident that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was giving two kinds of training to the believers. One was that when they received any order from Allah they should obey it without question. The second training was that in other matters, which were not covered by any Divine Injunction, competent persons should be consulted. People should also be given the right to discuss these matters openly with liberty to differ from everybody howsoever highly placed. So much so that even the opinion of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in such matters was differed from by nis © companions and the issue decided by consensus.
I would like to quote here one more instance. In the Battle of Ahzab when the situation took a very serious turn, the Holy Prophet (peace ‘be upon him) wanted that some tribes whose strong forces had gathered there be offered a portion of the agricultural produce of Madina and thereby isolated from the enemy’s block. Thereupon the leaders of the Ansar tribes asked from the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) whether he had taken this decision at the com- mands of Allah or on his own? He replied that it was his own decision and he wanted to take them out of danger. They said to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) that the enemies had not been able to wrench from them a particle even before they became Muslims. How could they do it now? Consequently, this idea was discarded. It can easily be understood from this instance what was the system of government of the Holy Prophet {peace be upon him). While in matters ordained by Allah there was no room for personal opinion, matters free from such injunctions were decided in a democratic manner.
Now we come to his judicial system, The Holy Prophet (peace be upon
him) was a judge by virtue of his Divine’ appointment. Hence he
possessed complete judicial powers. The guiding principle. concerning
the judicial system was that justice. should not only be
There is a famous incident in history that before the conquest of Mecca a companion of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote a letter to the. disbelievers and informed them. of the attack that was about to be made on them. This. letter was discovered. It was an obvious case of spying. The people of modern Age ‘would say that such a dangerous case should have been tried in secret but the. Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) held its public trial in a mosque.
Another important feature of his judicial system was that no decision was made without hearing the parties concerned and no one was deprived of any of his rights without an opportunity of defense. The Qazis deputed outside Madina, by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) were also instructed not to decide any suit without hearing the parties concerned. The door of recommendation in respect of judicial matters was firmly closed. After the conquest of Mecca woman of Quraish tribe committed theft. Her family tried that she was saved from the ‘punishment, the amputation of hand (hadd). The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was approached in the matter through Hazrat Usama Bin Zaid, who was very dear to him.
When he did so, the Holy Prophet (peace be ‘upon him) asked him if he wanted to intercede in the matter of Allah? Many nations in the past had perished because they made discrimination in the dispensation ‘of justice. When their ordinary men com- mitted offence they were punished according to law but when their respectable men did it they were treated leniently. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) swore by Allah that had her own daughter Fatima committed theft he would have ordered the amputation of her hand also. By saying so he not only closed the door of intercession but also established the principle that all were equal before law. He also established the ' principle that if any one, by conceit, attains judgement from a court of law in his own favour, he could benefit from it only. in this world and nothing would save him from punishment in the life Hereafter.
Next to that comes the question of legislature. Since under the
system of life brought by the Holy. Prophet (peace be upon him), law was
fundamentally God-made and revealed by Him and He alone had the right
of legislation, the position of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him} was
not that of a legislator but of an Administrator and elucidator of
Divine Law and that of a person commissioned to educate and train people
in the
1. As far as possible, people should be saved from punishment,
2. To err in acquitting a culprit was better than punishing an innocent man.
3. People were encouraged to settle their disputes by themselves. If any body’s offence was to be pardoned,
it could be done. If somebody’s sin had to be over- looked, it could also be done. But al] this was permissible before the matter reached a court of law.
4. Once a matter reached a court of law, it could neither be overlooked nor forgiven. Thereafter only. the court could decide the matter in accordance with the law.
5. Any attempt at influencing judgment of a court was strictly forbidden by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). The Qazi (Judge) has been given full freedom to decide the matters in conformity with the Quran and Sunnah, at his own discretion without any fear or favour.
6. The Holy Prophet. (peace by upon him) also told his followers, in this behalf, that. passing judgment without knowledge or giving wrong judgment intentionally was a great sin, a true Qazi was one who possessed knowledge of law and decided matters in the light of his knowledge without fear or prejudice.
We must also bear a few other things in mind in regard to the rule of the Holy Prophet
But in those days, the position was such, that before the migration of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to Madina, each tribe in the city had a walled compound of its own. Therein they had their lands, orchards, houses, cattle-yards and meeting place. The tribal system’ prevailed and members of each tribe themselves managed their own affairs.
When a large number of people from Madina pledged their allegiance at the hand of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in Mecca, he appointed on their request, twelve such persons as their leaders who were among them more able, influential and trustworthy. Each of them was entrusted with the responsibility of keeping their conduct and. affairs clean and straight and in this task they were: assisted by pious and respectable persons of different families of their tribe. Such persons happened to be the chiefs in the families and tribes in natural course and were made leaders by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) when they embraced Islam.
Later on when he migrated to. Madina he still maintained this system. The difference it brought about was that the leadership shifted from the infidel Sheikhs to _ the believers. This change did not occur through ballot. It was a natural result of the Islamic revolution that the non-believers receded into background and the Muslim leaders came forward. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) used to consult the most competent persons of the Muhajireen (migrants) “and the chiefs of the Ansars (locals) in conducting the affairs of the state. But this consultation had no resemblance with the present day legislature or parliament. Whenever need arose. competent and influential persons from the Muslims, both from the Muhajireen (migrants} and Ansars {locals} were called for consultation. They were not the elected representatives of the people. But nevertheless they were so influential, popular and intelligent that had there been elections on the modern pattern they would have won it.
All of them were not necessarily invited for advice on each and every, issue. Whenever any ordinary problem arose, in which advice had to be sought, those who happened to be present were consulted. Int case of important matters an announcement was - made and
When the Islamic state began to spread beyond Madina, Governors were appointed in different areas.
They were the Chief Executives as ‘well as commanders of their respective areas. The institution of a standing army did not exist at that time.
Whenever a situation arose people joined the Jehad voluntarily. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had also appointed Qazis (Judges) in different localities and no governor could interfere in their work.
The Holy Prophet’ (peace be upon him) also appointed some persons in each locality who imparted education to the people. Education did not mian treading and writing. It. meant that the Quran was recited to them. Its meanings and implications were explained to them and they were acquainted with the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Most of this work was done verbally. The teachers worked for the reformation of their intellectual and’ moral conduct in the same manner as they had themselves been” reformed by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). For instance, when Mecca was conquered, the Holy Prophet (peace. be upon him) appointed Hazrat Attab bin Asid as Governor and Hazrat Moiaz bin Jabal as teacher.
The system of Zakat was so arranged that at some places regular collectors were appointed, while on others the task was assigned to the tribal chiefs. In areas where the non-Muslim population, after them surrender, had agreed to pay ransom, no permanent tax-collector was appointed. When Khyber was conquered its Jews agreed to give half of their agriculture produce for truce. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) sent one of his companions to them at the time of harvest. He divided the whole produce into two halves and gave the Jews an option to choose any of the two. lots. History bears witness to it that when ransom was taken in that manner, the Jews cried in acclaim that this is the justice on which this whole universe depends.
This is a brief outline of the system of government under the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
Abdul Waheed Khan
Respected Maulana! After listening to the details you have given about the system of
nor we have a group of such men as he had trained in the form of his own companions and Caliphs, nor that moral training is available, nor that society is there which was harnessed by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Now if we intend to enforce the Islamic System in this corrupt society of ours, how shall we transform the four well-known principles of modern state into the mould of Islamic System. Secondly, what would be the method and process for converting our present corrupt society into that perfect society?
Maulana Abul A‘ia Maududi
The first thing to be clearly understood in this» regard is that the
Islamic System as such cannot be run by any dishonest and corrupt
administration. A bureaucracy which does not fear Allah cannot run it.
Nor can it properly function in a morally corrupt society which has lost
all norms. We have lived for a long time under monarchy which did not
follow perfect Islamic order. But even then Islamic Law prevailed and
the task of educating the masses was done by the scholars and mystics,
for this reason, despite the fact that the society was not at the level
which obtained in the days of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and
his companions, the general moral standard of the people was not as low
as it became afterwards. Nor the people were so ignorant of Islamic
teachings as they became later. Drinking was almost unknown among the
Muslims. People did commit sins but not so openly. The British authors
have recorded that in the midst of 18th century, when the British
Government was first established in Bengal, the incidence of theft was
negligible and hand of thief was amputated. Nobody could expect a lie
from a Muslim. No Muslim would lie in a court of law. Muslims were
generally educated and almost the entire community was literate. This
was our condition till the end of 18th century. Later, when the British
Rule was imposed our laws were changed. Our economic system was altered.
Our social system was adversely affected. Islamic education was totally
at the mercy of financial help of the affluent Muslim class and the
Islamic institutions could only be kept alive with their assistance. The
Government did not accept the graduates of these institutions in their
employment... On the contrary, the system of education which the
Britishers enforced divested the minds of the Muslims of the concept of
Allah, His Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Life: Hereafter, but the
avenues of worldly gains had been left open to them only. All this we
inherited from the
At the time of the establishment of Pakistan this is what we had expected. We had hoped that at the end of the British Rule, when the reins of Pakistan’s government will come in the hands of the Muslims, they will set themselves to this task. We had thought that the government will utilize all its media of publicity for the invigoration of their faith and fostering in them the true Islamic character. We had aspired that the educational system will be geared to the production of the leadership and citizens’ worthy of an Islamic’ state and society. We had hoped that the educational system, which generated atheism, will be supplanted by a system which would develop devotion and submission to Allah. We had wished that a sense will be created among the people whereby they would be able to discriminate between the lawful and the unlawful. But, as ill luck would have it, none of these hopes came true. Had the government then utilized all its resources to this end the situation would have been quite different by now.
We have now to start afresh. It is very well if you try to enforce the Islamic Laws. You may also codify them so that our courts are able to decide according to them. But this is not the only thing whereby Islamic system will be established.
The first and foremost thing is that Islamic education is imparted in
our educational institutions at all levels, in primary and high schools
as well as in colleges and universities. Instead of propagating
obscenity, moral turpitude and crime, our mass-media should be employed
for imparting faith and Islamic beliefs among the Muslims. The common
people should be made to understand as to what is Islamic character and
what is un-Islamic one, and what is the distinction between them. I have
already explained that Islamic System was established on the bed rock
of faith It was on that strong foundation that the edifice of moral,
social, economic, political and legal system was erected. If today, we
wish to achieve that ideal we must return to it in the
Nasir Qureshi
Sir, it is generally said that our nation submits to the rod only. It is a popular proverb and is now-a-days on every body's lips, But do you think that [slamic System | will also be established by force.
Maulana Abul A’‘la Maududi
Force also has a place in Islamic Law but it comes last. The order of precedence in Islamic System is | that first of all the minds of the people are reformed. | through education and preaching so that their outlook is changed. Then a gigantic effort is made to create Islamic character in them. This campaign has to be so arranged that every locality, every village and every street develops such a group of noble men, who, with the support of the general public, are in a position to suppress the bad element of the society and can strive to make the people of their own area religious and honest. In this way a popular opinion will emerge in the country which will not allow the evils prosper. If anyone would dare to deviate in the face of this popular public opinion, he will be encountered - with condemnation. While on the other hand; any one, who will adopt the right course of life, would be helped by the whole society. Islam also visualizes that its members are sympathetic and helpful to each other. They share each other’s troubles. Everyone is supporter of justice and an opponent of injustice. One considers eating his fill unlawful if he knows that his neighbor is sleeping hungry.
Some people ignore the full scheme and details of the Islamic system and outright start criticizing its harsh punishments. Islam starts with creating faith among ordinary people, then it builds their character and takes steps to prepare a strong public opinion which fosters good and suppresses evil. Then it establishes such a social, economic and political order in which doing of a good deed is easier than doing a bad one. It shuts all doors through which the various abominable crimes penetrate. After all these things force is used to serve as a deterrent for wiping out every evil that crops up in a clean society. Who would be more unjust than a person who skips over all these things and places the last of its item on the top only to disgrace this righteous system.
Abdul Waheed Khan
What you have said about the government is undoubtedly very true. We cannot attain our ideal of Islamic rule until we create an order and with such leadership who are not only honest and sincere about the enforcement of Islam but also intellectually and morally men of such caliber and standard as can accomplish this task. The question which arises here is that now-a-days election is considered to be the only means of changing a government. Will you please enlighten us whether, in view of the glorious regime of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), this Western system of election can be harmonized with the Islamic System of Shura (consultation)? If so how ?
Maulana Abul A‘ia Maududi
You will please Keep it in mind that we shall have to start from the
point where we are and keep our destination distinctly clear before us
so ‘that with each step we march towards it. Whether we like it or not,
the elections shall have to be a starting point, because this is at
present the only peaceful course for changing the system of government
and rulers. There is no other alternative for bringing about a change in
the system of government and choosing leaders for running it. Our
efforts should therefore be that our elections are fair and free from
deceit, bungling, racial and regional
It is possible that in. the first election we may not fully succeed in changing the people’s mode of thinking or choice, but if the system of election is kept clean a time is bound to come when the government would be completely in the hands of honest men. Thereafter we ‘can review the system of election and succeed in re-establishing the ideal Islamic method originally adopted for this purpose. You cannot, in any case, attain your goal at once and immediately.
Abdul Waheed Khan
Sir, there can be many other questions which I would wish you to illuminate but I defer them to some other suitable occasion. May Allah grant you health and provide us an opportunity to have your guidance about them. But before this session comes to. a close I would ask you one more question. You had a mission which you made the sole aim of pour life. You have struggled for it all your life. Thank God we have today reached a stage where that objective appears to be. near its completion. Will you please tell us in the context of your struggle as to how do you feel about this whole situation? Do you think that your struggle has really come to its logical conclusion and do you feel you have been really successful in your mission?
Maulana Abul A‘la Maududi
It is a very difficult question indeed. Neither I want to make. any
exaggerated claim nor would I like to indulge in self-praise.
Nevertheless, I feel that in the last thirty to forty years the work of
propagation of Islamic thought. has been done on a vast scale: It has
not been done by me only. Many others have also contributed to it. As a
result of this vast literature majority of our educated class has
developed a love for Islam. Although their moral standards do not yet
conform to the teaching of Islam, but gene- rally there is a growing
urge for understanding it and establishing its system in them. Our
educational institutions, though they thrived on Macaulay’s system of
education, have, by the Grace of Allah, produced a large number of
students who haven’t only a passion for Islam but a good deal of its
understanding also. The great problem we have now
At this stage it seems to me but essential that educated young men and religious scholars devote themselves to the task of acquainting the illiterate masses all over the country, in cities, towns and villages, with Islam. Literacy is not essential for this purpose. During the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) Islam. was not spread through books but by verbal preaching. Even now it is not necessary that we first teach reading and writing and then acquaint them with Islam. Its knowledge can be imparted to the people through verbal preaching as was done in the days of the Holy Prophet {peace be upon him), They can be acquainted with the Islamic beliefs and ethics. They can be made to understand their duties as Muslims. They can be made to distinguish between the lawful and the unlawful. Fear of the punishment of great sins can be created in their minds. Reward for good deeds can still work as a great incentive for them. The teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah, which had changed the world, can show its miraculous effects if we want to make use of them for the reformation of our society. One thing, of superb importance, is that by means of simple teachings of the Quran and Sunnah we should stamp the impression in the minds of the people that they can conceal themselves from everyone but not from Allah. They can escape every punishment except the punishment of Allah. They can be exhorted that they have to die one day and appear in the court of Allah, on the Day of Resurrection. It is not possible that they go before Him after they have ignored the prayer, disgraced His Religion by flouting the Fast of Ramzan, polluted themselves with sins, encroached the rights of other people, molested others honour and committed murders, and still hope that they will be forgiven. Device and deceit. may help them escape the punishment in this world but would they also escape the punishment in the Hereafter? If these things are poured in the minds of people, you will see that they. would also develop right type of thinking and moral sense.
After that when people come to know that we have to establish-the
Islamic System in our country they would think themselves, at the time
of election, whom they should bring forth for the task, Ordinary people
know which doctor to consult when they are ill They also know which
pleader to engage for a law suit. Similarly, when you would create an
understanding and awareness of Islam among the masses, they would
themselves judge whom they should elect for running — the Islamic
System. Even if they err, on this
There are some special ways of mass education which shall have to be kept in view. For example, we take up the case of labour unions. It should be impressed on the labour that for them the most judicious economic system is not socialism but Islam. Their grievances would be removed by adherence to Islam. Socialism have never been fair to the labour class. Neither it is doing justice to them now nor would it ever do in the future. Our young men who have studied Socialism and Communism and know the conditions obtaining in these countries can, with irrefutable. arguments and evidence, convince the labourers on this point. In this way labour movement can be transformed into an Islamic movement. With the awareness thus created, the labour class. will be in a position to recognize whether their leaders were the followers of Marx, and Lenin or the believers of Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him). Then the decision that, on the Day of Resurrection they would like to be raised with Marx and Lenin or the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him), can be left to them.
Similar approach is needed in the case of farmers, who. have their own particular problems. The solution which Islam offers for their problems should be explained to them. When the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) migrated to Madina, its local population was engaged mostly in agriculture. Before the advent of Islam, they were deeply affected by disputes which involved landlords, farmers and tenants. The farmers who brought grain from villages were badly exploited. by the urban grain-dealers and commission agents. When the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) went there, he removed all these evils. The details of the reforms which he made are available in the Sunnah. These instances can be quoted to the farmers and they can be convinced that judicious solution of these problems had been made by Islam in the: past and it could solve them now also. =...
As this work will progress, you will see "that gradually the result of elections would improve. And as the number of honest and wise religious men will’ increase. we will advance towards. the Ideal system which obtained in the times of the early Caliphs.
Nasir Qureshi
Maulana Abul A‘la Maududi
Our whole system of life is in disorder and it will have to be
changed. gradually. The British system of education cannot be replaced
with Islamic system immediately. The moral condition of the public which
has deteriorated over decades due to the onslaught of cinema, obscene
pictures, songs, mixed society, drinking and other evils, cannot also be
remodeled by one stroke. But we shall have to start our efforts for
change at once. We must wipe out whatever evil we can, and do this in
the shortest possible time. It would be unjust to delay our action even
by a moment. We shall have to take a similar course in respect of laws.”
Which of the un-Islamic laws can be replaced by Islamic Laws
immediately, should be changed forthwith? Every, Islamic Law, the
enforcement” of which is possible, should’ be. enforced without delay,
because a government which is truly Muslim, and has before it the
mission of putting Islam into practice; should bring a simultaneous
change in every sphere of life. It is fallacious to think that Islamic
Law should not be enforced until all the reforms have been completed. If
our judges start deciding suits according to an Islamic Laws instead of
un-Islamic Laws, it all create an impression in the public mind that
secular system will not work here anymore and our religious laws are
going to replace it. This will help in changing the very way of thinking
of our public. You can understand its effect from the fact that when
the Britishers abandoned our laws and enforced their own, and their
magistrates and judges started deciding cases according to the new laws,
our values gradually began to change. What was unlawful became lawful
and what was lawful became otherwise. Things which the British law made
lawful in moral, economic, social and other spheres of life, became a
part of our system of life, even though they were prohibited from
Islamic point of view. We began to think that our laws were outdated. It
was ingrained in our minds that the Islamic Law was only meant for
marriage, divorce and inheritance purposes only and was. unfit for
running other affairs of life. When people will see the Islamic Law
operating in our courts the history will repeat itself and the spell of
English Law over us will begin to fade. It is, therefore, not correct to
think that reforms should be made in
Nasir Qureshi
Sir, we are already using the different media for the publicity and preaching of Islam. What else would you suggest for this purpose?
Maulana Abul A’la Maududi
I have already discussed these things at some length in my books and it is rather difficult for me to repeat this all over again.
Nasir Qureshi
Sir, will you please tell us as to how can we use the radio for this purpose ?
Maulana Abul A‘fa Maududi
In order to use the radio for this purpose it is essential that such
persons are selected who can speak to the people on radio on various
Islamic subjects after due preparation. For example, some such carefully
selected persons should be requested to explain the Islamic beliefs
with all their implications and try to engrave their every aspect in the
minds of people. This task should not be. limited to any one person,
howsoever learned, because it will result in monotony and the people
will get tired of him. If it is done by different persons in their own
style, the audience will listen to their programs with greater interest.
Once the people imbibe the fundamentals of Islamic beliefs which is the
first and foremost thing onthe road to Islam it will change their
mental makeup and make them receptive for other facts of Islam.
Similarly, some other capable persons should be selected to explain the
importance of Islamic prayers, discuss their countless moral and mundane
benefits and high-light the calamities that result from neglecting
Nasir Qureshi
Sir, we present from the” radio special programs for the farmers, laborers, ladies and children, and we do not present in these programs songs only. It is something quite different that the contents of these programs are not proportionate?
Maulana Abul A‘la Maududi
What I am saying is that the main feature of the radio program is music. The element of religion ‘and morality is much less in it. If you stop the former element at once, your listeners would switch on to other radio stations, So the right course would be that you reduce gradually the former and. increase the latter element.
When public begins to understand their religion in a proper manner, and you present it to them in an interesting and effective way, they would no longer remain so much addicted to songs and other corruptive pastimes. Whenever they will switch-on to other stations for music they would suddenly remember that on the Day of Resurrection, their ears will bear witness to what they had listened and their conscience will be disturbed.