Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 4 An-Nisa, Ayat 60-60
اَلَمۡ تَرَ اِلَى الَّذِيۡنَ يَزۡعُمُوۡنَ اَنَّهُمۡ اٰمَنُوۡا بِمَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَيۡكَ وَمَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِكَ يُرِيۡدُوۡنَ اَنۡ يَّتَحَاكَمُوۡۤا اِلَى الطَّاغُوۡتِ وَقَدۡ اُمِرُوۡۤا اَنۡ يَّكۡفُرُوۡا بِهٖ ؕ وَيُرِيۡدُ الشَّيۡـطٰنُ اَنۡ يُّضِلَّهُمۡ ضَلٰلًاۢ بَعِيۡدًا
﴿4:60﴾
(4:60) (O Messenger!) Have you not seen those who claim to believe in the
Book which has been revealed to you and in the Books revealed before you, and
yet desire to submit their disputes to the judgement of taghut (the Satanic
authorities who decide independently of the Law of Allah), whereas they had
been asked to reject it.91 And Satan seeks to make them drift far
away from the right way.
Notes
91. Taghut clearly signifies here a sovereign who judges things according
to criteria other than the law of God. It also stands for a legal and judicial
system which acknowledges neither the sovereignty of God nor the paramount authority
of the Book of God. This verse categorically proclaims that to refer disputes
to the judgement of a court of law which is essentially taghut contravenes the
dictates of a believer's faith. In fact, true faith in God and His Book necessarily
requires that a man should refuse to recognize the legitimacy of such courts.
According to the Qur'an, belief in God necessitates repudiation of the authority
of taghut. To try to submit both to God and to taghut at the same time is hypocrisy.