Democracy, A Religion?
Safar 24,
1432 A.H, Saturday, January 29,
2011
Democracy is a catchword that becomes a controversy for all Islamic activists
today, diverse interpretations of democracy are being served like a meal, but in
essence all Islamic activists agreed on one thing about democracy, that
democracy is the product of the kafir and thus contrary to the Islamic
law. There are a few people who claim that democracy is a shura like in
Islam, but this is also invalidated. The presence of some similarities on
systems that are incompatible does not mean that the systems are alike. One side
of good may not be able to justify that all sides are good, let alone a system
that is very incompatible to human beings.
However, to this day there is still a group of people who refuse to budge from
the view that democracy is not a religion but a vehicle for heading towards a
civil society or heading towards a society with the Shari'ah of Islam.
So is it true that democracy is a religion? Let us prove with the daleels
from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Democracy Is A Religion
In the daleels of the Qura’an and Sunnah, or the books of the
ulama's of Ahlus-Sunnah, yes, the word democracy has never been
mentioned explicitly because at the time of Rasulullah SAW or in the old days,
this word had never been known or was still foreign, but this does not fool us
and make us fall into the trap.
In understanding democracy, we should go back to the fundamental subject of
one's Islam, namely iman. Iman is a pledge that makes a person
being called Muslim and that makes him different from the people who disbelieve
(kafir) although they are practising good deeds in the eyes of the
world, without iman all those do not mean anything.
And the basis of one's faith (iman) is like what Allah SWT says in the
Holy Qur’an:
“And I did not
create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (QS. Adz-Dzriyaat:
56)
“And We certainly sent into every nation a
messenger, [saying], 'Worship Allah and avoid Thaghut.'”
(QS. An-Nahl: 36)
“The right course has become clear from the
wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Thaghut and believes in Allah has grasped the
most trustworthy handhold with no break in it.” (QS. Al-Baqarah :
256)
“But those who have avoided Thaghut, lest they
worship it, and turned back to Allah - for them are good tidings. So give good
tidings to My servants.” (QS. Az-Zumar: 17)
The above verses are the commands of Allah to mankind after they have iman,
to keep away from all kinds of obedience and submission to others besides Allah
SWT which in the Qur’an is called Thaghut. So one's iman is
not valid before they deny (to be kafir toward) and be free of all the
millah, manhaj and aqeedah of others besides Islam.
Included in the category of thaghut is every one who positions himself
as a musharri' (legislation and law maker) along with Allah, whether he
is a leader or a common citizen, a people's representatives in the legislature
or the people whom he represents from among those who elected him (in the
general elections), because with that deed, he has exceeded the limit which
Allah SAW created for him, because he is created as a slave of Allah, and his
Lord orders him to surrender submissively to His Shari'ah, but he is
reluctant, and he becomes arrogant instead and oversteps the limits which Allah
SWT has set, he on the other hand wants to make himself as a match for Allah and
affiliate with Him in the authority of tashri' (establishment of law
and legislation), whereas it should not be turned to any other except to Allah
SWT and for anyone who does that, then he has made himself as ilaah musharri'
(God the lawmaker), while it cannot be doubted anymore that for such a person,
he is a part of the ru'uusuth thawaghiit (frontmen of thaghut) where
one's Tawheed and Islam is not valid until he is kafir towards
that thaghut, avoiding it, as well as bara'ah (be free) from
its worshippers and troops.
Allah SWT says:
“They wish to refer legislation to Thaghut,
while they were commanded to reject that Thaghut.” (QS. An-Nisa':
60)
Imam Mujahid rahimahullah said: “Thaghut is
devil in human form, where the humans refer the laws to him, while he is taking
control of them.”
Shaikhul Islam Ibnu Taimiyyah rahimahullah
said: “On that
account, one who rules by other than Kitabullah (God's Book) where he becomes
the legal reference, he is called thaghut.”
Imam Ibnul Qayyim rahimahullah said:
“Thaghut is anything in which the limit is exceeded by the slaves, be it the one
worshipped, or followed, or obeyed, that the thaghut of every society is the
people whom they make as legal reference other than Allah and His Rasul, or
which they worship besides Allah, or that which they followed without any
foundation of daleels from Allah, or the people whom they obeyed in matters
which they do not know that it is a form of obedience to Allah”.
And he said further:
“Anyone who refers the law or reports lawsuits to others
in addition to what has been brought about by Rasulullah sallallaahu 'alaihi wa
sallam, then it means that he had been referring the law and reporting lawsuits
to the thaghut.”
And among the types of thaghut worshipped besides Allah SWT today, and
which becomes the obligation of every Muwahhid to be kafir towards them
and be free from them, as well as from their followers so he can hold on to
al 'urwatul wutsqa (the most trustworthy handhold [Luqman : 22]) and be
safe the fires of hell, are the false gods and arbaab maz’um which have
been made by many people as shurakaa musharri'iin (allies who
make the laws and legislation) besides Allah SWT.
"Or have they other deities who have ordained
for them a religion to which Allah has not consented? But if not for the
decisive word, it would have been concluded between them." (QS. Ash-Shuura:
21)
That's a brief explanation of democracy and why Islam is so opposed to it and
threatens the perpetrators of democracy as a people who are out of Islam.
“There has already been for you an excellent
pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, 'Indeed,
we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah .
We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and
hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone' …” (Al-Mumtahanah:
4)
Submitted by a Mujahid