English translation of Inqilab-e-Haqiqi
An address by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, Khalifatul Masih II, al-Musleh al-Mau‘ud
Delivered at Jalsa Salana Qadian on 28 December 1937
The Need to Earn a Livelihood
Earning a living is a part of Islam. Once, a group of Companions approached the Holy Prophetsa and said, ‘O Messengersa of Allah, there is a person who spends his days and nights in worship. Would you say that he was the best among us?’ The Holy Prophetsa demonstrated his profundity of thought by asking them how this gentleman fed himself. They replied by saying that other people provided for him. The Holy Prophetsa said that those who looked after him were better than he was.
Similarly, it is related in ahadith that the Holy Prophetsa was sitting with his Companions. A tall, well-built young man ran past their gathering on his way to work. Some of the Companions derided him by saying that may he be cursed [for being in such a hurry]. It would have been better for him to employ his youth to win the favour of Allah. At hearing this, the Holy Prophetsa admonished them for calling him cursed. A person who works [hard and] in haste in order to look after his wife and feed his children strives in the way of God. On the contrary, a person who expends his efforts in order to win the praise of others, strives in the way of Satan. Hence, to earn a living through lawful means and with diligence is to walk the path that leads to God.
Safeguarding One’s Assets
Likewise, Islam has placed particular emphasis on looking after and protecting one’s property and assets. The Holy Prophetsa said that a person who sells his property and lives off its proceeds is unworthy and does not deserve the blessings of God Almighty.
These are just a few examples of the hundreds of detailed injunctions found within Islam. In Islam, politics is the name given to the system of organisation under which all these injunctions can be implemented. This is an essential part of Islam.
The Establishment of An Islamic Civilisation
An Islamic civilisation cannot be established without the implementation of the following:
Reformation of Thought
The Jama‘at’s way of thinking has to be reformed. The Community has to be informed that simply bearing witness to the fact that there is none worthy of worship except Allah does not relieve you of your responsibilities. Nor is merely believing in the Holy Prophetsa and the Promised Messiahas sufficient to make a person a believer or an Ahmadi. The fulfilment of belief rests on hundreds of branches of faith, many of which fall into the realm of culture, civilisation, society, economics and politics. Until a person strengthens every aspect of his or her religious life, they cannot be called a believer in the true sense. It is incumbent on our ulema to reform their process of thought and impress on the Community the enormity of their obligations. Unfortunately, however, when many of them go abroad [as representatives of the Jama‘at] they come back having delivered a few lectures on topics such as the death of Jesusas and the finality of prophethood and think that this is all they were sent to do. Hence, they are like a person who sets out to build a palace, but considers the project complete after the first brick has been laid. Thus, the work of the ‘ulema is to prepare the members of the Community and instil within them the spirit to sacrifice their lives for the revival of the sunnah of the Holy Prophetsa and the Islamic sharia.
Complete Obedience
Secondly, we have to create a spirit of complete obedience within the Jama‘at and instil within them the resolve to obey no matter how much loss they have to endure. Obedience holds up the structure of the Jama‘at and if just one person [is disobedient], the whole thing collapses. For example, Islamic law stipulates that traders should sell things of a certain standard and refrain from selling defective goods. If we enforce this on our traders and instruct people not to buy from those who refuse to comply with these rules, then a number of people were to protest against the action of the Jama‘at on the basis that it was depriving the shopkeeper of earning a living; how could we implement this aspect of Islamic law in the world? Similarly, if other parts of the law are not applied in order to appease people, then our situation will resemble that of a person who went to get a lion tattooed on his body. [It is said that] when the artist began piercing his skin with the needle, the man felt the pain and asked him what he was about to draw. The artist told him that it was the lion’s ear. The man asked whether a lion could still be called a lion if he did not have one of his ears. The tattoo artist said yes. So he told him to leave the ear and continue with the rest. When he went to draw the second ear, the same conversation ensued. The line of questioning continued for each part of the lion. Ultimately, the tattoo artist abandoned his work. When the man asked him what he was doing, he replied that there was nothing left of the lion for him to draw. Similarly, if people fail to comply with Islamic law and we do not act on this, nothing will remain of the Jama‘at or the religion. It is our responsibility to guide those who heed the advice and offer an ultimatum to others to stop defaming the Jama‘at, repent and join the rest of the Community [or else leave]. Everyone in the Community should be ready to cooperate with and fully obey the administration, even if this means having to sever ties with their parents, wives, sons or brothers.
Publishing
Thirdly, to achieve this goal, the Community also needs to publish books that expound on the teachings of Islam and offer rulings based on those principles.
Lawful Coercion
Fourthly, under Islam, ‘politics’ is the term given to lawful means of coercion. An Islamic political system should be established regardless of whether it is objectionable to some people or not, or even if it proves to be a source of trial or tribulation for them. [In religious terminology] politics is the implementation of those aspects of religious law that require lawful coercion. The Islamic ‘ulema have produced voluminous works in which they have argued that it is within the definition of politics to enforce Islamic laws on those used to coercion through certain types of coercive measures. It is imperative that we too adopt these methods. [For example], it is our obligation to apply legitimate pressure on a person who, after having joined the Community and taken the pledge of allegiance, is lax about their responsibilities. They have to live their lives in accordance with Islamic law because they are now part of the Community. If they dishonour themselves, they also dishonour the Jama‘at and their weaknesses and failings have the potential to harm it. Any pressure exerted on them would be legitimate because they joined the Community of their own free will and thereby gave it the right to oblige them in certain matters. For instance, when children are placed in a boarding school, they consent to the teacher’s authority over them without objection. Those who disagree with the way the Jama‘at functions are free to leave it.
Revival of the Sharia
Prior to its implementation, the task of reviving the sharia takes two forms. The first relates to the governance of the state and the second to the administration [of the Community]. The Islamic injunction that the hand of a thief who is a persistent offender should be cut off,1 relates to the former. Similarly, the injunction that the murderer does not necessarily need to be executed and the survivors of the victim should decide either to execute or forgive the murderer2, also pertains to matters of the state. Under the current circumstances, neither injunction can be implemented, for there is no form of Islamic government. Islam also commands that a murderer be handed over to the victim’s family, so under the supervision of the authorities, they may decide whether to carry out the execution themselves. However, [the current legal system sees] the government executing murderers without involving the victim’s family. Consequently, even if the perpetrator of the crime is hanged, often the survivors of the victim harbour resentment and seek vengeance by killing his kith and kin at another time. Under an Islamic form of government, the first right of refusal to kill the murderer, under the supervision of the government, would be given to the family of the victim. However, they would be subject to the condition that they do not transgress the limits prescribed by Islam when executing him.3 In fact, the government would regulate the rules pertaining to how an execution is conducted and the concerned party would be obligated to follow them. The survivors of the victim would also have the right to let the government punish the murderer in accordance with the law if they do not find within them the will to carry out the execution on their own. This approach helps eliminate the resentment that often persists in people by the rulings of the current British government and becomes a source of revolt. At other times, the more appropriate course is to pardon the accused. The family of the victim should also have the first right to make this decision. Nevertheless, such matters are for the state and not the common population.
There are other parts of the sharia that, despite relating to politics and administration, do not necessarily come under the authority of the state. For example, we have the system of Qadha4 established in Qadian. The government does not interfere in the matters pertaining to Qadha and has given us permission to decide those affairs among us that do not come under the jurisdiction of the police. We are free to implement aspects of the sharia that do not concern the state and which the government has given us the right to administer ourselves. We have to put these parts of the law into practice within the Community. By not applying certain parts of the sharia that could be implemented, we would show disrespect to the law. Thus, we should strive towards enacting this extremely important and significant purpose that God Almighty has given us power over and not concern ourselves with the weakness or missteps of any individual within the Community.
Endnotes:
- And as for the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut off their hands in retribution of their offence as an exemplary punishment from Allah. And Allah is Mighty, Wise. (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:39) [Publishers]
- O ye who believe! equitable retaliation in the matter of the slain is prescribed for you: the free man for the free man, and the slave for the slave, and the female for the female. But if one is granted any remission by one’s brother, then pursuing the matter for the realization of the blood money shall be done with fairness and the murderer shall pay him the blood money in a handsome manner. This is an alleviation from your Lord and a mercy. And whoso transgresses thereafter, for him there shall be a grievous punishment. (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:179) [Publishers]
- But let him not exceed the prescribed bounds in slaying. (Surah Bani Isra’il, 17:34) [Publishers]
- In the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Dar-ul-Qadha is a religious and administrative body established in 1919 to handle civil disputes and matters of arbitration. [Publishers]
To be continued…
(Translation by Fazl-e-Umar Foundation, English Section)