Introduction to Chapter 9

Introduction to Chapter 9

Islamic Government

and Law

"If you act like there is no possibility of change, you guarantee that there will be no change." 1

Noam Chomsky

This chapter is the crux of the book that comes after explaining why democracy has failed and after establishing the need for the kind of a governance mechanism that address all human needs, from physical to material and spiritual.

Two kinds of questions are uppermost in the Western mind: a) Do Muslims really need an Islamic State? b) If they do, does Islam prescribe a specific form of governance? The following section attempts to answer questions regarding the need, form, the required plug ins, and associated details, such as election of the head of State, legislation, Ijthihad, elections, etc.

For dispelling many myths regarding an Islamic form of governance, the richness of this chapter can be assessed from the range of topics and the number of pages it covers. A look of the headlines is suffice to justify the comment that the chapter is worth reading.

Government and Law

1. The Question of Need

1.1 Individual Responsibilities and Limitations

1.2 Binding Substance for Ummah

1.3 Collective Responsibilities and Strategy for the Ummah

2. The Question of Form

2.1 The Basic Level of Organization

2.2 The Absence of Political and Economic System in the Qur'an

2.3 Post-Khlafah Al-Rashida Period

2.4 Revival of the West

2.5 Revival of Human Rights & Evolution of Political Organization

2.6 Transformation to an Islamic Model

3. Three Required Plug-inns

3.1 Allah’s Sovereignty

3.2 Legislation According to the Qur’an

3.3 Separate Electorate

4. Rule of Law and Shari’ah

4.1 Understanding the Stakes

5. Islamic State: Associated Details

5.1 Election of the Head of State

Duties

Competency

Selection/Election

5.2 Legislation in an Islamic State

5.3 Parliament and Ijthihad

5.4 Elections and Qualification

5.5 Minority Rights

5.6 Government’s Authority in Islamic

State

5.7 Human Rights and Islamic State

5.8 Political Parties in Islamic State

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