Q1. Is a Muslim sinful for staying under a democratic government in South Africa which promotes so much wrong and atrocities against the Deen of Allah Ta’ala?
A person will not be sinful for living in South Africa which is a democratic country. However, one should not get involved in any form of injustice and wrong. When wrong is being perpetrated, then it is necessary to oppose it according to one’s ability. However, there is no harm in abiding by those laws of the country which do not oppose the teachings of Islam. [Re: Fataawa Darul Uloom Zakariyya Vol:8 Pg:188Q2.
Q2. What is the verdict of democracy in the light of Quraan and Sunnah?
In the political world, it is an un-Islamic system as the laws of Shariah are generally violated. Majority of the people follow their whims and desires instead of following the Shariah, hence it is unacceptable to follow democracy in light of the following verses of the Quraan Sharif:
وَإِنْ تُطِعْ أَكْثَرَ مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ يُضِلُّوكَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ
“If you obey (follow) the majority on earth (the Kuffar), they will deviate you from Allah’s path.” [6:116]
وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ
“And whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed then surely they are transgressors”. [5:47]
وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ
“And whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed then surely they are the oppressors”.[5:47]
Q3. Should Muslims speak out against the harms of democracy. If so, then how?
One should encourage promoting the truth which is in line with the Shariah, and oppose anything against the Shariah. This is what should be encouraged amongst the masses through Islamic literature. The scholars should address the masses in this regard from the pulpit. Professionals should discuss these matters with their Muslim clients.
Q4. Allah Ta’ala says in the Quraan Sharif that complete authority is only for Allah, so is it permissible for us to keep quiet against democracy which promotes man’s laws and man-made legislation?
The verse is in no way related to democracy. We should oppose and object to any wrong perpetrated according to our ability as stated above in #3.
Q5. In countries like Pakistan Riba has been permitted which is directly against the commands of Allah Ta’ala, is that tantamount to Kufr?
Riba is Haraam and draws the displeasure of Allah Ta’ala. The prohibition of Riba has been explicitly mentioned in the Quraan and Hadith Sharif. Consider the following verses of the Quraan Sharif:
الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَحَلَّ اللَّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا فَمَنْ جَاءَهُ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِ فَانْتَهَى فَلَهُ مَا سَلَفَ وَأَمْرُهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَنْ عَادَ فَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
Those who take riba (usury or interest) will not stand but as stands the one whom the demon has driven crazy by his touch. That is because they have said: “Sale is but like riba.’’, while Allah has permitted sale, and prohibited riba. So, whoever receives an advice from his Lord and desists (from indulging in riba), then what has passed is allowed for him, and his matter is up to Allah. As for the ones who revert back, those are the people of Fire. There they will remain forever. [Surah 2; Verse 275]
If the Pakistani Government legalized Riba considering it to be Halaal, then it will be Kufr, otherwise not. [Re:- Fataawa Uthmaniyyah Vol:7 Pg:278]
Q6. The people of democracy such as NATO, want the restriction of Islam. They don’t mind if Muslims are living, but the moment someone speaks about establishing Islam, they are physically prepared to wage war against them, as we have seen in Afghanistan. Hence, is democracy considered as a tool of Shaytaan considering the fact they don’t want Islam to spread? Afghanistan has attempted to establish Islam and when America lost the war, they began placing restrictions and sanctions.
The Kuffar are the agents of Shaytaan and the greatest threat to them is the spread of Islam. The Quraan Sharif states,
“They intend to extinguish Allah’s light (Islam) with their mouths (by using the resources at their disposal). However, Allah shall bring His light to completion (so that it enters every home on earth) even though the Kaafiroon hate it. [Surah Saff, Verse 8]
Another verse states,
وَلَنْ تَرْضَى عَنْكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلَا النَّصَارَى حَتَّى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ
Never will the Jews nor the Christians be pleased with you until you follow their religion.[2:120]
In conclusion, all Kuffar forces, irrespective of whoever they may be, are agents of Shaytaan. They fear the spread of Islam in the world and therefore initiate problems with the Muslims.
Q7. We are living in a democracy, so should we speak about the harms of it? If yes, please advise how should we speak out against it?
This has already been answered above.
Q8. Which books and recourses can we refer to speak against democracy?
You may refer to Hujjatullahil Baligah by Shah Waliyullah Rahimahullah. Refer to Vol:1, Pg: 135.
Below we have attached an article explaining democracy from an Islamic perspective:
*Democracy, its concept, and its institutions, are all concepts of Jahiliyyah*
“It is not the function of Islam to compromise with the concepts of Jahiliyyah which are current in the world or to coexist in the same land together with a Jahili system. This was not the case when it first appeared in the world, nor will it be today, nor in the future. Jahiliyyah, to whatever period it belongs, is Jahiliyyah; that is, deviation from the worship of One God and the way of life prescribed by Allah Almighty. It derives its system, laws, regulations, habits, standards, and values from a source other than Allah Almighty. On the other hand, Islam is submission to Allah, and its function is to invite people away from Jahiliyyah toward Islam. Jahiliyyah is the worship of some people by others; that is to say, some people become dominant and make laws for others, regardless of whether these laws are against Allah’s injunctions and without caring for the use or misuse of their authority. Islam, on the other hand, is people’s worshipping Allah alone, and deriving concepts and beliefs, laws and regulations and values from the authority of Allah Almighty, and freeing themselves from servitude to Allah’s servants. This is the very nature of Islam and the nature of its role on the earth. This point should be emphasized to anyone whoever we invite to Islam, whether they be Muslims or non-Muslims. Islam can not accept any mixing with Jahiliyyah, either in its concept or in the modes of living, which are derived from this concept. Either Islam will remain, or Jahiliyyah: Islam can not accept or agree to a situation which is half-Islam and half-Jahiliyyah. In this respect, Islam’s stand is very clear. It says that the truth is one and can not be divided; if it is not the truth, then it must be falsehood. The mixing and co-existence of the truth and falsehood is impossible. Command belongs to Allah Almighty, or otherwise to Jahiliyyah; Allah’s Shari’ah will prevail, or else people’s desires.
*وَأَنِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَاحْذَرْهُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنُوكَ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُصِيبَهُمْ بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ لَفَاسِقُونَ*
“And judge, (O Muhammad), between them by what Allāh has revealed and do not follow their inclinations and beware of them, lest they tempt you away from some of what Allāh has revealed to you. And if they turn away – then know that Allāh only intends to afflict them with some of their (own) sins. Indeed, many among the people are defiantly disobedient.”_
_{Surah al-Maidah 5:49.}_
*فَلِذَلِكَ فَادْعُ وَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ وَقُلْ آمَنْتُ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَأُمِرْتُ لِأَعْدِلَ بَيْنَكُمُ اللَّهُ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ لَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ لَا حُجَّةَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ اللَّهُ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ*
“So to that (religion of Allah) invite, (O Muhammad), and remain on a right course as you are commanded and do not follow their inclinations but say, “I have believed in what Allāh has revealed of the Qur’ān, and I have been commanded to do justice among you. Allāh is our Lord and your Lord. For us are our deeds, and for you your deeds. There is no (need for) argument between us and you. Allāh will bring us together, and to Him is the (final) destination.”_
_{Surah ash-Shurah 42:15.}_
*فَإِن لَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُواْ لَكَ فَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ ۚ وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ*
“But if they do not respond to you – then know that they only follow their (own) desires. And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allah? Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.”_
_{Surah al-Qasas 28:50}_
*ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَٰكَ عَلَىٰ شَرِيعَةٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْرِ فَٱتَّبِعْهَا وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ*
“Then We put you, (O Muhammad), on an ordained way concerning the matter (of religion); so follow it and do not follow the inclinations of those who do not know.”_
_{Surah al-Jathiyah 45:18}_
*أَفَحُكْمَ ٱلْجَٰهِلِيَّةِ يَبْغُونَ ۚ وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ حُكْمًا لِّقَوْمٍۢ يُوقِنُونَ*
“Then is it the judgment of (the time of) ignorance they desire? But who is better in judgment for a people who are certain (in faith).”_
_{Surah al-Maidah 5:50}
These verses make it clear that there are only two ways, and no third possibility exists: either to submit to Allah and His Messenger Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam, or else to follow Jahiliyyah. If the law given by Allah Almighty is not made the arbiter, then naturally one will deviate from it. After this clear and decisive injunction from Allah Most High, there is no room for any controversy or excuse making. The foremost duty of Islam in this world is to depose Jahiliyyah from the leadership of man and to take the leadership into its own hands and enforce the particular way of life, which is its permanent feature. The purpose of this rightly guided leadership is the good and success of mankind; the good that proceeds from returning to the Creator, and the success that comes from being in harmony with the rest of the universe The intention is to raise human beings to that high position that Allah Almighty has chosen for them and to free them from the slavery of desires. This purpose is explained by Rab’i bin ‘Amer, when he replied to the commander-in-chief of the Persian army, Rustum. Rustum asked, ‘For what purpose have you come?’ Rab’i answered; _‘Allah has sent us to bring anyone who wishes from servitude to men into the service of Allah alone, from the narrowness of this world into the vastness of this world and the Hereafter, and from the tyranny of religions into the justice of Islam.’_
Islam did not come to support people’s desires, which are expressed in their concepts, institutions, modes of living, and habits and traditions, whether they were prevalent at the advent of Islam or are prevalent now, both in the East and in the West. Islam does not sanction the rule of selfish desires. It has come to abolish all such concepts, laws, customs and traditions, and to replace them with a new concept of human life, to create a new world on the foundation of submission to the Creator. Sometimes, it appears that some parts of Islam resemble some aspects of the life of people in Jahiliyyah; but these aspects are not Jahili, nor are they from Jahiliyyah. This apparent resemblance in some minor aspects is a mere coincidence; the roots of the two trees are entirely different. The tree of Islam has been sewn and nurtured by the wisdom of Allah Almighty, while the tree of Jahiliyyah is the product of the soil of human desires.
*وَٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُۥ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِۦ ۖ وَٱلَّذِى خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْءَايَٰتِ لِقَوْمٍۢ يَشْكُرُونَ*
_“And the good land – its vegetation emerges by permission of its Lord; but that which is bad – nothing emerges except sparsely, with difficulty. Thus , we diversify the signs for people who are grateful.”_
_{Surah al-A’raf 7:58}_
Jahiliyyah is evil and corrupt, whether it be of the ancient or modern variety. Its outward manifestations may be different during different epochs, yet its roots are the same. Its roots are human desires, which do not let people come out of their ignorance and self-importance, desires which are used in the interests of some persons or some classes or some nations or some races, interests which prevail over the demand for justice, truth and goodness. But the pure law of Allah Almighty cuts through these roots and provides a system of laws which has no human interference, and it is not influenced by human ignorance or human desire, nor for the interests of a particular group of people. This is the basic difference between the concept of life taught by Allah Almighty and man-made theories, and hence, it is impossible to gather them together under one system. It is fruitless to try to construct a system of life, which is half-Islam and half-Jahiliyyah. Allah Almighty does not forgive any association with His person, and He does not accept any association with His revealed way of life. Both are equally Shirk (polytheism) in the sight of Allah Almighty, as both are the product of the same mentality. This truth ought to be firmly and clearly impressed on our minds, and when we present Islam to people our tongues should not hesitate to pronounce it, nor should we be ashamed, nor should we leave any doubt in people’s minds, nor leave them until they are assured that if they follow Islam their lives will be completely changed. Islam will change their concepts of life as well as their modes of behavior completely. As it changes them, it bestows on them blessings beyond imagination by uplifting their concepts, improving their modes of behavior, and bringing them closer to the position of dignity worthy of human life. Nothing will remain of the modes of Jahiliyyah in which they were steeped, except some minor aspects which by accident appear similar to some aspects of Islam. Even these will not remain exactly the same as they become joined to the great root of Islam, which is clearly different from the root to which they had been joined so far, the fruitless and evil root of Jahiliyyah. During this process, it will not deprive them of any of the knowledge based on scientific observation; indeed, it gives a great impetus in this direction. When we call people to Islam, it is our duty to make them understand that it is not one of the man-made religions or ideologies, nor is it a man-made system with various names, banners and paraphernalia – but it is Islam, and nothing else. Islam has its own permanent personality and permanent concept and permanent modes. Islam guarantees for mankind a blessing greater than all these man-made systems. Islam is noble, pure, just, beautiful; springing from the source of the Most High, the Most Great, Allah Almighty.
When we understand the essence of Islam in this manner, this understanding in itself creates in us confidence and power, compassion and sympathy, while presenting Islam to the people; the confidence of a man who knows that he is with the truth, while what the people have is falsehood; and the compassion of a person who sees the suffering of mankind and knows how to bring them to ease; and the sympathy of a person who sees the error of the people and knows what supreme guidance is. We need not rationalize Islam to them; they need not appease their desires and distorted concepts. We will be extremely outspoken with them: “The ignorance in which you are living makes you impure, and Allah wants to purify you; the customs which you follow are defiling, and Allah wants to cleanse you; the life you are living is low, and Allah wants to uplift you; the condition which you are in is troublesome, depressing and base, and Allah wants to give you ease, mercy and goodness. Islam will change your concepts, your modes of living and your values; will raise you to another life so that you will look upon the life you are now living with disgust; will show you modes of living such that you will look upon all other modes, whether Eastern or Western, with contempt; and will introduce you to values such that you will look upon all current values in the world with disdain. And if, because of the sorry state you are in, you cannot see the true picture of the Islamic life, since your enemies – the enemies of this religion – are all united against the establishment of this way of life, against its taking a practical form, then let us show it to you; and, thank Allah, its picture is in our hearts, seen through the windows of our Qur’an, of our Shari’ah, of our history, of our concept of the future, whose coming we do not doubt!” This is the way in which we ought to address people while presenting Islam. This is the truth, and this was the form in which Islam addressed people for the first time; this was the form, whether it was in the Arabian peninsula, in Persia or in the Roman provinces, or in whatever other places it went. Islam looked at them from a height, as this is its true position, and addressed them with extreme love and kindness, as this is its true temperament, and explained everything to them with complete clarity, without any ambiguity, as this is its method. It never said to them that it would not touch their way of living, their modes, their concepts and their values except perhaps slightly; it did not propose similarities with their system or manners to please them, as some do today when they present Islam to the people under the names of ‘Islamic Democracy’ or ‘Islamic Socialism’, or sometimes by saying that the current economic or political or legal systems in the world need not be changed except a little to be acceptable Islamically. The purpose of all this rationalization is to appease people’s desires!”
ALLAH TA’ALA ALONE IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Maulana Ahmed Saeed
Date: 07 Dhul Qa’dah 1445 / 16 May 2024
CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai Saheb