Dr. Hossein Latifi: Islam and Politics

Outline

Islam

As a religion and abstract ideology
Muslim communities with their unique historical and sociopolitical conditions

Politics

Governance and Administration
Power and dominance

Political activity

Liberative or resistive to oppression
Dominative or bullying

Political activities’ format

Movement and revolutionary
Institution and fixed

Political Concepts in Qur'an (Islamic scripture)
Politics in Sunna (practice and sayings of Muhammad)
Politics in the Muslim Community (Umma) after Muhammad

Main political/theological split in Islam

Sunni (majority) Caliphate
Shia (Minority) Imamate

other early political movements

Kharijites

Historical stages and dynasties

First four Caliphs
Umayyads dynasty
Abbasid dynasty
Mongolian conquest
three Islamic empires

Ottoman
Safavid
Mughal

WW I and Colonization
Salafism
Sharia and Civil Law

Political Concepts in Qur'an

Taghut (tyranny; Lexical meaning of Taghut: one that has steps outside his limits, demands and takes more than he deserved.)

Those who have faith fight in the way of God, and those who are faithless fight in the way of the Taghut. (4:76)

Certainly, We raised an apostle in every nation [to preach:] "Worship God, and keep away from the Taghut." (16:36)

Arrogant powers (Mustakbir) and the oppressed (Mustad’af)

And We desired to show favor to those who were abased (oppressed) in the land, and to make them leaders, and to make them the heirs. (28:5)

Why should you not fight in the way of God and the abased men, women, and children, who say "Our Lord, bring us out of this town whose people are wrongdoers, and appoint for us a guardian from You, and appoint for us a helper from You"? (4:75)

Immigration of the oppressed

Indeed, those whom the angels take away [their soul at the moment of death] while they are wronging themselves (they are not in state of practicing their faith), they ask "What state were you in?" They reply, "We were abased in the land." (we had not enough freedom to practice our faith) They say, "Was not God's earth vast enough so that you might migrate in it?" The refuge of such shall be hell, and it is an evil destination. Except the abased among men, women and children, who have neither access to any means nor are guided to any way. (4:97-98)

Alliance with the Oppressors

And do not incline to those who are unjust, Lest the fire touch you, and you have no guardians besides God, then you shall not be helped. (11:113)

Tradition of Previous Prophets

O David! Surely We have made you a vicegerent/ruler in the earth; so judge between men with justice and do not follow desire, lest it should lead you astray from the path of God. (38:26)

It does not behoove any human that God should give him the Book, judgement and prophethood, and then he should say to the people, "Be my servants instead of God." Rather [he would say] "Be a godly people, because of your teaching the Book and because of your studying it." (3:79)

Commanding Right and Forbidding Evil

There has to be a nation among you summoning to the good, bidding what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. It is they who are the felicitous. (3:104)

But the faithful, men and women, are comrades of one another: they bid what is right and forbid what is wrong and maintain the prayer, give the zakat, and obey God and His Apostle. It is they to whom God will soon grant His mercy. Indeed God is all-mighty, all-wise. (9:71)

[The faithful are] penitent, devout, celebrators of God's praise, wayfarers, who bow [and] prostrate [in prayer], bid what is right and forbid what is wrong, and keep God's bounds; thus give good news to the faithful. (9:112)

any who have been driven from their homes unjustly, merely because they say: "Our Lord is God [Alone]." If it were not because God repels some men by means of others, cloisters, churches, synagogues and mosques -where God's name is mentioned frequently- would have been demolished. God supports anyone who supports Him-God is Strong, Powerful. those who, if We granted them power in the land, would maintain prayer and pay Zakat (charity), bid what is right and forbid what is wrong. And with Allah rests the outcome of all matters. (22:40-41)

Shura (consultation)

[faithful are] those who answer their Lord, maintain the prayer, and their affairs are by counsel among themselves, and they spend out of what We have provided them with. (42:38)

It is by God's mercy that you are gentle to them; and had you been harsh and hardhearted, surely they would have scattered from around you. So excuse them, and plead for forgiveness for them, and consult them in the affairs, and once you are resolved, put your trust in God. Indeed God loves those who trust in Him. (3:159)

Self-determination

Surely God does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition. (13:11)