I have been saying this for years. No, make it decades.

“Islam Is Democracy!”

That means where there is no democracy, there can be no Islam. 

Period.

No matter how hard you try to fit the square peg of Islam in the round hole of any of the following — or any other similar — aberrant, extreme, irrational and deviant cultural, economic, religious and sociopolitical systems: 

Hereditary Monarchy.

Absolute Kingship.

Brute Autocracy.

Endemic Plutocracy.

Perpetual Aristocracy.

Rampant Mobocracy.

Widespread Feudalism.

Oligarchy.

Anarchy.

Despotism.

Military Dictatorship.

Civilian Dictatorship.

“Religious” Dictatorship.

Theocracy.

Totalitarianism.

Fascism.

Pervasive Tyranny.

And all else of that kind.

Just ask yourself this: 

How can Islam possibly be part of any of these — or other similar — social and cultural perversities and oppressive, foolish, unjust, unfair, exploitative and anti-People and anti-God systems of thought, life, behavior, governance, claiming privilege and status, and exercise of power and authority?

END

Islam, among other things, is about an elected and publicly accountable government and independent judiciary.

Qur’an laid down these principles quite clearly and precisely – among many others – for everyone to read, understand and implement in their lives and societies in every age and place.

The Hadith explains in detail what these ideas mean. Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, and his noble Companions demonstrated in actual practice how these ideas work in real life.

Thereafter, subsequent generations of Muslims showed how it is done, even in the most difficult circumstances, and even in the face of the most crushing challenges and odds.

At the death of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, Omar actively campaigned and mobilized the Muslim voter to elect Abu Bakr.

May Allah be pleased with them!

From his deathbed, Omar put in place the political and institutional arrangements for the vetting, drafting and election of his successor.

Uthman elected to give his own life rather than cause a rift in the Muslim community and create political and social chaos and confusion.

Ali waited long years for the Muslim masses to come around to electing him.

Abu Bakr, Omar, Uthman and Ali, may Allah be pleased with them all, Radiyallahu ‘Anhum, all held themselves to the highest standards of public accountability before the electorate.

And they did so without caring for consequence, whether pertaining to their own personal safety or something else.

Nor did such profane and vile influences as greed, personal ambition or cheap expediency ever cast their nefarious shadow upon their decision making.

These most blessed and rightly-guided Companions of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, did things because those were the right things to do: based on God’s Law as stipulated in the Qur’an; based on the sayings and examples of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, in the Hadith; based on genuine Public Interest as they perceived it; and based on simple logic and common sense.

Thereafter, their own followers from next generations of Muslims rose to unimaginable heights of excellence, dedication and sacrifice in serving their society.

Abu Hanifah, Malik, Shafi’i and Ibn Hanbal, may God have mercy on them, are all great examples of the best in scholarship as well as in public service.

All the time, these great men were fighting to preserve their own personal and professional integrity and independence in the face of aggressive and even violent onslaught from Rulers-Of-The-Day who, contrary to Islamic teachings, had turned kings and were becoming increasingly despotic and desperate.

It was this glorious legacy of fearless jurisprudence and dedicated political activism that England and Enlightenment Europe later tried to emulate and that eventually percolated to America.

Islam and Muslims were, thus, among the leaders and harbingers into our world of what the world today refers to as Modernity.

The Modern World – what in Arabic sometimes is referred to these days as Al Asr Al Hadith – owes a great debt of gratitude to these Muslim pioneers of Modernity and progress.

END

(Dr. Pasha)

Once again, I don’t know why I am writing this. Nor am I absolutely certain about what I mean by at least some of what I am saying.

In any case, here is the thought. And I have expressed it before.

Democracy is counting people. And thank God for the gift of Democracy. For, absolutely, positively, Democracy is a gift from God Almighty. 

Democracy is a gift from God to humanity.

But humanity had to fight for millennia before it could avail itself of the blessings of Democracy.

Today, much of the world seems to enjoy the fruits of it, of Democracy I mean, except, of course much of what passes for the Muslim World. Today, Muslims have many kings and kinglets, and sundry tyrants of all hues and description, but not one Democracy worth the name.

Iran tried to jump-start it with its revolution of 1979. Muslims killed it.

Egypt now is trying to get it going after its revolution of January 2011. Muslims have pulled out all stops in wanting Egypt to fail in its pursuit of Democracy.

Islam came into this world to teach humanity the ways of Democracy. And teach the world Democracy Islam did. There are no ifs or buts about it.

And in doing so, Islam took the blessings of Democracy to a zenith of purity and perfection the rest of the world dare not even dream about.

Islam did so by adding a whole new dimension to the blind headcount that Democracy demands and yields. It pointed People’s attention to quality — the quality of the electorate — in addition to, not in lieu of, quantity and numbers.

Islam seemed to say, as a poet once said: “Don’t just count people, also weigh them!”

In other words, what use an electorate whose members mostly know nothing; feel nothing; care about nothing; and, practically speaking, are nothing?

Don’t get me wrong: doing the headcount is still the way to go. For, that is what Democracy is all about: counting votes.

But there is an added responsibility on the shoulders of all to do everything humanly possible to inform, educate and enlighten the People — the electorate.

The Hadith calls such mindless multitudes and worthless crowds “Ghuthaa’ Ka-Ghuthaa-is Sayil,” meaning so much foam and froth floating helplessly on the crest of a flood.

At the same time, the Qur’an points out that a single man of true worth and value can rival an entire nation – all by himself.

Inna Ibrahima Kaana Ummatan Qwaanitaa, says the Qur’an.

Paraphrase? Here it is: “Why, Abraham, may God bless him, was surely as good as a complete nation, entire of himself.”

So, when I see Muslims caught up in debates about whether or not a quorum is present, and how many people are really too few or too many for undertaking a specific task, I feel like saying:

“People: When you have the right individuals, even one is a quorum. And where the people are not the right people, then even a mammoth crowd is a waste of time.”

From an entirely different perspective, however, when a believer, who is truly in love with God, and his creation, is alone with his Master, God Almighty, in that context, even one is a crowd.

At that time, and in that place, even you don’t want to be where you are.

Frankly, I don’t know what I am talking about. But some of the technical expressions that apply in this context may be: Khalwat and Munaajaat.

And who can claim they know what those are!

Maybe the poet Khosroe does. Maybe that is why he said what he said, nearly 850 years ago:

Nami daanam chi manzil bood shab jaayi ki man boodam;
Ba-harsoo raqsay bismil bood shab jaayi ki man boodam.

Pari paikar nigaaray sarv qadday laala rukhsaray;
Saraapaa aafatay dil bood shab jaayi ki man boodam.

Khuda khud meeray majlis bood andar laamakan Khosroe;
Muhammad sham’ay mahfil bood shab jaayi ki man boodam.

Paraphrase:

“I know not what place it was where I was last night.
All around, everyone writhed and tossed like animals with throats slit.

One, pretty as a fairy, cedar-tall, tulip-cheek, 
Tormented the hearts nonstop.

God himself presided over the Party in Un-Space, Khosroe.
Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) was the Light of the Party,
In the place where I was last night.”

END

(Dr. Pasha)

“Democracy is Islam!

For those who understand both Islam and democracy, and the world in which we live, there is no doubt about the fact that democracy is Islam.

Do you think that is partly why the Qur’an mandated education – including a thorough knowledge and understanding of the world, for example – before people begin to even think or talk about Islam.

Leave alone boast and brag about it.

Why do you think God started his message to the world with the command: Read?

Iqra’!

Do you think it is a subtle hint from the creator of the world that Islam was not going to be a playground for fools, nincompoops and ignoramuses?

That it was a declaration from God that Islam was not going to be a bonanza for sundry Snake-Oil Merchants?

And for the marketers of all kinds of Mumbo-Jumbo in the name of what the world so glibly calls “Religion”?

Take heed people, Islam is democracy. That means, no democracy, no Islam.”

Dr. Pasha