The Obligation of Establishment of Governance and Civilian-Non Theocratic Nature of Government in Islam

Abstract

Governance is a religious obligation in Islam in order to maintain law and order, cater for the welfare of people, ensure justice and fair play and facilitate observance of religious duties, as religion could only be practised and practised well in an atmosphere of peace. By religious duties, we should not be mistaken for prayer, Islamic tax (charity), fasting, and pilgrimage alone as worship or devotional duties in Islam ramificates every aspect of a Muslim life. It includes and covers everything a Muslim could do to please his Lord-including good governance which is the hallmark of Islamic governance or political system. However, as important and as obligatory governance is to Islam, government is civilian – and not a theocratic- institution. Although, the Religion of Islam as well as the Holy Scripture, the Qur’an, which encapsulates or embodies its teachings, is Divine, yet their interpretations and implementations are human. This interpretation and implementation which forms the explanation/understanding (fiqh/fahm) of the law (shari’ah) are meant to guide Muslims in the proper understanding of their rights and duties not only to Allah but from and to their fellow human beings. Hence Islamic governance system is theo- communocentric rather than being just theocentric. Although, the basics remain unchanged, these interpretations are affected by the prevailing circumstances of a given time and clime, popularly referred to by scholars as fiqh waq’in. Thus, individuals are responsible for whatever interpretation and implementation they make of the law. Suffice to say therefore, that one of the reasons why governance is obligatory in Islam is, to maintain unity and universality of Islam and to ensure peaceful co-existence, albeit peaceful society where the practice of religion is encouraged and facilitated. This paper therefore, tries to examine why the establishment of governance is obligatory and why government is civilian and therefore theo-communocentric rather than being theocratic in Islam.