[Hassan Ilyas] My dear friends and respected elders. the topic on which I have been invited to give a speech it is this that Riyasat-e-Madina (state of Madina) by keeping its model before us in today's era what are those commands what are those illuminating, brilliant and guiding aspects by adopting which, our lives our society our environment and our state could be made to adopt those principles could be bound to those ideals and perspectives which we were invited to on the face of earth by the messengers of God we know this that the instructions of Deen have essentially been made a part of man's nature when a human being comes into this world so he brings along with him the sense of good and bad Allah ta'la has given man free will and choice so on this very basis he decides between wrong and right all of us know that man is an aggregate of three things Allah ta'la has placed a sense of morality within man it is this very sense of morality on the basis of which he determines the good and right things in the entire world and distinguishes them from the evil and illegitimate things the second distinctive aspect of man is his aesthetic sense a person comes into this world he adorns things he beautifies them betters them he shapes societies societies transform into state the governments of states lead to international relations this is the beautification of those very things present within man it is the quality of beautifying those things which then get cast into organization and the third distinction of man is his rational existence a man traverses from the known to the unknown the facts that are before him he draws inferences from them he shares the external or internal knowledge apprehended by his senses and the result of his rational inferences with people due to which a knowledge is acquired it is this very knowledge on the basis of which man moves forward and looks for the paths to progress in the world this is a human being when he came into this world so there were many such matters in which he did not require any guidance whatsoever but there were also some matters in which the human being needed hand-holding in order to determine what is right and what is wrong this was also needed to be told that Allah ta'la has to do his reckoning tomorrow that is, if this trial was not there so perhaps man after reaching the right or wrong answers could have left this world but Allah ta'la has to do the reckoning settle his accounts so Allah ta'la did this favour that he bestowed this thing upon us as a blessing that he started the succession of prophets and messengers when these messengers come into this world what do they do? when these messengers come into this world then they do two things on a fundamental level first thing if you analyze all the constituents of Allah's Deen so they are based on al hikmah (wisdom) that is, those things related to beliefs and morality which are present in the nature of man by setting them in the right direction if he is forgetting then by drawing attention to his error he should be made to understand and second thing is al Kitab (the book) that is, those commands of the Sharii'at that in those matters where man could not have reached a decisive place there Allah's messenger in the form of law give us some guidance when the messengers come into this world here this thing should also be understood that they come as a sign of Allah Allah by making them a symbol till the Judgement day tells the people that on the face of earth the rule of God is established Deen has told us about the messenger that there are some special laws which are applicable to their state or governance When the messengers come into the world then those who do not believe in them Allah's wrath descends upon them Quran-e-Majeed describes it in Surah Yunus in the form of a principle that Wali kulli ummatir Rasool fa izaa jaaa'a Rasooluhum quziya bainahum bilqisti wa hum laa yuzlamoon and then at a different place it says li alla yakoona linaasi allalahi hujjatam baada rusul and then it says that wa ma kunna mua'zabeena hatta nabata rasula our wrath does not descend upon those people till the time we have not sent them a messenger so it is the official status of the messenger which also manifests in his state but the laws that the messengers give the Sharii'at that they give it remains till the world exists in the light of that law we have to see that in today's social milieu in today's society what are those commands by acting upon which the instructions that the messenger gave that which was the will of God that which we will be accountable for that which was the wish of God which will be sought we have to act on that so the very first thing about the state that comes to us in the form of instructions it is this that the collective organization of Muslims will be formed on the basis of mutual consultation amruhum shura baynahum whatever state is formed whatever be its nature man due to the evolution of his civilization depending on the cultural dynamics he keeps forming different kinds of organizations today we see that it is the time period of nation-states tomorrow it could be that all of these things can change into a world government today as well a kind of quasi world order is present in the form of United Nations whatever state is formed the collective order of Muslims in whatever form comes into existence an administrative principle that it contains it is this that it will come into existence through people's opinions and consultations when we say that through people's opinions and consultations so in this every one is equal in this there is no distinction between any individuals he may be a commoner he may be an expert he may be a sage he may be an intellectual he may be a scholar or a philosopher whoever he may be he is the one who is going to elect his rulers in the state and this election or consultation will not take place after the state comes into existence rather it will originate from this everyone is an equal participant in this state this is that fundamental principle in fact it is a founding norm in the formation of the state after which we in any society bring a well organized government into existence in this if at any place there is even a slight deviation then according to the instructions of Allah ta'la the social milieu and the society which is supposed to come into existence as a collective order its structure comes undone it cannot move forward we see in present times that this is also that principle of the Quran which for those people who did not believe in the Quran they too practically faced this consequence it is a very long journey the modern democracy that we know that which began with the initial concept of senate in Athens and Greece and which with the reformation of social sciences in West and after revolution today in the form of modern states western democracies give us but this principle fourteen hundred years ago from today in the words of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Quran-e-Majeed had described in the words amruhum shura baynahum this is the fundamental principle and because Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not bring any new Deen with him it is the same Islam which the messengers brought before him so even if you study the biography of the past messengers so there as we do not have any definite source it is also in accordance with the same principle if their governance if with the state there is any additional aspect that there need be a rule of God there of criminals of non-believers those people who are denying Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in spite of knowing the decision is made in this world that this is the matter there but in spite of this the principle that is there the same principle has authority there as well when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was passing away from this world keeping this very priciple before him he elected Syedna Abu Bakr When Syedna Abu Bakr was passing away so by keeping the same principle before him he elected Syedna Umar and when Syedna Umar was passing away so his own time period his own social milieu keeping the demands of his own society before him the manner in which (amruhum shura baynahum) the opinions of Muslims could be taken he took their opinions and in this manner a democratic social milieu the foundation for a democratic society were laid down the moment when we say that it is democracy that foundational model of the state of Madina that fundamental command which for the ends of times is an example and a model so then its necessary demand is this that whatever happens in a democracy will happen in a Muslim society as well in a democracy all citizens are equal no citizen is a second grade citizen whether they are Muslim citizens of the state or non-Muslim citizens of the state all of them in the eyes of the state will be equal citizens there will be no disparity in their rights there will not be any division any superiority any such kind of step will be taken due to which their rights are violated in our society we usually see that when the religion of Islam is talked about when the state of Madina is talked about so some of those examples which were related to that divine rule by bringing them down to earth people make models for themselves that was the matter strictly for the Prophet the Prophet was made a symbol for the remaining world but today whatever state that we will build in that all of the citizens hold equal rights here this point should also be understood that whatever commands the Sharii'at has given us they are of two kinds one is that command which is related to the individual I have to act on that if I do not fulfill it or neglect it then I would be answerable Allah would ask me whatever is your concept of Deen if you think donning Hijab is necessary if you think that this restraint is necessary in the matters of women you will tell this concept of Deen to me but you cannot impose it on me this is my personal decision because this command is addressed to me as a result all those commands which are related to the individual nobody can interfere in it no state can interfere in it any kind of institution cannot interfere in it the jurisidiction of state only starts against the violation of rights or against the abuse of life, wealth and dignity if any individual stands up and says that my right has been violated here now the state will step forward and by stepping forward it will provide justice to that individual it will restore that individual's rights these are the first kind of commands of Sharii'at Sharii'at has given some commands to the collective organization of Muslim society these are those few commands upon which when any new state comes into existence and there is a Muslim majority then it is the responsibility of the Muslim ruler that he should act upon those what are those commands? they are a few commands I will read them in short for you and if you would like to know their reasoning so different scholars and ulema have the thought system that is behind them their epistemology their reasoning and arguments have been clarified the first and foremost thing Muslims are not inferior subjects of the rulers but they are equal citizens second thing, their life, wealth and dignity will be protected third thing their individual matters would be resolved in accordance with Deen they will be given help with respect to their religious obligations. you observe fasts you go on Haj there are issues in traveling there there are administrative reliefs the organizations that have been formed in them the Muslim society has been commanded that whichever state is formed it will help the citizens those people who have been left behind in the race for livelihood they will carry them forward the foundation of Muslim society will be amruhum shura baynahum in the same way the sermon of Jum'ah have been made essential for the rulers it is the rulers who will come to the pulpit and tell the nation that what are the commands of Allah generally people say that these kind of rulers about whom we know that they are oblivious to even the basic teachings of Deen so in this command of Allah there is great wisdom great vision and there is great foresight that when you will tell them that Allah has kept this pulpit for you then they will also prepare before coming they have to keep their sensibility of Deen and spirit of Deen awake and this very thing their commitment to Deen will become the reason for our alliance with them in the same way any citizen of the state in spite of his knowledge in spite of being Muslim at the last level if he commits any crime those crimes which are the subject of Sharii'at that criminal is not deserving of any sympathy that crime has been committed in its highest degree so according to Sharii'at the punishments that have been described those punishments will be imposed on them and in the same way the invitation of Islam to carry it to the entire world for its promotion at a global level the Muslim government will make efforts and in this effort if there is any impediment anywhere then it is the moral principle on the basis of which it also has the right to take action as it were against oppression against force against tyranny if any state is established somewhere and is carrying out persecution and in this matter too there is no condition to be a Muslim if we know that at a place force is being used against people of a different religion so it is our right and it is our religious obligation that if we have the ability the power and the capability so by stepping forward you will help those fellow human beings and will rid them of this tyranny and force this is that fundamental concept it is that fundamental perspective by putting forth in front of us by taking a step ahead the commands of Deen that are related to collective organization and state we can understand them in this short time I could have given a primary introduction of these things there are many such divine commands which if you want to read in detail then they are present in the books of our ulema I would like to end my conversation here aqulu qawli haza wa astaghfirullaha li wa lakum Wa lisaairil muslimin if any of you would like to ask any questions I'm here to answer [Audience] So my question is this that in a Muslim society what is the reason for skepticism about democracy? [Hassan] See you have asked a very good question these societies in actual are societies of human beings and we see that for a long period of time the most safest way for the transfer of power that the world adopted it was of monarchy within democracy you have to put restrictions on a lot of things that is, the first restriction is that on the force of guns on the force of sword on the force of tyranny or on any kind of authoritarianism no person can establish a government there can only be three ways of establishing a government either someone will step forward and establish a government with the force of gun or Allah will appoint someone and the third way is that people themselves will elect so for a long time in the world this was the prevailing attitude that people established governments with the force of sword and gun and in those governments the method for continuation and perpetuation was adopted in the form of monarchy that is, a person has become the king he is continuing his line through his children within this very concept religion has given a new description what is that description? that people must decide this so when Muslims too are citizens of this very world they are a part of this very society then they cannot get rid of this concept easily as a result it took a certain time it took a certain time that when Western nations made it a social discourse then we see that in Muslim countries as well this plant of democracy was cultivated but in spite of this it is still very nascent it needs a lot of time to become a tall and strong tree [Audience] My question to you is this that crime and sin both are different things please give a little clarification on this [Hassan] See everything that becomes the reason for violation of rights or abuse of someone's life, wealth and dignity it is a crime the matter of sin is that many such things which are commands and restrictions by Allah ta'la that is, Allah ta'la wants that it should be present in a person who has brought belief in him so that when he appears before his Creator then he should appear before him having acted upon these commands so those commands and restrictions of Deen there are certain things in them which can also reach the status of crime when we engage in backbiting of anyone so a violation of other person's rights is taking place there when we abuse someone's life, wealth or dignity other person's rights are being violated so there are many crimes but there are such sins as well which are only related to an individual in that perhaps another person's rights are not being violated for example Allah ta'la has given me a lot of commands take the matter of believing in God's existence and God himself if I commit idolatory then in that case I'm committing a mistake on its own this is also a moral sin but here some another member does not stand with me in the world so usually this definition that is stated of a crime so as a result of the criminal action there is another individual who is being affected but as soon as Deen's concept of sin and crime is discussed so it does not remain confined merely to the violation of rights of another individual in fact in this violation of Allah ta'la's commands and restrictions in sharii'at is also included [Audience] My question is this that is it not the responsibility of the state that it should make the citizens follow the Islamic mandate of purdah [Hassan] See the ettiquete for interaction between men and women that have been described in the Quran-e-Majeed they are being addressed to Muslim women we know that what those commands are they are two commands in total which have been given to both men and women and there is one command which has been given additionally to women both will mind their gaze both will conceal their private parts but if the women would have adorned themselves then apart from their hands, feet and face they will not render those embellishments and ornaments visible to people this instruction is related to the individual if any person believes that in this it is necessary to cover one's face or to cover one's hands or to cover one's hair it is necessary to wear Hijab if any person understand that it is necessary to hide only embellishments then it is the personal decision of that individual [Audience] My only question is that a state and especially when that state declares itself an Islamic state if it is fails to provide justice to the oppressed then what path should be taken to provide justice? is it appropriate to take law into one's hands? [Hassan] See Allah ta'la has given every person a circle of authority within which he is bound to fulfill any responsibility if I'm being oppressed, tyrannized if I'm not getting justice so I will try to amend it while remaning within my circle of authority going out of my way to lay the foundation for discord in any society laying the foundation for agitation laying the foundation for nuisance religion does not allow us to do this the biggest medium for change in the world is that you must revive people's spirit for education so if we are not getting justice in any matter and especially in that country where Muslim majority people or population are present we see that its justice system is lacking so what needs to be done? what needs to be done is that we ourselves on our level should make arrangement for education and learning we must arrange for moral training of people this state does not descend from the heavens instead a few people among us step forward become the rulers of the state so when we will develop this spirit so it is that very spirit which takes shape into the collective vision and which will also reflect in the matters of the state [Audience] My question is that in an Islamic state what will be the nature of the use of the arts [Hassan] Most of the art forms in actual are lawful if you read the many texts of Quran-e-Majeed then Allah ta'la says that these are those things of adornment which in this world have actually been made for the believers and no person can declare them to be forbidden Allah ta'la has stated it very clearly that qul man harrama zeenatallah illati akhraja li ibadi who is the one that forbids these adornments in the world there are certain standards of art there are certain uses which sometimes makes it lawful and sometimes unlawful what are those moral limits Surah Al-A'raf in Quran-e-Majeed have described them very clearly There are five things first thing any such thing which is related to obscenity second, any thing which violates someone's rights third, if it is an abuse of someone's life, wealth and dignity fourth if any trace of idolatry is found in it and fifth if it has bid'at (innovation) that is presenting something new in the name of God [Audience] If we look in the light of Quran and Sunnat then we have all the laws if after talking about Sharii'at if we come towards ijtihad (creative independent juristic reasoning) then there as well our scholars have made such laws that through which we can easily benefit in our knowledge but in spite of this the deliverance of justice is not ensured we have everything before us but in spite of this why cannot we deliver justice and when it comes to the safeguarding of Deen then Muslims are afflicted with factionalism due to discrimination among themselves there are many disagreements between them so when there are so many disagreements among ourselves then when it comes to minorities we are not even able to do them justice we discriminate against them as well so what is the basic reason for this? why are we not able to provide justice to our citizens [Hassan] See there is only one purpose of Sharii'at and it is purification the purification of people the purpose of Sharii'at that is usually stated this is not the purpose of Sharii'at this is the purpose of the state when a state is formed then it stops the violation of people's rights and abuse against people's lives, wealth and honor the preservation of life people do not start after reading the kalima of Islam people in the entire world whosoever it may be is preserving life he is also preserving his lineage he is also preserving reason Sharii'at is for your moral existence your body and your food and drink for its cleansing tazkiya purification and for sanctification the question is that if this is the object of Sharii'at then the rest of the elements of the state that justice should be given and people should in time and on their doorstep and as soon as possible there conflict redressal and decisions should be made this is not the purpose of Sharii'at this is the purpose of the state and the society and when something becomes the purpose of the state and the society then for it there are certain rules there are some laws as long as we do not adopt them till then we cannot provide justice on time I'm thankful to all the participants and I also thank all the students who asked such thoughtful and knowledgeable questions this also indicates that in our young generation there is an understanding and inclination towards Deen and how there is a spirit of wanting to purify our intellectual being with this prayer that all of us need this that we must do a scholarly study of Allah's Deen and have an in-depth understanding of how it relates to us aqulu qauli haza wa astaghfirullaha li wa lakum walisairil muslimin