Political Islam, “Islamism”, should mean a thorough analysis of policy to develop an approach to issues which will meet at least three requirements:
1.) Policy must adhere to the explicit commands and prohibitions of the Shari’ah
2.) Policy must adhere to fundamental Islamic principles wherever there is no explicit ruling in the Shari’ah.
3.) In all cases, policy must result in positive Islamic outcomes for society.
It seems to me that too often we only focus on the first of these three points and ignore the latter two. We presume that the first point will make the latter two automatic, but this is not the case.
An Islamic government is not merely one which imposes the Hudood (and even on the issue of Hudood, there must be adherence to the Shari’ah rules pertaining to admissibility of evidence, due process, and equality before the law; which are often neglected in states where any version of Hudood is imposed).
No, an Islamic government must be committed to achieving positive outcomes for the society; promoting fair, secure, stable conditions for the people in which they do not have to struggle to survive, and they are free to pursue their aspirations, develop their talents, and acquire and use their knowledge. Any obstacles to social cohesion must be eliminated. Exploitation and its systemic causes must be identified and remedied. Access to redress of grievances must be provided for, just as how’ Umar bin al-Khattab stipulated that his governors had to be available 24 hours a day to hear citizens concerns and complaints.
Indeed, ‘Umar imposed dozens of rules to promote equality and justice; obligating both citizens and officials with social responsibilities, and regulating private business.
These rules were not stipulated by the Shari’ah, but they manifested Islamic principles and aimed to promote Islamic social outcomes. Strictly speaking, these were “man-made” laws, but only the most ignorant, deviant person would consider them “kufr” or “shirk’, as is claimed by those who denounce human legislation as blasphemous. On the contrary, man-made laws are inevitable, the difference is that legislation of an Islamic government will be guided by the principles of the religion and seek to secure the lives, honor and wealth of the Muslims.
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