The official ceremony to mark the establishment of Adhaalath party was held recently in Male'. The party's logo, objective and its leadership were announced during this ceremony attended by the general public. Although adhaalath party calls itself a political entity, its motto is based on a verse from the Quran does not fit the description or the functioning of a party. Lets analyse this verse:

''Surely, Allah commands you to fulfill trust obligations toward those entitled to them and that when you judge between people, judge with fairness.'' [An-Nisa 3:58]

The Ulema explain that this verse specifies that all positions of authority are a trust to be given to those who are qualified for them. Further it specifies that whenever a Muslim is in a position to adjudicate a case between any two parties, he must do so with justice and fairness. So, we can see that this verse has been directed to the people in authority and has no relation to the functioning of a political party or an organisation. Furthermore, the party states that one of its objective is to establish adl ('justice'). Also, adding to the confusion is that there is no defined methodology to achieve its objectives. If an Islamic party claims it wishes to establish justice, then there should be a methodology to achieve this. Is the party going to enter the current political process in order to achieve this ? If that is the case, its methodology has deviated from the Shariah.

Coming back to the issue of the Adhaalath party's motto, we have to understand that the Shariah has entrusted responsibilities to parties, individuals and government. A political party cannot undertake the responsibilities of the government. This is because within the Ummah there are individuals, rulers and groups. Each of these categories have been entrusted by the Shari'ah set of rules which they have to adhere to. Thereafter they are advised, accounted and rectified according to the failure in carrying out that which they were entrusted with. If the reality of the entrusted things become obscure then as a consequence it will be difficult to undertake the obligation of enjoying the good and forbidding the evil. 

Within the Shari'a rules there are some which are entrusted with the Khaleefah or the Ameer and it is not allowed for anyone else to undertake them. And some are entrusted with individuals and they are undertaken by the Khaleefah if the people fail to perform undertake them. And some are entrusted with the Khaleefah and it is allowed for individuals to undertake them in certain cases. And some are entrusted with the group. 


As for what is entrusted with individuals, like prayers, fasting, pilgrimage (Hajj), Zakah and refraining from the forbidden things such as alcohol, gambling, usury, theft, murder, fornication, adultery, lying, deception/fraud and backbiting and so on and so forth. The Muslims are commanded with these rules whether they are living under the Islamic system or the kufr Islam. Whether they are living in Islamic countries or kufr countries. Here one does not look at what the Messenger (saw) and his Sahaba ( may Allah be pleased with them) did just in Makkah or just in Madinah. Thus, the shari'ah rules are required from the individuals in terms of the worships (Ibadaat), transactions (mu'amalaat), foodstuffs (mat'oomaat), clothing (malboosaat), morals (akhlaaq) and the rest of the Islamic beliefs. All of these rules are required from the individual. And every individual is responsible/answerable for the family members for whom he is a guardian (wali). If there is an individual Muslim who lives in under a kufr sytem and the authority forbids him from adhering to the individual shari'ah rules, then he is obliged to emigrate to another country whether the land is Islamic or otherwise. 

As for what is entrusted with the individuals and undertaken by the Khaleefah if individuals fail in this duty as giving individual financial maintenance if those who responsible are not able to do so. Or looking after the individual affairs if the individual are unable to undertake those duties. Such as building mosques in villages and districts if the inhabitants are not able to take up this task.

As for what is entrusted with the khaleefah or the ameer only, it is not allowed for anyone else to implement it. Such as the establishment of the penal code, or declaration of offensive jihad or concluding a treaty or compulsory laws. The undertaking of these and other matters have been restricted to the ruler by the shari'a.

As for what is entrusted with the group only, such as the work to establish the Khilafah or accounting the rulers and directing them to the truth and keeping them to it. The work of the party, group or organisation or block or any Islamic grouping falls within this sphere.

Indeed, clarifying what the shari'a has entrusted is an important matter. This is because any ignorance or negligence will make the Muslim whether as individuals or movements to become confused regarding the implementation of the shari'a. And the Muslims will lose the precise understanding and consequently the correct application. And the individual Muslim will come to neglect the obligations regarding him and will undertake the mandoobaat (recommended actions) at its expense. And the group may study the shari'ah rules relating to individuals and neglect the shari'a rules relating to its members as a group or undertake the work of the Islamic state when it is not aware of such division of responsibility set by the Shari'ah to which the Muslims must comply. And the scholar may talk to the people about certain individual obligations like prayer, zakah and fasting and abandon other rules such as the rules of selling relating to the life of the Muslims or the rules of backbiting, but fails to mention the abandonment of the collective obligations, the most important of which is the Islamic system. He appears as a pious person or someone who admonishes but not as a scholar-politician who has studies the problems of the Ummah and sets down solutions and embarks on solving them. 

What has been entrusted which each category must be adhered to. And the ma'roof(good) must be enjoined and the munkar(bad) must be forbidden . One will not be accounted for that which one was not assigned with. Thus, the Shari'ah, in terms of the application, did not entrust with one category only. Rather it established more than one category where each one would undertake what has been entrusted to it. The whole Ummah will undertake the whole shari'ah. When the Muslims undertake as individuals what is required from them, and the group or groups undertake what is required from them and the khaleefah undertakes what is required from him. Then there will be the complete application of Islam. 

Here we must draw attention to the fact the individual Muslim is obliged to believe in Islam completely and in a general manner. However, he adopts in the details that which he is bound by and what is required from him as an individual and what is required from him as a member of a group or party with which he works. And he will be accounted by Allah (swt) for any failing regarding these. He should undertake what the shari'ah requires from him as an individual. Thus, he prays, fasts, makes Hajj and looks after his parents and he abstains from fornication and usury. 

This reality must be made clear to the Muslims so that they are able to distinguish between the Muhaasabah (accounting). Thus, the individual is not accounted for that which was not required from him and the group/party is not accounted for that which was not required from them and the khaleefah (or those in authority) is not accounted for that which was not required from him. 

The Shari'a has ordered the Muslims (all of them) to undertake the obligation of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, each according to his knowledge and ability. And the shari'a has ordered the establishment of this obligation via the Muslims - as individuals, groups and rulers - and made it obligatory under all circumstances whether there is an Islamic state or not. 

More on the responsibility of the group/party/bloc

The Islamic Ummah consists of individuals, groups and the Khaleefah. Each one has been entrusted with rules specific to them.

Thus, the individual Muslim undertakes what the Shari'ah requires of him as an individual. And the group undertakes what is required from it as a group. And the Khaleefah and those in authority undertakes what he has been ordered to undertake as a Khaleefah.

Complete Islam cannot exist completely without the presence of the Islamic authority. The presence of many rules of the deen depend on it presence which makes the presence of the Islamic authority an obligation and the work to bring about a Khaleefah an obligation. And consequently this makes the group which will work to establish the Khaleefah a Shari'ah obligation. Thus, the group will undertake everything it is required to undertake to establish the Deen via the establishment of the Khilafah State. This is what is known as the work to resume the Islamic way of life. This is the comprehensive requirement of the Shari'ah.  Rather it is prohibited by the Shari'ah to undertake many rules like the applying the punishment system for example. The group does not take up the role of the Khaleefah. Rather it works to establish the Khaleefah so that he can undertake what is required of him: 'The Ameer for the people is a Sheppard and he is responsible for his flock.' [Reported by Muslim] 

This is the reality to which the the Shari'ah rules were revealed/applied. it must be clear for the group so that it can distinguish between what is required from it and what is not required. Hence what is required from the Khaleefah is not required from the group. If the group defined its reality it will be able to define dimensions/magnitude of what is required from it. And hence it will be accountable for all of these things. 

After the group has defined what is required from it. If it restricts itself to one aspect of what is requires to the exclusion of another aspect or it just concentrates on one aspect, thus it has given more attention to one aspect at the expense of anther, or it did not have priorities in its work. Then it has lost the required balance. Though we need to mention that it is the Shari'ah which decides the priority and not the mind. Thus the work of the group is political and it is established on an ideology which it wishes to implement on the Islamic Ummah. The 'Aqeedah take the number position in the Da'wah because it is the basis on which every branch is established and to which all the Shari'ah rules are related. Concentrating on the establishment of the Khilafah will have a wide scope because many rules are dependent on it ad that is why it is knows as the 'head of the Furood (obligations)'. 

Since in the specifics of the Islamic system we find system of worship, economic system, social system, and political system . So what is the groups linkage with all these systems? 

The group has been established to establish the rule of Allah. When the rule of Allah has been established then the various Islamic systems are established automatically.

Hence in the economic system there are Shariah rules relating to land, ownership and other rules relating to manufacture, domestic and foreign trade. All of these rules and other such rules the Legislator/lawgiver has entrusted them with the Khaleefah and he will assume responsibility for these and not the group.

In the political system the state is established on principles and pillars laid down by the Shari'ah. From the Khaleefah to the assistants (mu'awinmeen) to the waalis (governors), qaadis (judges), administrative system and the Ummah council (majlis al-Ummah). The Khaleefah has his mandatory powers and so do the assistants (mu'awineen), governors (waalis), and the army has is tasks and the administrative system has its area. What has the group got to do with any of these things?

It is not the duty of the group to assume responsibility of these systems. Rather the group has to establish the Khaleefah who will take up his role and implement these systems because that is his responsibility. And if the Ummah neglected the establishment of the Khaleefah and tried to undertake his tasks then it has deviated from the Shari'ah.

The group is obliged to adopt intellectually systems with which it wishes the people to be ruled when Allah grants the ummah the victory. Thus the group should set out the structure of the Islamic system and constitution of the state. It should present a general picture of the rules of Islam to the people. so that they can see the ability to solve the problems of people and move towards achieving their worship to Allah by seeking the shade of the blessing of the pure Shari'ah rules.


As for when a group is established and it does not take the rules of the Khaleefah and nor does it take the rule of the individual and it does not consider itself to be the Muslim community but a group from the Muslim community and it sets its objective as the establishment of Allah's rule and the resumption of the Islamic way of life. And then it should adopt everything it needs in the work to achieve the objective. Then it should adopt the correct understanding of the Islamic 'Aqeedah and the thoughts that relate to it.  And it should adopt the method which will lead to the achievement of the objective and should adopt the constitution with which the people would be ruled. And adopts the thoughts which clarify the fallacy of false thoughts put forward amongst Muslims and corrects the erroneous concepts. And it should demands from the individual who works with the group to realise the individual elements which will make him a good Muslim individual such as the beliefs, worships, societal transactions and morals. And it focuses its work on establishing the Islamic society whose relationships are based on Islam which will be looked after by the Khilafah state. Then it will move to monitoring the movements of the rulers, parties and their leaders so that it knows what has been planned for the Muslims and exposes these machinations to the people. 

Evidence pertaining to Political Parties

 ''And let there arise from amongst you a group, that calls to Islam (Al-Khair), enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, and they will be the successful.'' ( Al-Imran:104).

The evidential aspect pertaining the establishment of political parties is reflected in Allah's (swt) command to the Muslims to establish from amongst them a group that undertakes the da'wa to al-Khayr (the goodness) i.e. the call to Islam, the enjoining of Ma'ruf (good) and the forbidding of Munkar (evil). Hence, Allah's (swt) saying: ''Let there arise from amongst you.'' is a command to establish a group from amongst the Muslims, as the Qur'an specifies, ''From amongst you.'' Therefore, the meaning of ''Let there arise from amongst you,'' is let there be a group from among the Muslim Ummah.  

This means two things. Firstly, the establishment of a group from among the Muslims is a duty of sufficiency (Fard Kifaya) and not an individual duty (Fard Ayn). Secondly, the presence of a group from among the Muslims is sufficient to establish this duty, regardless of the number of people within this group, as long as it is capable of undertaking the actions expected of it and stipulated in the verse. Hence, the phrase ''Waltakun'' or ''Let there arise'' is an address directed at the Islamic Ummah as a whole. However, the emphasis is on the word ''Ummah'' which means 'group' in this context.

Allah (swt) orders the Muslims to establish a group that carries specific attributes. The meaning of the verse is: O Muslims establish a group that will undertake two actions: calling for goodness and enjoining what is good (al-Ma'ruf) and forbidding what is evil (al-Munkar). It is, therefore, a request to establish a group, and within this request, the function of this group is determined. While the command ''Let there arise'' is an order, a qareena (conjunction) exists indicating that the order is decisive. The action that the verse has stipulated for the group is an obligation upon the Muslims, as confirmed in other verses and several Ahadith. This serves as a qareena (conjunction) denoting that this command is decisive and binding.

The evidence (daleel) for the group being a political party has two aspects. Firstly, Allah (swt) did not order the Muslims in this verse to undertake the call to goodness and the enjoining of Ma'ruf and the forbidding of Munkar; rather He (swt) ordered the establishment of a group that undertakes these two actions. What is requested is not the undertaking of the two actions, but the establishment of a group that undertakes these actions. Hence, the emphasis in the command is on the establishment of the group and not on the two actions. The two actions are an indication of the actions of the group whose establishment is requested, thus they are characteristics that this group must possess. Furthermore, an Islamic party has to established because it is a  command of the Allah SWT ; not as a response to the Governments announcement to introduce multi party system in Maldives. The objective of the government to introduce multi party system runs counter to the objective of an Islamic party detailed in the Quran and Sunnah.

Having said this, it is not reasonable to assume that the all of the Muslim countries are suitable to be the starting point for re-establishing the khilafah. With this in mind, a political party in Maldives should restrict its call for the khilafah to an intellectual struggle and present Islamic ideology as the alternative to decadent and corrupt status quo. It should not engage in a political struggle and start making vacuous promises to the people. This is a complex subject; we will discuss this issue in detail in the future .

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