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Wednesday 14 January 2015

Enforcement of Islam vs Propagation of Islam, and Western Muslim Minorities (1)




Muslims are supposed to live their lives either for enforcement of Islam or propagation of Islam. There is difference between enforcement of Islam and propagation of Islam. Enforcement of Islam means establishment of Islamic system; it is a phenomenon in which conversion of non-Muslims to Islam is not the objective but all non-Islamic systems are subordinated to Islamic system and are allowed to run under supremacy of Islam- in case of contradiction Islam prevails. In other words, more rightly, in case of enforcement of Islam, non-Islamic system is eliminated as a system to the extent it is contradictory to the Islamic system, but may continue as a religion only. Propagation of Islam focuses on conversion of non-Muslims to Islamic faith. Force may be used for enforcement of Islam; but force is certainly prohibited to be used for propagation of Islam. In countries where Muslims are in minority and cannot enforce Islamic system, such minority Muslims are left with the option of only propagation of Islam, and in propagation of Islam, use of force is prohibited. The Muslim minorities living in western countries need to live their lives for propagation of Islam and to avoid use of force.

We have already seen in the article “Qattal and its Imperatives” that there are two types of 'Quranic' verses relating to "qattal" in terms of type of direction; first are those in which direction is in the form of "order"(e.g. al-taubah-29); second are those in which direction is in the form of "permission"(e.g. Surah Al-Hajj-39-41). The first type of verses in which ‘order for qattal’ has been given are relating to enforcement/domination of Islam over the other systems/religions. The second type of verses in which ‘permission for qattal’ has been given are relating to self-defense;   relating to Muslims who are subjected to injustice and suppression; relating to Muslims who are not ruling nation but want to establish Islamic system over themselves (all three conditions/situations may be inferred from Surah Al-Hajj-39-41). In this second type of verses, Muslims are not ordered but only permitted to undertake "Qattal"; the word "uzen" used in verse al-hajj-39 means "permission". The word ‘permission’ in second type of verses implies that in such cases Muslims are not under obligation to wage ‘qattal’ however they may resort to qattal if they have required capability to undertake ‘qattal’.
It may also be appreciated that all three conditions/situations mentioned in al-hajj 39-41, in which qattal has not been ordered but has been permitted pertain to non-ruling Muslims; it implies that order for ‘qattal’, which has been given for enforcement/ domination of Islam, pertains to ruling Muslim nations.
From the foregoing, it becomes clear that it is the duty of Muslim ruling nations to take steps for enforcement/ domination of Islam; minority Muslims which are non-ruling nations and living in western societies are not under obligation to wage ‘qattal’ for enforcement of Islam against the non-Muslim societies they are living in. However such Muslim minorities may wage ‘qattal’, if they have capability to wage ‘qattal’,  for any one of three objectives mentioned in al-hajj 39-41 (these objectives are: self-defense;   if Muslims are subjected to injustice and suppression; if Muslims are not ruling nation but want to establish Islamic system over themselves). As it is obvious the Muslim minorities living in western societies are not capable to wage ‘qattal’ against the non-Muslim societies they are living in, for any of the objectives mentioned above, such minorities are not under obligation to use force against the western societies they are living in. 

The Muslim western minorities are left with the option of only propagation of Islam. As mentioned earlier, phenomenon of propagation of Islam pertains to conversion of non-Muslims to Islamic faith and because “there is no compulsion (in acceptance) of the religion (al-baqra-256), propagation of Islam does not involve use of force; rather use of force is prohibited in this phenomenon.

However, in the light of the foregoing, the case of western Muslim minorities should not be mixed with case of such Muslim nations/ regions which were once free from non-Muslim occupation but now are under occupation of non-Muslim nations. Such subjugated Muslim nations are all the time under obligation to get freedom from non-Muslim occupation/rule. Because such subjugated Muslim nations were once independent/ruling nations and as a ruling Muslim nations they were under obligation to enforce Islam over all other systems- if required by using force- therefore that status of such subjugated Muslim nations is not changed on the basis of the reason that they have been subjugated by non-Muslims. Therefore such subjugated non-Muslim nations are all the time under obligation firstly to get freedom from the non-Muslim occupation, and thereafter take steps to enforce Islam over all other systems. The Muslim minorities living in the regions/states in which they have never been a ruling nations are  not all the time under obligation to wage qattal; they may wage qattal only if one of the three conditions mentioned above exists. But such Muslim nations which are living in the regions/states in which they have once been ruling nations are all the time under obligation to get freedom from the foreign occupation, if required by using force (provided they have capability) and enforce Islam over other systems/religions. 
We may conclude that the Muslim minorities living in the western European societies should not use force against the societies they are living in; such Muslim minorities should focus on propagation of Islam through peaceful means, through strength of their character and social conduct which should be Islamic in color and spirit. The Muslim nations like Kashmir, Palestine, Afghanistan and other such nations which were once ruling nations but now are under foreign occupation, all are under obligation to get freedom from foreign occupation, if required by using force (continued).


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