Sharia Law to Be the Pledge of This Eid-e-Miladunnabi (PBUH)

Dr. Muhammad Isa Shahedi

The Muslim Ummah is in agreement that obeying Allah (SWT) requires following the Messenger of Allah (SWT), Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This is known as following the Sunnah, which includes the Prophet’s (PBUH) words, actions and approvals. The life of the Prophet (PBUH) can broadly be divided into the Makkan and Madani periods. After receiving prophethood at the age of 40, he faced persecution in Makkah for 13 years. After migrating to Madinah, he spent the next 10 years establishing an Islamic society and state system.

The Prophet (PBUH) instructed Muslims to follow his Sunnah and that of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. The first four caliphs were Abu Bakr Siddique (RA), Umar Farooq (RA), Usman Ghani (RA) and Ali Haider (RA). Their 30-year rule, according to the article, provides an example of Islamic governance based on the Prophet’s (PBUH) teachings. The Rightly Guided Caliphs faced wars, conflicts and crises, but they remained committed to what the author describes as the path of Islam, truth and justice. Their conduct, rather than the absence of conflict, is presented as the reason they are regarded as a standard of truth.

It is said that hardship and suffering are part of life and that Muslims should remain committed to their faith in both success and defeat. Prophets, messengers and righteous people also faced severe trials despite remaining steadfast in the path of Allah. Addressing those who argue that Muslims are still living in a situation similar to the Makkan period and therefore cannot discuss an Islamic state or Sharia law, I would ask: how can this argument be applied after the Prophet’s complete journey from Makkah to Madinah and the subsequent period of the Rightly Guided Caliphate? Let us note that Islam was declared complete during the Prophet’s (PBUH) Farewell Hajj after the 10-year Madani period.

I also question how a Muslim can reject Sharia law after receiving the teachings of the Quran and Hadith and the historical experience of Islamic governance. Political leaders who promise not to introduce Sharia law after coming to power risk giving the public the impression that Sharia law and the establishment of an Islamic state are unrealistic ideas.

In my view, the first requirement for establishing Sharia law or an Islamic state is to build public support and remove confusion about what Sharia means. A clear and comprehensive outline of the Islamic state system should be presented to the public. We identify Hudud as a major component of Sharia law and discusses punishments prescribed in Islamic sources for certain crimes. Such punishments require strict conditions and a functioning judicial and state system. Implementing them cannot be separated from the responsibility of the government and its judicial institutions. The obligation to establish Sharia law should not simply be dismissed because implementation is difficult. Just as prayer, fasting, Hajj and Zakat are considered obligatory acts based on the Quran and Hadith, the establishment of Sharia is another responsibility of Muslims.

Historically, Sharia-based judicial systems continued in different forms after the Rashudin Caliphate, including during the Umayyad (RA), Abbasid (RA) , Fatimid (RA) and Ottoman (RA) periods. It also notes that Muslim-ruled India had a judicial system based on Sharia before British rule, with the legal framework later compiled as Fatawa-e-Alamgiri under the initiative of Emperor Alamgir.

I conclude by calling on Muslims to move away from dependence on foreign support and political inactivity, study what he describes as the positive aspects of Sharia law, and build public support for its implementation. “Let this be the pledge of this Eid-e-Miladunnabi (PBUH).”

Author: Amir, Islamic Unity Movement