Anyone who is familiar with organisational affairs knows that the lesser the burden on a person and the smaller the area under his control the better is his performance. This is the reason that the organisers, by they of a state or of a business, divide the work in units according to the work or the area or the number of people and an in charge or an administrator is appointed to manage this unit. Whenever the working of a group of people is organised, this is normally the course of action taken. The reason is that no administrator or in charge has unlimited abilities to mange an organisation single handedly. Even the Prophets had to deal with their nations and states according to this principle. In the Torah, it is written:
Moses’ father-in-law replied: What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to Him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy, men who hate dishonest gain and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.
Right in accordance with this principle, countries and states are divided into administrative units and each unit has an administrator. It is obvious that an Islamic State is no different in this regard. However, there are a few distinctions in an Islamic State that must be kept in mind:
1. The first thing is that the centre of every administrative unit should be its Jami‘ Masjid (Congregational Mosque). The Jami‘ Masjid is the religious and political community centre of the Muslims. Just as the prayer has been accorded the fundamental position among all forms of worship, the mosque also has a very important role in our political and collective living.
2. Keeping in view the primary position held by the Jami‘ Masjid, the various organising departments like the police should also be adjacent to it. It is obvious that unless all these offices and the courts are connected with the Jami‘ Masjid, it will remain deprived of the important position which it has in an Islamic State. Moreover, by the establishment of offices and courts in these small administrative units it will be possible to put an end to bribery and dishonesty. It will also be possible to provide swift and speedy justice to the masses.
3. In the capital of the state and in every provincial capital a central Jami‘ Masjid should be established. On the provincial level the provincial centres of the administrative offices and courts should bee set up. The Supreme Court should be set up with the central Jami‘ Masjid of the federal capital.
4. The Friday Sermon should be delivered by the head of state in the central Jami‘ Masjid of the state capital and he should lead the Friday prayer. In the Provincial Capitals, this duty should be carried out by the provincial governors and in the Jami‘ Masaajid of the administrative units by their administrators.
The Friday Sermon and leading of the Friday prayer by the State officials is in compliance with the obligation of ‘calling towards what is good’ imposed on an Islamic state by the Qur’ān.
We have already made it clear that in an Islamic State salat and zakah hold the status of public law and a person who does not say his prayer and does not give zakah to the public exchequer will that an effort to organise salat at the state level should be undertaken. Keeping this in mind, the Prophet (sws) made it a Sunnah that in ordinary circumstances the rulers and their representatives should lead the prayer and especially on Fridays. It has been made their duty that they must deliver the sermon and lead the Friday prayer. In this regard, another thing should be give consideration that by leading prayer and giving the Sermon on Friday s the leaders are able to establish a weekly contact with the citizens of the Islamic State. This can slowly help to eliminate the distance this era has created between the rulers and the ruled.
5. Apart from these Jami‘ Masaajid, the Friday prayer should not be held in any other mosque. Therefore, it is necessary that these mosques be large enough to accommodate all the people residing in the locality.
6. An important aspect in an Islamic State’s effort to establish regular prayers is that all the mosques should be organised by it and this should be the responsibility and right of the government alone. This means that the appointment of the people commissioned there should be done by the state. No person or group should be given the permission to build his or their own mosque. It is obvious that one very essential reason for this injunction is that when any one person undertakes the building and organisation of a mosque, he is, in fact, creating a fortress of sectarianism instead of Allah’s house.
7. Imposing the responsibility of organisation and management of the mosques on the government means that no sect or school of thought should have its own mosque. Instead, every mosque in the state should have the same school of thought, which in other words is the one based on that interpretation of religion done at the state level. This does not mean that the scholars of the different schools of thought are not given the freedom to voice and impress upon the people their own point of view. On the contrary, every scholar should be given the right to get time in any mosque in which he can explain his point of and educate the people about it. However, the right to sit on the mosque’s pulpit or say anything on behalf of the mosque should be held by only those who have been authorised by the state.
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi in his article Pas Chai Baayed Kard writes:
In this regard, the Sunnah set by the Prophet (sws) is that the Friday address should be delivered by the head of state and his administrators and only they should lead the Friday prayer. However, in case of any legitimate plea on their part, some other person can address and lead the Friday prayer as their authorised representative.
The implications of this Sunnah are very clear: In Islam, mosques are meant to be the fountainhead of authority. Also, there is a complete negation of theocracy. A person whom the Muslims choose as their leader leads them in worship also, eliminating once and for all the division between state and religion.
After the Prophet (sws), his Companions solemnly adhered to this Sunnah in the Caliphate they established. However, in later times, when, owing to their own ill-ways, the Muslim rulers could not stand face to face with the publics, they themselves handed over the mosques to the ulema. This was the most tragic incident in our history. This result was that religion lost its grace and the state its grandeur. A further consequence of this was that the most ill-suited and corrupt lot of people assumed the country’s helm of affairs. The whole set up does not leave the slightest chance for the able and morally sound to rule and govern the country.
The menace of sectarianism has turned the mosques into citadels which are in a perpetual state of war with one another. This has further led to the creation of professional Maulvis who are an utter disgrace to knowledge and learning. Differences of opinion are very graciously greeted’ by them with fire and fury. Intellectual endeavours and advancements are the cherished targets of their ‘highly encouraging’ jeers. Every mosque is a stronghold of sectarianism, which is taught, encouraged and patronised in place of the Qur’ān and Sunnah. It is impossible for any scholar to use a mosque to spread and communicate the message of Islam – an obligation the Almighty has imposed on him according to his abilities. (Pg 30)
These evils in the set up of the mosques of our country are evident to every keen eye. In our opinion, their only remedy is to revive the aforementioned Sunnah of the Prophet (sws)
(Adaped from Moiz Amjad’s commentary on Ghamidi’s ‘Manshūr’)