After studying Islam by referring to its original sources—the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (the Hadith)—one can say with certainty that the political interpretation of Islam is an innovation and the real Islam, as followed by Prophet Muhammad and his early followers, is based upon peace, compassion and tolerance.
Today I want to say a few words on the political interpretation of Islam. The political interpretation of Islam is not simple, it is very disastrous. All the violence seen in the present world among Muslims is directly the result of this interpretation. Why is this so? The political interpretation aims at trying to bring about a change in the political system. When we try to do this, we have to confront those people who have occupied the political seat. Thus, by its very nature this interpretation has a connotation of violence. You can understand this by a comparison. For example, if you try to give a spiritual interpretation of Islam, then what will happen? Those who are influenced by you will bring about change in their spiritual life, that is, in their heart, thinking, habits, inner self, and personality. So, the place of application of the spiritual interpretation is different. The place of application or implementation of the political interpretation is different and that of the spiritual interpretation is different. If you give a spiritual interpretation of Islam, the place of application is an individual, his mind, his heart or soul. This interpretation will not create any problem for others. You will silently try to change yourself through meditation, contemplation, thinking, and so on. All these processes will go on in your own personality.
Political Interpretation leads to Violence
But, when you give a political interpretation of Islam, the situation is quite different. It means that you will try implementing the political interpretation on the system. And the system is not vacant, it has some occupants. So, from the very beginning you will try to overthrow the occupants. These occupants have political power, they have the power to do violence, they possess an army, etc. So, naturally they will try to crush you and to fight you. They are not going to silently vacate their seat, they will try to retaliate and defend themselves, and try to eliminate you. Thus, the political interpretation is bound to create violence and fighting. It is bound to divide the society into two warring groups. This is not the end of the problem. Why? Because, it is the nature of human being that he never accepts defeat. For example, if you are obsessed with the political interpretation, you will try to establish Islam in the system and if you successfully unseat the current ruler and defeat those who are in power, then what will happen? Those people who have been unseated will not accept defeat, they will take revenge. Previously, they were fighting for defence, now they will fight for revenge. So, the political interpretation by its very nature, by its result, starts a chain of war and fighting, which have no end. The political interpretation, therefore, is quite different from the spiritual interpretation.
The political interpretation has no base in the Quran and Hadith. I can say with conviction that the political interpretation is bidat or muzahat. It is not possible to prove it through the Quranic verses and Hadith. If you know that you have no solid proof in favour of your interpretation, but you still insist that you will implement Islam as political system, then it will inculcate a very dangerous trend. It means that you have opted for an arrogant psychology, a psychology which insists on its stand even if it doesn’t have base in the Quran or Hadith.
Goal of Islam: Marifah and Dawah
There is another dangerous aspect to this interpretation. When you are influenced with the political interpretation, you are bound to inculcate hate for others. Because politics always divides people into two camps: the ruler and the ruled. In other words, there are two parties: the occupants of political power and those who try to remove the occupation. These are two warring groups. So, the political interpretation inculcates hate, violence, intolerance, the concept of ‘we and they’. This way of thinking destroys the whole fabric of Islam. Why? Because, there are two main targets of Islam: first is marifah and second is dawah. Marifah means realization of God and dawah is conveying the message of God to all people. Burt, when you are influenced by the political interpretation, you are living in hatred for others. A person who is obsessed with hate and intolerance cannot proceed towards the goal of marifah, because marifah requires positive thinking. Marifah means inculcating positive thoughts such as love for God, fear of God, making Hereafter your sole concern, etc. Without positive thinking, you cannot reach this goal. The political interpretation deprives you from marifah.
With this psychology of political interpretation, you cannot do dawah. Dawah is very important, and when you are obsessed with the political interpretation, you take others as enemies and so you cannot do dawah work with them. According to the Quran, the most important condition for dawah is nush, or well-wishing. You have to develop the friendly culture, or insaan-friendly culture heart. Only then can you do dawah work, otherwise not.
It means that the political interpretation snatches from you all kind of qualities required by Islam, for example, well-wishing for all mankind, realization of God, dawah work, intellectual development, spiritual development, etc. If you are obsessed with the political interpretation you cannot develop this spirit in your personality.
Satanic Beautification
Political interpretation is the most disastrous thing. First of all, it is an innovation. It creates violence and unending hate. Then, it deprives your from marifah and dawah work. You become just like other secular politicians. How is the personality of politicians? It is well-known that politicians live in hate and violence. They want to establish their power by unseating others. So, the political interpretation of Islam has imported this political culture from the secular people. Political people are exploiters, selfish and violent. The political interpretation has imported all these habits from others. From my experience, I can say that there is no good in the political interpretation, but you can find all evils in it. It is the worst kind of tazeen. In the Quran, you can find some verses that say that the method through which Satan leads people astray is tazeen (6:43), that is, beautifying the evils. This is the method of Satan, which beautifies evils and then you adopt the beautified evil without any hesitation.
People who believe in the political interpretation say that Islam is a mukammal nizam, that is, it includes political, economic, and legal system. Apparently, it is a very good idea, however, it is a satanic beautification. Why? Because, Islam tries to promote love, well-wishing, godliness, and other positive values. But the political concept jeopardizes everything. According to this concept, political system is part of your complete Islam and when you try to opt for the political Islam, or establish it, then you have to fight with the existing rulers or occupants. This fighting continues endlessly. Because, in both cases of winning or losing the battle, there is no end to violence. War, violence and hate are integral part of the political interpretation of Islam. It deprives you of all kind of good, but it gives you nothing. That is why it is the worst kind of satanic tazeen. If you want to see its result, you can see the Muslim countries where there is hate and violence. If in some Muslim countries there is no violence, then there is dictatorship, which uses power to crush the dissidents. There are two categories of Muslim countries: first, in some countries there is dictatorship. Under this, they put behind bars all those who believe in the political interpretation. Second, in those Muslims countries where there is freedom, there is violence. All this is the direct result of the political interpretation.
Islam: A Spiritual Ideology
Islam means marifah. Marifah means to discover God Almighty, to make God your sole concern, to develop akhirat-oriented thinking in your mind, to make Paradise your sole concern, and to adopt spiritual values. Islam is a spiritual religion. The way of Islam is tazkia, that is, self-purification, so that you may be able to find entry into Paradise. But when you are influenced with the political interpretation, you try to change the system, which in turn results into fighting.
Political interpretation is the greatest fitna of the age. It is muzahat, or imitation. In the 20th century, there were certain secular ideologies that were based on social, or political or economic system. So some Muslims, by way of imitation, presented the concept of the political interpretation of Islam. They saw the social, political or democratic system of others, and said that Islam is also a system. But the target of Islam is individual, not system. The Islamic concept is to bring about change in the individual. The political interpretation has changed this target. It is the worst kind of satanic beautification.
