Kalim Siddiqi

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Obituary:

Dr Kalim Siddiqui, 1931-1996(Courtesy: Q-News International, April 19--May 9, 1996.)

Although he was best known in Britain for his stand against Rushdie, and as the founderand Leader of the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, Dr Kalim Siddiquis in!ol!ementin British Muslim "ommunit# affairs was a new dire"tion for him in the later #ears of hislife$ %is lifes main work was as an intelle"tual and !isionar# of the global &slami"mo!ement$ &t is signifi"ant that he was in South Afri"a for a "onferen"e on 'reating a(ew 'i!ilisation of &slam when he died$ At the "onferen"e, he had s)oken on e!er# da#of the three*da# "onferen"e, and seen the first )rint run of his final book, ta!es o"Isla#i$ %e&olution, sold out in less than two da#s$

Dr Kalim "olla)sed and died at the Pretoria home of &smail Kalla, an old friend andfounder*member of the Muslim &nstitute, on the e!ening of +hursda# A)ril - .Dhu al*

%i//ah , 01A%2, shortl# before he was due to lea!e for the air)ort to return to London$%e had been resting in the afternoon, and then got u) to make wu'uand get read# fortra!elling$ Shortl# after 1)m, the #a!rib a'an sounded$ %e and his wife left the anne3the# were sta#ing in to walk to the main house for a#a*at$ &n the )assage between thebuildings, he suddenl# felt gidd#, "olla)sed into his wifes arms, and slid to the ground$

&smail Kalla ran immediatel# to tr# and re!i!e him but Dr Kalims e#es were alread#dilated and when the do"tors and )aramedi"s "ame, the# "ould do nothing$ Death wasinstantaneous, e!en as the a'anwas still sounding$

(earl# 4555 )eo)le attendedana+a)ra#ers for Dr Kalim in Pretoria the ne3t da# before

the bod# was flown to London$ %e was buried in Slough 'emeter# on Sunda# A)ril 4after massana+a)ra#ers at the Stoke Poges 'ountr# 'lub$ Messages of "ondolen"e from&mam Ali %ussaini Khamenei, Leader of the &slami" Re)ubli" of &ran, Dr %asan +urabi,of Sudan, and the %i6bullah of Lebanon were among those read out$ +ributes were )aidb# a wide range of Muslim )ersonalities, in"luding Dr Muhammad al*Masaari, 7usuf&slam, 8mar Bakri Muhammad, 9uad %ussain, and Q-Newseditor 9uad (ahdi$

Most of Dr Kalim Siddiquis work for the &slami" mo!ement was done through theMuslim &nstitute for Resear"h and Planning, whi"h he and other like*minded #oungMuslims had established in :;4$ Dis"ussing the )light of the Muslim world, these #oungMuslims "on"luded that Muslim so"ieties "ould onl# )h#si"all# and )oliti"all# liberate

themsel!es from western "ontrol after an intelle"tual re!olution b# whi"h Muslim freedthemsel!es of the sha"kles of western*im)osed s#stems of thought$ +he ob/e"t of theMuslim &nstitute, as defined in its ra"t rospe$tus, was to la# the foundation for thisintelle"tual re!olution$ &n this do"ument, Dr Kalim )redi"ted that the intelle"tual work ofthe &nstitute might bear fruit in terms of "on"rete )oliti"al "hange some de"ades in thefuture$


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+hroughout the :;5s, Dr Kalim tra!elled the world, with friends su"h as Dr MuhammadGha#asuddin, who /oined the &nstitute in :;-, and &smail Kalla of South Afri"a, whomhe met in +ri)oli in :;ni!ersit# or %ar!ard, when he first saw him on tele!ision$ Dr Kalim was sho"ked b# the"ool re"e)tion the &slami" Re!olution re"ei!ed among Muslim rulers, )oliti"ians andintelle"tuals in other )arts of the world, and immediatel# offered the new &slami" statee!er# su))ort he )ossibl# "ould$

8!ernight, the Muslim &nstitute "hanged from being an a"ademi" and intelle"tual bod# toa )oliti"all# a"ti!e one$ 'entral to the &nstitutes work was the Cres$ent Internationalnews)a)er, a "ommunit# )a)er in +oronto, 'anada, run b# Lateef 8waisi and ?afarBangash, founder*members of the Muslim &nstitute$ +his was transformed into aninternational newsmaga6ine for the emerging global &slami" mo!ement and be"ame themain !ehi"le through whi"h the &nstitutes ideas were s)read$

During the eighties, as the global &slami" mo!ement en/o#ed the boost gi!en to it b# the!i"tor# of &slam in &ran, Dr Kalim be"ame the leading inter)reter and anal#st of the)henomenon of the &slami" Re!olution, both )resenting it to the rest of the world and

hel)ing &rans leaders to understand the histori" )ro"ess of whi"h the# were a )art$ &n theearl# :-5s, the Muslim &nstitute hosted a series of im)ortant international seminars and"onferen"es in London at whi"h leaders and members of the &slami" mo!ement from all)arts of the world "ame together to "onsider and understand the new histori"al situation"reated b# the &slami" Re!olution of &ran$ Leaders of the &slami" mo!ement who attendedthese "onferen"es in"luded Shaikh 9adhlullah of Lebanon, Shaikh 8mar Abdel Rahmanof @g#)t, and Maalam &brahim ?ak6ak# of (igeria$

%is )a)er on ro$esses o" 0rror, e&iation, Corre$tion an' Con&er!en$e in Musli#oliti$al ou!t .:-:2 was the "lima3 of his intelle"tual work, summarising hisunderstanding of Muslim histor#$ +his and other works )ublished b# him during theeighties ha!e be"ome essential reading for understanding the &slami" mo!ement,translated into numerous languages of the Muslim world$ &t is a sign of their im)ortan"ethat their Arabi" translations are taught at s"hools and "olleges run b# the %i6bullah inLebanon$

+hroughout this )eriod, Dr Kalims work was a"ademi" and intelle"tual$ %is in!ol!ementin British "ommunit# affairs was minimal e3"e)t for lo"al affairs in Slough$ +his "hangedwith the Satani" erses affair, and in Britain he is now better known as a "ommunit#

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leader than a )oliti"al thinker$ Although he had alwa#s insisted that the "i!ilisations of&slam and the west were bound to "lash, the British rea"tion to Muslim "on"erns o!erRushdies book alerted him to the )roblems being fa"ed b# the "ommunit# here, and hethrew himself into lo"al affairs with all the !er!e and "ommitment he showed the &slami"mo!ement$ +he Muslim Parliament, established in ::4 as a minorit# )oliti"al s#stem of

&slam in Britain, is still in its earl# #ears, as he re)eatedl# a"knowledged$ %e alwa#swarned against e3)e"ting too mu"h too soon, sa#ing that unrealisti" e3)e"tations led tounwarranted disa))ointment$

Dr Kalim Siddiqui was born in Sultan)ur, >P, British &ndia, on Se)tember , :ni!erisit# 'ollege, London, where he got a BS".@"on2 in&nternational Relations, and then went on to "om)lete a PhD in :;4$ &n :;4, heestablished the Muslim &nstitute for Resear"h and Planning and also /oined the tea"hingstaff of the >ni!ersit# of Southern 'alifornia, working on its @uro)ean )rogramme$

%e left a"ademia and /oined the Muslim &nstitute full*time after his first heart*atta"k in:;0, after whi"h do"tors ad!ised him to retire on a full disabilit# )ension$ %e had threemore heart atta"ks before his final one, and two b#*)ass o)erations in :- and last #ear$%e deliberatel# )ost)oned his se"ond o)eration until Cune last #ear in order to finish hislast book, ta!es o" Isla#i$ %e&olution, for he did not e3)e"t to sur!i!e the surger#$ &nthe e!ent, he had /ust nine more months to li!e$


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Obituary:Dr Kalim Siddiqui -- an intellectual and

an activist(Courtesy: Cres$ent International, April 16-78, 1996.)

ell*known for his unreser!ed su))ort for the &slami" Re!olution in &ran, and its "hiefe3)onent to the outside world, Dr$ Kalim Siddiqui, the late founder*leader of the MuslimParliament in Britain, belie!ed that the Muslim world needed a series of re!olutions$ %islast book, ta!es o" Isla#i$ %e&olution, whi"h in his own words has the Efla!our of hislast testamentE, was laun"hed onl# two weeks ago during the Cres$ent International"onferen"e in South Afri"a$

A leading e3)onent of the global &slami" mo!ement, his strong defen"e of &mamKhomeinis "atwa against Salman Rushdie endeared him to the Muslim massesthroughout the world$

8ne of his most im)ortant arti"les of faith was that ia' -- whi"h "an mean an#thingfrom hol# war to hol# struggle ** is still a basi" requirement of &slam$ Another is that&slam requires an &slami" theo"ra"# in order to flourish$ EAt the root of all our )roblems,Ehe said in a re"ent s)ee"h, Eis the fa"t that Muslims ha!e little e3)erien"e of li!ing as aminorit# in a "ountr# where we e3er"ise !irtuall# no )oliti"al )ower$E

A third a3iom is that the )oliti"al and moral )roblems of toda# "annot be di!or"ed from

histor#$ +he "olonies ma# ha!e gone, but most &slami" "ountries are still ruled b#westernised elites who allow their )eo)le to be e3)loited b# the west in return for su))ortfor their unre)resentati!e regimes$ +he onl# &slami" "ountr# ruled b# and for its )eo)le **not for the west ** is &ran$

E+he )resent "ro) of regimes in &slami" "ountries, from Moro""o to &ndonesia, isuna""e)table,E he said$ E+he# ha!e to be o!erthrown$ &slami" re!olutions are needed allo!er the Muslim world$ Muslims ha!e an o!erriding dut# to o!erthrow thosego!ernments whi"h "urrentl# rule Muslim "ountries$E

Dr Siddiquis first brush with the authorities "ame in :04, when, as an *#ear*old

s"hoolbo#, he was shot at b# a British soldier during nationalist agitations in A6amgarhin north*east &ndia$ +he bullet killed the bo# behind him$ Most of his teens were s)ent inthe !er# un)leasant atmos)here of the #ears leading u) to )artition, and he fled toPakistan at the earliest o))ortunit#, aged ;$ %e s)ent si3 dissatisfied #ears in Pakistanbefore arri!ing in Britain in :0 with )lans to be"ome a /ournalist$

9or the ne3t 5 #ears he worked as a re)orter on !arious lo"al )a)ers$ +hen, from :10until :;4, he was a sub*editor at e uar'ian,London$ %e also married, in :15, and,

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at around the same time, began to address what he )er"ei!ed to be ga)s in his edu"ation$%e s)ent most of the Si3ties as a )art*time student, doing his /ournalism b# night andstud#ing b# da#, starting with 8*le!els and "ulminating in a PhD from >ni!ersit#'ollege, London$ %e also wrote a book, about Pakistan, whi"h was banned in that"ountr#$ And he be"ame )rominent among Britains earliest &slami" a"ti!ists$ Sue6 saw

him demonstrating in %#de Park= the Algerian war saw him dri!ing friends to Paris todemonstrate in the 'ham)s*@l#sees$

&n :;4 he abandoned /ournalism and with some friends founded the Muslim &nstitute, inBloomsbur#, funded b# subs"ri)tions from members and donations from Muslims aroundthe world$ Ee started from the idea that Muslim )oliti"al thought needed to be rewritten$e felt that western )oliti"al thought had )enetrated &slami" )oliti"al thought and that weneeded an institute to disengage from the west at the intelle"tual le!el$E %e himselfbe"ame dire"tor of the Muslim &nstitute$

+he &ranian re!olution in :;: was a turning*)oint, establishing for the first time in Dr

Siddiquis lifetime the sort of &slami" state that his theories ad!o"ated$ %e be"ame aregular !isitor to &ran and was a friend of &mam Khomeini$ Both men )romoted a newl#self*"onfident !ersion of &slam, "ontem)tuous of e!er#thing western$ %is ideas earnedhim res)e"t among &slami" a"ti!ists around the world * in"luding South Afri"a, Sudanand Mala#sia where he last !isited in A)ril ::0$

%is affe"tion for &mam Khomeini was )al)able in his !oi"e whene!er he had o""asion tos)eak about the &mam$ %e saw &mam Khomeini as a role model$ Dr Siddiqui used tos)eak warml# of his hero$ E+he &mam was a !er# great man$ & think his greatness was notin the sense that )eo)le like 'hur"hill or %itler were great$ %e was a sim)le man$ %esim)l# belie!ed in "ertain basi" !alues and rallied )eo)le to them$ %e li!ed a sim)le life$

%e sle)t on the floor, his food was sim)le$ %e took nothing for himself$ %e was ane3am)le to men$E

Some British Muslims )refer not to be asso"iated with Dr Siddiquis Muslim manifestoestablishing the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, questioned his right to do so and"riti"ised him$ Dr Siddiqui was equall# keen not to be asso"iated with them$ E+hese so*"alled moderates who are alwa#s being wheeled out to "riti"ise me are not Muslims atall,E he said$ 7et in the manifesto he "alls for all Muslims to unite in mutual self*defen"e$+he# are urged, for e3am)le, Eto de!elo) the Muslim "ommunit# as an island of )ea"e,harmon# and moral e3"ellen"eE and to a"hie!e Ethe greatest )ossible degree of tawaE.moral e3"ellen"e a""e)table to Allah2$ +here are also worth# )ro)osals to take )ra"ti"alste)s to strengthen Britains network of mosques and )rote"t Muslim interests in )ubli"life$

+he manifestos starting )oint is that Ein Britain toda#, Muslims are being asked to a""e)tsubser!ien"e and the total disintegration of their identit#, "ulture and religion, as the onl#real o)tions o)en to them$E &ts finishing )oint, to quote from the s)ee"h with whi"h DrSiddiqui laun"hed it, is that Einside 5 #ears we "an )a"k a greater )un"h than the Cews$E


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%ow mu"h influen"e his !ision will ha!e on Britains Muslim "ommunit# remains to beseen$ &t is )ossible that its effe"ts will be quite far*rea"hing$ But it is also interestingbe"ause of the wa# it resembles Dr Siddiqui himselfF intelligent, eloquent, )er"e)ti!e and"i!ilised$

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A life in the Islamic movement

Dr Kalim Siddiqui 1931--1996

is e5ten'e' bio!rapy o" r 2ali# i''iui is 'i&i'e' into "i&e se$tions. It is base' onte $o##e#orati&e boo4let publise' by te Musli# Institute an' te Musli# arlia#ent

o" reat /ritain on te o$$asion o" teir *2ali# i''iui Me#orial Con"eren$e* inon'on in No&e#ber 1996. It as been e'ite' an' up'ate' "or te ICI website by Ibal

i''iui, wo also wrote te ori!inal boo4let.

Contents of Biora!h"

$ #roloue$ Dr Kalim Siddiqui %efore the esta%lishment of the &uslimInstitute

4$ 'he &uslim Institute$ settin out to chane the (orldo e establis#ent an' early years o" te Musli# Institute

o e i#pa$t o" te Isla#i$ %e&olution in Iran


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%e mo!ed to Kara"hi in :0-, a few months after the )artition of British &ndia and theestablishment of Pakistan$ +here his )oliti"al maturit# grew and he reali6ed that the newState was little more &slami" than British &ndia had been$ As a student, he was a"ti!e in aKhilafat Grou) dedi"ated to establishing 4ila"ain Pakistan, and founded and edited a)o)ular )oliti"al news)a)er e In'epen'ent ea'er.

%e "ame to Britain in :0 to stud# /ournalism$ 8ther members of the Khilafat Grou)also "ame to London at about the same time$ +he idea was to learn skills whi"h the#"ould )ut to use for the mo!ement ba"k in Pakistan$ But in London the grou) broke u) asdifferen"es emerged between them and some members be"ame more interested inde!elo)ing their "areers$

+he #oung Kalim meanwhile was )ro!ing a natural at /ournalism$ Starting at the2ensin!ton Newsin west London, he graduall# worked his wa# u) the /ournalisti" ladderthrough a series of lo"al and )ro!in"ial news)a)ers$ &n :10, shortl# after mo!ing toSlough, where he li!ed for the rest of his life, he /oined the uar'ianas a sub*editor$

At the same time, he de"ided to build u)on the limited edu"ation he had re"ei!ed in &ndiaand Kara"hi$ %e did 8*le!els and A*le!els at e!ening s"hool before going on to stud#&nternational Relations at >ni!ersit# 'ollege, London, and then "om)leting a PhD in:;4$ +hroughout his student "areer, he also "ontinued to work full*time to su))orthimself and his famil#$

+hroughout this )eriod, howe!er, he also remained in!ol!ed in both &slami" affairsgenerall# and Pakistani affairs in )arti"ular, and the thinking whi"h was to form the basisof his future work was de!elo)ed$

During the late si3ties, he returned to Pakistan, where he worked as a foreign"orres)ondent for the uar'ian and did fieldwork for his do"torate, whi"h was later)ublished as un$tions o" International Con"li$t -- a so$io-e$ono#i$ stu'y o" a4istan$Shortl# afterwards, the @ast Pakistan war began and Bangladesh was "reated$ &t wasduring this )eriod that he wrote his book Con"li$t, Crisis an' 3ar in a4istan .:;42, andthat the first ste)s towards the establishment of the Muslim &nstitute were taken$

&n hindsight, the establishment of the Muslim &nstitute in :;< "an be seen as thebeginning of his main work= e!er#thing that led to this )hase in his life was merel# a)rologue$

#art $ 'he &uslim Institute -- settin out to chane the (orld

'he esta%lishment and earl" "ears of the Institute

+he Muslim &nstitute was established in :;


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emerged from meetings of Muslim students and others in London >ni!ersit# in :;4onwards$ +he meetings began with an in!itation to Dr Siddiqui to address a meeting ofPakistani students at >ni!ersit# 'ollege, London, shortl# after the )ubli"ation ofCon"li$t, Crisis an' 3ar in a4istan$ +he in!itation was from ?afar Bangash, then anengineering undergraduate, later one of Dr Kalims "losest "olleagues, and now Dire"tor

of the &'&+$

Shortl# after these meetings began, Dr Siddiqui was awarded his PhD and startedtea"hing &nternational Relations at the >ni!ersit# of Southern 'alifornias @uro)eantea"hing )rogramme in est German#$ At the same time, he also remained on the staff ofthe uar'ian$ (onetheless, the meetings "ontinued, mo!ing from London >ni!ersit# toDr Siddiquis home in Slough when ?afar Bangash graduated and left >'L$

+he sub/e"t of these talks was initiall# the state of Pakistan, re"entl# torn a)art b# the:; war and the "reation of Bangladesh$ +he grou)s initial idea was to establish aPakistan Resear"h and Planning &nstitute .PRP&2$ But Kalim Siddiqui had alwa#s

thought in broader terms than /ust Pakistan$

'he &uslim Institute for esearch and #lannin

&n Cul# :;


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+his "an be summarised as la#ing the intelle"tual and )ra"ti"al ground*work for a futuregeneration to re*establish the "i!ili6ational )ower of &slam through a series of &slami"re!olutions$

Among the insights in these works whi"h were radi"al at the time was that the west was

totall# and irredeemabl# an enem# of &slam= that no solutions to the )roblems of &slami""i!ili6ation "ould be based on western ideas= that western*edu"ated Muslims were notequi))ed to lead the ;##a and "ould onl# "ontribute b# a"ting in )artnershi) withtraditional s"holars of &slam, the ula#a= and that no qui"k fi3es "ould be found for)roblems whi"h had been almost 055 #ears in the making$ 8ne of the remarkablefeatures of the ideas laid out in thera"t rospe$tus o" te Musli# Instituteis that notone of them has been )ro!en wrong b# o!er 45 #ears of some of the most radi"al )ossible"hanges in the Muslim situation$

A few da#s after the Draft Prospectus of the Muslim Institutewas finali6ed, KalimSiddiqui suffered his first heart atta"k$ %e was seriousl# ill for man# months and was to

suffer from heart trouble for the rest of his life$ @!en then, in :;0, do"tors ad!ised himto retire from all forms of work and a""e)t a full disabilit# )ension$

&nstead, he resigned from the uar'ianand the >ni!ersit# of Southern 'alifornia and"ommitted himself full# to the Muslim &nstitute$ %e was determined not to wastewhate!er time he had left, but to fit in as mu"h work for the &slami" mo!ement in as)ossible$ +his was the attitude to his health he was to maintain o!er the ne3t 44 #ears **through two more heart atta"ks and two b#*)ass o)erations, in :- and :: ** as "an beseen in his foreword to his final book,Stages of Islamic Revolution.::2$

Dr Kalim)s (or* in the earl" "ears of the Institute

8!er the ne3t few #ears, he tra!elled the world, e3)laining and dis"ussing his ideas withMuslims e!er#where and )romoting the ideas and work of the Muslim &nstitute$ +he&nstitute organised seminars and tea"hing "ourses, and )ublished books and a"ademi")a)ers$ B# :;-, it was well*enough established to mo!e out of Dr Siddiquis home intooffi"es at 1 @ndsleigh Street, in Bloomsbur#, the intelle"tual heart of London$

+he same #ear, Dr Gha#asuddin Siddiqui ga!e u) his tea"hing "areer to /oin the &nstitutefull*time as Assistant Dire"tor, and Dr Kalim be"ame Dire"tor of the Muslim &nstitute$ DrGha#asuddin was Dr Kalims right*hand man for the rest of his life and su""eeded him asboth Dire"tor of the Muslim &nstitute and Leader of the Muslim Parliament of GreatBritain$ .>nfortunatel#, for a number of reasons that are not rele!ant here, both the&nstitute and the Parliament were to de"line ra)idl# following Dr Kalims )assing$ (eithernow e3ists in an# substantial or meaningful form$2

But Kalim Siddiquis main interest was still in )oliti"al thought, and the &nstitutes workremained )redominantl# in this dire"tion$ +wo ma/or )a)ers )re)ared b# Dr Kalim for"onferen"es during the se!enties remain im)ortant toda#$ +hese are e Isla#i$Mo&e#ent: A yste#s Approa$.:;12 and/eyon' te Musli# Nation-tates.:;;2$

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&n these )a)ers he de!elo)ed ma/or as)e"ts of his )oliti"al thinking$ &n The Islamicmovement: a systems approach he h#)othesised the e3isten"e of a global &slami"mo!ement dedi"ated to re*establishing the "i!ili6ational )ower of &slam, and e3)loredas)e"ts of its work$

&nBeyond the Muslim nationStates.:;;2, he "ritiqued both the e3isting )oliti"al orderin the Muslim world and Muslim attem)ts to emulate western so"ial s"ien"e, )arti"ularl#)oliti"al s"ien"e$ Both studies led him to similar "on"lusionsF that, in the words ofeIsla#i$ #o&e#ent: A yste#s Approa$, Ethe first )riorit#$$$ must be the de!elo)ment ofintegrated a"ademi" dis"i)lines of e"onomi"s, )oliti"s, and so"iolog#, and alternati!eo)erational models for a future "i!ili6ation of &slam$E

Both these )a)ers were )resented at &slami" "onferen"es "on!ened b# Saudi institutionsin Saudi Arabia$ (onetheless, Dr Kalim did not hesitate to des"ribe the e3isting Muslimstates as illegitimate and un*&slami"$ +his is indi"ati!e of both Dr Kalims own)ersonalit# .he on"e "ommented that it was a wonder that he e!er got in!ited to

"onferen"es after what he did to addafi in owar's a New estinyH2 and of the state ofthe Muslim world at the time, when Muslim go!ernments felt totall# unthreatened b#ideas su"h as those of Kalim Siddiqui and the Muslim &nstitute$

Less than two #ears after Dr Kalim wrote that the "hallenge fa"ing Muslims was to builda )latform from whi"h a future generation "an make its es"a)e, ./eyon' te Musli#Nation-tates2, "ame the e!ent whi"h was to "hange both Dr Kalims own life and the"ourse of modern Muslim histor#F the &slami" Re!olution in &ran$

'he Im!act of the Islamic evolution

+he &slami" Re!olution in &ran sur)rised a lot of )eo)le$ &n Se)tember :;-, /ust fourmonths before the Shah fled &ran, >S )resident Cimm# 'arter des"ribed his regime as anisland of stabilit# in a sea of turbulen"e $ Dr Kalim had !isited &ran in earl# :;- andknew a number of a"ti!e &ranian students in London$ But he too saw little sign of are!olutionar# mo!ement with the )otential to establish &slami" rule$

%e later said that he realised that something !er# s)e"ial was ha))ening in &ran when hefirst saw &mam Khomeini on tele!ision$ %e realised immediatel# that this was no shamre!olutionar# edu"ated in London, %ar!ard or the Sorbonne= this was a leader of &slamwhose roots la# in the )oliti"al traditions of &slam itself$

At the same time, he was sho"ked b# the negati!e rea"tion to the re!olution among man#of the Muslims he knew on the Saudi "onferen"e "ir"uit$ +hese were men who hadtalked a good fight during the :;5s but then tried to ignore the &slami" Re!olution in&ran for fear of losing their Saudi )atronage$

Dr Kalim, b# "ontrast, threw himself into both stud#ing and ser!ing the new &slami"state$ %e re"ognised that this was )ossibl# the breakthrough in &slami" histor# that he hade3)e"ted to "ome de"ades in the future$ But he also realised, as he said later, that the


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breakthrough "ould )ro!e transitor#, and he was determined to "a)ture as mu"h of itslight as )ossible in "ase it did not last$

At the same time, he was aware that a"ademi" stud# of the new )henomenon was notsuffi"ient= as a Muslim, it was his dut# to hel) the embr#oni" &slami" state to sur!i!e the

massi!e )ressures being )ut on it b# its enemies$

As a result, Dr Kalim !isited &ran se!eral times to see and understand the Re!olution$ +heMuslim &nstitute also arranged a le"ture "ourse in London b# %amid Algar, translator of&mam Khomeinis writings into @nglish$ Dr Kalim and other &nstitute members alsotoured Britain, the >S and other "ountries, addressing meetings to e3)lain the truesignifi"an"e of e!ents in &ran to e3"ited but often uninformed Muslim audien"es$

Dr Kalims de!elo)ing understanding of the &slami" Re!olution "an be tra"ed through hiswritings of this )eriod$ +hese in"lude e tate o" te Musli# 3orl' o'ay.:;:2 ande Isla#i$ %e&olution: A$ie&e#ents, Obsta$les an' oals.:-52$

At the same time, Dr Kalims insight into the broader histori"al situation was hel)ing&ranians to understand the true de)th of their own re!olution$ %is insight into the natureof the re!olution and the )roblems it fa"ed "an be gauged b# his rea"tion to &mamKhomeinis a))ointment of Abol %asan Bani*Sadr as )resident$ Dr Kalims "ommentFE+he &mam will ha!e to dismiss this manHE

Dr Kalim was to remain a "lose friend and su))orter of the &slami" State of &ran for therest of his life$ %e regarded this as the onl# )ossible relationshi) an# Muslim "ould ha!ewith a genuine &slami" state$ +he relationshi) was often ro"k#= man# &ranians did not likehis regular "riti"isms of go!ernment )oli"#, or his understanding of the Re!olution as

&slami" and rele!ant to all Muslims$ Man# &ranians would ha!e )referred the re!olutionto ha!e been )urel# &rani and Shia$ But there were also man# &ranians who held DrKalim in great esteem and affe"tion, as was witnessed b# the rea"tion to news of hisdeath$

Dr Kalim alwa#s maintained that the limitations of &ranian fun"tionaries and bureau"rats"ould be o!er"ome )ro!ided the leadershi) remained "ommitted to the global &slami"mo!ement$ %e ne!er met &mam Khomeini, but de!elo)ed a )ersonal relationshi) with&mam Sa##id Ali Khamanei, based on the &mams admiration for Dr Kalims last ma/or)a)er, Processes of error! deviation! correction and convergence in Muslim politicalthought.:-:2$ Dr Kalim "onsidered this relationshi) the greatest )ossible honour in the

last #ears of his life$

#art 3$ 'he &uslim Institute)s (or* for the lo%al Islamic

movement

Crescent International and the lo%al Islamic movement

4


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&mmediatel# after the &slami" Re!olution in &ran, Dr Kalim realised that one of its effe"tswould be to gi!e a tremendous boost to the &slami" mo!ement whose e3isten"e he hadh#)othesised in the :;5s$ >nder the leadershi) of &slami" &ran, he ho)ed that this boostwould )ro!e suffi"ient to "reate a genuine, fun"tional global &slami" mo!ement ratherthan the theoreti"al one he had )re!iousl# written about$

8ne of his immediate ob/e"ti!es, therefore, be"ame to aid the emergen"e of this new,global &slami" mo!ement$ +o do this, he teamed the Muslim &nstitute u) with a 'anadianMuslim newsmaga6ine, the "rescent International$ +his was a "ommunit# maga6ine in+oronto, founded in :;4 b# Lateef and ?ahida 8waisi$ Sin"e :;, it had been edited b#?afar Bangash, who had been a leading member of the Muslim &nstitute Pre)arator#'ommittee in London$ %e was also writing in su))ort and defen"e of the &slami"Re!olution in &ran during this )eriod$ &n August :-5, Cres$entwas taken o!er b# theMuslim &nstitute$

+he Cres$ent International has been the ma/or newsmaga6ine of the re!olutionar#

&slami" mo!ement e!er sin"e$ &n the earl# #ears, the bulk of its "o)# was written b# DrKalim$ Later, editorial res)onsibilities )assed to ?afar Bangash, who ga!e u) hisengineering "areer to run the )a)er$ 9or a four*#ear )eriod from :-; to ::, an Arabi"edition was )rodu"ed under the name#l$ilal alDawli$ +he im)a"t of these maga6ineshas been far out of )ro)ortion to their "ir"ulation and readershi)$

8ther Muslim &nstitute efforts to ser!e the &slami" mo!ement in"luded the Muslimedianews s#ndi"ation ser!i"e .:-*:2 and a )o)ular annual antholog# seriesIssues in theIslamic Movement, se!en !olumes of whi"h were )ublished from :-4 to :-:$ +hesebrought together ma/or writings on the &slami" mo!ement and Muslim "urrent affairsfrom Cres$ent,Musli#e'iaand other sour"es$

Be"ause of finan"ial and other restri"tions, man# of these )ubli"ations ha!e had to be"losed down$ But the "rescent Internationalsur!i!es and is keenl# read b# Muslima"ademi"s and a"ti!ists all o!er the world, des)ite being banned in numerous Muslim"ountries$ &t is now edited b# &qbal Siddiqui, and works "losel# with the &'&+$

&uslim Institute Conferences and Seminars

+he other main wa# in whi"h the Muslim &nstitute worked to bring together and"onsolidate the new global &slami" mo!ement was b# a series of world "onferen"es andseminars in London during the :-5s$ +hese were on differen"e themes relating to the

&slami" mo!ement and the "ontem)orar# Muslim situation$

+he first of these, on theoliti$al i#ensions o" te


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+hese "ombined serious intelle"tual dis"ussions on matters "entral to the work of theglobal &slami" mo!ement, with unique o))ortunities for intelle"tuals and a"ti!ists fromthe &slami" mo!ement to "ome together$ Among the man# senior )eo)le who attendedthese "onferen"es were Shaikh 9adhlullah of Lebanon, Shaikh 8mar Abdul Rahman of@g#)t, Shaikh Assad al*+amimi of Palestine, Muallim &brahim ?ak6aki of (igeria,

Shaikh Muhammad al*Asi of the >SA and numerous senior ula#afrom &slami" &ran$

9ollowing the establishment of the Muslim Parliament, su"h seminars on global issues"ontinued to be held, but under the Muslim Parliament banner instead of that of theMuslim &nstitute$ +he two ma/or "onferen"es held in this )eriod were on /osnia an' telobal Isla#i$ Mo&e#ent.::


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)ers)e"ti!e on "urrent news stories$ %is defen"e of &mam Khomeinis "atwa"hanged allthat$

Before the &mam ga!e his "atwa in 9ebruar# :-:, Dr Kalim was not unaware of theRushdie "ontro!ers#, but had taken no ma/or role in it$ hile it was undeniabl# serious,

Dr Kalim took the !iew that "am)aigning for a ban on e atani$ ?erseswould be ama/or and )ointless distra"tion from the main work of the Muslim &nstitute, and wouldser!e onl# to gi!e the book more status and )ubli"it# than it deser!ed$

+hat assessment "hanged with the &mams"atwa$ Dr Kalim was a"tuall# in +ehran whenthe"atwawas issued, leading to re)orts that he )rom)ted it$ +his is an e3aggeration of hisrole$ &n fa"t, he was at +ehran Air)ort when Dr Khatami, then the Minister of &slami"Guidan"e, later )resident of the &slami" Re)ubli", "ame to meet him and asked what heknew about Rushdie and his book$ Dr Kalim e3)lained the situation to him and DrKhatami left$ Later the same da#, ba"k in his hotel as his flight had been "an"elled, DrKalim heard that the &mam had issued his"atwa$

hen he finall# landed in London, the establishment, the literati and the media were u)in arms$ +he British Muslim "ommunit#, whose )re!ious )rotests had been largel#ignored, was under siege$ +his was a radi"all# different situation to that whi"h had earliere3isted and demanded a radi"all# different res)onse$ Dr Kalim be"ame the "ommunit#s"ham)ion against h#steri"al media and establishment atta"ks$ +he "ontro!ers# raged formonths and "ontinues, on a smaller s"ale, to this da#$

Dr Siddiquis )osition remained )re"isel# the same throughout$ +he "atwa had been)ronoun"ed b# the &mam of the onl# &slami" state of the da# and was therefore legall#binding on all Muslims$ %owe!er, Muslims in Britain had, under &slami" law, a )rior and

higher "ommitment to the law of the land in whi"h the# li!ed as a minorit# and therefore"ould not e3e"ute the"atwain Britain$ But su"h was Muslim anger at Rushdies offen"ethat there remained the )ossibilit# that some o!er*6ealous Muslim might e3e"ute the"atwanonetheless= therefore Rushdie would not be safe on Britains streets$

@!en as he was tra!elling from newsroom to studio, gi!ing inter!iew after inter!iewre)resenting the Muslim )osition on Rushdie, howe!er, Dr Kalim was )lanning aheadalso$ %e had alwa#s taken a keen interest in "ommunit# affairs$ (ow he )ut the"onsiderable intelle"tual assets of the Muslim &nstitute to "onsidering the situation ofMuslims in Britain$

+he result was The Muslim Manifesto$ +his was )ublished in ::5, at a Muslim &nstitute"onferen"e on +he 9uture of Muslims in Britain and laid out both the )roblems fa"ingMuslims here and the duties and res)onsibilities the Muslim "ommunit# had li!ing in anon*Muslim "ountr#$ +he Muslim Manifesto was to be"ome the foundation do"ument ofthe Muslim Parliament of Great Britain$

'he &uslim #arliament -- a minorit" !olitical s"stem for &uslims in Britain


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+he Muslim Parliament of Great Britain was inaugurated on Canuar# 0, ::4, after nearl#- months of intensi!e groundwork following the )ubli"ation of the Muslim Manifesto$Along with the Muslim &nstitute, the Muslim Parliament is one of the two ma/orinstitutions whi"h Dr Kalim established to )ursue his !ision and whi"h he has left as hislega"# for the Muslim ;##a$

&t is often said that the "ommunit# work whi"h is the main fo"us of the MuslimParliament was a new dire"tion for Dr Kalim$ +hat this is not true "an be seen b# an#)erusal of his writings$ +he )roblems fa"ing Muslims li!ing as minorities in western"ountries is a theme from his earliest book on Muslim )oliti"al thought, owar's a Newestiny.:;


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+he third ma/or institution of the Muslim Parliament network has been the %alal 9oodAuthorit#, whi"h was established in ::0 to monitor and regulate the alalmeat trade inBritain, whi"h unfortunatel# is largel# fraudulent$ Muslim Parliament resear"h indi"atesthat less than 45 )er"ent of meat sold as *alal* reall# is alal$ +his was an area)arti"ularl# "lose to Dr Kalims heart$ +he %9A established a network of a))ro!ed

abbatoirs and sho)s to )ro!ide the "ommunit# with the onl# inde)endentl# "ertified halalmeat in Britain$

At the same time, the Muslim Parliament worked to hel) Muslims and the global &slami"mo!ement o!erseas in their struggles$ Some Muslims argued that the Parliament should"on"entrate on lo"al issues and that taking a strong )osition on international issues wouldmake it more diffi"ult to work in Britain, but Dr Kalim ne!er a""e)ted this )osition,sa#ing that Muslims in Britain had a res)onsibilit# to the global &slami" mo!ement$

'entral to this work has been the Muslim Parliaments work in su))ort of Bosnia$$ +heMuslim Parliaments orld 'onferen"e on /osnia an' te !lobal Isla#i$ #o&e#ent

.(o!ember ::


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a New estiny, is essential reading to understanding his lifes work$ After the &slami"Re!olution, his understanding of it de!elo)ed in a series of writings through the :-5s,in"luding his )a)ers to the Muslim &nstitute seminars and his introdu"tions to theIssuesin te Isla#i$ Mo&e#entseries .:-4*-:2$

+he "ulmination of his writings and )oliti"al thought was the )a)er 0rror, e&iation,Corre$tion an' Con&er!en$e in Musli# oliti$al ou!t, written in :-:*:5$ &n this, he)resented his understanding of the )ro"ess of Muslim histor#, how things had gonewrong after the rightl#*guided 4ula"a, wh# the initial breakthrough in Muslim )oliti"althought had "ome in Shia &ran, and what Muslims in other "ountries must do to establish&slami" rule in their own "ountries$ +he argument was warml# wel"omed and endorsedb# &mam Khamanei himself$

+he main idea whi"h emerges from all his writings is that the "i!ili6ational )ower of&slam needs to be re*asserted at e!er# le!el$ %owe!er, he does not e3)e"t this to be ano!ernight de!elo)ment= the )roblems of 055 #ears "annot be sol!ed qui"kl#$ +he basi"

requirement is for Muslim s"holars and intelle"tuals to re*write Muslim )oliti"al thoughton the basis of &slami" traditions and s"holarshi) rather than western ones, and use thisnew Muslim )oliti"al thought as the basis for a new "i!ili6ation of &slam$

%e also h#)othesised the global &slami" mo!ement long before its emergen"e after the&slami" Re!olution, and "ommented on its nature and de!elo)ment throughout theeighties and nineties$ %e was )arti"ularl# interested in the )ra"ti"al as)e"ts of afun"tioning, global &slami" mo!ement in a world totall# dominated b# westernme"hanisms of "ontrol$ +his was the sub/e"t of hise Isla#i$ Mo&e#ent -- A yste#sApproa$.:;12, written well before &rans &slami" Re!olution$ %e de!elo)ed his ideason the global &slami" mo!ement in )ost*re!olutionar# writings, "ulminating in his final

book ta!es o" Isla#i$ %e&olution.::12, whi"h he des"ribed as a handbook for &slami"a"ti!ists$ +he first edition of this was rushed into )rint in South Afri"a to "oin"ide withthe "onferen"e in A)ril ::1= he was thus able to see it before his death$

An# understanding of Dr Kalims work must start with his writings$ ta!es o" Isla#i$%e&olutionis "ru"ial for this$ ?afar Bangash s "om)ilation of his ma/or writings from:;< to ::4,In ursuit o" te ower o" Isla#, is also of tremendous im)ortan"e$ A"om)ilation of Dr Kalims writings in Cres$ent Internationalis also under )re)aration$

'he (a" for(ard$ Dr Kalim)s leac"

Dr Kalim Siddiqui will be remembered as both an intelle"tual and an a"ti!ist$ &n his ownlife, he was )robabl# known best for his establishment of the Muslim &nstitute and theMuslim Parliament$ +he fa"t that both these institutions ha!e !irtuall# disa))eared underthe leadershi) that took o!er after his death is a traged#$ +he &'&+ is "ommitted,howe!er, to "ontinuing the work of the Muslim &nstitute, and ensuring at least that the)rin"i)les of the Muslim Parliament are not forgotten /ust be"ause of managementfailures$

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But Dr Kalims ideas and writings as im)ortant as his institutions, and it ma# well )ro!ethat the "old, "alm light of hindsight will make them better understood and a))re"iatedafter his death than the# were during his lifetime$ Dr Kalim was ne!er a man to sit ba"kand "ontem)late the world around him$ %is "ommitment was to the &slami" mo!ementand he understood that all his intelle"tual work must be su"h as to "ontribute to the

ongoing work of the mo!ement at the ground le!el$

%is most im)ortant lega"#, howe!er, ma# well )ro!e to be his e3am)le$ 9ew )eo)le ha!ee!er demonstrated the sort of "ommitment and dedi"ation to the work of &slam that hedid$ +hrough #ears of ill*health, and numerous other kinds of )roblems and )ressures, healwa#s ke)t his e#es firml# on the goal on the hori6on and worked towards it$ (othinge!er got in the wa# of his ne3t im)ortant task, his ne3t goal$ %e was also a man whoins)ired those around him to make similar sa"rifi"es in )ursuit of the same !ision, andlea!es behind him a team of )eo)le all o!er the world whose "ommitment is to e3a"tl#the same work$

+he fa"t that !ituall# all of these )eo)le are now working with the &nstitute of'ontem)orar# &slami" +hought .&'&+2 is one of the &'&+s greatest assets$ Su"h )eo)lein"lude ?afar Bangash .formerl# Assistant Dire"tor of the Muslim &nstitute and editor ofCres$ent International2, Dr Maqsood Ali Siddiqi .a +rustee of the Muslim &nstitute2, and%aroon Kalla .formerl# De)ut# Leader of the Muslim Parliament2= &mam MohammedAl*Asi and &mam Abdul Alim Musa in the >S= Dr Perwe6 Shafi in Pakistan= andnumerous others all o!er the world$ +he onus on us now is to ensure that the work of DrKalim "ontinues and )ro!ides )re"isel# the sort of foundation for building a new"i!ili6ation of &slam that he en!isaged, insa*Alla$

:


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Dr Kalim Siddiqui$ visionar" of theIslamic movement

+he global &slami" mo!ement is so "learl# a ma/or for"e in the world toda# I the onl#"hallenge to the "rumbling "i!ili6ation of the est I that it is eas# to forget that lessthan 4 #ears ago Muslims barel# showed on the geo*)oliti"al ma)$ &n most Muslim"ountries, J&slami" )oliti"al )arties )la#ed se"ond fiddle to se"ularist grou)s .nationalist,demo"rati" or leftist2, and in international terms, few Muslims "ould see )ast the bi)olarframework of the 'old ar$ +he great debate among Muslims in the :;5s was whether"a)italism minus interest or so"ialism )lus God would be more &slami"$ +he estwas "onfident that &slam was no ideologi"al "hallenge, and most Muslims se"retl#agreed$

&t was in this "onte3t that the late Dr Kalim Siddiqui .r$a$2, who died fi!e #ears ago thismonth, h#)othesised the e3isten"e of a global &slami" mo!ement with the )otential to"hallenge the estern "i!ili6ation$ Dr Siddiquis "onfiden"e and !ision were based on abroad histori"al )ers)e"ti!e that enabled him to understand that, howe!er )owerful theest ma# seem, in terms of human histor# it is e)hemeral, with none of the requisites forsur!i!al and )ros)erit# for an# length of time$ +he# were also based on a broad andin"lusi!e !iew of &slam as more than merel# a religion, a set of )ersonal moral !alues, ora "ode of law, but as a s)irit and ethos intended to guide all humankind in all s)heres forall time$ Dis"ussing the &slami" mo!ement in Cul# :;;, he wroteF

8ur task is to dream and work for the future I for a time when a new Muslim"i!ili6ation will emerge I a d#nami", thri!ing, growing, health# and ha))# "i!ili6ation=a "i!ili6ation in whi"h man will be at )ea"e with himself, with the )h#si"al en!ironmentand, abo!e all, with his 'reator$ &n the meantime, we must )lan and )rodu"e the)rerequisites for su"h a "i!ili6ation$

Less than two #ears after these words were written, the &slami" Re!olution in &ran burstonto the world stage, and the world was radi"all# "hanged$ At about the same time theRussians in!aded Afghanistan, onl# to be "onfronted b# the mu/ahideen$ +he e3am)lesof the &slami" Re!olution, in re/e"ting estern stru"tures and attem)ting to establish a)rotot#)i"al &slami" so"iet# in their )la"e, and of the Afghan mu/ahideen in refusing toa""e)t foreign domination at all, ins)ired &slami" mo!ements e!er#where$ At the sametime the est realised that &slam is in fa"t a "hallenge, and the inter*"i!ili6ationalstruggle between the est and &slam soon re)la"ed the intra*"i!ili6ational struggle of the'old ar as the dominant feature of "ontem)orar# histor#$

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Like desert )lants "oming to life when the rains "ome, the global &slami" mo!ement thatonl# Dr Siddiqui "ould see in the :;5s blossomed in the :-5s and ::5s$ +heframework that he h#)othesised has be"ome the world!iew of the &slami" mo!ement, andthe ideas he !oi"ed in the wilderness ha!e be"ome the "urren"# of "ontem)orar# Muslim)oliti"al thought$ And #et "larit# of thought and understanding remains elusi!e$ here

there was on"e silen"e there is now a "a"o)hon# of !oi"es, with numerous and"ontradi"tor# understandings of the nature of the mo!ement, the form of the &slami"states to be established, and the )rin"i)les and methodolog# to be followed$

During his lifetime Dr Siddiqui "alml# formulated and arti"ulated the mo!ements)osition on ke# issuesF the nature of the est= the nature of the nation*state s#stemim)osed on the Muslim world b# the est= the )ro"esses b# whi"h &slami" states "ouldbe established= the "entralit# of i/tihad= the need for an intelle"tual re!olution in Muslim)oliti"al thought= the )ro"esses b# whi"h Muslims had erred in their )oliti"alunderstanding and b# whi"h these errors "ould be re!ersed= the so"ial, intelle"tual andother im)a"ts of the #ears of estern dominan"e on Muslims and Muslim so"ieties= and

the role of Muslims in the est$

&t is )erha)s ironi" that, in the #ears before :;:, few listened to his lone !oi"e, while inlater #ears man# failed to hear it in the sudden din$ Dr Siddiqui, whose understanding ofhistori"al )ro"esses under)inned all his work, understood that some intelle"tual "onfusionwas ine!itable at a time of su"h so"ial and )oliti"al turbulen"e, )arti"ularl# when it wasstirred b# )owerful and dangerous enemies$ 9i!e #ears after his death, when mu"h of the"onfusion he sought to resol!e remains, the mo!ement would do well to refer ba"k to thesim)le truths he arti"ulated, and to the broad )ers)e"ti!es and "alm refle"tion that hea))lied to his thought$

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#olitical Dimensions of the Seerah

Kalim Siddiqui

%%%# messenger reciting unto you the revelations of #llah made plain! that he may &ring

forth those who &elieve and do good wor's from dar'ness unto light% ** Al*uran,1F

+his how Allahsubanau wa ta*alades"ribes the Pro)het, )ea"e be u)on him, in thenoble uran$ But the )oint is addressed not onl# to his "ontem)oraries, but also to all)eo)le in times #et to "ome$ +his is wh# he was the Last, or Seal, of all Pro)hets NO$Pro)hethood ended with Muhammad, u)on whom be )ea"e, be"ause his eera"ould bea))lied b# Jthose who belie!e and do righteous deeds at an# time and )la"e in histor#and would lead them Jfrom the de)th of darkness into light$

+he Jde)th of darkness toda# is re)resented b# the est and the estern "i!ili6ation onthe one hand, and the "onditions into whi"h Muslim so"ieties ha!e sunk on the other$+his is the modern equi!alent of the state of ailiyya whi"h "onfronted the great

@3em)lar N4O$ And this "ontem)orar# darkness is total be"ause the estern "i!ili6ationen"om)asses the whole world$ &t is e!er#where$ +he &slami" Re!olution in &ran has madea bold attem)t to es"a)e this darkness and to mo!e into light, but the e3)eriment is still inan earl# )hase$

+here is no doubt that the rest of the ;##atoda# remains immersed in Jthe de)th ofdarkness in e!er# "on"ei!able wa#$ +his darkness has s)read to in"lude e!er#thing fromthe indi!idual beha!iour of Muslims to their "olle"ti!e "ondition, identit# and beha!iour$Merel# to des"ribe the "ondition of the ;##atoda# would require man# !olumes ofthoroughl# resear"hed books$ A sim)le wa# to a"hie!e the same result is to sa# thatMuslims toda# ha!e re!erted to the state of ailiyya, or darkness (+ulu#at), without

formall# ste))ing out of &slam$ +hus, on"e again, we are fa"ed with the same )roblemthat fa"ed the great @3em)lar himself, u)on whom be )ea"e$ And, "learl#, the onl# wa#forward is to follow the eeraand the unnaof the Pro)het$

But the issueIhow to follow the eera and the unnaof the Pro)hetIis not sosim)le$ &n toda#s "onditions the eera"annot be followed in the sha)e and form inwhi"h it is re"orded in the "lassi"al te3ts on the sub/e"t$ +he eeraand the unna, likethe uran, are sour"es of knowledge and guidan"e for all times$ +he eerais there to be

44
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resear"hed, written, understood and a))lied in ea"h new histori"al situation as it emerges$&n re"ent times a !ariet# of &slami" mo!ements ha!e emerged, "laiming to be based onthe eera$ But the results the# ha!e a"hie!ed ha!e !aried from the dubious su""esses ofmost of the J&slami" )arties that emerged during the "olonial )eriod to the re"ent trium)hof the &slami" Re!olution in &ran$ Perha)s ea"h new generation, in ea"h new histori"al

situation, has to a))l# the eera afresh a""ording to its )e"uliar "ir"umstan"es andrequirements$ Perha)s a )ro"ess of trial and error is ine!itabl# in!ol!ed in re"a)turing theethos of the eerain toda#s "onditions$

&t is also )ossible that the histori"al situation and the intelle"tual "limate of the time whenthe first "lassi"al works on the eerawere "om)iled im)osed their logi", limits andneeds on su"h works as those of &bn &shaq, al*aqidi and &bn %isham$ +he )oliti"all#dominant )osition of &slam, indeed the geogra)hi"all# e3)anding dominion and )ower of&slam, were taken for granted as )art of a di!inel# ordained )lan$ +his )ersuaded the earl#"om)ilers of the eerato "on"entrate on issues of the )ersonal qualities of the Pro)het,u)on whom be )ea"e, and the tawa.)iet#2 of earl# Muslims$ +he# followed the sim)le

histori"al method of "om)iling a "hronologi"al re"ord of e!ents with great a""ura"#$+here was no attem)t to link earl# e!ents with later e!ents, or to dis"o!er )atterns in theeeraas guides to the underl#ing methods used b# the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e$

Signifi"ant in this "onne"tion is the use of )ower$ Power relationshi)s are the basis of allrelationshi)s in nature$ Power inequalities are inherent in the state of nature itself, anddefining fa"tors in determining beha!iour$ Stronger animals eat or otherwise e3)loit theweaker and the weakest tr# to seek refuge underground or in thi"k undergrowth$ +heuran des"ribes mankind as the best of Allahs "reation N


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of nature$ (o order would be )ossible without )ower differentiation$ But what &slam doesis that it )la"es stri"t limits and moral "odes on the e3er"ise of )ower at all le!els$

They are those who! if we esta&lish them in the land! esta&lish regular prayer and give

0a'at! en.oin the right and for&id wrong( with #llah rests the end and decision of all

affairs%** Al*uran, 44F0$

Permission is also gi!en for the weak to fight their o))ressors N0O$ +he Pro)hets use of)ower and the limits he )la"ed on the use of )ower are a ri"h sour"e of new resear"h NO$

+he eeraof the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e, is also a model for the a"quisition anduse of )ower$ At birth Muhammad was an or)han$ %e grew u) unable to read or write ina so"iet# whi"h had a highl# de!elo)ed language and where literar# and "ulturals#m)osiums were regularl# held$ But the# were di!ided into tribes and misused their)ower e!en among themsel!es and against the weakest in their so"iet#= for e3am)le,blood feuds among tribes lasting o!er man# generations were "ommon, and female

"hildren were buried ali!e$ +ribal leaders and elders wielded enormous )ower whi"h the#mostl# misused against their own )eo)le, families and neighbours, and b# s)illing theblood of the inno"ent$ +here was little moral or )oliti"al framework to regulate the )owerof those in authorit#$

&n this en!ironment the Pro)het began life without an# "laim to )ower$ hen he died hehad a"hie!ed un"hallenged )ower and built a )ower base, the &slami" State, that was todemolish all other "entres of )ower$ hat was this )ower and what was the sour"e of this)ower +he )ower the Pro)het sought and a"hie!ed was not )ower to rule and o))ress orto in!ade and la# waste other lands and )eo)les$ %is )ower was not in numbers of men,or material or territor# at his dis)osal= the se"ret of his )ower la# in the belief,

"ommitment and obedien"e of the men and women around him$

+he whole of the eera"an be written, read and understood in the framework of thePro)hets a"quisition and use of )ower$ +he fa"t that this has not been done is one of thegreat failures in the intelle"tual and )oliti"al histor# of Muslim s"holarshi) whi"h the&slami" mo!ement must immediatel# redress$ Resear"h must now be begun to define)ower in the eera, to identif# the methods for the a"quisition of )ower, and to draw u))rin"i)les for the use of )ower$ +o do this, some s"holars will also ha!e to attem)t todraw a )rofile of the )oliti"al stru"tures "reated b# the Pro)het within whi"h the )ower of&slam resided$ +his o)ens u) the whole issue of leadershi) and the limits of )ower, if an#,that the leadershi) must be sub/e"ted to$ Did the Pro)het limit his own )ower Did heshare )ower Did he usesuraas a method of de"ision making @3am)les of these willha!e to be found in the eeraand thoroughl# resear"hed$ hat is needed is not meredes"ri)tion of what ha))ened= we need to anal#se ea"h situation and tr# to "om)are itwith similar situations at other times in the eera$ e ha!e to answer these and man#more similar questions= and we ha!e to "on"e)tuali6e our answers in su"h a wa# thatwhen the "on"e)ts are a))lied to the eeraas a whole the results are "onsistent$

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&mmediatel# following the issue of )ower is the issue of the definition of J)oliti"s$ 8n"eagain we are in a minefield of "onfli"ting ideas$ 'an we se)arate the meaning of J)oliti"sin &slam from the general meaning that this term has "ome to ha!e in the modern worldunder the influen"e of the est +his issue "annot be resol!ed b# sim)listi" affirmations,su"h as that )oliti"s in &slam is moral while )oliti"s outside &slam is immoral$ +here is

something more to )oliti"s in the eerathan J)oliti"s based on moralit#$ %ow "an it bedefined or, at least, delineated &s there a "onsistent )attern in the Pro)hets )oliti"al"ondu"t from the beginning to the end &f so, what are the )rin"i)les and rules of )oliti"sin the eera

Muslims of all s"hools of thought ha!e alwa#s regarded the J&slami" State, or the4ila"a, as the )h#si"al stru"ture and the ultimate manifestation of &slam$ &t is alsoagreed that the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e, established the first &slami" State inMadinah$ As su"h, the &slami" State established b# the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e, isan integral and inse)arable )art of the eeraof the Pro)het$ 7et the State of Madinah isnot in"luded as su"h in the "lassi"al eera literature$ 8nl# in relati!el# re"ent,

)oliti"all#*moti!ated literature on the eerahas attention been gi!en to the State ofMadinah$ &n fa"t the dut# to establish the &slami" State is as mu"h )art of the Muslimsobligator# iba'a as salat, sau#, +a4at, ha// and so on$ +his obligation "annot besus)ended or modified under an# "ir"umstan"e$

1 ye who &elieve2 1&ey #llah! and o&ey the Messenger! and those charged with

authority among you%** Al*uran, 0F: N1O$

+here is e!iden"e that e!en in Makkah, from the earliest stages of his mission, thePro)het organi6ed the small Muslim "ommunit# on the lines of a State$ %e dealt with the#usri4eenof Makkah and with the (egus a"ross the Red Sea as the leader of a )oliti"al

entit# "alled &slam$ +his is an im)ortant area of resear"h from whi"h s"holars "ould beginto tra"e the )ower of &slam in order to define it$ +o "onfine our understanding of )oliti"al)ower to something that onl# a territorial State "an )ossess ma# be one of the mistakesthat modern Muslim )oliti"al thought has made under the influen"e of the est$ &t is)ossible that )ower is an all*)er!asi!e qualit# of &slam related to the belief and tawaofMuslims indi!iduall# and "olle"ti!el#, whether or not the# ha!e "ontrol o!er a territor#$&f so, this would ha!e enormous im)li"ations for the &slami" mo!ement and Muslimminorities throughout the world$ &t would then be )ossible to mobili6e the )ower andresour"es of &slam in small grou)s as well as in great States and @m)ires$ &f so, relati!el#small grou)s of Muslims, li!ing together or li!ing far a)art, ma# be able to su""essfull#assert and e3ert the )ower of &slam using toda#s information te"hnolog# andorgani6ational skills$

(or "an we ignore the fa"t that the &slami" State and the qualit# of its leadershi) ha!e)la#ed a "ru"ial )art in histor#$ e "an argue that the moral foundations of the &slami"State were shaken soon after the demise of the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e$ +his tookthe form of the introdu"tion of #alu4iyyaN;O from the beginning of >ma##ad rule$ +he"ontinuation of d#nasti" rule, in one form or another, albeit in the name of &slam,ultimatel# led to the defeat and dismemberment of 'ar al-Isla# at the hands of the

4


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@uro)ean "olonialists$ Muslim historians ha!e shied awa# from resear"hing andidentif#ing the )ro"esses of de"line and defeat that were im)li"it in #alu4iyyaas a formof go!ernment and leadershi)$ +his ga) in our knowledge must now be filled$

@uro)ean "olonial rule o!er all )arts of 'ar al-Isla#and its )artition into more than fift#

weak and subser!ient nation*States has "reated an un)re"edented situation$ +o emergefrom this )redi"ament and reintegrate the ;##arequires fresh insights into the eeraand the )oliti"al methods of the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e$ A great deal ofdes"ri)ti!e, anal#ti"al and )res"ri)ti!e )oliti"al thought has been written in the last onehundred #ears$ +he results range from the minimal or nominal )arti"i)ation in se"ulargo!ernment of J&slami" )arties in su"h "ountries as @g#)t, +urke#, Mala#sia, Pakistanand Sudan, to the !i"tor# of the &slami" Re!olution in &ran$ +here is also the !i"tor# ofthe #uai'eenin Afghanistan, followed b# a blood# "i!il war among "om)eting grou)s,some "alling themsel!es J&slami"$ +he de"line of Muslim )ower, then the total loss ofMuslim )ower, followed b# estern s)onsored nationalism in new Muslim nation*Statesand the rise of in"i)ient J&slami" )arties and Jmo!ements, offers a ri"h sour"e for

"he"king histori" results with the eera$ &n this im)ortant area resear"hers ha!e to "omeu) with answers and insights from the eeranot sought after before$ +his era ma# bedes"ribed as the era of neo-ailiyya$ 'an modern nationalism be equated with tribalismof the time of the Pro)het &f so, how did the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e, deal withtribalism hen the #usri4eenof Makkah made the remo!al of those who were notra"iall# Arab a "ondition of their /oining &slam, the uran was em)hati"F

Send not away those who call on their 3ord morning and evening! see'ing $is /ace%

In naught art thou accounta&le for them! and in naught are they accounta&le for thee!

that thou shouldst turn them away! and thus &e *one+ of the un.ust** Al*uran, 1F4$

'an Muslims toda# deal with nationalism in the same wa# as the Pro)het dealt withtribalism hat likelihood is there of "i!il wars breaking out in different )arts of 'ar al-Isla#between nationalism and &slam Are su"h "i!il wars ine!itable or )erha)s e!endesirable hat will be the im)li"ations of su"h wars, in"luding the near "ertaint# ofe3ternal inter!ention Ma#be su"h "i!il wars are alread# under wa# at low le!els in man#Muslim "ountries Does the eera)oint to the ine!itabilit# of armed struggle betweenthe &slami" mo!ement and the nationalist, se"ular, )ost*"olonial Qlites &f so, what ste)sha!e to be taken to minimi6e the intensit# of armed "onfli"ts among Muslims andbetween Muslims and non*Muslims hat are the rules of engagement in su"h armedstruggles N-O

+hen there is a whole range of modern )oliti"al "on"e)ts, with their origin in the )oliti"alhistor#, e3)erien"e and )hiloso)h# of the est, that ha!e found their wa# into e!er#da#usage in Muslim )oliti"al thought and !o"abular#$ +hese in"lude su"h "on"e)ts asdemo"ra"#, re)resentati!e go!ernment, ele"tions, multi*)art# s#stems, )luralism,so"ialism, "ommunism, "a)italism, equalit#, freedom of s)ee"h, eman"i)ation of womenand so on$ @a"h of these needs to be "losel# s"rutini6ed in light of the eeraand, ifne"essar#, totall# re/e"ted and re)udiated$ +his e3er"ise is essential if Muslims are to)rodu"e their own "on"e)tual tools for the reordering of Muslim so"ieties$ &t is not

41
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enough to assert that &slam and estern "i!ili6ation are in"om)atible= thisin"om)atibilit# has to be demonstrated within the framework of the eera$ e need tode!elo) and )resent a "om)lete outline, indeed a detailed ma), of the alternati!e"i!ili6ation of &slam$ +his is )erha)s the most im)ortant "hallenge fa"ing Muslims"holarshi) toda#$

+his leads us to the "ru"ial issue of o))osition$ +he o))osition to the Pro)het, u)onwhom be )ea"e, was no less total and !i"ious than the o))osition the &slami" mo!ement"onfronts in its attem)t to "reate, or re"reate, a global "i!ili6ation toda#$ +he est isalread# o))osing, with all the "unning and might at its dis)osal, e!en the minor )oliti"algoals "urrentl# )ursued b# &slami" grou)s in man# )arts of the world$ A total statementof the )oliti"al goals of &slam in terms of the eerais "ertain to attra"t total o))ositionfrom the est, and the agents of the est in Muslim "ountries N:O$ +o deal with thissituation, the eerahas to be studied to )rodu"e the defensi!e and offensi!e strategies of&slam at e!er# stage of this global "onfrontation o!er a !er# long )eriod of time$ e mustalso re"ogni6e that there ma# be no )re"edent in the eerafor "ertain "urrent situations$

+he best we "an ho)e for in these situations is to a))l# iyas, the )rin"i)le of analogi"alinferen"e$

+hen there are the great issues of moralit# and e"onomi"s mi3ed together$ %ow will&slam redistribute the resour"es and wealth of the world %ow would this affe"t "a)italformation and in!estment &s there a limit to growth &s su"h a limit desirable hatminimum standards of li!ing must be )ro!ided for all before the few "an be allowed toadd to their alread# la!ish li!ing %ow "an the est be sto))ed from using Asia, Afri"aand Southern Ameri"a as a hinterland to be e3)loited for the benefit of the ri"h northernhemis)here around the (orth Atlanti" +he ests role in the modern world )erfe"tl# fitsthe des"ri)tion in the uran as Jmis"hief on earth N5O$ &n what wa# might the eera

guide us in these !ital "ontem)orar# issues of so"ial disorder, iniquit# and in/usti"e

All the issues relating to "or)orate "a)italism, )a)er "urren"#, banking, interest,e3"hange rates, "a)ital formation and in!estment need to be ta"kled$ A whole bod# ofliterature has emerged under the general title of J&slami" e"onomi"s$ B# and large, it issimilar in "hara"ter to the )oliti"al literature of the J&slami" demo"ra"# !ariet#$@ssentiall# it is an attem)t to im)ort into &slam all the ests e"onomi" and )oliti"ale3)erien"e$ &n re"ent #ears it has be"ome "lear that the ests dri!e for the wholesalee"onomi" and )oliti"al e3)loitation of the world will ine!itabl# lead the world to thebrink of e"ologi"al and en!ironmental disaster$ +his brings us ba"k to the mutualin"om)atibilit# of &slam and the est, and all the issues raised b# this basi" "lashbetween the two$ Answers to these questions ha!e to be sought in the stud# of the eera$

&t has to be admitted and reali6ed that some of these issues ha!e ne!er before been raisedin the "onte3t of the eera$ +herefore, mu"h of the earl# work on these issues will bee3)lorator# and tentati!e$ +his is ine!itable$ But the )ubli"ation and debating of su"he3)lorator# work will then generate new resear"h and thinking, leading to new ideas andhigher qualit# literature in the future$ +he fa"t is that Muslims ha!e ne!er e3)lored the

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eerato find answers to some of the questions raised in this )a)er= at this stage we "anonl# ho)e to make a start in this dire"tion$

+he ma/or ob/e"ti!es of the new resear"h required on the eera"an be summarised asfollowsF

$ +o use the eeraas sour"e material to ma) out in detail a new "i!ili6ation of&slam=

4$ +o use the eerato define the stages b# whi"h the Jde)th of darkness ma# beturned into light in the "onditions )re!ailing toda#=


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failure and thus the re!ision of )oli"#$ A )oliti"al s#stem based on the eerashould bestable and long lasting$ &t will fa"ilitate the "ontinuous emergen"e of broad )ubli""onsensus on ma/or issues and offer a framework for )ubli" debate free of a"rimon# o!er)ersonalities or )art# )ositions$

Below are listed some of the areas in whi"h ula#a, s"holars, resear"hers, students, andwriters ma# seek to)i"s for their )arti"ular resear"h$ B# the !er# nature of the eera,and of our )roblems, su"h a list "annot be e3hausti!e$ +he knowledge we ha!e of theeera is alread# !er# e3tensi!e= the em)hasis must now be on seeking new insightsfrom the eerato sol!e the )roblems now fa"ing the ;##a$ 9or e3am)le, if we wereasked to name one fa"tor more res)onsible than an# other for our )resent maladies, weshould ha!e to sa# that it was the la"k of )ower$ +herefore, the issue of )ower, itsdefinition, a"quisition and use must o""u)# a substantial )ro)ortion of our attention$

e know that the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e, embarked on his "areer destitute of)ower$ %e ended his life at the head of a State that "ommanded o!erwhelming )ower

o!er the Arabian )eninsula, and had the abilit# to generate suffi"ient )ower to defeat andre)la"e the Jsu)er)owers of the time, Persia and B#6antine$ +hese are feats of histor#that Muslims ha!e to re)eat in toda#s "onditions$ +he defeat of the former So!iet >nionin Afghanistan, the defeat of the >nited States in &ran, ietnam and Somalia, and thedefeat of &srael in Lebanon are glim)ses of what is )ossible under e!en the mostim)erfe"t "onditions$ 'learl#, if "onditions im)ro!e, a great deal more "an "ome withinour rea"h$ Drawing u) the outline and detailed ma) of an alternati!e "i!ili6ation, basedon the eera, is not an e3er"ise in futilit#$ &t is the logi"al ne3t ste) on the road to there"o!er# of &slam and the ;##afrom our own dark ages of defeat, dismemberment,and subser!ien"e to the )ower of 4u"r$

#ro!osed Areas of esearch

10 evie( of modernSeerahliterature

+he earl# sour"es of eerain the Arab "ultural traditions of the time form a fas"inatingstud#$ +he !erbal tradition of stories and )oetr# led to &bn &shaqs full*s"ale eeraandal*aqidisMa!a+i, among man# others$ e are not "on"erned here with that )eriod=what we want to know is in what wa#s the de"line of Muslim )ower has affe"ted andinfluen"ed the stud# and writing of the eeraand unnaof Muhammad, u)on whombe )ea"e$ e are "learl# not the first to seek solutions to our modern )roblems in theeera$ >thman dan 9odio established the Sokoto 'ali)hate in est Afri"a in the earl#)art of the :th "entur#$ %e, his famil# and followers are said to ha!e followed themethod of the eera, in"luding ira, in a struggle that also in"luded ia'$ +here areman# more similar figures throughout the last two hundred #ears who in seeking to resistthe )ower of the est drew on the eerafor their ins)iration and methods of struggle$Literature written b# them or about them is of "ru"ial im)ortan"e, and needs to be"riti"all# anal#sed$ Some !er# re"ent literature in su"h languages as +urkish, >rdu,Bengali, Mala#, @nglish and %ausa a))ears to be influen"ed b# the &slami" Re!olution in&ran$ %ow far and in what wa#s the eerahas influen"ed de!elo)ments in the Shii

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tradition leading u) to the &slami" Re!olution is also a question "lamouring for attention$A sur!e# of eerawritings o!er the last 455 #ears might )rodu"e insights into how theeerahas influen"ed Muslim )oliti"al and religious thought during a )eriod of ra)idde"line of Muslim )ower$

0 'he ast #ro!het, or the Seal of #ro!hethood

+he finalit# of the Pro)hethood of Muhammad ibn Abdullah, )ea"e be u)on him, is a ke#)art of the ai'aof all Muslims NO$ Asai'a, it needs no restatement$ But there are"ertain im)li"ations of this fa"t for histor# and for the e!olution of Muslim thought,es)e"iall# Muslim )oliti"al thought$ 9or e3am)le, the fa"t that no new Pro)het is to "omeand that dire"t re!elation (wai)has been "om)leted for all time, )uts great em)hasis onthe eera$ &t is the eera, the li!ing manifestation of the uran, that is the ke# to theuran as well$ +his is wh# the eera is sometimes des"ribed as the first ta"seer$S"holars ma# wish to e3)lore all the im)li"ations of this$ &t surel# means that Muslimdi!ergen"es from the roots of &slam "an onl# be small and tem)orar#= that &slam has an

in*built !ersatilit#, magnetism and me"hanism to guide Muslims ba"k to itself after long)eriods of di!ergen"e$ e "an also learn a great deal about the nature and limits ofMuslim di!ergen"es$ e "an also learn about the nature of Muslim attem)ts to return tothe roots of &slam and the histori"al )ro"esses that ma# be in!ol!ed$ +here is also theim)ortant issue of stru"tural im)ediments that Muslims and &slami" mo!ements fa"e intheir sear"h for "orre"tion of their thought )ro"esses and )oliti"al )rogrammes$ +heob!ious e3am)les of these stru"tural im)ediments are nationalism and nation*States, aswell as the se"ondar# theologi"al )ositionsIoften de!iantIthat ha!e been taken u) b#!arious s"hools of thought and religious traditions in man# )arts of the world$ +his is notto den# the im)ortan"e to Muslims of de!elo)ing d#nami" intelle"tual traditions withinthe bounds of the eeraat all times in histor#$ e need guidelines for the growth and

flowering of su"h intelle"tual traditions at different times in histor#, or in different )artsof the world at the same time$

30 'he o!!osition to Islam

&slam fa"ed intense o))osition from the beginning of the Pro)hethood of Muhammad,u)on whom be )ea"e, and throughout the Pro)hets life$ +he Pro)hets method in dealingwith this "onstant o))osition is an integral )art of the eera$ e need to identif# andstud# it, and e3amine how it "an be a))lied in toda#s "onditions$

Moreo!er, while the broad outline of this o))osition is re"orded and des"ribed in theeera literature, the o))osition itself as a )henomenon has not been anal#sed$ &s theo))osition to &slam in the modern world essentiall# a "ontinuation of the o))osition to&slam at the time of the Pro)het &f so, then we are better equi))ed to understand themodern hostilit# to &slam and how best we "an meet this "hallenge$

.0 eadershi!


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As the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e, was the undis)uted Leader of his )eo)le from thead!ent of his risalauntil the end of his life, the eerais "learl# a ri"h sour"e fromwhi"h to identif# the qualities ne"essar# in a leader$ +he "on"e)t of the leader andleadershi) in &slam as e3em)lified b# the Pro)het is also an im)ortant area of resear"hN4O$ hat were the Pro)hets leadershi) training methods and )rogrammes +he answers

to this ma# hold the ke# to man# of our "ontem)orar# )roblems in the field of edu"ationand training$ +he failure of leadershi) in the J&slami" )arties ma# be tra"ed to thes#stems of edu"ation of whi"h the# were )rodu"ts$ Did the s#stem of edu"ation andtraining in the Shii s"hool "reate the leadershi) that made the &slami" Re!olution)ossible hat lessons are there in it for s#stems of J&slami" edu"ation in other )arts ofthe world +his offers a ri"h area for resear"h$

Leadershi) in the eeraalso has a strong "on"e)tual base for its "ontinuation after thedeath of the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e$ +here has been "onsiderable "ontro!ers# onthe issue of su""ession to the Pro)het between the Shii and Sunni s"hools of thought$ Agreat deal of Jse"ondar# theolog# has been written around this sub/e"t$ e do not need

to go o!er this ground again$ But, in the "onditions )re!ailing toda#, there are signs)ointing towards a "on!ergen"e of Muslim )oliti"al thought on this issue$

%owe!er, one )oint is )arti"ularl# im)ortant hereF the new resear"h done in theframework of the global &slami" mo!ement must fo"us on areas whi"h minimi6edifferen"es and e3)and on the new "ommon ideas on whi"h there is "learl# "on!ergen"eand agreement$ Pa)ers written in a se"tarian s)irit, or )resenting a se"tarian )osition, onthis issue, or an# other issue, are no longer a""e)table$ e must, in the words of theuran, )ut our histori"al differen"es aside and learn to be J"om)assionate amongst ea"hother N


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or liberator$ +he ste)s the Pro)het took immediatel# u)on his arri!al in Madinah were"lear indi"ations of his intention to "hallenge the Makkan )ower$ +hat this would in!ol!ewar was also "lear from the Pro)hets earl# mo!es in Madinah and the agreements heentered into with the tribes there, who were "ommitted to defend him$ Mo!ing out ofones normal hostile habitat to )re)are for e!entual return to rule o!er it is a familiar

)attern in histor#$ +he Pro)hets use of this method needs !er# "areful handling$ +hereare )oliti"al lessons to be learned and te"hniques to be de!elo)ed for use in toda#s"onditions$

+he first migration to %abasha and the negotiations with the (egus ma# also bee3amined in this framework$ Did the results of this migration en"ourage the Pro)het,u)on whom be )ea"e, to seek and )lan for another, greater ira, to se"ure a greater)ower base outside Makkah Did this lead to the Pro)hets e!entual migration toMadinah


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+hese ha!e )la#ed an im)ortant )art in the eera$ &nstan"es of them are found in the lifeof Muhammad before he was "alled to Pro)hethood$ %e was known as a man of integrit#and honest#$ +he Arabs "alled him al-A#in, the trustworth#$ %e also mediated in anda!erted a )otentiall# blood# "onfli"t o!er the rebuilding of the Kaaba and the )la"ementof the Bla"k Stone$ After he be"ame Pro)het, he )ursued )ea"e with his enemies in

Makkah and with the tribes around Makkah$ During this )eriod he is known not to ha!eretaliated aggressi!el# against those who tormented him or other Muslims$ +he Pro)het)atientl# negotiated two )a"ts of Aqaba that laid the foundations for the ira toMadinah$ 8n"e in Madinah he entered into a "o!enant with all the )arties in that "it#,man# of them his enemies, in"luding the two Cewish tribes$ +his so"ial "ontra"t inMadinah, known eera literature as the ia"a, is also known as the 'onstitution ofMadinah$ &t raises man# questions$ 9or e3am)le, was the 'onstitution of Madinahdesigned to neutrali6e his internal enemies in Madinah against his e3ternal enemies, withwhom the Pro)het e3)e"ted earl# wars +he 'onstitution of Madinah has not beenanal#sed as e3tensi!el# and )rofoundl# as it ought to be$ &n the si3th #ear of the irathe Pro)het entered into an agreement with uraish of Makkah, known as the +reat# of

%udaibi##ah$ Man# of the Pro)hets "om)anions thought the terms were too fa!ourableto Makkans and humiliating to Muslims$ +he Pro)het was, therefore, ob!iousl# a man of)ea"e who did not want to fight if he "ould a!oid it= #et, after the ira, he had sought anearl# militar# engagement with uraish of Makkah$ &t "an also be argued that )ea"etreaties and agreements that the Pro)het entered into with his foes were designed to bu#time to a""umulate )ower for the ultimate !i"tor# of &slam$ 8nl# two or three e)isodes ofthis kind are mentioned here= the eeraoffers man# more e3am)les$ Detailed resear"hand anal#sis in this area ma# )ro!ide a )attern for the future "ondu"t of the &slami"mo!ement and the &slami" State$

90 'he definition of 5!olitics)

Politi"s in the modern world is almost uni!ersall# )er"ei!ed as a Jdirt# game$ &t is alsowidel# regarded as a game Jto fool all of the )eo)le all of the time$ &n more serious ora"ademi" "ir"les, )oliti"s is regarded as a stud# of the )owerful seeking to retain orin"rease their )ower in their own State or in their relations with other States$ &t is a 6ero*sum gameIthe loss of one is the gain of another, or the gain of one equals or e3"eeds theloss of another$ &t should be noted that siyasa, the Arabi" word for )oliti"s, does nota))ear in the uran at all, or in the earl# eeraliterature$ 7et the Pro)het, u)on whombe )ea"e, engaged in all the a"ti!ities that together go to make u) what is toda# "alledJ)oliti"s$ +his in"ludes the organi6ation of men at all le!els, "olle"tion of ta3es orreligious dues, regulation of markets, leadershi), rulershi) (u4#), des)at"h of embassiesto foreign rulers, a))ointment of go!ernors, militar# training, intelligen"e gathering, warsand other lesser militar# e3)editions, and so on$

hat is more, the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e, "arried out all or most of thesea"ti!ities in Makkah as well as in Madinah$ +he differen"e is that in Makkah he did notha!e a territorial State, while in Madinah he did$ +his ma# mean that all as)e"ts ofJ)oliti"s in &slam are a))li"able and obligator# with or without a territorial base$ &s it the"ase then that J)oliti"s in &slam are a))li"able and obligator# with or without a territorial


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base And that it is also an obligation ("ar')to seek a territorial base as soon as )ossible,e!en if this should in!ol!e migration (ira) &f so, then an im)ortant distin"tionemergesF )oliti"s and )oliti"al )ro"esses are not ne"essaril# related to the State at alltimes$ &t is )ossible that the )oliti"al )ro"esses of &slam, if )ra"tised without a State,ine!itabl# lead to the State$ Should this be the "ase .and the eeraa))ears to su))ort

this !iew2 then the im)li"ations for the &slami" mo!ement are )rofound$

&n this regard )erha)s the re"ent e3)erien"e of the Shii s"hool ma# be e3amined,)referabl# b# Shii ula#athemsel!es$ 9or man# hundreds of #ears the Shii !iew was thatthe )oliti"al )ro"esses of &slam, in"luding rulershi) (u4#), must remain sus)endedduring the absen"e (!aiba)of the +welfth &mam$ +his )osition started to be questionedsome three hundred #ears ago, leading to the emergen"e of #araiyyat as a form ofinterim leadershi)$ But this itia'reintrodu"ed the )oliti"al )ro"esses of &slam to theShii )art of the ;##a, though initiall# it was in the guise of Jreligious institutions anda++a'ari.grie!ing for the Pro)hets famil#2 onl#$ But slowl#, in stages, this led to the fullflowering of the )oliti"al )ower of &slam and the establishment of the territorial &slami"

State of &ran after the &slami" Re!olution$ hat a))ears to ha!e ha))ened is that e!er##ara* was effe"ti!el# a 4ali"a ruling o!er his own Jnon*territorial &slami" State"onsisting of his #ualli'een, )erha)s "om)arable to the "ondition of Muslims inMakkah before the ira$ &t was ine!itable, therefore, that sooner or later one #ara*would take the ne3t logi"al ste) of setting u) a full#*fledged territorial &slami" State$ +hisis what has ha))ened in &ran$

Some sufi shaikhs, "alling themsel!es 4ula"a, ha!e also run their orders (tariat)as non*territorial &slami" States$ But none has su""eeded in establishing an &slami" State on thefoundations of sufi orders, though some are known to ha!e o))osed t#rann# and laun"hedia'mo!ements$ +his is an im)ortant area for new resear"h$ Some of these )a)ers need

to take into a""ount the urani" in/un"tions on rulershi), eg, ulul a#r, 4ila"a and&ilayaN0O$

10 'he Islamic movement

+he term J&slami" mo!ement, or al-ara4a al-Isla#iyya, is unknown in the histor# of&slam and in the literature on eera, histor#, "i and usul al-'in$ &t has "ome into"ommon )arlan"e onl# re"entl#, es)e"iall# after the "onstitutional fall of the>thmani##ah 4ila"ain :40$ 7et it is not diffi"ult to assert that the eeraitself wasthe first "om)lete, all*in"lusi!e &slami" mo!ement$ &f so, the question whi"h arises isFwh#, for o!er


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+he emergen"e of the &slami" mo!ement inaugurates a new )hase in &slami" histor#$ +hemo!ements laun"hed b# %asan al*Banna in @g#)t in :4- and b# Abul Ala Maududi in&ndia in :0 "an be regarded as the first post-4ila"ae3)eriments in bringing togetherthe elements ne"essar# to re*establish the &slami" State$ +he &slami" mo!ement is now aglobal )henomenon trans"ending modern )oliti"al boundaries im)osed b# nationalism in

the interest of global im)erialism$ +he &slami" Re!olution in &ran is a )rodu"t of are!olution in the theologi"al formulations based on itia'within the Shii s"hool$ But itma# be of great !alue and guidan"e when it "omes to the final stages of o!erthrowing theestablished order and "reating a new &slami" State in its )la"e$ +o the e3tent that the&slami" Re!olution also re)resents a "on!ergen"e of ShiiSunni )oliti"al thought inmatters of leadershi) and rulershi), it has great !alue in the stud# of the eera$ &t isalmost "ertainl# the "ase that di!ergen"es within &slam "an onl# "on!erge within theframework of the eera$ +he eerais a "ommon ground for all Muslims= it is also theonl# ground on whi"h all Muslims "an stand$ +he "ons"ious de!elo)ment of the eeraas the foundation of the global &slami" mo!ement will integrate the mo!ement and "larif#"ommon goals a"ross the ;##a$ +he eeraas the foundation will also work to remo!e

su"h tensions as are found toda# in )arts of the &slami" mo!ement o!er issues su"h asleadershi), stages of growth, and the final goals$

Resear"h in this im)ortant area offers great s"o)e for original thought and reformulationof the eerafor the solution of "ru"ial issues "onfronting Muslims in all )arts of theworld toda#$ +here are also man# definitions of the &slami" mo!ement found in /ournalsand news)a)ers )ublished b# &slami" grou)s$ An attem)t to define the &slami" mo!ementin terms of the eera should be of great assistan"e towards its de!elo)ment and theharmoni6ation of its methods and goals$ Resear"h in this area might also hel) us de!elo)assum)tions and h#)otheses for future organi6ation, )riorities, methods and goals of all)arts of the &slami" mo!ement$ &n a sense, the &slami" mo!ement sim)l# means the

following of the eerain toda#s "onditions$ 9or this to ha))en two "onditions ha!e tobe metF .a2 the understanding of the eerain su"h great de)th that it "an be a))liedtoda#= and .b2 an a""urate understanding of the "onditions that )re!ail toda#$ &t seemsthat for a !er# long time Muslims ha!e not met either of these "onditions to an# greate3tent$ +hose who studied and "laimed to ha!e understood the eeradid not understandthe modern world= and those who "laimed to understand the modern world did notunderstand the eera$ +his is a "ommon weakness in all )arts of the &slami" mo!ement=hen"e their frequentl# far from im)ressi!e )erforman"es$

110 'he definition of the Islamic State

'onfusion in this area is wides)read$ +he modern nation*States, "reations of the "olonial)owers, also "laim to be &slami" States$ +he# ha!e set u) an J&slami" Se"retariat and holdan annual "onferen"e of J&slami" foreign ministers$ Some )arts of the &slami" mo!ementtake the !iew that these nation*States "an be Jdemo"rati"all# modified in some res)e"tsand turned into &slami" States$ +here is also the !iew held in some )arts of the &slami"mo!ement that all that requires to be done is for an J&slami" )art# to win an ele"tion andthat would "on!ert that "ountr#s go!ernment into an J&slami" go!ernment$ +his was the!iew entertained b# Maulana Maududi in Pakistan, and this is still the )osition of the


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+an6im al*Dawli wing of al*&khwan al*Muslimoon$ hat is wrong with this !iew is thatit fails to re"ogni6e that a State, an# State, founded on the basis of nationalism "annot be"on!erted into an &slami" State without first u)rooting nationalism and other "olonialinfluen"es from its histor# and foundations$ +his is now "oming to be "ommonl#a""e)ted in all )arts of the Muslim world and the &slami" mo!ement$ &n "lassi"al Sunni

thought there also a))ears to ha!e been a willingness to a""e)t a State as J&slami" so longas its ruler st#les himself 4ali"a$ +hus the debate on the issue b#*)assed the State, andSunni Jse"ondar# theolog# "on"entrated on defining the minimum "onditions a rulermust meet before he is entitled to bai*a$ Moreo!er, these "onditions were whittled downto su"h an e3tent that an# d#nasti" ruler was more than willing to meet them in order to)rote"t his throne and d#nasti" rights$ +he time has "ome to define the &slami" State interms of its origin in the eera$ 8n"e this has been done, 4ila"aand &ilayaas sour"esof authorit# and leadershi) need to be restated in the "onte3t of the &slami" State ratherthan merel# as a question of bai*aon minimal "onditions$ +he e3)li"ation of histori"al)ro"esses in!ol!ed in transforming the )resent )oliti"al stru"tures into &slami" States is ama/or "hallenge fa"ing Muslim intelle"tuals working in the &slami" mo!ement

framework$

10 &ilitar" cam!ains of the #ro!het

+his is an im)ortant area that offers )arti"ular "hallenges$ +here were no fewer than 1-militar# "am)aigns laun"hed b# the Pro)het, u)on whom be )ea"e, from Madinah$ +hesein"luded a number of raids to harass the trading "ara!ans of uraish of Makkah that ledto the Battle of Badr in onl# the se"ond #ear of the ira$ Another em)ire builder, ruleror ad!enturer in a similar )osition might ha!e sought some #ears of )ea"e in Madinah forthe "onsolidation of his )ower before taking on his ad!ersaries$ +he Pro)het did )re"isel#the o))osite$ %e "hose an earl# "onfrontation in the battlefield between his handful of

followers and the e3tensi!e might of uraish of Makkah and their allies$ %e "learl#reali6ed that an earl# !i"tor# o!er Makkah was essential for the "onsolidation of his)ower e!en in Madinah$ +o )ro!oke the Makkans at that time was "learl# an a"t of faith,not of reason$ e need to )ut all of the militar# "am)aigns in a similar "onte3t$ hatwere the underl#ing goals the Pro)het )ursued through his militar# "am)aigns h# didhe laun"h so man# militar# "am)aigns in su"h short a time

130 Source of an alternative civili7ation

+oda# all mankind is in the gri) of a single "i!ili6ation, its )ower, !alues, "ulture ande"onom#$ +his dominant "i!ili6ation is the estern "i!ili6ation, while the "i!ili6ation of&slam now e3ists onl# as a dismembered sub*"ulture in !arious forms in different )arts ofthe world$ &slam no longer has a "i!ili6ation that "an "laim to ha!e global )ower or aworking e"onomi" s#stem, though it still has strong !alues that are global, and alsoretains a global "ultural and )oliti"al identit#$ &t is this global )oliti"al )resen"e that theest is now tr#ing to brand as Jfundamentalist and Jterrorist$ 'an we /ustifiabl#"om)are the est with the uraish and its "i!ili6ation with ailiyya &t is

Kalim Siddiqi

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