Political Obligation Its Scope and Limits in Islamic Political Doctine

Abstract

I. political Allegiance: Nature and Extent
The need for and the importance of government in Islam has been the
subject of extensive research and debates since the early days of Islam. Naturally,
there is a general consensus among Muslim jurists on the obligatory nature
of installing a government or a kind of central authority to sakguad the very
existence of the community. Although obedience to legitimate authority is
qualified and conditional, the Shari'ah attaches great importance to fulfillment
of the Muslims' obligations trrward their legitimate government and considers
it a religious obligation of the highest degree. As Muhammad Asad
pointed out correctly, what is at stake here is the unity of the Community:
So long as the state conforms in its principles and methods to the
demands of the Shari'ah, a Muslim citizen's duty of obedience to
the govenment is a religious obligation. In the words of the prophet,
"He who withdraws his hand from obedience [to the amir] will
have nothing in his favor when he meets Allah on the Day of Resurrection;
and he who dies without having considered himself bound
by a pledge of allegiance [literally, 'While there is no pledge of
allegiance on his neck'] had died the death of the Time of Ignorance
[i.e., as an unbeliever]."
In accordance with the principle of Muslim unity so strongly emphasized in the Qur'an and Sunnah, any attempt to disrupt that unity must be regarded
in the Quran and Sunnah, any attempt to disrupt that unity must be regarded as a crime of the highest order-in fact, as high
treason- and must be punished severely. Consequently, the Prophet commanded ...