Dr M Athar Khan
CONCEPTS of governance and administration in Islam are derived from Surahs of the Qur’an, which provide a holistic view and guiding principles for administration of the universe, which give following principles and guidelines for administration of an Islamic state. 1. All powers and authority rest with Allah. Headship of an organization or institution is a function of man’s being vicegerent of Allah. It means that one has to be knowledgeable of Allah’s laws and commands, and that he must, first follow Allah’s laws and commands himself and then implement them in whatsoever position he happens to be. 2. The Islamic state presents an organized and integrated whole of all institution and segments of state and society which are bound together and subjected to the same laws and principles specified in the verses of the Qur’an. 3. Islamic state values and respects all people and prioritizes their welfare and wellbeing. 4. Just and proper use and preservation and development of all kinds of resources.
Documentation: Al-lawhu al-Mahfuz, was the first thing that preceded creation of all things in the universe. In the present day context the Al-lawhu al-Mahfuz signifies ISO (International Organization for Standardization). However, the Al-lawhu al-Mahfuz presents a far wider scope and perfection of documentation of things, processes and events. It also ensures its implementation through an unfaltering system of strict monitoring and control and accountability. The concept of Al-lawhu al-Mahfuz is well described in its being Ummul Kitab, Imam-e-Mubeen and Kitab-e-Maknoon as detailed below: Ummul Kitab: (The mother of the books): It implies that it contains everything about all things that have been and shall be created, and all that happens and shall happen. According to a Qur’anic verse “There is no animal that crawls on the earth, no bird that flies with its two wings, but are communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book (of decree). Then to their Lord will they all be mustered” (6:38). Still another verse of the same Surah (Chapter) reads, “He has the keys to the realm that lies beyond the reach of human perception; none knows them but He. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea; there is not a leaf which falls that He does not know about and there is not a grain in the darkness of the earth or anything green or dry which has not been recorded in a Clear Book” (6:59).
Imam-e-Mubeen: The Qur’anic verse, “We shall surely raise the dead to life and We record what they did and the traces of their deeds that they have left behind; We have encompassed that in a Clear Book:” (36:12), is descriptive of the attribute of Al-lawhu al-Mahfuz as Imam-e-Mubeen. It makes particular reference to recording all acts of man in his life time in this world, and the effects of his good or bad deeds that continue even after his death. Kitab-e-Maknoon: Al-lawhu al-Mahfuz as Kitab-e-Maknoon means that only whatsoever is written and contained in it, is known only to Allah, and that none other than He alone can make changes, amendments, additions and deletions in it. All changes, amendments, additions, and deletions that Allah makes in the Al-lawhu al-Mahfuz are also recorded in it. Time Management: Time is a fluid and passing reality. It can neither be stopped, nor can it be brought back. In the entirety of the universe life, things, actions and events, all begin and end within a fixed span of time (the eternity). Time in itself is a manageable and measurable entity as it is observable everywhere in nature and life. All life and things that exist, and the events that take place in the universe are time bound: they exist and perform their function within a time frame designed and fixed for them by Allah.
Time management was an important element of Siyasat-e-Madina, The state of Madina in effect began in an hurriedly built thatched roofed small mosque on the Holy Prophet’s (SAW) emigration from Makkah and his arrival in Madina in 622AD. Established in a hostile world and almost without resources, the state of Madina had developed into the largest and the most powerful state of the time only within a period of eleven years. Monitoring and Accountability is still another essential function of the Islamic state. At first place it is self monitoring and accountability, which applies to and makes each and every citizen of the Islamic state responsible and answerable to Allah for all his/her own acts and deeds implied in the meanings and explanations of the Qur’anic verses 50:17-18, 99:7-8, 35:18, 39:13, 6:15 and 82:10,11,12. The leadership and institutions of the Islamic state in the same context must establish and enforce system of monitoring and accountability of all citizens and institutions of the state for all their actions and responsibilities as they relate to performance of their duties and functions in their spheres of activities.
