# Are Muslims obliged to establish an Islamic state or khilafah?

*Religion is personal; believers are not obliged to establish a society or a state*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ij2ml87ptrs/s/1/
- Date: 2017-09-09 · Kind: discussion · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Should Muslims Establish Khilafah - Shaykh Akram Nadwi & Mufti Abu Layth (0:00–2:10)
- Status: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJ2ml87pTrs&t=0s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ij2ml87ptrs/

**Topics:** Caliphate; Guest conversations

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The guest says religion is a personal matter between a person and God, and believers have no obligation to obtain a society or a state, though if they have power they must run it by God's command. Prophets such as Ibrahim and Isa, and Zakariya, Yahya and Maryam under Roman rule, never sought power and remain examples.

## Longer summary

The guest, Shaykh Akram Nadwi, says that what is missed in understanding the religion is that, according to the Quran and Sunnah, religion is basically a personal matter between a person and their Lord. When many people accept it a society comes about, and then the command of Allah is that the society be run according to His command, enjoining good and forbidding evil; when believers gain power they are commanded to obey Allah in running the state. But, he says, none of them has an obligation to make an effort to obtain a society or a state; sometimes things move in that direction and sometimes it never happens. Many prophets and messengers had believers but never established a society or any power, such as Ibrahim and Isa, and it did them no harm; they were still the best and chosen people, and some lived under non-Muslim rule and remain examples for the believers. He cites the last four prophets of the Jewish people, Zakariya, Yahya, Maryam and Isa, who lived under the Roman Empire, never rebelled or tried to establish Jewish rule, and taught only the personal religion of worship, prayer, remembrance, fasting and repentance, while the Quran praises them, makes them examples and says 'follow their guidance' [?], as it does for Ibrahim.

## Sources and names cited

- Shaykh Akram Nadwi (guest)
- khilafah
- al-amr bil-ma'ruf wa al-nahy an al-munkar (commanding good and forbidding evil)
- Ibrahim (Abraham)
- Isa (Jesus)
- Zakariya
- Yahya
- Maryam
- Roman Empire
- Quran 6:90 (follow their guidance) [?] (reference uncertain; possibly https://quran.com/6/90)

## Transcript (machine tier, 0:00–2:10)

[0:00] [Shaykh Akram] One thing we keep missing from our understanding of the Religion is that we don't exactly get what the Qur'an and Sunnah is teaching. Religion is basically a personal matter between the people and their Lord. Nothing more than that. Your religion is just between you and your Lord. Mine is between me and my Lord. I believe in Him. I worship Him. I fear Him. Religion must always be personal. It's just between you and Allah (swt).

[0:26] What happens is that when religion is established and many many people start to accept it, you get a society. Then the Command of Allah comes. That society should be according to Allah's Command. If there is no society, then you are just an individual. But when society is there, then you have to run the society according to Allah's Command. The Command is to enjoin the good and forbid the evil. After that, the Believers, they get power as well so they are commanded that when they run the state and whatever, they also obey Allah's Command. But none of them have an obligation upon them to make an effort to get a society. And it is not an obligation upon them to get a state. But it could be that sometimes they move towards that direction

[1:07] but sometimes it never happens. There are many many Prophets and Messengers who came and some people believed in them, but they never established any society. They never got any power - no Khilafah - like Ibrahim (as) and `Isa (as). There were many good people (who had no khilafah) and it did them no harm. They were still the best people. They were the chosen people. You know, some of them were actually living under non-Muslim rule and they are still examples for the Believers. You know, that last four Prophets of the Jewish people Zaykariya (as), Yahya (as), Maryam (as) and `Isa (as).

[1:35] These 4 people, all of them lived under the Roman Empire, Not a Jewish empire but under the Roman Empire. They never made an effort to rebel. They never made effort to establish Khilafah - Jewish Rule. They never ever did. What they actually taught was the personal religion. The religion which is actually `Ibadah, prayer, Dhikr, fasting, repenting to Allah, turning to Him. That is what they taught. Nothing else. And the Qur'an has so much praise for them.

[2:02] Actually the Qur'an makes all of these four people as examples for the Believers. And the Qur'an says {Arabic}. "Follow their guidance". And the same for Ibrahaim (as). This understanding that the Believers have a duty to establish the Khilafah, this is not right. When people get the power, then their duty is they should be running according to Allah's Command. That is the command. But it is not the command that you must get it (state power). This never has been the command. Even when people say that the Prophet (saw) moved to Madinah Munawwarah to establish a state, this is a big misunderstanding. Because the Hadith says that when the Prophet (saw) did Hijrah (migration), he did not like that. Actually he was forced by the people to leave Makkah.

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment iJ2ml87pTrs/s/1. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/ij2ml87ptrs/s/1/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.