How to establish an Islamic state by J.Iqbal

On February 1, 1979, a 79-year-old man landed at Tehran airport after fourteen years of exile. Before his arrival, he had been sending cassettes of speeches from Paris to his followers. His messages had so stirred the souls of thousands of Iranian men and women that the apparently indestructible hold of the ruling king was swept away by the tide. How could Sayyid Ruhullah al-Musavi al-Khomeini lead an Islamic revolution and help the emergence of an Islamic state through cassette recordings of his messages, in a country that was considered to be the strongest hub of American influence in the region, and where more than 40,000 American soldiers, CIA agents, and advisors were present at the time of Reza Shah's sudden departure? This question has haunted Western political thinkers for more than a quarter of a century and remains one of the most intriguing questions in twentieth century political history. The revolution that led to the emergence of the first Islamic state in modern history is, however, neither a mysterious phenomenon nor an oddity, for Muslim history is replete with such quick transformations. One of the most important, basic, but poorly understood characteristic of Muslims is their capacity for sea-changes through the stirring of their souls by an appeal to the vision of Islam. This capacity is not an empty, ephemeral, or transitory phenomenon; it is a very deep inner transformation capable of instantaneous metamorphosis. There are numerous examples of this sea-change in the Companions of the Prophet of Islam. Men who were vehemently opposed to his message would suddenly see the light and transform themselves, bringing striking changes to all facets of their lives. This capacity to return to the true vision of Islam and this ability to realign one's life to the dictates of the most Noble Book manifests in the life of Muslims in numerous other ways as well. The Hajj experiences of thousands of believers, the sudden awakening of a higher purpose in life through contact with a saintly person, and numerous other modes of transformation are recorded in history. In the case of Iran, what transformed the lives of millions of men and women were not just the cassettes coming from Paris, but a bold, clear and consistent message: Islam is a complete way of life and not simply a set of rituals and beliefs; this complete way of life cannot be established in a polity unless the entire system is changed and this change cannot happen through cooperation with those who are running and operating the present corrupt and un-Islamic system; it has to come through a revolutionary process. It was the consistency of this message, along with the personal integrity of the ulema who led the Islamic Revolution of Iran that produced the unimaginable result in 1979. While Maulana Mawdudi of Pakistan had articulated the path to the emergence of an Islamic state with as much clarity, if not more, as Imam Khomeini, he did not follow his own articulation and abandoned the Prophetic approach. Imam Khomeini, on the other hand, was able to touch the souls of millions of Iranians because throughout the long years of his struggle, he never abandoned this method. He was not only fearless; he was also deeply convinced of the veracity of his goal and the method of his achieving it. Most of all, Khomeini's success lies in his conviction that whatever results are achieved through struggle are not really in his own hands, or in the hands of any human; what really matters is only with the struggle. In an interview given in Paris, before his return to Iran, he was asked: "Do you think our present course is wise? What will happen if the army keeps slaughtering people? Will people sooner or later not get tired and discouraged?" He responded by saying "our duty is only to struggle; the result is with Allah." It is this total detachment that arises out of long years of reflection and contemplation which creates a spiritual focus which, in turn, produces sea-changes in society. That such a transformation is always possible within Islamic polity is a possibility that exists at all times and therefore, in spite of the present situation, the emergence of Islamic states in the traditional Muslim lands remains an ever-present real possibility. The fact that this has not happened in countries like Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, and so on, does not by any means preclude it for time to come. This is not empty hope and idealisation; it is a conviction borne out of an understanding of the spiritual makeup of Muslim people. The apparent power of secularised regimes of the Muslim world, the hold of the Western powers on state institutions, and the leadership of men who consider Islam to be a religion good for rituals but unfit for establishing a complete political, economic, and social order notwithstanding, there is something inherently indestructible in the Muslim psyche that keeps it perpetually committed to the vision inspired by the two Shahadahs: there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger. This commitment to the only one God, this attestation of the veracity of the message of Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, whose noble conduct and truth has been vouchsafed by Allah, the Most High, is a commitment of another kind which cannot be erased from the hearts of the believers. A commitment which can stir the sleeping soul at any moment, leading to the emergence of a small community of believers who can act as the harbinger of a change in the society, leading to the emergence of an Islamic state. What is needed at this time of Muslim history is, therefore, careful and sustained efforts to establish a large number of just such nuclei of change -- small groups of men and women who join hands together and help each other to gain an inner transformation and clarity through constant reflection on the complete system of life enshrined in the Glorious Book of Allah and through an intimate recollection and following of the life of His most Noble Messenger. If this path is followed, numerous Islamic states will emerge all over the traditional lands of Islam within a generation, with the permission of the One Whose Mercy grants the believers a light that dispels darkness and allows truth to prevail.