Headlines:
- Democracy Alters the Commands of Islam
- A System which does not see Debt as a Problem cannot get Pakistan out of Debt
- Only the Establishment of the Khilafah will Boost Heavy and Defence Industries
Democracy Alters the Commands of Islam
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled on 24 June 2019 that a person intending to contract a second marriage will have to seek mandatory approval of the Arbitration Council, even if the current wife or wives permit a man to contract another marriage. In Democracy, the Laws of Allah ((swt)) cannot be implemented, without the approval of man. Moreover, this system allows man to alter the commands of Allah (swt). Democracy can declare things and actions Haraam (forbidden), which Allah (swt) has made Halaal (allowed). Similarly, Democracy can declare things and action Halaal (allowed) which Allah (swt) has made Haraam (forbidden). The glaring example of this fact is that of interest being Halaal in Pakistan, even though it is such a grave sin that Islam has declared that it invokes war from Allah (swt) and His Messenger ﷺ. To defend the ruling faction, it is claimed that it is not democracy which has made interest Halaal, but the compulsion from being part of the global economic system. Consider that the minimum age of marriage in Pakistan is eighteen years and if someone gets married before this age, he or she can be put to trial and punished. So was there any compulsion to make this law as well because we are part of global system? Now the Islamabad High Court has declared that not only the consent of the first wife or wives is necessary, the approval of the Arbitration Council is also required. If someone does not follow this, he will be punished. So we ask was there any compulsion to make this law as well, because we are part of global system?
Allah (swt) said, يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تُحَرِّمُوۡا طَيِّبٰتِ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَـكُمۡ وَلَا تَعۡتَدُوۡاؕ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الۡمُعۡتَدِيۡنَ “Believers! Do not hold as unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful to you, and do not exceed the bounds of right. Allah does not love those who transgress the bounds of right.” [Al-Maidah 5:87]. So when Allah (swt) has not placed any restriction on a second marriage, than how can any man dare to place any restriction. Yet, democracy allows man to place his verdicts over the commands of Allah (swt), even though Allah (swt) has said,وَمَا كَانَ لِمُؤۡمِنٍ وَّلَا مُؤۡمِنَةٍ اِذَا قَضَى اللّٰهُ وَرَسُوۡلُهٗۤ اَمۡرًا اَنۡ يَّكُوۡنَ لَهُمُ الۡخِيَرَةُ مِنۡ اَمۡرِهِمۡؕ وَمَنۡ يَّعۡصِ اللّٰهَ وَرَسُوۡلَهٗ فَقَدۡ ضَلَّ ضَلٰلاً مُّبِيۡنًا “It does not behave a believer, male or female, that when Allah and His Messenger have decided an affair they should exercise their choice. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has strayed to manifest error.” [Surah Al-Ahzab 33:36]. The commands of Islam are being altered in this country, which was created in the name of Islam. It is only taking place because of the democratic system, where there is no restriction that laws can only be taken from the Quran and Sunnah. Instead, man can make any law that he likes. In order to stop this grave sin, it is imperative to establish the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the method of Prophethood where laws can only be extracted from the Quran and Sunnah.
A System which does not see Debt as a Problem cannot get Pakistan out of Debt
On 12 June 2019, the Prime Minister of Pakistan addressed the people of Pakistan and announced the formation of a high powered commission. This commission will investigate as to why so much debt accumulated in the past ten years, when the Pakistan Muslim league-N (PML-N) and Pakistan People Party (PPP) were in ruling. In this time period, Pakistan’s foreign debt increased from 41 billion dollars to 97 billion dollars. This commission has been announced at a time when the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) itself is incurring debt from the onset of its rule. Recently it brokered an agreement for an IMF loan with devastating conditions. After the announcement of the formation of the commission, the PML-N and PPP asserted that these loans were plundered and must also be investigated. The situation indicates that the democratic politicians of Pakistan including Imran Khan do not consider debt in itself a primary issue. They only want to know whether these loans were used for the betterment of the economy or went into the pockets of few. It is because of this capitalist thought that Pakistan has been entangled in debt. For the capitalist increasing production is the way to make an economy strong and large. An “indebted economy” which has a high growth rate, is better than an economy with no debt, but low growth rate. Therefore we see that the most powerful and large economies are drowning in debt. According to the National Debt Clock’s 2018 statistics, the national debt of America was more than 21.5 trillion dollars and was increasing at a rate of 38 thousand dollars per second.
In contrast to the capitalist system Islam does not consider growth as a primary issue for an economy. Islam considers the concentration of wealth as the actual issue. It focuses on stopping the concentration of wealth and ensures the distribution of wealth in a society. Although the commands of Islam with respect to the economy also ensure the growth in economy, various commands of Islam automatically ensures the distribution of wealth. The revenue system of Islam also helps to fulfill this objective and there is no concept of amnesty in what is obliged. The state does not depend on placing huge tax burdens on the poor, rather it owns or supervises assets which generate huge revenues. In the capitalist system such assets which generates huge revenues are owned by large companies or individuals, who make billions of dollars from such an assets. Furthermore Islam shuts the door for acquiring foreign loans, as they are interest based and Islam has forbidden interest. Indeed, the ruler of Muslims who fears Allah (swt), considers debt as a heavy burden, because he knows the Hadith of RasulAllah ﷺ, «يُغْفَرُ لِلشَّهِيدِ كُلُّ ذَنْبٍ إِلاَّ الدَّيْنَ» “Allah forgives all sins of a martyr but not a debt of someone.” (Muslim).
Only the Establishment of the Khilafah will Boost Heavy and Defence Industries
According to the Daily Dawn report published on 24 June 2019, JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, manufactured in Pakistan, have won the hearts of participants at the Paris air show. Pakistan and China jointly produced this fighter jet. 58 percent of its air frame is manufactured by Pakistan, whilst 42 percent is made by China and Russia. However, its engine is manufactured by China.
The successful exhibition of the JF-17 Thunder fighter jets in the Paris air show exhibits the defence strength and industrial capability. However, because of the negligence of successive regimes, Pakistan still imports engines for this fighter jet. Pakistan not only imports engines for fighter jets, it also imports engines for vehicles, which Pakistan has been producing locally for many decades. This neglect is not limited to any one sector. Pakistan earns its largest chunk of foreign exchange from textile exports, but even after seventy years of independence Pakistan still imports textile machinery from Europe. So because of this scenario, imports of machinery becomes a large portion of the import bill. The absence of heavy industries is because of the implementation of colonialist policies, which ensures that industries in Pakistan only grow to cater to the needs of foreign markets. The policies neglect the need of heavy industry and thus we never become industrially self-reliant. We supply cloth to the whole of Europe and America, but they took away more foreign exchange than we earn, by selling us engines, fighter jets and submarines. Every regime in Pakistan left the progress in heavy industry to the private sector, though it does not have enough capital to install heavy industries, as they are extremely capital intensive. If somehow they manage to do so, even then they cannot invest in research and development activities which are essential for the progress of heavy industries. Moreover, being an investor their prime concern is to earn profits as quickly as possible. That is why whatever progress Pakistan has achieved in the field of nuclear technology and fighter jets manufacturing is because of the role of state in these two industries. Pakistan is not an exception. Whatever progress China have made in the field of technology is because of the active role of the state. In China most heavy industries are under the direct control of the state. In contrast to this reality, our rulers have left the progress of heavy industry to the private sector. Moreover, they have frozen the defence budget which will hurt heavy industry vital for defence.
Only after the re-establishment of Khilafah, will Pakistan see a rise in her heavy and defence industries because those industries which produces weapon, engine and industrial machinery will be created by the state. Only in the presence of heavy industries, can an armed forces be strong and powerful. Today our armed forces are significantly dependent on foreign technologies. So for the independence of the Khilafah, it is imperative that it must be free from foreign states influence and so produces its own weaponry. The Khilafah will have all the weapons that are necessary to incite fear in the hearts of the enemy, whether it overt or covert. Allah (swt) said, وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَمِنْ رِبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَآخَرِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ “Make ready for an encounter against them all the forces and well-readied horses you can muster that you may overawe the enemies of Allah and your own enemies and others besides them of whom you are unaware but of whom Allah is aware.” [Surah Al-Anfal 8:60]