The series "The Caliphate and the Imamate in Islamic Thought"
By the writer and thinker Thaer Salama – Abu Malek
Fifth episode: The Caliphate system is the legitimate continuation of establishing justice in the heavens and the earth
God Almighty has established the heavens and the earth on the balance of truth, forbade injustice to Himself, and made it forbidden among people. He sent down the Sharia, the balance of justice, so that people could uphold the truth. ﴿WE HAVE ALREADY SENT OUR MESSENGERS WITH CLEAR EVIDENCES AND SENT DOWN WITH THEM THE SCRIPTURE AND THE BALANCE THAT THE PEOPLE MAY MAINTAIN [THEIR AFFAIRS] WITH JUSTICE.﴾ [Al-Hadid: 25]. He has made obedience to those in authority obligatory, as long as they uphold the Sharia - the rulings of Islam - among the people, so that the path is straight, justice prevails throughout the land, and injustice is eradicated from it. Tawus al-Yamani said: "Do you know who is the most hated of creation to God?" We said: "No." He said: "Indeed, the most hated of creation to God Almighty is a servant whom God has associated with His authority, and he commits disobedience in it."
This was preserved from Tawus al-Yamani, may God be pleased with him, by his son Abdullah bin Tawus, as it is mentioned in Shazrat al-Dhahab, and in many history and biography books. Ziyad narrated from Malik bin Anas, may God Almighty be pleased with him, who said: When Abu Jaafar sent to Malik bin Anas and Ibn Tawus in the year 142 AH, he said: We entered upon him while he was sitting on carpets, and in front of him were leather mats spread out, and executioners with swords in their hands were striking necks. He gestured to us to sit, so we sat down. He was silent for a long time, then he raised his head and turned to Ibn Tawus and said: Tell me about your father. He said: I heard my father say: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "The people who will suffer the most on the Day of Resurrection are those whom God Almighty has associated with His authority, and he introduces injustice into his rule1."
If people abide by God's law, justice will prevail and the heavens and earth will be established in truth. Then God Almighty's grace will descend upon creation, in accordance with His saying: ﴿AND IF THEY HAD BEEN STEADFAST UPON THE [RIGHT] WAY, WE WOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM ABOUNDANT RAIN.﴾ [Al-Jinn: 16].
If their rulers introduce injustice to them, and transgress and oppress, they distance people from righteousness. If people do not restrain their rulers to keep them on the right path, the truth is lost, and the earth is corrupted, injustice enters the earth, sanctities are violated, rights are violated, and judgments are corrupted, and injustice enters the kingdom of the earth. God Almighty has made it obligatory for the creation, rulers and ruled, to uphold justice, but whoever refuses refuses, and whoever turns back on his heels turns back, and injustice enters, so God's wrath intensifies and His punishment intensifies. Therefore, this one whom God has associated with His authority has introduced injustice into that authority and acted in it with his sins!.
The issue of ruling according to what God has revealed, with this degree of seriousness, is hardly matched in danger by any issue like it. Either God's rule will prevail on earth and justice will prevail, ﴿WE HAVE ALREADY SENT OUR MESSENGERS WITH CLEAR EVIDENCES AND SENT DOWN WITH THEM THE SCRIPTURE AND THE BALANCE THAT THE PEOPLE MAY MAINTAIN [THEIR AFFAIRS] WITH JUSTICE.﴾ [Al-Hadid: 25], or injustice enters God's kingdom from the rulers who are originally rulers, successors on earth so that people may uphold justice, or from the ruled who are satisfied to be ruled by other than God's law, so they are satisfied that other than God's justice should prevail on earth, so let those who disobey His command beware lest they be afflicted by a trial.
In the Qudsi Hadith, on the authority of Abu Dharr Jundub bin Junada, may God be pleased with him, from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, relating from God, blessed and exalted be He, who said: «O My servants, I have forbidden injustice to Myself, and I have made it forbidden among you, so do not wrong one another».
God has forbidden injustice to Himself, and has forbidden it to His servants, and has revealed the law that guarantees that injustice will not enter the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. Woe and destruction to those who introduce injustice into this kingdom. So how about those who rule unjustly according to what God has revealed, following their desires, and how about those who rule according to other than what God has revealed, so they judge unjustly and are not satisfied with introducing injustice into God Almighty's authority in the rule, nor are they satisfied with preventing people from the justice that the Lord of Glory has prescribed for them so that they may uphold justice, but rather they reject God Almighty's rulings and take themselves as lords besides God. ﴿AND IF THE TRUTH HAD FOLLOWED THEIR DESIRES, THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH AND WHOEVER IS IN THEM WOULD HAVE BEEN CORRUPTED. RATHER, WE HAVE GIVEN THEM THEIR MESSAGE, BUT FROM THEIR MESSAGE THEY ARE TURNING AWAY﴾ [Al-Mu'minun: 71].
1- Abu Jaafar remained silent for an hour until what was between us and him turned black, Malik said: I gathered my clothes for fear that his blood would touch me, thinking that Al-Mansur would inevitably kill him, then Al-Mansur said to Abdullah: Give me that inkwell, three times, but he did not do so, so he said to him: Why did you not give me the inkwell? He said: I am afraid that you will write a sin with it and I will have participated with you in it. When he heard that, he said to them: Get away from me, Abdullah said: This is what we wanted, Malik said: I have always known Ibn Tawus's virtue from that day on.
