The Series "Caliphate and Imamate in Islamic Thought" by the writer and thinker Thaer Salama - Abu Malek - Part 67
The Series "Caliphate and Imamate in Islamic Thought" by the writer and thinker Thaer Salama - Abu Malek - Part 67

As for political authority, the state is an executive entity for ruling according to what God has revealed, and ruling, authority, and kingship mean implementing judgments and the king's power. The first thing the Islamic state undertakes is: authority, which can be broken down into six issues: 1) The method of the state's emergence, 2) The method of seizing power, 3) The nature of authority, 4) The powers of authority, 5) The duties of authority, 6) The position of the subjects when the authority violates the foregoing.

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September 04, 2025

The Series "Caliphate and Imamate in Islamic Thought" by the writer and thinker Thaer Salama - Abu Malek - Part 67

The Series "Caliphate and Imamate in Islamic Thought"

By the writer and thinker Thaer Salama - Abu Malek

Episode Sixty-Seven: Deconstructing the Concept of Authority in Islam

As for political authority, the state is an executive entity for ruling according to what God has revealed, and ruling, authority, and kingship mean implementing judgments and the king's power. The first thing the Islamic state undertakes is: authority, which can be broken down1 into six issues: 1) The method of the state's emergence, 2) The method of seizing power, 3) The nature of authority, 4) The powers of authority, 5) The duties of authority, 6) The position of the subjects when the authority violates the foregoing.

As for the method of the state's emergence and seizing power, establishing the state is not merely receiving power or coercing it, as it must be preceded by changing concepts, standards, and convictions among the nation until public opinion changes among those capable of handing over power so that it is built on those concepts. Seizing power is only a method for making life an Islamic life, meaning making the existing relationships between people Islamic relationships, and it is not permissible to view governance as more than just a method, nothing more. The issue is not just working to destroy the men of the government, but rather the issue is to make the ideas of Islam dominant in society until this destruction of the men of the government and the restoration of authority from them takes place, through the dominance of these ideas. This is from one perspective, and from another perspective, the state arises with the emergence of new ideas on which it is based, and authority within it changes with the transformation of these ideas, because if ideas become concepts, they affect human behavior and make his behavior proceed according to these concepts, so his view of life changes, and according to its change, his view of interests changes; and authority is only taking care of these interests, supervising them, and directing them, and it is only for the strongest group of society groups. If people in a region agree in their view of interests, they appoint those who take care of their affairs, meaning they establish the authority that directs their interests or submit to those who have established themselves in authority to direct their interests, and from here the rule comes from the nation definitively, either by its actual choice, or by its silence about its establishment, and silence is a type of choice. As for when they disagree, the rule will settle for the strongest group for a time, then it will soon collapse, so those who seek to establish the caliphate must establish it naturally in the nation by changing the concepts of the nation and not view it as receiving power and coercing it, or applying laws and imposing them on people. Work must be focused on resuming Islamic life, which can only be done by changing convictions, and receiving power is a method for establishing authority that is preceded by a lot of work, and seizing power can only be done by allegiance through consent and choice.

As for the nature of authority, authority in Islam is political and pastoral, and not a brutal force. It is mentioned in Ibn Saad's "Tabaqat" that Umair bin Saad, may God be pleased with him, who was appointed by Omar bin Al-Khattab, may God be pleased with him, as governor of Homs, used to say: "Indeed, Islam is a strong wall and a firm door. The wall of Islam is justice and its door is truth, and Islam will remain strong as long as the authority is strong, and the strength of the authority is not killing with the sword or striking with the whip, but rather judging with the truth and taking with justice." Omar, may God be pleased with him, used to say to his workers when he sent them to the countries: "I did not send you as tyrants, but I sent you as imams, so do not strike the Muslims and humiliate them, do not make them stay away so you tempt them, and do not prevent them so you wrong them."

1- See: Issues 28 and 29 of Al-Wa'i magazine

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Reflections on the book: "Elements of the Islamic Psyche" - Episode Fifteen

Reflections on the book: "Elements of the Islamic Psyche"

Prepared by Professor Muhammad Ahmad Al-Nadi

Episode Fifteen

Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon the Imam of the pious, the Master of the Messengers, sent as a mercy to the worlds, our master Muhammad and all his family and companions. Make us with them, and gather us in their company, by your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful.

Dear listeners, listeners of the Media Office Radio of Hizb ut-Tahrir:

Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you. In this episode, we continue our reflections on the book: "Elements of the Islamic Psyche." In order to build the Islamic personality, with attention to the Islamic mentality and the Islamic psyche, we say, with God's help: 

O Muslims:

We said in the last episode: It is also Sunnah for a Muslim to supplicate for his brother behind his back, just as it is Sunnah for him to ask his brother to supplicate for him. It is Sunnah for him to visit him, sit with him, keep in touch with him, and share with him for the sake of God after loving him. It is recommended for a Muslim to meet his brother with what he likes to please him with that. We add in this episode and say: It is recommended for a Muslim to give gifts to his brother, according to the hadith of Abu Hurairah, which was reported by Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Abu Ya'la in his Musnad, Al-Nasa'i in Al-Kuna, and Ibn Abd Al-Barr in Al-Tamhid. Al-Iraqi said: The chain of narrators is good, and Ibn Hajar said in Al-Talkhis Al-Habir: Its chain of narrators is good, he said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Exchange gifts, you will love one another." 

It is also recommended for him to accept his gift and reward him for it, according to the hadith of Aisha in Bukhari, who said: "The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, used to accept gifts and reward for them."

And the hadith of Ibn Umar in Ahmad, Abu Dawood, and Al-Nasa'i, who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever seeks refuge in God, grant him refuge, and whoever asks you in the name of God, give him, and whoever seeks protection in God, protect him, and whoever does you a favor, reward him, and if you do not find anything, then supplicate for him until you know that you have rewarded him."

This is between brothers, and it has nothing to do with the gifts of the subjects to the rulers, as they are like bribery, which is forbidden. And one of the rewards is to say: May God reward you with good. 

Al-Tirmidhi narrated from Usama bin Zaid, may God be pleased with them both, and said it is good and authentic, he said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever has a favor done to him and says to the one who did it: "May God reward you with good," then he has exaggerated in the praise." And praise is gratitude, i.e., reward, especially from someone who finds nothing else, as Ibn Hibban narrated in his Sahih from Jabir bin Abdullah, who said: I heard the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: "Whoever is given a favor and does not find anything better than praise for it, then he has thanked him, and whoever conceals it has disbelieved, and whoever adorns himself with falsehood is like one who wears two garments of falsehood." And with a good chain of narrators, Al-Tirmidhi narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever is given a gift and finds something to repay it with, let him repay it, and if he does not find anything, let him praise it, for whoever praises it has thanked him, and whoever conceals it has disbelieved, and whoever adorns himself with what he has not been given is like one who wears two garments of falsehood." And disbelieving in the gift means concealing and covering it up. 

With an authentic chain of narrators, Abu Dawood and Al-Nasa'i narrated from Anas, who said: "The Muhajirun said, "O Messenger of God, the Ansar have taken all the reward, we have not seen a people who are better at giving a lot, nor better at consoling in a little than them, and they have spared us the burden," he said: "Do you not praise them for it and supplicate for them?" They said: "Yes," he said: "That is for that." 

A Muslim should be grateful for the little as he is grateful for the much, and be grateful to the people who do him good, as Abdullah bin Ahmad narrated in his additions with a good chain of narrators from Al-Nu'man bin Bashir, who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever is not grateful for the little, is not grateful for the much, and whoever is not grateful to the people, is not grateful to God, and talking about God's blessings is gratitude, and leaving it is disbelief, and the group is mercy, and division is torment."

It is Sunnah to intercede for one's brother for a benefit of righteousness or to facilitate a difficulty, as Al-Bukhari narrated from Abu Musa, who said: "The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, was sitting when a man came asking, or seeking a need, he turned his face to us and said, "Intercede, so that you may be rewarded, and God will decree on the tongue of His Prophet what He wills."

And as Muslim narrated from Ibn Umar from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, who said: "Whoever is a connection for his Muslim brother to a person of authority for a benefit of righteousness or to facilitate a difficulty, will be helped to cross the Path on the day when feet slip."

It is also recommended for a Muslim to defend the honor of his brother behind his back, as Al-Tirmidhi narrated and said this is a good hadith from Abu Al-Darda' from the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, who said: "Whoever defends the honor of his brother, God will ward off the fire from his face on the Day of Resurrection." This hadith of Abu Al-Darda' was narrated by Ahmad, and he said its chain of narrators is good, and Al-Haythami said the same. 

And what Ishaq bin Rahwayh narrated from Asma bint Yazid, who said: I heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: "Whoever defends the honor of his brother behind his back, it is a right upon God to free him from the Fire." 

Al-Quda'i narrated in Musnad al-Shihab from Anas, who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "Whoever supports his brother behind his back, God will support him in this world and the hereafter." Al-Quda'i also narrated it from Imran bin Hussein with the addition: "And he is able to support him." And as Abu Dawood and Al-Bukhari narrated in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, and Al-Zain Al-Iraqi said: Its chain of narrators is good from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: "The believer is the mirror of the believer, and the believer is the brother of the believer, from wherever he meets him, he protects him from his loss and surrounds him from behind."

O Muslims:

You have learned from the noble Prophetic hadiths mentioned in this episode and the previous episode that it is Sunnah for whoever loves a brother for the sake of God to inform him and let him know that he loves him. It is also Sunnah for a Muslim to supplicate for his brother behind his back. It is also Sunnah for him to ask his brother to supplicate for him. It is Sunnah for him to visit him, sit with him, keep in touch with him, and share with him for the sake of God after loving him. It is recommended for a Muslim to meet his brother with what he likes to please him with that. It is recommended for a Muslim to give gifts to his brother. It is also recommended for him to accept his gift and reward him for it.

A Muslim should be grateful to the people who do him good. It is Sunnah to intercede for one's brother for a benefit of righteousness or to facilitate a difficulty. It is also recommended for him to defend the honor of his brother behind his back. So why don't we adhere to these Sharia rulings and all the rulings of Islam, so that we may be as our Lord loves and is pleased with, so that He may change what is within us, improve our conditions, and we may win the best of this world and the hereafter?! 

Dear listeners: Listeners of the Media Office Radio of Hizb ut-Tahrir: 

We will suffice with this amount in this episode, with the understanding that we will complete our reflections in the coming episodes, God willing. Until that time and until we meet you, we leave you in God's care, protection, and security. We thank you for your kind listening, and peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you. 

Know, O Muslims! - Episode 15
November 14, 2025

Know, O Muslims! - Episode 15

Know, O Muslims!

Episode 15

Among the assisting bodies of the Khilafah state are the ministers whom the Caliph appoints to assist him in bearing the burdens of the Khilafah and fulfilling its responsibilities. The multitude of the Khilafah's burdens, especially as the Khilafah state grows and expands, makes it difficult for the Caliph to bear them alone, so he needs someone to help him bear them to fulfill its responsibilities. However, it is not correct to call them ministers without restriction, so that the meaning of the minister in Islam, which is in the sense of an assistant, is not confused with the meaning of the minister in the current man-made systems based on democratic, capitalist, secular, or other systems that we witness in the present era.