NATIONAL POLITICS & THE ʿULAMĀʾ
Reading Time: 2 minutes
NATIONAL POLITICS & THE ʿULAMĀʾ
A reply to a letter from Maulana Athar Ali Sahib, in which Mufti Shafi Sahib (r.a) responded as follows:
Maulana Faydhur Rahman Sahib, Imam of Jami Masjid, Mymensingh, stated that my leader, Hakeem ul Ummah, advised the scholars to refrain from politics. This is entirely correct in its context. After circumstances changed, this position became the best formula for safeguarding the scholars. This humble servant has always adhered to this principle, and you, the respected one, will recall that I have consistently advised the same.
However, it is an obligation upon the people of knowledge not to remain idle with a single statement of the Elders. Rather, they should observe their lives and collective teachings and act accordingly….
He writes:
“It is not hidden from any of you that if the politics of a country are free from carnal desires and not prohibited by the Sacred Law, then they form a vital part of the religion. At times, they may even be more important and necessary than other aspects of the religion. The life of the Prophet (ﷺ), the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the pious, and the friends of Allah all bear testimony to this. Likewise, the statement of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (r.a) is well known, wherein he said: ‘I perform my prayer while organising my troops.’ There is no need to provide further proofs for this.”
He continues:
“However, politics is such a branch of religion that to enter it while safeguarding oneself from the desires of the ego is the task of truly great souls. This requires the calibre of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (r.a) and ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (r.a). This has been the key issue throughout every era. It is for this reason that, after the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the pious and the saints of Allah remained aloof from politics. With the passage of time, such complications entered this field that, no matter how pious or sincere a person may be, entering it inevitably leads to transgressing the boundaries of religion. Especially in today’s age, politics has become a fountainhead of corruption, blending together the impurities of both religion and worldly pursuits.
It was for this reason that Hakeem ul Ummah kept away from it and advised others likewise.”
However, anyone who recognised and was fortunate enough to sit in the blessed company of Hakeem ul Ummah would know that, despite his devotion to the activities of the Khānqah, he never remained unaware of the trials facing the country. On the contrary, whenever a religious tribulation arose affecting the Muslims, he would exert himself to the utmost to repel it and protect them from its harm. I witnessed this quality in him more than in any of the other Elders, to the extent that at times he would fall ill, losing all desire for food and sleep. Every effort, both individually and collectively, would be spent in countering that tribulation. There are countless examples of this that I personally witnessed, though I lack the ability to record them all.”
(Maqālāt Uthmānī page 707)
