THE ROLE OF THE ULEMA
Guidance & Reformation
TO elaborate on the role of the ulema in contemporary times, one
first needs to be clear about what role Islam sets for the ulema.
This will provide us the proper criteria for examining the course
of action adopted by the ulema in our times.
The following Quranic verse gives us appropriate guidance with regard
to the role of the ulema:
It is not right that all the believers should go out
[in times of war] all together. Why then does not a party
from every group come to [the Prophet] to acquire a deeper
knowledge of religion and to warn their people, so that
they can guard themselves against evil.
THE QURAN 9: 122
Division of Arenas of Activity
This verse was revealed at times when the conditions of conflict and
political jihad were prevalent. Madinah had become an established
political state under the Prophet of Islam. The fear of attack or conflict
from others was ever present and defensive methods had to be
adopted to pre-empt them.
Islam differentiates between the arena of activity of
scholars and political leaders. Their respective arenas
have been kept separate and distinct.
Under these conditions, with this verse, the Muslim ummah has
been provided with a guiding principle of lasting significance, which
separates, in practical terms, the arena of campaigns from that of
acquiring knowledge. Accordingly, one section of the ummah was given
the responsibility under such conditions, of being active in the field of
consolidation of the state, while another section was charged with the
responsibility of looking after the department of knowledge, to which
they were to devote themselves entirely.
For a section of the believers to remain behind to focus on matters
of knowledge was not in any way a restriction on them. In fact, this indicates the power of knowledge, for engaging in jihad through
knowledge is more important than doing so through arms.
This principle does not indicate any opposition between religion and
politics, but, rather, a division of the arenas of activity among the
believers. This division is fully in accordance with the shariah.
In Islam, the religion for men and women is the same. Men and women
are identical in terms of being addressees of the faith. However, their
arenas of activity have been separated. Women are charged with the
responsibility of nurturing future generations, while maintaining and
providing for their families is the responsibility of the men. In the
same manner, even among men there are differences in terms of their
respective arenas of activity. One such difference, that Islam makes is
between the arena of activity of scholars, on one hand, and political
leaders, on the other. Their respective arenas have been kept separate
and distinct. Scholars have the responsibility of being guides and
teachers of the people so that the latter do not go astray.
Scholars have the responsibility of being guides and
teachers of the people so that the latter do not go astray.
As far as practical politics are concerned, those who engage in this
field must possess the necessary skills. Not everyone can shoulder this
responsibility. It was on the basis of the recognition of this difference
among people in terms of their capabilities that the Prophet indicated
to the ummah that after him they should appoint Abu Bakr as their
leader; while on the other hand, he advised Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, Abu
Hurairah and Hasan ibn Thabit never to accept any political position.
Due to their in-born qualities, some people are more suitable for
occupying official posts than others. According to Islam, the political
field should be given over to those who possess the requisite political
skills and capabilities, while others should engage in various other
fields that are also necessary for the community. Accordingly, while
politicians are charged with the task of administering and organizing
the people, scholars have the responsibility of providing the people
with the knowledge that they need.
This distinction between the activity of politicians and scholars is made
clearer in the Hadith. The Hadith texts record numerous traditions that refer to the deterioration in governance in later times, exhorting people
that even if they see that their rulers have gone astray they must not
challenge them. Even in such circumstances, these traditions suggest,
they must not brand the rulers as ‘oppressors’ or revolt against them.
This clearly indicates that the believers must respect the division
between the ‘men of politics’ and the ‘men of knowledge’ even
in such extreme conditions. This also suggests that it is not only in
ordinary circumstances that the ulema of the ummah must fulfill their
responsibility as teachers of the people. Rather, they must continue
to play this constructive role even when they see that the rulers have
fallen prey to corruption. No matter how degenerate the system of
governance may appear to have become, the ulema must not deviate
from the work that they have been entrusted with.
Leadership based on society
In the section on leadership and justice in the Mishkat al-Masabih it is
reported that the Prophet said:
Your leadership will be a reflection of you [the people].
From this Hadith, we learn about two distinct things: on one hand, the
mentality of people, their likes and dislikes, and so on, and, on the
other hand, leadership over people. The political structure and the
nature of the leadership of a particular society, this Hadith teaches us,
is indelibly shaped by the former.
Politicians are charged with the task of administering and
organizing the people, scholars have the responsibility of
providing the people with the knowledge that they need.
The ulema are charged with the responsibility of helping to shape
people’s consciousness and guide them on the right path, leaving the
task of governing people to politicians. A healthy society must observe
this distinction of tasks and responsibilities. Violating this distinction
is bound to lead to great disruption. If people are properly guided
and their minds shaped in the right way by the ulema, they will enjoy
the right sort of government. Conversely, if people’s character and
minds are corrupted, the government that rules over them will be of
the same sort.
In life, the question of people’s character is more important than that
of the government that rules over them. The former is the base, while
the latter is the super-structure, which rests on this base. Often, people
mistakenly perceive this superstructure to be more important than the
base, but in reality the base is much more vital. It is for this reason that
the status of the ulema is loftier than that of the rulers, and the divine
reward that they will receive is more, too.
This principle was established in the early period of Islam, and it shaped
the actions of the ummah in later times as well. In Islam’s early period,
a group among the Companions of the Prophet engaged in physical
jihad, while another group, including, for instance, Abdullah ibn Abbas,
Abdullah ibn Masud and Abdullah ibn Umar, devoted themselves to the
fields of scholarship and inviting people to Islam.
No matter how degenerate the system of governance may
appear to have become, the ulema must not deviate from
the work that they have been entrusted with.
Among the two generations that followed the Companions of the
Prophet, this same division of sphere of activity was observed. Some of
these early Muslims specialized in the scholarly field, including Quranic
commentary, Hadith, fiqh and related disciplines. This pattern continued
for around a thousand years. Those who specialized in the field of
scholarship, as Quranic reciters, Hadith scholars, fuqaha, ulema, Islamic
missionaries, Sufis, teachers and so on, focused on their own particular
sphere of activity. This division of work gave rise to a glorious history of
scholarship and communicating the message of God, a precious legacy
of the ummah. Had all the Muslims in this period devoted themselves
to armed jihad, it would certainly have created an enormous vacuum in
the history of Islam.
The Emperor Aurangzeb
This tradition, of a clear distinction between the spheres of activity
of the ulema and the political class, was first breached in India in a
significant way at the time of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1618-
1707). Although Aurangzeb was born in the royal family, he was an
alim. Aurangzeb’s father, the Emperor Shah Jahan, wanted to make
his elder son, Dara Shikoh, his successor. In this way, circumstances
seemed to have been taking Aurangzeb in the direction of becoming an alim rather than an Emperor. But he did not accept this. In 1658, he had
his father dethroned, and then imprisoned him in the Agra Fort. Then,
in 1659, he murdered his brother, Dara Shikoh, after which he ruled as
the head of the Mughal Empire for about half a century.
Aurangzeb was a man with many skills. Had he played the role of an
alim instead of an Emperor, it is possible that he would have done such
a good job of it that he could have become a model for the ulema to
emulate for several centuries.
Aurangzeb’s reign was a period when the foundations of modern
science were being laid in Europe. The impact of this new knowledge
had reached India’s shores by Aurangzeb’s time. But Aurangzeb did
not consider this development, and instead, remained engrossed in
his political quest. His father, Shah Jahan, had built the enormous
Taj Mahal, and Aurangzeb had the opportunity to build an impressive
mahal or palace of knowledge in India had he wished.
He could have let Dara Shikoh handle the governance of the Empire
while he could have focused on establishing an educational empire
in India. Had he done so, he would have done much more for the sake
of Islam and the ummah than what he unsuccessfully tried to do
through politics and war.
The political structure and the nature of the leadership of
a particular society is indelibly shaped by the mentality
of people, their likes and dislikes.
Had Aurangzeb travelled to Europe, instead of spending years fighting
wars in the Deccan, he would have realized that what he was doing
was against the demands of his times. He sought to establish the
supremacy of Islam through the ‘politics of the sword’, although the
age had already dawned — and which would soon arrive in India, too
— when the ‘politics of knowledge’ would become a powerful means of
establishing supremacy.
It appears that Aurangzeb and the other ulema of his times were probably
unaware of not only the intellectual and scientific developments that
were taking place in Europe at that time but also of the progress that
had been made in this regard in the centuries of Muslim rule in Spain,
spanning from the early eighth century to the late fifteenth century.
When the Muslim Sultanate collapsed in Spain, many Spanish Muslim
scholars and scientists left for other lands. At that time, a powerful
Muslim Caliphate ruled over Turkey. Some Muslim scientists, fleeing
Spain, headed to Turkey, but they received no support in the royal court
there. Not long after the demise of Muslim power in Spain, the Mughals
established their empire in India. But the powerful Mughal Emperors
never thought of inviting at least some of the great Spanish Muslim
scientists to India to carry on their intellectual work. This sort of work
required governmental patronage. And so, when the scientists of the
erstwhile Muslim Spain received no support from, or opportunities in
the Muslim world, they shifted to Western Europe instead, where they
received the patronage of non-Muslim rulers. This was one reason that
the work that had begun in Muslim Spain reached its climax not in the
Muslim world, but, rather, in non-Muslim Europe.
Because he was unaware of all these developments, and owing to
his inordinate interest in politics, Aurangzeb took no steps in this
regard. And so, the entire credit for the flowering of modern science
went to Europe.
The ulema are charged with the responsibility of helping
to shape people’s consciousness and guide them on the
right path, leaving the task of governing
people to politicians.
The conditions that gave rise to what is called the ‘modern age’ as well
as the earliest manifestations of this new age had already appeared
by the time Aurangzeb ascended the Mughal throne. The first model
of the spring-driven watch, which was to replace the old-fashioned
clock, was produced in Germany in 1500. Based on Portugal’s advances
in geography and naval technology, Vasco Da Gama landed on the
Malabar coast in southern India in 1498, inaugurating a sea route
that connected Europe with Asia. In 1510, Portugal captured Goa. A
century later, the British East India Company was set up, and, a short
while later, the French East India Company. But because of his political
involvements, Aurangzeb was unaware of these developments or else
did not give them the importance they deserved, although they clearly
suggested the grave external challenges that they would soon pose,
not just to India but to the entire Muslim world.
Long before Aurangzeb was born, in the second century C.E., a rudimentary form of printing had been invented in China, which was
later further refined in Europe before Aurangzeb’s time. Aurangzeb is
hailed by some for making copies of the Quran with his own hand, but
he was not aware that before him, in 1455, Gutenberg had printed
the first copy of the Bible in the printing press that he had invented,
thereby taking the Christian missionary enterprise from the age of
handicrafts to that of the machine. Had Aurangzeb known of this
development, he could have set up printing presses in India to print
the Quran, rather than having to make copies of the Quran by hand.
Even though you may see injustice and corruption in your
political leaders, only speaking to them words of justice
and truth is considered as the best Jihad.
Cambridge University was established in 1571, while Paris University
and Oxford University were established much before that — in the
12 th century. Aurangzeb reigned in the seventeenth century. How
much better it would have been had he focused on a much more
important task — that of establishing a massive university in India for
all the various branches of knowledge! He could have set up centres to
engage in research in various contemporary disciplines. He could have
established a new ‘House of Knowledge’ in Delhi to translate important
works by European scholars. He could have arranged for an academy
of ulema, who could have acquired modern subjects and engaged in
research on them. But he did no such thing whatsoever. And the simple
reason for this was because he did not agree to observe the distinction
in the arena of activity that we have alluded to.
Ulema and political rulers
According to a Hadith,
To speak words of truth before a tyrant ruler
is amongst the best of Jihad.
Abu Dawud
It must be noted that the Jihad mentioned in the above Hadith, is a
verbal Jihad and not an armed Jihad. That is, according to its guidance,
even though you may see injustice and corruption in your political
leaders, only speaking to them words of justice and truth is considered
as the best Jihad. It does not imply that in the face of injustice and
corruption, a revolt or agitation can be undertaken against the leaders in order to remove them from their positions. To initiate or participate
in a campaign aimed at deposing an established political leadership is
against Islam. This teaching was universally accepted and followed by
all the Companions of the Prophet of Islam, the Hadith compilers and
the ulema of yore.
Early Islamic history is witness to the fact that the ulema has always
been acting as counsellors to the political rulers and have never
initiated any sort of political revolt against them. The ulema of the
modern age however, have gone against the spirit of this Hadith
and have instigated their followers to rebel and revolt against their
corrupt or nonreligious rulers.
Ulema and the dawn of the Modern Age
Muslim ulema found themselves in a situation where on one hand,
western colonial powers had put an end to Muslim political rule and
on the other, revolutionary discoveries in scientific knowledge were
brought about by these very same western powers. This presented a
unique issue that now confronted the ulema. Those who had put an
end to Muslim political power had a power even greater than political
power, on the strength of which they had spread out over the whole
world. This was the power of scientific knowledge.
To initiate or participate in a campaign aimed at deposing
an established political leadership is against Islam.
Muslims had their historical glory in political power. On the other hand,
the secret of their religious glory was hidden in scientific knowledge.
This was a time when the potential had been realised for the Muslim
ulema to establish the truth of their religion based on accepted
human knowledge. These very western powers had brought about
the culmination of the revolution in human thought that began with
the Prophet of Islam and his companions.
From the Quran, we know that in ancient times there was no freedom
of religious thought (THE QURAN 85: 4-8), there was no freedom of action
(THE QURAN 96: 9-10), and there was no freedom of expression (THE QURAN
72: 19 ). The Quran also tells us that the very purpose of our existence
in this world is that God wants to put us to a ‘test’. An imperative
condition for this ‘test’ is the freedom of man. In ancient times, man was
deprived of such freedom because in those times, religious power or religion belonged to those who had political power. It was the western
colonial powers that brought about the new age of freedom that was
in conformance with God’s creation plan.
Muslims had their historical glory in political power. On
the other hand, the secret of their religious glory was
hidden in scientific knowledge.
There is another verse in the Quran that says that the divine revelation
was sent to the Prophet so that mankind should be made aware of the
creation plan of God (THE QURAN 25: 1). In ancient times due to traditional
methods and the limitations of human knowledge, the global realisation
of this verse was not possible.
The famous tabeée, Uqabah bin Nafae stood on the African shore of the
Atlantic Ocean and said:
‘Oh Lord, if I knew that there were people on the other side of
this sea, then I would enter into this sea to cross it’.
At that time, knowledge was limited and most people were unaware
that lands existed on the other side of the Atlantic. Due to these
limitations, the global communication of the message of God was not
possible. Now, western powers have made this possible through the
advent of modern methods of communication. The print and electronic
media have realised the potential that was mentioned in this verse
of the Quran.
However, the Muslim ulema of the modern times have been unable
to appreciate this contribution of the western world. Instead of
developing a positive global humanitarian perspective, they have
become consumed in hatred towards the western powers who had
taken away their political and historic glory.
The Muslim ulema did not appreciate the hidden reality that the
western powers had a supporting role towards the benefit of Islam
and therefore could not avail of the potential opportunities that these
powers had presented them.
