Islamic Government is not a theocracy. For, there are no priests or clergymen in Islam.
It is not even a government by the pious and the virtuous. For, that is what led to the Salem Witch Burnings.
Simply put, Islamic Government is government of the people, by the people.
All governments are. They are all governments of the people, run by people of one kind or another, regardless of whether it is a democracy or dictatorship.
That means every government everywhere is, and always has been, run by people, whether those people are kings, commoners, priests, lords, barons or someone else.
The core element of Islamic Government is this: People Must Govern Themselves.
That means the following things:
- People — All People — must freely and fearlessly elect their own rulers.
- They must obey their rulers when they are right and help them run things smoothly and well.
- They must correct them when they are wrong.
- They must hold them accountable at all times.
- And they must remove and replace them as and when they see fit, using the same open and fair electoral process that put them in office the first time.
That is Islamic Government, no matter what anyone says.
Islamic Government, then, is basically government of the people; by the people.
Undertaken for the pleasure of God Almighty and not just in the raw pursuit of worldly gain by ambitious politicians.
It is a Government of Laws and Due Process.
Presided over by God’s Word, the Qur’an. And the sayings and doings of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.
It is Utopia on earth in the best and most positive sense of that term.
And the will of a free people: The People.
By what name people call such government is up to them. There is no one right or wrong name for it.
Democracy is Greek for “People’s Rule.”
Theocracy is Greek for “God’s Rule.”
Plutocracy is Greek for “Government by the Rich.”
Kleptocracy is Greek for “Government by Thieves.”
In the real world, all rule is people’s rule. It is people – human beings – who exercise authority and manage power on earth.
Some people rule in their own name. Some rule in God’s name. But it is always people who rule.
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