Mullah, Mosque & State
Guest columnist

One of the serious surmises that is being proliferated by most of the Muslim vocal clergy is their long-drawn-out & fatal misconception. They believe firmly that they alone as a community have the exclusive right to rule. What is the logic for this fallacy? Simply because they assume they are better Muslims than the others. Perhaps they have developed some chronic perplexity given the constraint in their minds about themselves as well as about Islam.

To comprehend the mystery and chemistry of a mullah it is necessary to scan this species in history. So the prime question is; what is a Mullah? The most vocal & choral species in our decaying society; generally a crude, rude, alienated, customary & quasi literate person, lacking knowledge - wrapping their head with some head cover, wearing loose trouser, disorderly over the ankles and is supposed to perform some routine type religious rituals, mostly by default, is known as a Mullah. And those, among them who have procured some sanad (viz certificate) from any quasi-teaching seminary they conceit themselves as great thinkers. A Mullah as we observe in the society has nothing to do with knowledge ordinarily, for he grows in quarantine. A person whose religious knowledge is acknowledged is called scholar (viz Aalim) and never a Mullah.

The biting wit is; that if one tries to argue with them; that none among the human community has the right as a community to claim ruling as prerogative. And that overall competence is a must for a person to rule - and that limited expertise in some religious rituals is no qualification to rule a nation. They, on this would skip by saying that there was no concept of separation of State and Mosque - as had been according to them was the case of Church & State in Christianity. But this is also one of the misperceptions (viz hypothesis) they have been selling wittingly. In Islam right from the first Prophet Adam (PBUH) to our last Prophet, Mohammad (PBUH) - all of them were the Highest Righteous, the Greatest Statesmen and the Outstanding Highbrows Personas - and none of them were a Mullah. All the Prophets (PBUT) were caused to live in inclusion with others, so as observe, experience, comprehend and taste all the ground realties of life practically. Likewise none of the four ‘Caliphs the Righteous’ were a Mullah and similar was the case afterwards. Poles apart, from Mullahs who born, grow and live in seclusion and thus suffers from worthlessness, senselessness, tastelessness and mindlessness. It is through leading a practical life alone which can lead you to practical knowledge and practical world.

And above all, so far the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) as well as the four Caliphs the Righteous were concerned, they were exceptions in all round brilliance and nobody can either catch or match them in any excellence. Moreover, those whose skill were believed to have restricted to performing the rituals; they had never interfered in the state affairs. 

So much so that ‘Ashab-e-Suffa’ albeit they were the highest and luminous religious scholars and they had devoted, confined and spared their entire lives for learning and spreading the religious knowledge - nonetheless none of them had ever tried either by themselves or through others to be indulged in politics as of right even in the lifetime of Mohammad (PBUH). Allah Almighty has commended their devotion towards the knowledge and endorsed their selflessness, moral fiber and sincerity in Holy Qur’an in the words: “(Charity is) for those in need, who, In Allah’s cause are restricted (from travel), and cannot move about in the land, seeking (for trade or work): the ignorant man thinks, because of their modesty, that They are free from want. Thou shalt know them by their (Unfailing) mark: They beg not importunately from all the sundry. And whatever of good ye give, be assured Allah knoweth it well.” (Surah Al- Baqarah: 2-273)

And similar was the case afterwards in period of ‘Caliphate the Righteous’. Thus if none among the scholars of that high caliber had ever claimed to be the exclusive community who alone should rule the Muslims - then how a Mullah who with a little exception, can’t do anything, can aver to be the exclusive right holder of power?

It is an admitted fact that the overwhelming number of our current day Mullah lot is simply uncouth incarnate - and they are not different from our quacks, for most of them are Mullahs simply because they happened to be from Mullahs background. Similarly as quacks are quacks because they happened to be hailed from such background. Thus if a quack is not competent to meddle with public health then how a habitual Mullah may be allowed to play havoc with the nation’s national, physical, political as well as spiritual being? Who else other than Allah Almighty can know better that governance has been inclusively a peerless art and is entirely a different assignment? And this is why that statecraft always requires the extraordinary all-round skill and competence as prerequisite. And that’s why that all the Prophets were the most chosen adroit and practical personas in terms of all round talent. Ergo in the Holy Qur’an, Allah the Almighty Order has been,

What is the importance of competence for he who would govern is evident from this Holy Verse as well:

According to my humble opinion it was from the early Muslims whom ‘they’ (most of the non-Muslims of the west) learnt from, the worthiest secret of statecraft that by keeping their clergy (viz Church) away from the state (viz state affairs) thereafter alone a state could be set to prosper. And to keep them away, it was necessary to keep them busy in purely religious rituals - and be paid for handsomely. 

But one must bear in mind that I don’t mean to say that religion has nothing to do with the helm of affairs of a state so far as the religion of Islam is concerned. What I mean to convey more articulately is; that in Islamic polity, the religion of course shall be the heart of the politics. For, by doing so there will be all virtues within on one hand and no harm whatsoever outside on the other. But so far the helm of affairs are concerned they shall be run by those who are worthy thereof. Meaning thereby that acquaintance which would be limited simply to religious rituals shall not be the credential to rule - and that including the Islamic Knowledge, all round competence in all the relevant and contemporary fields shall be germane for those who will be in the helm of state affairs. In other words that mind setup of a person who would be the leader shall be the yardstick and not the getup of a person.