Assalaamu-alaikum,
I refer to ***** email, calling on the community to vote in the up-coming local elections.
I fully understand the importance of the local elections....the need to elect competent representatives, and to improve service delivery. However, although the intentions behind these elections may be noble, we have to remember that before being 'South African', we are in fact firstly, and more importantly 'Muslim'.
And therefore, I find it difficult to understand, how a leading muslim authority such as *****, has found itself promoting these elections. As we are aware, there is NO political party in this country at present, that follows practices based on Quraan and Sunnah - the law of Allah (subhanawataála), and the life of our beloved prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasalam).
How many islamically unlawful/ haraam legislations have been passed by these same political fronts thus far? Too many to list all: taking into account our current laws on abortion, gay 'rights', riba...to name just a few. A vote for such laws, that fly in the face of the supreme law of Allah (subhanawataála)....is that not a form of shirk??
I refer to a lecture by Sheik Imran Nazer Hossein: 'Islam and the Political Order':
"The new model of a state has to submit to the UN Charter and articles 24 and 25 in the charter states that supreme authority in the world, in all matters pertaining to international peace and security resides with the security council of the United Nations – Not Allah.
That’s shirk.
The new model of a state says that the supreme law is the international law; the supreme law is the law that comes out of parliament, not Allah’s law.
That’s shirk.
And the new model of a state says that Allah can make it haram, but we can make it halaal. That also is shirk.
Allah says in Surat-ul Tauba: ‘They took their priests and rabbis as lords and Gods besides Allah. And they did the same with the son of Mary. But they had not been ordered but to worship one God. There’s no God but Him... ” So a man came to the prophet, and said, ‘O messenger of Allah, the Christians don’t worship their priests, and the Jews don’t worship their rabbis. How could Allah say that?'
To which the prophet replied and said, ‘Did they not make halaal, that which Allah made haram?’ That’s shirk.
E.g. By declaring that it is haram for an Israelite to lend money on interest to another Israelite, but money can be lent on interest to those who are not Israelite.
By making halaal, what Allah had made haram, you have committed shirk.
And when the people allow them to do that, and follow them, then that is their shirk.
And so we ask the question: If they made halaal what Allah had made haram, and that is shirk….then if parliament does the same thing, will that not be shirk?
If the government of the United States of America, makes halaal what Allah made haram, is that not shirk?
And if you accept it by pledging your allegiance to the US constitution, whether you know, or you don’t know, is it not shirk?
When you go and vote in elections for a party, which has agreed to make halaal what Allah has made haram, are you not becoming part of that shirk?
And so now we are introduced to modern, political secularisation, and the conception of a state which has emerged to replace the khilafat state... with a universal shirk of the modern age." (end quote)
Indeed the prophet (SAW) said that shirk will be so difficult to recognise, 'as it would be difficult to recognise a black ant, on a black stone, on a dark night.'
As much as I would have loved to place my vote, and have a say in these elections, I have to realize that I unfortunately do not live in an islamic state, and that the law of my ALLAH comes before the law of any man-made political system. Perhaps one day, in shaa Allah, if an Islamic party, upholding our Quraan and Sunnah, should grace our political arena, I will re-consider. But for now, I will not be voting in these elections.
And I would hope, that an islamic body such as ***** would also realise the implications, before calling on the ummah to vote in such an election.
JazakumAllah khair for the time spent to read this.