Part 2
Karim Akrami
Obedience to the Amir: The Secret Behind the Unity and Survival of the Islamic System
The Islamic system needs, in its general affairs, a single leadership and a clear point of reference, for the organized administration of society, for securing safety, for preserving unity, and for preventing disorder, because the Islamic system cannot endure without a caring and people-oriented amir and leader who upholds sharia rulings. The experience of years of war and insecurity in Afghanistan and other countries has shown that whenever a society has been deprived of a single, accepted leadership, it has fallen prey to deadly disputes and division.
The Amir al-Mu’minin (HA), as the leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has insisted several times on this fundamental principle, that obedience to the amir is not merely a political or administrative recommendation, but a sharia obligation. The principle of obedience to the amir is stated in clear terms in the Holy Quran and in the prophetic Sunnah.
Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Quran:
«يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ» (النساء: 59)
(O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you)
The important point in this verse is that obedience to those in authority is mentioned together with obedience to Allah (SWT) and the Messenger of Allah (PBUH); for this reason, obedience to the amir within the Islamic system must be understood within the framework of sharia and for the purpose of implementing the divine commands and securing the common good of society.
The Amir al-Mu’minin Sheikh Sahib Hibatullah Akhundzada (HA), relying on this very blessed verse, has held obedience to those in authority to be obligatory and necessary upon every Muslim, and has called it one of the fundamental pillars of Islam; because, from his point of view, obedience to the amir is in reality obedience to Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (PBUH), since the amir of the Muslims is appointed for the implementation of sharia and the establishment of divine commands.
For this reason, disobedience to any order of the amir not only disrupts the order of society, but is also considered equivalent to disobedience to the divine command. The IEA’s leaders too have repeatedly insisted on obedience to the amir, and have called it a divine obligation, necessary for the preservation of the Islamic system and divine sharia. The Amir al-Mu’minin (HA) said in clear terms, in his Eid al-Adha address at the Eid Gah mosque in Kandahar city, that obedience to the amir brings about unity and agreement among the people; and that if even a single moment passes without an amir, fitna arises and division is created.
His remarks reflect his deep understanding of the harms of leaderlessness, a condition in which no one remains owner of his own property, nor owner of his own honor. In this address, which lasted around an hour, Sheikh Sahib (HA) insisted several times on the subject of unity, and several times on obedience to the amir, which, in his view, shows the extraordinary importance of these concepts.
From the point of view of the Amir al-Mu’minin (HA), obedience to those in authority carries many wisdoms, among which we may mention the preservation of the system, the safeguarding of the unity of the Muslim Ummah, the continuation of Islamic society, the prevention of tyranny and chaos, the establishment of security and social order, and the upholding of justice.
Sheikh Sahib (HA) insisted in this address, in a warning tone, that whoever dies without bay’ah and without obedience to the amir dies the death of jahiliyyah. What is meant by the death of jahiliyyah is that era in which people used to worship servants and idols instead of worshipping Allah (SWT); and such a death is a very evil and undesirable thing.
These clear and forceful remarks of his show the high importance of the matter of obedience within the Islamic system, and demonstrate that disobedience toward the amir is not merely a political transgression, but a grave sharia sin that carries heavy consequences in this world and the Hereafter.
In the recommendations of Sheikh Sahib (HA), people are asked to follow his orders without any doubt or hesitation; because these orders are sharia-based and are issued upon the foundation of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah. He has stressed that the amir’s commands are not issued according to personal desires, but according to divine commands; for this reason, obedience to them is obligatory upon all Muslims.
Likewise, Sheikh Sahib (HA), in another part of his remarks, recalling historical experiences, warned that whenever people have disobeyed the guidance of their leaders, they have been destroyed, and that if the people do not obey the present system, fitna will arise.
The Amir al-Mu’minin (HA), in a meeting with the noble ulema, asked them to urge people toward unity, to obey one another, and to hold consultation and discussion among themselves. He insisted that unity is brought about through obedience, and that the jama’ah is strengthened by it.
On the other hand, the supreme leader of the IEA has expressed thanks to the ulema and to the people of Afghanistan for obeying the IEA, and for continuing to do so in the future. This expression of thanks shows his appreciation for the people’s support for the Islamic system, and demonstrates that the obedience of the people is the greatest support for the system. For this reason, the Amir al-Mu’minin’s (HA) statements on the obligation of obedience show his deep understanding of the central role of leadership in preserving unity and cohesion within Islamic society.
He is striving, upon the foundation of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, to establish a political system built upon the axis of sharia obedience; a system in which all people and officials, within the set framework, work together for the realization of the goals of the Islamic system. In his view, obedience to the amir is not blind obedience, but a sharia and divine duty made obligatory upon all Muslims for the sake of preserving the system, implementing sharia, and preventing fitna and division.
It should, of course, be noted that the Amir al-Mu’minin’s (HA) insistence on obedience to the amir takes on its meaning within the framework of the implementation of sharia; and any obedience that conflicts with sharia is not, from his point of view, acceptable. This outlook is leading the IEA toward a justice-centered and sharia-based system; a system in which all the people of society, under the shadow of the amir and the divine commands, arrive at a life of peace and wellbeing.
This is the very aspiration for which the mujahideen and the followers of truth and justice waged jihad for years and offered up their pure blood, so that today we may be witnesses to the establishment of such a system, one in which divine sharia rules, and the people, under its protection and within the framework of a single leadership, live in dignity and peace.
