By: Basir Abid
In the Holy Qur’an, Allah the Almighty mentions the taking of covenants from three distinct groups. The first is the universal covenant taken from all of humanity, as ordained in Surah Al-A’raf (Verse 172). The second is the covenant taken from the Prophets (peace be upon them), mandating that they convey the religion of Allah to His creation; this pledge is documented in Surah Al-Ahzab (Verse 7).
The third covenant was taken by Allah Almighty from the scholars (Ulama). This solemn pledge is enshrined in the Holy Qur’an, in Surah Al-Imran (Verse 187), where Allah Almighty says:
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِيثَٰقَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ لَتُبَيِّنُنَّهُۥ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَكْتُمُونَهُۥ فَنَبَذُوهُ وَرَآءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ وَٱشْتَرَوْا۟ بِهِۦ ثَمَنًۭا قَلِيلًۭا ۖ فَبِئْسَ مَا يَشْتَرُونَ
˹Remember, O Prophet,˺ when Allah took the covenant of those who were given the Scripture to make it known to people and not hide it, yet they cast it behind their backs and traded it for a fleeting gain. What a miserable profit.
When we examine the clerics supporting the Pakistani military regime today, one must ask: how do they differ from the scholars of the Jews and Christians of the past? They, too, bypassed the Book of Allah (Qur’an) to summon the people toward their own personal agendas, desires that were rooted in worldly lusts, which in turn found their ultimate source in Satanic influence.
These court-affiliated clerics, rather than standing with the Muslim Ummah, have aligned themselves with the military regime. They stand behind their so-called Islamic army in calls to disarm fellow Muslims, such as the Hamas Mujahideen. They bestow titles and accolades upon generals who actively seek alliances with Jews and Christians. Under the pretext of safeguarding the Sha’air Allah (symbols of Allah), they solicit privileges and support for an oppressive military, one whose hands are historically stained with the blood of the Muslim Ummah. Furthermore, they oppose that sacred system (the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) whose every decree and mandate is rooted firmly in the Word of Allah and the traditions and practices of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Thus, one must demand of these court-affiliated clerics: which of the aforementioned covenants of Allah have they honored? They have neither fulfilled the universal covenant of humanity nor upheld the sacred obligation of their knowledge. In His infallible Word, within the blessed verses of Surah Al-Ma’idah (44, 45, and 47), Allah the Almighty explicitly decrees that those who do not judge or act by what Allah has revealed are indeed the disbelievers, the wrongdoers, and the defiantly disobedient (Kafirun, Zalimun, and Fasiqun).
The clerics who support Pakistan’s oppressive military apparatus must look deeply into the Word of Allah. If they truly possess understanding, they should proclaim and manifest Allah’s commands in their absolute and true essence.
Otherwise, our hope in the common Muslims and the righteous scholars of Pakistan, as a significant vanguard of the Ummah, is that they rise. They must hoist the true banner of Allah the Almighty against these perilous and defiant enemies of the Creator and His creation. It is time to dismantle the apparatus of oppression and corruption once and for all, liberating the downtrodden people of Pakistan from its enduring grip.