Newsletter of the Claremont Main Road Mosque · Vol.3 No.3 - January 2014/1435
Mawlud 2014
Fiqh Of Voting
Imam A . Rashied Omar
In April/May 2014 South Africa will convene its fifth national elections since the advent of non-racial democratic rule in South Africa in 1994. As conscientious Muslims and responsible South African citizens it is important for us to positively engage the public processes in our country. I would like to provide some guidelines for voting in the upcoming general elections. First, Islamic teachings on good governance, public policy and political strategy (al-siyasa al-shar`iyya) does not provide specific and detailed instructions on how public policies or political strategies should be applied or executed in society. Instead, it tends to provide only general principles and guidelines. Three of the most important of these principles are justice (`adl), mutual consultation (shura), and accountability (hisbah). These three principles should feature prominently in our evaluation of the manifestos and histories of political parties.
“Muslims should be encouraged to participate in the general elections and vote for a political party of their choice” Second, consonant with the above Islamic ethical principles there is no explicit textual evidence (nass) either from the Qur’an or Sunna (prophetic tradition) that can be used to substantiate the view that Muslim participation in democracy is proscribed or that Muslims in South Africa should vote only for so-called Muslim parties. A number of Muslim scholars, such as Abdulaziz Sachedina in his book The Islamic Roots of Democratic Pluralism, have cogently demonstrated that Islam and democracy are indeed compatible. Muslim scholars have pointed out that both the Islamic concept of shura and democracy arise from the central consideration that collective deliberation is more likely to lead to a fair and sound result for the social good than individual preference. Muslims should therefore be encouraged to participate in the general elections and vote for a political party of their choice.
Editorial Third, when one votes for a particular party, it does not necessarily mean that one agrees completely with all of their ideology or policies. Rather the intention should be that the party will be of help to the whole community and represents the best alternative among the various options. Muslim jurists have always advocated the principle of realism represented in the concept of akhaff al-dararayn – lesser of the two evils. In other words, if the major part of the manifesto of a political party is deemed non-objectionable in terms of Islamic ethics, then it is acceptable for Muslims to vote for such a party. Fourth, voters are advised to study the histories of each party, the status and integrity of their candidates, their past and present policies and the promises they make in their electoral manifestos. The party which in their estimate best resonates with the Islamic value system and advances the cause of the poor and the marginalized should be supported. Fifth, if any political party is found to be overtly and unequivocally hostile to Islam, it would not be in the best interests of Muslims to vote for such a political party. Moreover, Muslims should especially not join or support a political party based on racial or sectarian lines since non-racialism and non-sectarianism is one of the hallmarks of Islam.
2013 will forever be remembered as the year Nelson Mandela died. In this issue CMRM joins our fellow compatriots and people all over the world in paying tribute to this global icon and father of our democratic nation. The tribute on pg 12 by Shaykh Sadullah Khan was delivered at CMRM on Sunday 8 December 2013. Consonant with CMRM’s view on how to honour the legacy of Madiba (tribute on pg 11), the lead article by Imam Rashied calls on us as conscientious citizens to exercise our right to vote in 2014, and to support political parties that in our view best advance the cause of the poor and the marginalized in our society. It is with a sense of great pride and gratitude that we report on the many efforts we have made in our Jihad Against Poverty programme to bring some comfort, joy and nourishment to orphans and impoverished communities over the Christmas holidays. Our thanks to all donors and volunteers who contributed so generously to making these efforts a success. This issue also coincides with our annual celebration of Milad-an-Nabi. As part of this celebration, Jaamia Galant’s article on pg 7 reflects on the Cape’s long tradition of women’s mawlud jamats. We wish you all a blessed 2014.
“We should cast our votes for the best candidates and parties that will not only serve the interests of Muslims but of all the poor and marginalised citizens in our country.” The role of the `ulama should be to facilitate dialogue among Muslim representatives of various parties and to encourage the observance of proper adab al-ikhtilaf - in their debates and contestations about who to vote for. May Allah guide us to cast our votes for the best candidates and parties that will not only serve the interests of Muslims but of all the poor and marginalised citizens in our country.
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