“God has sent us to bring anyone who wishes from servitude to men...into the justice of Islam” - Prophet Raba'i bin Amr, upon whom be peace
There has been much talk of restoring of the Islamic Caliphate which once stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the heart of Asia. This issue is often treated as if central to the cause of the modern movement of true Islam. It is implied that as these lands were once under the guidance of the perfect justice of Islam, they should fall under its guidance again. However, such an approach is limiting to the Islamic movement; it excludes the possibility of a foundation of a global Caliphate free from the despotism of the rule of men and their false systems of belief, free from the oppression that typifies all that is not Islam. For once a Caliphate such as that which is hearkened for by many is restored, a tension will exist between the true equality and justice of the lands under the dominion of Islam and the false equality and justice that reside without its borders. This is not a situation which can be tolerated. Not only will this perpetuate the underserved suffering resulting from the oppressive nature of the ignorant barbarism of the world of infidels, but it will perpetuate the existence of the possibility of the dilution of the perfect Islamic system with non-Islamic ideas.
Neither of these factors can be ignored. The former - that of the suffering caused by servitude of some men to others - is ably demonstrated by the capitalist West, whilst the latter is able demonstrated by the collapse of the original Caliphate, under the influence of that which existed outside its borders. Therefore, if a situation were to arise where only as part of the world were to fall under truly Islamic rule, the suffering caused by “servitude to men” would only be eliminated in certain areas, and wouldn't necessarily be eliminated permanently. It is therefore necessary to ensure that there is nothing that resides outside the borders of the Islamic world; in other words, there must be no borders to the Islamic world, as it must encompass the entire world. However, it is not realistic to assume that the entire world can at once be brought under the just dominion of Islam; a Caliphate similar to that which existed in the past must be established as a vanguard for the establishment of the global Caliphate. The key difference between the new Caliphate (in its incomplete state, i.e. before it encompasses the world) and the old is that is must be recognised as a means to an end, and not the final limit to the propagation of Islamic justice in the world. Thus will the world be permanently free from the suffering caused by “servitude to men.”
Islam is perfectly suited to acting as a vanguard for establishing a global system, as it is natural for Islam to play the role of leaders of mankind. This is evident from the society formed by the Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, and his Companions, which was unequalled by its contemporaries in terms of social justice and geopolitical expansion. There are great parallels between the situation of Muhammad, upon whom be peace, and the situation of true Islam in the modern world; the greatest of these is that between the worlds of then and now. Before Muhammad, upon whom be peace, revealed the true word of God, there existed nothing but ignorance and primitive barbarism; there was no system comparable to Islam in terms if its perfect social justice. Now, there is no truly Islamic society (although truly Islamic ideas and movements do exist) and nothing exists but ignorant barbarism. This is because no society lives under Shariah law whilst truly venerating God. In other words, those societies which cite God as constitutionally sovereign and claim to abide by His law are not truly Islamic as they allow some individuals to wield power over others. In the words of ash-shaheed Sayyid Qutb, any society that “transfers to man one of the greatest attribute of God, namely sovereignty, and makes some men lords over others” cannot be described as anything but barbaric. As it was the duty of the Prophet to lead the world out of this abhorrent state, it must be the duty of modern Islam to lead the world out of its decadence and into a state where every individual can be truly equal before God. This is the Golden Path to Justice.
In order to do this, ash-shaheed Sayyid Qutb compelled us thus: “Islamic belief should at once materialise into a practical movement.” As it currently stands, this movement is employing a single and largely ineffective tactic, which is generally labelled as “terrorism.” The acts of terror tend to be aimed against separate institutions and governments, against small groups of individuals rather than the masses; they may be indirectly aimed at the masses, but the indirect results of acts of terror are counterproductive for the movement, Islam is regularly misrepresented; qualifying the label “terrorist” with the description “Islamic” is now perceived as tautological. Although the Crusader-Zionist Alliance claims to be waging a “war on terror,” pre-emptive strikes have been aimed at Islamic “terrorists” and civilians alike, but not, for example, at ETA or the pIRA. The character of Islam has hence been transformed in the opinion of the masses to a distinctly negative one; they are now perceived as “the enemy.” If the movement aims to propagate the Islamic faith throughout the world of barbarism it is making its task harder by giving the West cause to promote a negative image of Islam. The use of terror is highly unsuitable as a tactic; if the masses fear Islam, they will not be in a position to rationally accept its perfect justness. Therefore, another strategy must be employed if the Golden Path to the establishment of a global Islamic Caliphate is to be negotiated.
