Download (1 MB) - Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations: Articles ...

IVConceptions of the Islamic StateIN HIS 1997 WELCOMING address to the students of the Dar al-‘Ulum of Karachi, Mufti Muhammad Rafi‘ Uthmani, the presidentof the madrasa, characterized this institution as a safe haven fromthe corruption and anarchy of the larger society, a miniature model of anIslamic society and state: “This is a secure fortress. There might be curfewimposed outside, there might be strikes and riots out there. But onedoesn’t even get to know about it here in the Dar al-‘Ulum, until onereads in the next day’s papers that there was a riot next door. God hascreated a small world for us here.” He goes on to instruct the freshmen:“Practice living according to the sunna here and you will know the pleasureof life. ... Everyone will have peace and comfort here, and suchpleasure and happiness as the rest of the world does not know. We willthen be confidently able to show everyone what an Islamic government islike. We can tell them to come and see our little model, our example ofan Islamic society. So begin the new academic year with the resolve thatwe will establish the rule of the sunna in the Dar al-‘Ulum.” 1Even as they celebrate and defend their distinct religious sphere, manyamong the ‘ulama of Pakistan (including Rafi‘ ‘Uthmani) have also appealed,repeatedly and often forcefully, to the ideal of an Islamic state. Yetif this is a state that supposedly upholds and implements Islamic normseverywhere, then the ‘ulama’s distinct religious sphere must necessarilycease to exist as soon as such a state comes about. Indeed, the ‘ulamaoften speak of their religious sphere in terms that suggest its interim character,viz., as a necessary space that must be preserved until the state itselfbecomes “truly” Islamic. To allow the state to encroach on the madrasa,the symbol of this distinct sphere, any sooner would be to allow the destructionof the only space where Islamic ideals are still preserved. 2 Suchformulations barely conceal a deeper, unresolved tension, however, betweenthe aspirations of a modern state—any modern state, including anIslamic one—and the ‘ulama’s emphasis on the necessity of maintainingtheir own authority and autonomy in it. This chapter seeks to analyzecertain facets of this tension to understand what the ‘ulama mean whenthey speak, as they often do, of an Islamic state: How do they definetheir own position in such a state? And how does their political thoughtcompare with other contemporary and competing visions of the state?