Sayyid Qutb’s View on Caliphate Government and its Relevancein Muslim Society

Abstract

he study of Islamic caliphatehas become interesting topics to be focused and debated extensively by both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars. The abolition of the caliphate institution in Turkey by Mustafa Kemal in 1924 has led the discussion to be more significant since Muslim scholars and thinkers started to look at a new model of Islamic government to be followed which ‘enjoining good and forbidding evil’ become theirs main concern. This paper will discussSayyid Qutb’s view on a caliphate government covering the following aspects namely; concept of a caliphate government, the appointment of a caliph and its role and responsibility. Using secondary data analysis as a main design and a content analysis technique, the study analyses Qutb’s ideas and thought in regards to caliphate government that appear in his writings particularly his Fi Zilal al-Quran works. Other secondary data such as books, journal articles discussing and commenting on Qutb’s thought are also taken into account in order to have a clear picture about the latter arguments. Result of the study shows that Qutb’s conception of a caliphate government was in parallel with some classical scholar’s perspectives believing that the establishment of a caliphate government became one of the solutions in solving Muslim social, political and economic disparities facing Muslims. In administration of the government, Qutb found that there was no room for the khalifa to act unjustly since the procedure of appointment (shura) was such as to make the post-holder the best person to judge according to the shariah. Whereas the concept of istikhlaf (the appointment of the khalifa) demanded that human beings were to accept guidance (al-huda) only from God and thus, the caliphate’s responsibility and role were bound by His moral action (manhaj) of life.