Living The Quran
From Issue: 476 [Read full issue]
Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage)
Chapter 22: Verse 41
Islamic State
(They are) those who, if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong: with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs.
These are the characteristics of those who help God and who are deserving of God's aid and support. When power is bestowed on them, rather than being like those who engage in evil deeds and who strut about arrogantly exulting in their power, such people concern themselves with such noble tasks like establishing Prayer. Likewise, rather than squandering their wealth on luxury and self-indulgence, they use it in the way of Zakah. Again, they use their power to promote goodness and to remove evil.
This verse succinctly states the basic objectives of the Islamic state. It also clearly expresses the main characteristics of its functionaries and rulers. Anyone who wants to comprehend the nature of the Islamic state will be able to do so with the help of this single verse.
It is God Who decides to whom governance of a territory should be entrusted. People who are intoxicated with power are prone to misunderstand that it is they who decide the fate of people. But God, Who has the power to transform a tiny seed into a huge tree, and Who conversely, can turn a huge tree into a pile of ashes, also has the power to strike a fatal blow and make an example of those who, by their acts of repression, struck terror into the hearts of people making themselves appear too welll entrenched to be removed from power. On the other hand, He can also raise the downtrodden to heights of power that none can dream of.
Source:
"Towards Understanding The Quran" - Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi, Vol. 6, p. 46