The Religion of Islam and its Theory of State 

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The Religion of Islam and its Theory of State

The third chapter starts off by providing an historical account of the birth of the Islamic religion, as that serves as a foundation for the future developments of the Islamic State. In turn, the ideal of this religious state will be presented, which will function as a ground for comparison to the model of Ayatollah Khomeini.
The alleged Iranian pursuit of nuclear missile capabilities has proved increasingly proble-matic for the international community. The Islamic Republic, holding such a significant po-sition, is thus standing in the spotlight of both public and scholastic scrutiny. However, as the main focus of these scrutinizing views has been the Iranian unwillingness to subdue and conform to western norms, the issue of the „Islamicness‟ of the Republic has been over-looked. Even though scholars like Ervand Abrahamian, Sami Zubaida and John Esposito have directed specific attention to this aspect, it has remained obscured by the contempo-rary political activities of the country and Iran is thus continuously perceived as an Islamic State.
Within this setting, the thesis seeks to draw further attention to the question of whether Iran can truly be regarded as an Islamic State. The answer to this question is in fact a ne-cessity for a deeper understanding and an accurate analysis of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The theory of the Islamic State has been and continues to be central in Ayatollah Khomei-ni‟s and the Islamic Republic‟s rhetoric, as it is claimed to constitute the foundation of the „new‟ Iranian system. Thus, in order to analyze the Islamic nature of Iran, one needs first to establish what constitutes the Islamic theory of State – a question best addressed from an historical and ideological perspective. As a result, this chapter has its starting point in the early history of the Islamic religion and the development of the first Islamic State.

Muhammad and the Birth of Religion and State

Muhammad ibn Abduallah was previous to his prophethood a merchant in the then-commercial centre of the world, Makkah [Mecca] in today‟s Saudi Arabia. Born in 571 A.D., as an orphan, he quickly came under the guardianship of his uncle Abu Talib, a prominent member of the Banu Hashim clan of the leading Quraysh Tribe of Makkah, who was to forestall Muhammad‟s suffering until his death (Esposito, 2005).
During his early life in Makkah, Muhammad came to be known as al-Ameen, or the Trust-worthy, and married at an age of 25 to a woman named Khadijah, whom he remained with for 25 years until her death. Until the time of the revelations they lived a quiet yet success-ful life. However, at the age of 40, as Muhammad was retiring from the city atmosphere to meditate in the Cave of Hiraa on Jabal an-Nour [Mountain of Light], he was approached by Archangel Gabriel whom dictated that he was to be Allah‟s Final Messenger on Earth. A major transition was to take place in the life of the illiterate merchant from the Arabian Peninsula (Ahmed, 1996).
Subsequent to this first revelation and the period given to the Prophet to come to terms with the chocking news, revelations resumed and Muhammad began to proclaim his mes-sage in Makkah. Muhammad was met, however, by hostilities from leaders as well as regu-lar people in the city, despite early reverts¹ like his wife, his cousin Ali² and his friend Abu Bakr³. The leaders of Makkah, led by Abu Sufiyan, initiated a counter-agenda against Mohammad and the new message, which ranged from pressuring Abu Talib, warning pil-grims, offers and temptations to the Prophet, to torture and harassment of newly reverts. Despite some backfiring of this strategy with the reverting of the Prophet‟s Uncle Hamzah, a well-respected warrior, and Umar, whom would later become the Second Caliph, the leaders at Makkah continued to resist Muhammad for 23 Years and forced the Prophet to flee into exile. The Prophet consequentially took up refuge in the city of Yathrib [Madinah] (Halm, 1996).
This flight in the year of 622 is to Muslims known as The Great Flight (Hijrah), the year from which the Islamic Calendar begins. Upon the Prophet‟s arrival in Yathrib, the city was re-named Madinah (the Prophet‟s City) and Muhammad began the creation of the first Mus-lim „state‟.

The First Muslim State: Historical Perspective

The Muslim State at Madinah is as mythic as it is an idealized concept, and it has in large become the hallmark of Islamic theorizing on the state. Prophet Muhammad, being its su-preme leader, sought through this state to realise the message of God (Allah), and he pro-moted the community of Muslim believers ( Ummah) as they were essential for the imple-mentation of the Islamic values. Muhammad further enacted a constitution, which in west-ern scholastic circles is known as the Constitution of Madinah, or al-Sahifah in Arabic⁴. This constitution contained a pioneering message of equality that is unfound prior to its estab-lishment, and it held additionally that all allied tribes in the union under Madinah should protect its members against internal and external threat. Moreover, the constitution re-quired the insurance of each individual‟s entitlement to freedom of religion, and that a great effort should also be directed towards the protection of minorities (dhimmi), social order, unity and societal security. Ultimately, this meant that an Islamic State lacking these essen-tial components would contradict the divine directives (Esposito, 2005).
Following the establishment of the Muslim state at Madinah, both the city and the Com-munity of Believers grew and several wars were fought against the tribes of Makkah, which culminated in the Muslim reclaim of the Holy City (Makkah) by the year 630 A.D – eight years after the Muslim flight from it. The Islamic State had hence grown from a city-state at Madinah, and was by this time covering large parts of the Arabian Peninsula, whereby the Prophet continued to seek far-reaching allegiances to protect the community of believers and spread the religion of Islam.
In light of this, the legacy of the Muslim State under the Prophet has had strong impact on both Islamic teaching and Islamic movements throughout history, and it has become the “reservoir for ideas on Islam and politics” (Brown 2000. pp.49), providing a political source of inspiration in the name of Islam.

The Islamic State: Theoretical Perspective on an Ideal

The Islamic State is hence an issue of central gravity addressed by the Islamic schools of thought and Islamic schools of jurisprudence (fiqh)⁵, and it is as indicated a concept which relates to the idealistic Islamic teaching (Bakash. 1989). Yet, because of its gravity, the ideas and theories on the Islamic state are multiple and far from uniform.
A chief point of departure, however, which is seemingly consistent throughout the diver-gent theories, is the era of Prophet Muhammad and the first Islamic State established in Madinah as described in section 3.2 The Muslim State at Madinah. This idealized concept of the Islamic State is accordingly derived from the “Quran as embodied in the political prac-tice of the Prophet” in Madinah and Makkah, and it constitutes “the eternal model that Muslims are bound to adopt as the perfect standard for all time” (Esposito, 1983. pp.243). In consequence, the practices of the Prophet (Sunnah)⁶, extends farther than questions of faith and religious practices as it involves matters of state and governance as well.

Nature of the Islamic State

The former sections have established the centrality and importance of the Islamic State in Muslim teaching, and given brief sketches on the structure of this State. In turn, this sec-tion delves farther into the nature of the Islamic State with less brevity, in order to provide a more detailed account on this ideal State. As a result, a more accurate understanding of the ideal Muslim State will be ensured, which in turn facilitates a comprehension of its claimed 20^th century counter-part – the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Head of State

Within the Islamic State of Madinah, Prophet Muhammad naturally assumed a central role, serving as its Supreme Political Leader, Supreme Judge, Imam⁷ and Commander of the Muslim Armies. Yet, the leadership of the Prophet is through its legacy a disputed matter. As Malin Wimelius (2006) argues, the all-encompassing leadership of the Prophet carries with it two streams of interpretation; (1) the rule of the Prophet provides an important and vital political legacy in the sense of being a foundation and an outline for future Muslim leaders to stand upon and rule according to; on the other hand, (2) the Prophet, being ex-ceptional in and of himself through his Prophethood and infallibility, cannot be emulated by any fallible human being – leading to the conclusion of the Prophet‟s rule as out of man‟s reach.
In consequence, the connection between the religion of Islam and its political calling is as essential as it is ambiguous. Yet, despite whatever orientation one carries, the undoubted legacy of the Prophet has yielded the belief in the necessity of an Islamic State among the Muslims believers.

1 Introduction 
1.1 Subject
1.2 Aim
1.3 Research Questions:
1.4 Delimitations
1.5 Method:
1.6 Disposition
2 Evaluation of Sources 
Jamal Badawi – Islam in 176 Hours .
John L. Esposito
Malin Wimelius – On Islamism and Modernity
Carl L. Brown – Religion and State
Milton Voirst – The Limits of the Revolution
3 The Religion of Islam and its Theory of State 
3.1 Muhammad and the Birth of Religion and State
3.2 The First Muslim State: Historical Perspective
3.3 The Islamic State: Theoretical Perspective on an Ideal
3.4 Discussion
4 The Imamate – Leadership of the Shia Muslims .
4.1 The Division of Islam – Sunni and Shia Muslims
4.2 Imam Ali and the Beginning of the Shia Islamic Leadership
4.3 The Post-Ali Imamate
4.4 Imam Husayn bin Ali
4.5 Imam Al-Mahdi
4.6 The Ulama – Religious Scholars
4.7 Discussion
5 Ayatollah Khomeini and His Theory of State 
5.1 Ayatollah Khomeini and the Birth of His Vision
5.2 Khomeini’s Doctrine of State – Theoretical Perspective
5.3 The Iranian Revolution .
6 The Islamic Republic of Iran .
6.1 The Constitution
6.2 Political Structure
6.3 Discussion
7 Interconnection: Islamic State Theory and Iran 
7.1 A New Shi’a Islamic Doctrine: Historical Reinterpretation
7.2 Ayatollah Khomeini versus the Imams
7.3 Fusion of Two Worlds .
7.4 Religious Populism
7.5 Concluding Discussion
8 Concluding Remarks 
References
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Is Iran an Islamic State? A Comparison between Shia Islamic Theory of State and Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Republic of Iran