#706: Is it permissible to participate as an ADHOC Staff in Democratic Elections?

QUESTION :

“Assalamu alaykum, Is there anything wrong with participating in the democratic processes like serving as an ADHOC INEC staff to administer elections/voting?”

ANSWER:

Wa Alaykum Salām Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh.

Alhamdulillāh Rabbi Al-‘Ālamīn.

Know, may Allāh be pleased with you, that the Tawhīd of Allāh is the most important thing in existence. For it’s reason Allāh created all He created and sent down all the Books. He (SWT) said:

وما خلقت الجن و الإنس إلا ليعبدون

“And I did not create Jinn nor Man except that they should render Ibādah to me”

He said also:

ولقد بعثنا في كل أمة رسولا أن اعبدوا الله واجتنبوا الطاغوت

“And We have sent to every Generation a Messenger (delivering the Message:) Render Ibādah to Allāh and do Ijtināb (be in different camps with) At-Tāghūt”

The later verse tells us that the opposite of Ibādah to Allāh is to be in the same camp with At-Tāghut.

It is important to emphasize what the Arabic word Ijtināb means.

It is mentioned in Lisānu Al-‘Arab that Ijtināb is to seek to be distant from.

Same word was used by Ibrāhim – alayhi As-Salām – where he said:

رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَٰذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَن نَّعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ

“My Lord! Make this land safe and distant me and my Sons from the Ibādah of Idols”

What that means is that Ijtināb of Tāghut implies distancing from the camp of Tāghut. And Ibādah to Allāh is it’s opposite.

As for Tāghut, then the Ulamā have defined it as everything that either consciously makes a Servant of Allāh transgress the Limits of Allāh in ‘Ibādah or with which a Servant transgresses the limits of Allāh in ‘Ibādah.

Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah said:

الطاغوت كل ماتجاوز به العبد حده من معبود او متبوع او مطاع

“The Tāghut is everything with which a Servant transgresses his limits, of that which is worshiped, of that which is followed and of that which is obeyed”

There are eight verses in the Qur’ān where Allāh mentioned the Tāghut in the Qur’ān and these eight verses are summarized by this definition by Ibn Qayyim.

For this reason, Shaykh Muhammad bn ‘AbdilWahhāb – rahimahullāh – in Usūluth Thalāthah categorized Tāghut into five and said:

“The Tāghut is that to which ‘Ibadah is rendered to while it is pleased with that.”

He said:

“The Tawāghīt are many and their heads are five:

“Iblīs, Allāh’s curses be on him, whosoever Ibādah is rendered to and is pleased with it, whosoever claims to have any knowledge of the Unseen, whosoever calls to rendering Ibādah to himself, and whosoever Rules by other than what Allāh has revealed.”

It is not only obligatory upon a Believer to avoid Tāghut, it is more obligatory upon him to disbelieve in it and to seek to eradicate it.

Then what is ‘Ibadah?

It is to render unrestricted and unconditional worship, obedience and following to Allāh.

Whosoever a person gives any of these three things, then he is rendering Ibādah to that thing and that thing becomes a Tāghut.

To worship is to pray to, as we see in Sujūd, and other religious rights (Qurbān).

To obey is to implement the instructions without question and conditions. Hence it is not permissible to obey and implement the instructions of anybody without restrictions. And it becomes Shirk if that person or thing commands to the doing of anything contradicting the Ruling or command of Allāh and he is obeyed and his orders are implemented.

To follow is to follow a System of living, a Rule of Law or a Code of Conduct, or a Constitution of Living that is promulgated by that person and is followed unconditionally.

Whereas a Person or a People promulgate a System of living or a Constitution of following that contradicts the Dīn of Allāh and such is implemented and obeyed unrestrictedly by a person, then that person has rendered Ibādah to that Constitution or to those people who promulgated it. This is clear.

Then, know that Democracy defines itself as a System of Government that derives it’s legitimacy from the want of the majority in a given community.

Whereas Islām is a System that takes it’s Injunctions and legitimacy from the Injunctions of Allāh Alone.

That is a clear contradiction.

Therefore Democracy worships the desires and wishes of the People by principle whereas Islām worships the Dictates of Allāh as brought to us by the Rasūl -salallāhu alayhi wasallam. Isn’t it clear then that Democracy by it’s own principle is a Shirk ?

Then, Democracy is rooted in a Constitution that contradicts Islam, and which builds itself upon the foundation claiming it’s supremacy above any other Injunctions and authorities that contradicts it. A Constitution that enshrines itself, appointing for itself an Army that fights whosoever seeks to upturn it, and a Police and other apparatuses that seek to enforce it’s Laws upon the People that refuse to obey it.

Isn’t that then clear, that the Constitution is a Tāghut that is followed?

If Democracy is Shirk why then should a Muslim participate in it’s process of making people engage in it? Does this not question his Dīn?

Let us mention here that we are aware that some scholars have considered it Shirk but permit participation in it for what they term reasons of necessity. This holds no scholarly argument or weight to us and must be avoided. For the reasons advanced by them are very light and hold no sway in accordance with the Principles of Evidence making and Discourse in the Laws of the Dīn.

It is agreed upon by the Ulamā that any crime that is referred as Kufr can only be excused in situations of Physical Compulsion. How then are the people that involve in it compelled or coerced into it?

The question you have asked is simply answered: it is not permissible, it is a facilitation of Kufr and must be avoided, and Allāh knows best.

It is important, before we leave this point to State that, we have not by virtue of this response declared Kāfir anyone that participates in these electoral processes. Rather we have stated that the act is Kufr. And the Ulamā have differentiated between a Kufr deed and a Kāfir by so doing.

This is because for a deed of Kufr to make a person Kāfir, certain conditions must be met, and certain preventative factors must be absent. This is not the place to elucidate on that. What is clear here is that such an act is Kufr and must be avoided.

Pick your Dīn on clarity and certainty and avoid the whispers of those that hold unto very shaky foundations and excuses.

Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran.

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