Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
4. The Concept of the State in Islam
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This is an incontrovertible fact. There is another verse in this
connection, which throws further light on the subject:
“And He will bestow upon you other blessings which
you desire; help from God and a speedy victory.”
(61:13).
In this verse “other blessings” mean political power. This has
been characterised as something secondary. When we take this
verse in its literal sense, it transpires that the status of political
power has a secondary rather than a primary position in Islam.
Primary position is given to the purification of the self through
intellectual and spiritual development.
Another point made clear in this verse is that the receiving of
political power depends solely upon divine succour. Victory and
defeat apparently belong to the human world, but both are totally
governed by God. From these verses it emerges clearly that
political power is a promise from God, and not a target. That is, it
is not something that Muslims should aim at, for they can receive it
only by divine edict.
Another point that we learn from this verse is that power is not
granted to any group simply because of its struggle to that end,
but rather on the fulfillment of two specific conditions. The Quran
makes it clear that true faith and virtuous character alone are the
deciding factors in receiving political power.
What is meant by faith is that the group who is to be the
recipient of political power should have undergone the intellectual
