....................continued from part 30
Implications of nationalism on Islam
After studying Minogue, Kohn, Meinecke, Curtin, Smith, Coleman, Hodgkin and other writers, Suntharalingam (1980, pp. 15) concluded that nationalism is a universal phenomenon to establish a people's own nation, to transfer sovereignty to the people and to demand for individual patriotism for the nation-state. For the all-alertMuslim mind, the catch here is sovereignty to the people.
I alert you to this deceptful point, because a Muslim must no be misled into believing that sovereignty can be relegated to people. There is no other party qualified enough to claim severeignty except Allah. Sovereignty only belongs to ALlah.
قُلۡ مَنۢ بِيَدِهِۦ مَلَكُوتُ ڪُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيۡهِ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ
Say: Who is it in whose
Hands is the governance
Of all things,-who protects
(All), but is not protected
(OF any)? (Say) if ye know (23:88)
In this verse, Allah is the source and fount of all authority.
In another verse, He alone is above all aberration and error.
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلۡمَلِكُ ٱلۡقُدُّوسُ ٱلسَّلَـٰمُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُ ٱلۡمُهَيۡمِنُ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡجَبَّارُ
He is Allah, than Whom there is no other God, the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One, Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the Majestic, the Compeller, the Superb. Glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him). (59:23)
هُوَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡخَـٰلِقُ ٱلۡبَارِئُ ٱلۡمُصَوِّرُۖ لَهُ ٱلۡأَسۡمَآءُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰۚ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ ۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۖ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلۡحَكِيمُ
He is Allah, the Creator, the Shaper out of naught, the Fashioner. His are the most beautiful names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifieth Him, and He is the Mighty, the Wise (59:24)
The end product of nationalism has to be secularization. When the rallying force is people, its consequence will be people's supremacy. When the rallying force is Allah, its consequence will be Allah's supremacy. It is crystal clear that Islam and nationalism can not coexist within the Muslim self, and these two can not coexist as the state's ideology. Therefore not even a single present Muslim nation-states whose struggle for independence was based on nationalism ended up as Islamic states. They are all secular (that is the people are supreme)states.
It is apt when Maududi (Vorys; 1965; pp. 40) and later Siddique (1980, pp. 10) said that nationalism is the very antithesis of Islam.
.............to be continued
