If Islam Were To Be Established in Iraq

Preface

Praise be to the Lord of the worlds and Blessing and Peace be upon the noblest Messenger of Allah, Muhammad and his amiable and pure progeny, and the anathema of Allah be upon their enemies.

When Islam was first established (as a system), the most important factor that attracted people to Islam was the values it upheld and the respect, facility and help it gave to mankind. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad - peace be upon him and his infallible descendants (S)2 - needed only to introduce the concept of Islam and practice it. This was the secret of Islam's rapid and enormous progress. In fact, when Makkah surrendered to the Messenger of Allah (S), he forgave all (those who had fought him).

Along with the rest of the Muslims, he did not reclaim the houses (and businesses) that had been usurped by the pagans after they had been forced out of Makkah. Instead they lived in tents they erected in the desert. Needless to say, until it surrendered to the Messenger of Allah, Makkah was the capital of the pagans and the idolaters. It was the centre of the force behind all the hot and cold wars planned and executed against the Messenger of Allah (S).

Such conduct, in addition to many others, such as non-violence, good manners, etc. were amongst the best ingredients contributing to the stability and good reputation of Islam. That is why, to secure the stability of the capital of paganism after conquering it, the Messenger of Allah (S) did not have to create an army or a police force, nor other forms of security forces for Makkah. The people of Makkah turned out to be its own guardians and assistants by practicing Islam. They turned out to be some of Islam's greatest supporters after being its staunchest enemies. The Messenger of Allah (S) appointed only one person from the people of Makkah to act as its governor and set a limited salary for him to live on as an ordinary citizen. The It is a mark of piety in Islam to use this salutation (sall-allah alayhi wa aalih) when mentioning the name of the holy Prophet Muhammad.

Messenger of Allah, (S), had a similar policy for every district or tribe that accepted his message. This is in addition to the fact that the Messenger of Allah, (S), lived simply throughout his sacred life, before and after his prophet-hood and throughout his life as a statesman, until he died. Because of his simple life style, people used to say about him, "He lived amongst us like one of us". He used to be kind to his enemies in accordance to Allah's recommendation in the holy Qur'an:

Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loves those who are just.3 Equally he used to be kind to Muslims in accordance to the statement of Allah in the Qur'an:

It is part of the Mercy of Allah that you deal gently with them. Had you been severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from around you ...4 and Now has come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: it grieves him that you should perish: he is ardently anxious over you: to the Believers he is most kind and merciful.5 So, too, were the policies of Amir_ol_Mu'meneen (the Commander of the Faithful), Imam Ali6.

If, by the will of Allah the Almighty, Islam were to be established again, the same policies that were adopted by the Messenger of Allah, (S), must be implemented in government - taking into account The holy Qur'an: The Tested (Woman) [^60]: 8. The holy Qur'an: The Family of 'Emran [^3]: 159. 5The holy Qur'an: Repentance [^9]: 128. For more details about the way of life of the noblest Messenger of Allah of Islam (S) see:

"For the First time in the History of the World", "Aromatic Bouquet", "The Aromatic Tradition", . . . by the author. 6See "The Islamic Government During the Reign of Amir_ul_Mo'meneen", and "The Governments of the Messenger of Allah and Amir_ul_Mo'meneen" by the author.

the time factor. It is also necessary for rulers to practice what Imam Ali peace be upon him (A)7 said: Whoever wants to follow a policy, let him follow the Tradition of his Prophet (Muhammad (S)) otherwise he should not feel safe from doom.

Therefore, if the policies of the Messenger of Allah (S) are practiced, Islam will flourish and Muslims will progress and prosper just as they did during the time of the Messenger of Allah (S). Otherwise Islam would not be safe from falling into disrepute and its position waning to an extent that no Muslim, or anyone who loves the truth, would ever wish to see. This book, "If Islam were to be established in Iraq" is an outline of some of the policies adopted from the noble Tradition of the holy Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (S), taking into account the time factor.

May Allah awaken the rulers to implement the policies of the Messenger of Allah so that Muslims prosper in this world and in the hereafter; surely Allah is the Facilitator and the Helper.

Muhammad Shirazi Holy City of Qum 1st Rabee' II, 1415 Hejri (1995)

It is also a mark of piety to use the salutation alayhi-salam (peace be upon him) on mentioning one of the prophets or one of the Imams of the household of the prophet Muhammad.