The Qur'anic Basis for "Daawa and Dawla" Dichotomy in Imam Abdessalam Yassine's Theory of the""Prophetic Method"

The bilateral relationship between the concepts of Daawa and Dawla (=Call to Islam and State, respectively) is different from the historical relationship between religion and state. Da3wa and Dawla is a complex concept that belongs to modern politico-islamic thought. The first to have coined the expression is the outstanding Islamic scholar and spiritual leader Imam Abdessalam Yassine.

Daawa means “invitation” or “call to Islam.” It is often translated to mean “Islamic Mission,” although, both in theory and in practice, Daawa is different in its aims and methods. Daawa isn’t simply a method for spreading a spiritual teaching or performing charitable works; it is also an inherently political activity, whose principal aim is Islamic reform and revival leading to the eventual establishment of an Islamic state.

In Islam, the state is merely an instrument for the realization of spiritual and material goals. The concept of sovereignty is completely absent in Islamic state. Authority belongs to Allah alone; says the Qur’an “Sovereignty is for none but God” (12.40).

The theoretical and practical implications of Daawa and Dawla in Imam Abdessalam Yassine’s writings proved to be an extremely complex and rewarding subject for study. This dichotomy is not new in the Imam’s writings. It is deeply enrooted in his thought. “Since more than a quarter of a century”[5], the Imam says, “ I have written about the bilateral relationship between Daawa and Dawla (=the Islamic call and state) seeking a form of cooperation and conjunction between statesmen and the men of Islamic call (Muslim missionaries), trying hopefully to mend fences between the Koran (as a religious authority) and Sultan (as a worldly political authority). That dream was swamped by storms of wind”. (Imam Abdessalam Yassine ???p: 569).

In his subsequent writings, Imam Yassine frequently comes back to the subject but with different objectives in mind. He shifts from looking for ways of reconciliation between Qur’an and Sultan to attempts of institutionalisation and specification of functions of these two poles of the dichotomy under study. To back up his reflections, Imam Yassine constantly refers to quotations from the Islamic authentic sources: the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet. In this respect, he invokes the following Qur’anic verse:

“Their prophet said to them: 'Allah has raised Saul to be your king. ‘But they replied: 'should he be given the kingship over us, when we are more deserving of it than he and he has not been given abundant wealth? ‘He said: 'Allah has chosen him over you and increased him with amplitude in knowledge and body. Allah gives his kingship to whom he will. Allah is the embracer, the knower”. (247)

Notice that the Qur’anic verse alludes to the co-existence of a ‘prophet’ responsible of conveying the godly message beside a king in charge of leading the nation and fighting the enemies. Both of them, hand in hand, work for the same goals.

In Imam Yassine’s ‘Prophetic Method’(viz. Alminhaj Annabawyy), The connotations of the bilateral concepts of Daawa and Dawla permeates all Ten Virtues of faith (viz. al-Khissal al-Asher). The common denominator that underlies all different types and manifestations of the prophetic method concepts is their being related to the believers efforts undertaken for the sake of God and His religion in this world. Imam Yassine provides considerable intellectual and practical concern to the subject of Daawa and Dawla for the various reasons; some of which are:

The perception of Muslim activists (Men of call to Islam) to their mission is still murky and not clear.

The necessity and growing need for establishing an institutionalized Daawa and Dawla relationship.Some Islamists are not still aware of difficulties, hardships and threats associated with politics and its intricacies.Increasing precautions and fears that Muslim preachers be absorbed by political and managerial responsibilities.

In the relationship between the call to Islam and state, Imam Abdessalam Yassine specifies areas of conjunction and those of disjunction. But in all cases, the call to Islam ought to stand in a privileged veranda: it must enjoy a position of hegemony over the state. According to Imam Yassine, areas of conjunction and cooperation include the goals and objectives, the theoretical reference, legislation based on sovereignty for Allah.

As for the aspects of separation, Imam Yassine alludes to the following points of disjunction: First at the level of executive institutions: these are granted to qualified statesmen. However, educational institutions, moral guidance supreme legal supervision of the state are exclusive responsibilities attributed to Muslim scholars, preachers and spiritual guides. Second, issuing decision mechanisms: plurality in the sphere of Daawa resorts to Shoura whereas plurality in the worldly spheres uses democratic means for decision taking.

Concluding, Imam Yassine’s elaboration on the topic of Daawa and Dawla provides a singularly comprehensive insight into his thought and the way it has evolved. It also paves the way to understanding his programme for religious renewal and for subsequent Islamic change. Furthermore, the study of Daawa and Dawladichotomy in Imam Yassine’s writings elucidates the final goals set for the Islamist movement, since certain aspects ofDaawa and Dawla are concerned with implementing that which has been assimilated by the community of individuals over the course of spiritual education. As such, this dichotomy represents one of the most significant proposals in modern Islamic thought and the pinnacle of Imam Yassine’s programme for change.