Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 266
266 ever, is told that the authority vested in him is in the nature of a trust and that he must not abuse or misuse it, and must hand it over to the beneficiaries, at the time of his death, without deterioration or diminution, that is to say, he must be vigilant in the protection of national and individual interests and rights, and that he has no power to surrender or damage any part of them. Rulers and officials are next told to discharge the respective duties of their offices justly, and faithfully. The verse then goes on to indicate that the Muslims would abandon this mode of government and would, in imitation of other people, revert to the monarchial and hereditary form of government, but that the admonition of God—that is, that the Muslims should stick to the representative form of government, choose their best brains to rule over them and avoid the hereditary system of government— is the best counsel. The concluding words of the verse indicate that God has prescribed this mode of govern- ment because He is aware of the evils of other forms of government adopted by man and because He has heard the prayers of those who suffered under them, and that, therefore, the Muslims should adhere to it and thus show their gratitude for the favour that God has done them. From this it is clear that the Islamic form of gov- ernment must be based on an elective and representative system, and that the sovereign is to be regarded as the representative of the people in their collective and not their individual capacity. I shall now draw a brief sketch of the Islamic form of government, so as to illustrate its different functions and aspects.