The Relationship Between Scholars and Rulers
“Al-Mujtama” posed this topic to a group of Islamic scholars and thinkers, presenting a single question about the ideal relationship between the ruler and the scholar, thereby attempting to identify the points of dysfunction in this relationship and explore practical ways to correct its course in our modern days.
Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi said: The relationship between the scholar and the ruler is based on advice and clarification. Allah says, “And [mention, O Muhammad], when Allah took a covenant from those who were given the Scripture, [saying], 'You must make it clear to the people and not conceal it.'” (Aal-Imran: 187).
The duty of scholars is to advise and clarify. Originally, the ruler was either a scholar or the scholar was a ruler. The principle in Islam is that the ruler should be knowledgeable, or at least have reached a high level of knowledge. If not, they should seek the advice of scholars. The scholar should be close to the ruler, guiding and advising them, and issuing fatwas for them. Unfortunately, knowledge and governance later separated, and each ended far away from the other. What’s worse is to find scholars close to the rulers but justify their errors and sins and issue fatwas legitimizing their actions even if they contradict Islamic Sharia. This is a fundamental mistake. Scholars should be financially independent, as they had their own endowments before and were not employed by the state. Otherwise, the state can control them, remove them, bribe them, or starve them.
This is al-Hasan al-Basri’s source of power; he only needed his faith and relinquished all worldly things. He had some money that made him needless in reaching out to the rulers of his time, and the rulers needed his knowledge and religion. The problem is when the rulers relinquish the scholar's religion and knowledge, while the scholar needs their wealth to survive. This is the danger, so there must be an attempt to return endowments to scholars so they can be independent.
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Issue no. (1044), P. 32-33 - Date: 14 Shawwal 1413 AH - 6 April 1993 AD.
