Fighting Taghut; Main Pillar of Religious Rule
This is according to Hani Chitchian, a member of the Quran and Etrat School of the University of Tehran, speaking in the 29th session in a series on Surah At-Tawbah. Following are excerpts from his remarks in the session:
In verse 71 of Surah At-Tawbah, the issue of obeying God and His messenger has been discussed: “The believers, both male and female, are each other's guardians. They try to make others do good, prevent them from committing sins, perform their prayers, pay the religious tax, and obey God and His Messenger. God will have mercy on them; He is Majestic and All-wise.”
In verses 94 and 97 of the Surah, God introduced the Hudud and says eh Holy Prophet (PBUH) is the basis of Hudud. These verses are about those who consider themselves to be more Muslim than the Holy prophet (PBUH). Verse 107 points to an example of such behavior when some people wage war on the messenger of God by building a mosque. They basically build the mosque to foment discord. Building such a mosque that cause discord is tantamount to war with God and His messenger. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) should not say prayers in such a mosque. This is among the missions of the leader of the society.
Fighting Taghut; Main Pillar of Religious Rule
The overall rule in religion is maintaining unity because it helps keep the Ummah. Basically, social issues are complex. Islam forms a current in the world whose main pivot is fighting Taghut. That is to say, if you take fighting Taghut away from it, it would no longer be a religion. The main pillar of religious rule is fighting Taghut. A government will not be a religious government if it does not fight Taghut. Verse 113 says that it is not for the Prophet or the believers to ask forgiveness for idolaters. What it means is not that guiding them is not important but that family relationships should not keep their eyes closed.
Taghut is one who trespasses the limits in committing sins and evil. It also refers to the leaders of deviation. Also, Taghut refers to anything but God that is worshipped. Satan has been named Taghut because of his rebellion.
Verse 128 is a sum-up of the previous verses and it is the main verse about the status and role of leadership in the coherence and cohesion of Islamic society. “A Messenger from your own people has come to you. Your destruction and suffering is extremely grievous to him. He really cares about you and is very compassionate and merciful to the believers.”
The messenger is from the people and has no superiority over them except for the fact that people should follow him as he receives the Revelation.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) is concerned about guiding people more than they are and he grieves for people’s suffering. His mercy and compassion is even greater when it comes to believers. He is like a compassionate father. This is a verse that talks about the role of leadership in society.
