Whose Islam Are We Practicing?
Allah commands that His law, as revealed in the Holy Qur'an, should be established and that society and governance should be conducted according to His guidance.
However, Bangladesh was established under the Constitution of 1972, a constitution written by human beings, and the country continues to be governed under that constitutional framework.
Some Muslim scholars and political leaders in Bangladesh take an oath under this human-made constitution and then declare that they will establish Allah's law, as revealed in the Qur'an, through Parliament. This raises an important question about consistency between their oath and their commitment to Allah.
As Muslims, we proclaim "La ilaha illallah"âthere is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. In my understanding, this also means that Allah's guidance should have the highest authority in every aspect of life.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions struggled to establish and preserve the message of Islam. Men and women both made sacrifices for this cause, and after the Prophet's passing, members of his family also played important leadership roles in the Muslim community.
Today, although around 92% of the people of Bangladesh identify as Muslims, we pray, fast during Ramadan, give zakat, perform qurbani, undertake Hajj, read the Qur'an, and keep copies of the Qur'an in our homes. We consider ourselves faithful Muslims.
Yet, in my view, the state is not governed according to Allah's guidance. We rarely discuss implementing the principles of the Qur'an in public governance or consider what role we should play in this regard. Likewise, we appear unprepared to defend the Muslim community against external threats.
Almost everyone in the world believes in the existence of one supreme Creator (with the exception of some atheists). However, not everyone believes that society and the state should be governed according to Allah's guidance. In my view, this is a key difference between Muslims and those who do not follow Islam.
My question is:
Whose Islam are we practicing today?
Thank you.
Udoy Khan











