The Ulama are eternal guardians of people’s way of thinking. Their task is to set right the mindset of people in every age, guiding them on to the right path while leaving the task of governance to the politicians.
A healthy society must observe this distinction of roles, tasks, and responsibilities. Ignoring this distinction is bound to lead to severe disruption. People need proper guidance to develop the right mindset because the proper system of government results from the right human mindset. Conversely, if people’s mindset is corrupt or debased, the system of government will follow suit. This division of work resulted in a glorious history of scholarship and dawah work, which is the most precious legacy of the Muslim community.
Had all the people been engaged in jihad and other such defense-related activities, then certainly a vacuum would have been created in Islam, never to be filled again till Doomsday.
In the two generations that followed the Companions of the Prophet, this division of spheres of activity was maintained. People were engaged in various fields of knowledge, and there came to be the Quran reciters, Hadith scholars (muhaddithin), jurists (fuqaha), ulama, dayees (those who conveyed God’s message to people), and sufis. All of them focused on their respective spheres of activity. This pattern continued for around a thousand years.
This guidance received at the very beginning of Islam set the course for future activities of the Muslim community. During the first phase, one group of the Prophet’s Companions engaged in activities such as defense. While the other group, for instance, Abdullah ibn Masud Abdullah ibn Umar, devoted themselves to academic and dawah (conveying God’s message to people) fields.
In life, people’s mental fabric in terms of thought, attitude, and behaviour is far more important than societal or political leadership. The former’s position is of base or foundation, while the latter’s is of superstructure resting on this base. Those who judge by appearance often mistakenly perceive this upper structure as more important than the base. In reality, however, the base is much more important. That is why the position or status of religious leaders is loftier than that of political leaders.
