JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Photo: File
ISLAMABAD:
JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday warned the government and its coalition partners, saying he would not accept or obey any legislation contrary to the Quran and Sunnah, even if such laws were passed by a parliamentary majority.
Addressing a gathering in Islamabad, the JUI-F emir said obedience to laws based on disobedience to the Creator was neither permissible nor binding.
“Our position is very clear,” he said, adding that imprisonment or even execution did not deter him. “Prison is a very minor thing, and hanging is also a very minor thing. If there is something beyond that, we are willing to accept it.”
Maulana said he was repeatedly told that politics was no longer the domain of “decent people” and questioned why, as a “respectable man”, he remained in politics.
Rejecting this notion, he maintained that politics was, in fact, the management of national and collective life and an open field.
He said politics was the legacy and mission of the prophets, lamenting that it had been reduced to a race for power through rigging and manipulation. “Those who gain power through manipulation are called great politicians.”
Recalling the ideological roots of his party, the JUI-F leader said scholars from across the subcontinent, without sectarian discrimination, were part of the movement and his party had historically led struggles for both the caliphate and freedom. He emphasized that religious scholars were the heirs of the prophets and just as no one except scholars could ascend to the chair of the Prophet, no one else deserved the political seat anymore.
Denouncing opportunism in politics, Fazl said that in the current context, individuals are leaving their party if they are not provided with electoral lists. He added that although there were no idol worshipers or Jews in society, their negative habits had seeped into political culture.
Referring to the Quran, he said it also speaks of workers remaining sincere, while others are satisfied when benefits are given and resentful when they are denied. He stressed the need to recognize and combat this selfish mentality.
He noted that politicians often claim personal piety, such as offering prayers, but he questioned the nature of the political systems and laws they imposed on the country. “We have no objection to anyone’s prayers or fasting,” he said, adding that the problem lay with laws and governance, not individual worship.
The JUI-F emir said laws contrary to the Quran and Sunnah were often passed by majority vote and his refusal to accept such legislation was presented as a challenge to the law itself.
