A few days ago a group of advocates for federalism in eastern Libya announced what they called "The government of Cyrenaica territory," containing the names of 24 people to assume ministerial posts. The announcement also contained the division of the territory into four provinces: Ajdabiya, Benghazi, Jabal al-Akhdar, and Tubruq.
This is the third time this group has announced and insisted on this kind of project.
We are surprised by the insistence on this project, and strongly denounce this in a land that is originally unified, and in an area where a vast majority of the people are against the division and fragmentation of their land.
It is as if this group of division is rushing to present its project before a constitution is placed that would most likely include the unity of the country and forbid its fragmentation, so this group is taking advantage of the chaos to impose this division.
If the excuse of those who call for federalism is that their areas suffer of marginalization, neglect and hardship, then they should know that all of Libya suffers from these issues. The solution to marginalization, neglect and hardship is not through federalism here and there, and not simply by dividing the country into territories and provinces. The solution is through the correct and just system of governance that is sent by Allah (swt), which is the great system of Islam, which is a system of unity, not a confederation, in which the governance is centralized and the management is decentralized. In other words, the officials in the territories, provinces, institutes and departments are given all the managerial authority to look care for the affairs of the people and provide them with comfort and realize their interests in the areas in which they live, so that they do not need to refer to the central authority of the state to carry out their everyday affairs.
And the difference between governance and management, is that governance and power are of the same meaning, which is the authority that implements the laws on the people, and is the action of leadership that the Shar' obliged on the Muslims, and the work of this leadership is that of the authority that is given the responsibility of protecting against oppression, and judging between people, and caring for the affairs of all those who carry citizenship and those who live in the country legally. And this authority is that which the Shar' appointed in His (swt) saying:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
"O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you." [An-Nisa: 59]
And they changed the situation that these leaders are the rulers that are chosen by the Ummah, and are given the responsibility of establishing the Ahkam Shari'ah between the people, and caring for their affairs according to these laws, and enforcing general government policies internally and out of the country.
And from this we understand that the issue of governance is centralized in the state and is carried out by rulers who have general authority in areas of the state affairs. As for actions of management, they are carried out by government employees who are appointed by the rulers to carry out the interests of the people and serve them in their areas, and these actions are not centralized as to not impede the interests of the people, and so that they do not have to endure the hardship of travel and going to the center of the state to carry out their interests and everyday needs of education, health, housing, sustenance, clothing, security, judiciary and other general interests of the citizens of the state.
This difference between governance and administration is clear in the life of our blessed Prophet (saw) who is our role model and in the lives of the Khulafa'a after him. The Messenger (saw) was a ruler and guardian of the Muslims in addition to him being a prophet and messenger, so he used to send the Walis as rulers to the Wilayat of the state, and he would order them to apply the Shar' and tend to the affairs of the people, and he would cede the issue to them - considering them rulers - they have general authority, and would not bind them to certain devices and methods to achieve that. We notice that the Messenger (saw) used to send employees and those who have experience in the administrative and everyday issues, and bind them to certain orders and carrying out limited assignments not to be overstepped, and he would send an employee to collect Zakat, so they would collect it and bring it to the Messenger (saw) and he would give them their wages considering them administrative employees and not rulers, because the rulers in Islam are not the Ummah's employees, but they are their representatives to establish the Ahkam Shari'ah.
And from here one can see in the history of Islam how the administrative system in the Islamic state is a decentralized system that proved its success in providing security and stability, and simplified the procedure of the interests of the people and provided them with comfort in their areas and territories however far from the center they were.
Our Libyan Muslim people are a dear part of the great Islamic Ummah, which is connected to it by one Deen and one Aqeedah, and one fate and hope. And our land of Libya is also a dear and important part of our Islamic Ummah, and if the unification of the Islamic Ummah in one Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate" and the unification of its people and land is the ideal, then what we see today of this division and fragmentation and detachment, is contrary to the ideal, and the result of the absence of the one Islamic state (the Khilafah "Caliphate") and the result of the occupation of the lands of the Muslims by the enemies of Islam from the West and East for a long period of time.
And if the Muslims today are unable to unify the people of the Ummah, and unable to unify their lands, and establish their one state, then they should at least maintain the unity of the land and country that they live in until the day of salvation, which we hope will be soon Allah (swt) willing, and they should at least not allow any person in any corner of the corners of Islam to work to fragment the unity of the corner that he lives in, or the unity of the Muslims that live with him.
And in conclusion we say: Oh Libyans who are honored with your Islam and your loyalty to your Ummah, where does federalism fall within the constant of the unity of the Ummah about which Allah (swt) said:
إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ
"Indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so worship Me." [Al-Anbiya: 92]
And where do the callers to federalism fall in carrying their responsibility as Muslims to maintain their Deen and Aqeedah, and the unity of their land and Ummah, and the maintainance of the feelings of their Muslim brothers everywhere, and the feelings of their brothers who live with them on this earth, which are harmed by this issue?
And Allah (swt) helps us, and La Hawla wala Quwata illa Billah.
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