The Council of Islamic
Ideology was established under the Constitution of 1973, and the concept of its
creation is primarily derived from Allama Muhammad Iqbal's idea of
parliamentary ijtihad. In his lectures, Allama Muhammad Iqbal proposed
collective ijtihad through the parliament, instead of individual ijtihad, for
the modern era. As envisaged , this process shall involve the significant role
of Islamic scholars alongside the elected representatives of the people. Based
on these ideas and concepts, the following institutions for reconstruction of
religious thought were established after the creation of Pakistan:
In October 1947, an
institution named as the Department of Islamic Reconstruction was established.
Its mandate was to highlight and present the Islamic ideological concepts of
state-building and societal development, which would serve as the foundational framework
for the newly established political administration.
Subsequently, when the
formal process of drafting of constitution commenced, Pakistan's first
Constituent Assembly presented the Objectives Resolution on March 12, 1949. The
Objective Resolution determined the fundamental framework for drafting an
Islamic constitution for the state of Pakistan.
In light of the Objectives
Resolution, a committee formed to chalk out basic principles for drafting the
fundamental structure of the Constitution. To provide guidelines to this
committee on the Objectives Resolution and to address, queries, a five-member
Board named as the Board of Talimat-e-lslamia was formed under the chairmanship
of Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi. Additionally, on February 15, 1951, a Law
Commission was constituted, tasked with reviewing the existing laws, in effect,
at that time and bringing them in conformity with the Objectives Resolution.
In 1956, when the first
constitution of Pakistan was promulgated, Article 197 thereof provided for the
establishment of an Institute for Islamic Research and Instructions. The
primary objective of this institution was to assist in the process of
reconstruction of Muslim society on ideal basis through research and education.
Additionally, Article 198 of the same Constitution provided for the creation of
an Islamic Commission. The primary functions of this Commission included to
ensure that no law shall be enacted which is repugnant to the Injunctions of
Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and Sunnah, and that existing laws shall
be brought into conformity with Islamic Injunctions.
In the Constitution of March
1962, it was envisaged to establish the Advisory Council of Islamic Ideology.
The functions of this Advisory Council included providing recommendations to
the central and provincial governments to enable the Muslims of Pakistan to
order their lives, in all respects, in accordance with the Islamic principles.
During this period, the Council submitted reports spanning ten years of time
containing recommendations on significant social issues and proposals for
bringing existing laws in conformity with the injunctions of the Qur'an and
Sunnah.
Council of Islamic Ideology
In the Constitution of 1973,
the Advisory Council of Islamic Ideology was renamed as the Council of Islamic
Ideology. The provisions of Articles 227 to 231 of the Constitution outlined
the obligation to bring legislation in conformity with Islamic principles, as
well as the composition of the Council of Islamic Ideology and its functions.
According to Article 230 of
the Constitution of Pakistan, one of the obligations of the Council was to
submit a final report on review of laws after seven years of its establishment.
Clause (4) of this article also mandated that the Council's annual interim
report or its final report shall be laid down before the Majlis-e-Shura
(Parliament).
In 1996, the Council
submitted a final report to Parliament, which reviewed, all laws up to 1973, in
light of Islamic principles. Furthermore, under its constitutional obligations,
the Council regularly submits its annual report to Parliament and the
provincial assemblies every year. Since its inception the total number of the
Council's publications exceeds 100, including both annual and thematic reports.
In addition, the Council annually publishes a reputable academic and research
journal titled "ljtihad."
On the occasion of the completion of 50 years of operations by the Islamic Ideology Council and in recognition of its excellence, a Commemorative Postage Stamp of Rs. 30/- denomination is being issued by Pakistan Post on 301h December, 2024.
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