Please note the following points:
1. In important topics from the book Return to Islam, such as “Disagreements among Muslims”, “Sovereignty of other than Allah”, and “Allah is One in sovereignty”, His Eminence Allamah Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani
has explained that the basis of an “Islamic government” is Allah’s permission and appointment of the ruler; as he has said:
The return of sovereignty in Islam is to the permission of Allah, but rather there is no legitimacy for any affair unless it returns to His permission, and this is one of the most important fundamental rules in Islam; as He has said repeatedly and emphatically: ﴿أَلَا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَصِيرُ الْأُمُورُ﴾; “Be aware that all affairs will return to Allah” ... It is hereby understood that the government in Islam is legitimate only for one whom Allah has chosen and appointed as His deputy in it, and this is not something strange or new, but rather it is a way from His ways, which has been in effect in the previous nations, and it will remain in effect as long as the world lasts; as He has said: ﴿سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ فِي الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ ۖ وَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًا﴾; “The way of Allah was the same for those who were before, and you will never find any change in the way of Allah.” Yes, the truth is that the necessity of the ruler being appointed by Allah and introduced through His Prophet or a clear sign is one of the obvious facts and essentials of all the divine religions, and it has not been questioned or disputed in any of the previous nations and has been questioned and disputed only in this nation.
He has also said in another place:
The government in Islam is of two types and there is no third type: one is the government of Allah, and the other is the government of taghut. As for the government of Allah, it is the government of one who rules by the command of Allah; such as the government of the family of Ibrahim
about whom Allah has said: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَهْدُونَ بِأَمْرِنَا﴾; “And We made them leaders who guide by Our command,” and as for the government of taghut, it is the government of one who rules by other than the command of Allah; such as the government of the house of Pharaoh, about whom Allah has said: ﴿وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَدْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ﴾; “And We made them leaders who invite toward the fire”! Based on this, the government of one whom Allah has appointed for it is the government of Allah, and the government of one whom Allah has not appointed for it is the government of taghut, and this is a very simple and clear rule.
Based on this, the government that should be established on Earth to be Islamic is only the government of the one whom Allah has authorized and appointed to establish it, who is at present Imam Mahdi. This is considered the official view of Islam.
2. One of the most important facts explained in the book Return to Islam is the possibility of Imam Mahdi’s advent when a sufficient number of Muslims have gathered to support him. This can be considered the theoretical basis for Imam Mahdi’s revolution and the starting point toward his government. Based on this, the goal of His Eminence Mansoor is to establish the government of Imam Mahdi, which is possible like the establishment of any other government if its necessary conditions are met, and the core of these necessary conditions is the gathering of a sufficient number of Muslims to support Imam Mahdi with their wealth and lives. Therefore, His Eminence Mansoor attempts to achieve this through invitation with wisdom and good advice, and arguing in the best manner. The legitimacy of this attempt is one of the legitimate prerequisites for the government of Imam Mahdi; meaning that the legitimacy of his government necessitates that providing its necessary conditions be legitimate as well. This is by way of fulfilling the prerequisite of an obligation, like providing water for one who is obligated to perform wudu, and providing a means of transportation for one who is obligated to go to Hajj, and it is obligatory according to the intellect and cannot be prohibited by Sharia, due to the correlation between the intellect and Sharia. This is regardless of whether or not His Eminence Mansoor has specific legitimate permission to do so; as he pointed this out when a man asked him: “Has the Mahdi given you permission to prepare the ground for his rule?!” He replied: «الْأَمْرُ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ يَا لُكَعُ! لَوْ نَهَانَا عَنْ ذَلِكَ ﴿لَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُ بِالْيَمِينِ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعْنَا مِنْهُ الْوَتِينَ فَمَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَاجِزِينَ﴾! أَمَا بَلَغَكُمْ قَوْلُ عَلِيٍّ: ”وَاللَّهِ لَوْ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ لَضُرِبَ عُنُقُهُ“؟!»; “The matter is beyond that, you fool! If he prohibits us from doing this, (the words of Allah apply to him, where He has said,) ‘We surely seize him with might; then We cut off his heart’s vein; then none of you are able to protect him.’ Has the saying of Ali not reached you, where he said: ‘By Allah, if he does not rise, his neck will surely be struck’?!”
3. The establishment of an Islamic government means the establishment of the government of Imam Mahdi, which is possible at any time. It is clear how it will be done when he appears, but during his absence, people can always make him appear by coming together to support him, as explained by His Eminence Mansoor in the books Return to Islam and Geometry of Justice. Therefore, any government during the absence of Imam Mahdi is not Islamic, even if it claims to be Islamic.
The website for the office of Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani
The section for responding to critiques