Constitution of the Caliphate State / Judiciary

Article 75: The Judiciary is the pronouncement of the rule that becomes binding. It settles the disputes between the people and prevents that which harms the community’s rights, or it eliminates the disputes arising between people and members of the ruling system – both rulers and civil servants – from the Head of State downwards.

Article 76: The Khalifah appoints a supreme judge to the judiciary from the male, adult, free, Muslim, sane, just people who know jurisprudence, and if he was given the power to appoint and remove the Madhalim judge, and had the power of judgement in the Madhalim, then he would have to be a Mujtahid. He would have the power to appoint judges, discipline them, and remove them as part of the administrative systems. As for the remainder of the civil servants of the courts, they are connected to the Department Manager who is responsible for the courts’ affairs.

Article 77: The Judges are of three types: One is the Judge (Qadi), and he undertakes settling the disputes between people over transactions and penal codes. The second is the Muhtasib, who undertakes the settling of any breach of law that may harm the rights of the community. The third is the judge of the Court of Injustices (Madhalim), who undertakes the settling of disputes between the people and the State.

Article 78: Whoever undertakes the responsibility of judgement must be a Muslim, free, adult, sane, just, a Faqih (person who knows jurisprudence/Fiqh), and aware of how to apply the rules to the events. And the person who undertakes the judiciary of injustices (Madhalim)in addition to the conditions mentioned, must also be male and a Mujtahid (capable of deriving his own Fiqh/conducting Ijtihad).

Article 79: The Qadi, the Muhtasib and the Madhalim judge may be given a general appointment to pronounce judgement on all problems throughout the State, or alternatively they can be given an appointment to a particular location and to give judgement on particular types of cases.

Article 80: The courts should be comprised of only one judge who has the authority to pronounce judgement. One or more judges are permitted to accompany him, however they do not have the authority of judgement but rather the authority of consulting and giving their opinion, and their opinion is not considered binding.

Article 81: The judge can only give a verdict in a court session, and any evidence and oaths can only be considered in the court session.

Article 82: It is permissible to vary the grades of courts in respect to the type of cases. Some judges may thus be assigned to certain cases of particular grades and other courts to be authorised to judge the other cases.

Article 83: There is no court of appeal, and no court of cassation, so the judiciary, as far as the method by which the cases are treated, is of a single level. If the judge pronounced a verdict, it would become binding, and it cannot ever be annulled by the verdict of another judge unless he ruled by other than Islam, or contradicted a definite text from the Quran, Sunnah or Ijmaa’ of the companions, or it became clear that he gave a verdict that contradicted the reality of the situation.

Article 84: The Muhtasib is the judge who investigates all cases, in the absence of an individual litigation, involving the rights of the public that do not involve the Hudud (proscribed punishments) and criminal acts.

Article 85: The Muhtasib has the authority to judge upon violations as soon as he learns of them, irrespective of the location and without the need to hold a court session. A number of policemen are put at his disposal to carry out his orders and to execute his verdicts immediately.

Article 86: The Muhtasib has the right to appoint deputies for him. They should fulfil the requirements of the Muhtasib, and he is allowed to assign them to different places. Those deputies would have the power to carry out the duties of the Hisbah in the areas to which they have been assigned, and in the cases for which they have been delegated.

Article 87: The judge of the Court of Injustices (Madhalim)is appointed to remove all injustices which have been inflicted upon any person who lives under the authority of the State, irrespective of whether the person is from the subjects of the State or not, and irrespective of whether the injustice was committed by the Khalifah or anyone below him from the rulers and civil servants.

Article 88: The judge of the Court of Injustices (Madhalim) is appointed by the Khalifah, or by the Supreme Judge. His accounting, discipline and removal are done by the Khalifah or by the Supreme Judge if the Khalifah had given him the powers to do so. However he cannot be removed during his investigation of a Madhlamah against the Khalifah, or the executive assistants, or the Supreme Judge; rather the power to remove him in these circumstances is for the Court of Injustice Acts (Madhalim).

Article 89: There is no limit to the number of judges that can be appointed for the Court of Injustice Acts (Madhalim), rather the Khalifah can appoint as many as he may deem necessary to eradicate the Madhalim (injustice acts), whatever that number may be. Although it is permitted for more than one judge to sit in a court session, only one judge has the authority to pronounce a verdict. The other judges only assist and provide advice, and their advice is not binding.

Article 90: The Court of Injustice Acts (Madhalim) has the right to remove any ruler or civil servant in the State, in the same way that it has the right to remove the Khalifah, if the elimination of the Madhlamah required this removal.

Article 91: The Court of Injustice Acts (Madhalim) has the authority to investigate any case of injustice (Madhlamah), irrespective of whether it is related to officials of the State, the Head of State’s deviation from the Shari’ah rules, interpretation of the legislative texts in the constitution, law (Qanun) and other Shari’ah rules within the framework adopted by the Head of State, or the imposition of a tax, or anything else.

Article 92: The judiciary of the Injustice Acts (Madhalim) is not restricted by a court session or the request of the defendant or the presence of the plaintiff. It has the authority to look into any case of injustice even if there is no plaintiff.

Article 93: Every person has the right to appoint whomsoever he wishes as a proxy (Wakeel) for oneself in the disputes and defence, irrespective of whether he is Muslim or not, male or female. There is no distinction in this matter between the commissioner and the proxy. The proxy is permitted to be appointed for a fee according to the terms agreed upon with the commissioner.

Article 94: It is permitted for the one who has been vested with a specific responsibility, like a custodian or guardian, or general responsibility such as the Khalifah, ruler, civil servant, Muhtasib, or judge of the Court of Injustice Acts (Madhalim), to appoint a person to his position as a proxy - within the bounds of his authority – in disputes and defence alone, and there is no difference whether they were the plaintiff or defendant.

Article 95: The contracts, transactions, and verdicts which were ratified and whose implementation was completed before the establishment of the Khilafah are not nullified by the judges of the Khilafah and nor do they review them, unless a case:

1. Has a continued effect which contradicts Islam, so it is obligatory to review it.
2. Or if it was connected with harm to Islam and the Muslims which was brought about by the previous rulers and their followers, and so it is permitted for the Khalifah to review such cases.
3. Or if it was connected to wealth which had been misappropriated and still remains in the hands of the one who had taken it.