Is casting vote a sin under the current circumstances in Pakistan?

Casting vote in itself is not a sin, it is in fact our social, moral and even religious duty to do so. But we need to understand that it is under the current circumstances, it would be a sin. Why? because by casting votes we would be supporting the status quo and the corrupt system. Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri very strongly raised voice against the corrupt system. He demanded reforms in the electoral process and demanded that Articles 62 and 63 of the constitution must be implemented. Had Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) honestly implemented the Articles, it would have hold corrupt from contesting elections and provided opportunity to good people to come in power. But ECP and judiciary of Pakistan made joke of Articles 62 & 63 and made way clear for all the corrupts to contest elections. Moreover, current system openly allowed and is still allowing pre-poll rigging. There are many other such factors due to which it is very clear that from within this corrupt system, no good people could come in power, even if elections kept on occurring for 100 years or more. From this system, without reforms, same corrupt people would keep on getting power. After gaining power, whatever corruption they would do, voters would be responsible because they would have supported the system and helped them come in power.

One might question that how would I be supporting the system if I voted for the good person and not the bad person. To answer this, let’s ask another question. Did any of us gave vote to certain corrupt individuals who are or were in power (e.g. a high profile person who is famous as Mr. 10% all around the world), may be not but it was the system that gave power to such individuals. So irrespective of whoever we voted now, we would be supporting the system. That is the reason Dr. Qadri is guiding people to reject this system by not becoming part of it.

Listen to some of these clips and see how these high profile honest and patriot Pakistanis are repeating the points made by Dr. Qadri:

It can be concluded by listening to these clips that same corrupt people would come in power if we supported the current system by casting vote and becoming part of it.

Our vote has three pronged status: Shahadh (evidence), Shafa’a (recommendation), and Wakalah (advocacy or representation in common rights). Under all three conditions, voting for a good and deserving person brings great reward the fruit of which bound to reach voters. Similarly, voting for a person undeserving and uncouth is a false evidence, unjustified recommendation and impermissible advocacy all in one. So the evil fruit of his thoughtless voting shall stand recorded in the voter’s log of deed.

When you are voting to an individual, you are voting to the system. How? When a person is elected by your vote, he sits in the parliament, and the parliament makes up the government. And the government runs the system. And imagine how our votes will be going to the system that has never been reformed.

What should we do on polling day?

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As: When we were around the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him), he mentioned the period of commotion (fitnah) saying: When you see the people that their covenants have been impaired, (the fulfilling of) the guarantees becomes rare, and they become thus (interwining his fingers). I then got up and said: What should I do at that time, may Allah make me ransom for you? He replied: Keep to your house, control your tongue, accept what you approve, abandon what you disapprove, attend to your own affairs, and leave alone the affairs of the generality. (Abu Dawwud in al-Sunan: Bk.: al-Malahim [Battles], Vol. 4, pg 124, #4343)

If we support the unreformed and corrupt system, then what would happen to us?

Narrated Abu Bakr: You people recite this verse (Sura al-Maida, verse 105) “You who believe, care for yourselves; he who goes astray cannot harm you when you are rightly-guided,” and put it in its improper place. Khalid’s version has: We heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say: When the people see a wrongdoer and do not prevent him, Allah will soon punish them all. Amr ibn Hushaym’s version has: I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) say: If acts of disobedience are done among any people and do not change them though the are able to do so, Allah will soon punish them all. (Abu Dawwud in al-Sunan: Bk.: al-Malahim [Battles], Vol. 4, pg 122, #4338) (Tirmidhi in al-Jama: Ch.: Tafseer al-Quran, Vol 5, pg 256. #3057) (Ahmad bin Hanbal in al-Musnad, Vol 1, pg 2)