Malang, NU Online
Member of the Advisory Board (syuriyah) of Nahdlatul Ulama Prof. Dr. KH. M. Tholhah Hasan said that Muslims should understand that there is a difference between Islamic state as Islam being the state religion.

"In Islamic states like Saudi Arabia, all laws must strictly be in line with the Islamic syaria, but it is not the same as that in the country of ours and the Islamic state itself, admitted or not, is a historical construct which evolved over a period of time, he said.

The NU prominent figure popularly known as Kiai Tholhah also said that before Islam, there had been no state in both Mecca and Medina.

"There was only a group of tribal chiefs taking collective decisions in their respective tribal jurisdiction. In this respect, there were no written laws but only tribal customs and traditions," he said.

According to the former Religious Affairs Minister, after came into being, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)  laid the framework of governance through what is so-called mitsaq al-madinah (covenant of Medina) that basically respects the tribal customs maintained by the adherents of Judaism, Islam and even pre-Islamic idol whorsippers.

"The mitsaq al-madinah laid down certain principles having remained valid even today in a secular state and even the Prophet himself did not compel the different tribes and idol worshippers to follow the Islamic laws," he said. (Masdar)