Minister of Justice and PAM Secretary General Mr. Abdellatif Ouahbi has presented his simplified understanding version of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s quotes on the occasion of the Feast of the Throne for 2022: “I could not, as Commander of the Faithful, permit what Allah Has Forbidden and I don’t forbid what Allah Has Permitted, especially in issues framed by definitive Quranic texts”, stating that the royal speech was clear-cut that any reform action or legislative amendment about family should not be opposed to the state’s identity and its religious constants.
Minister Ouahbi made his presentation last Tuesday evening April 18, 2023 as a guest to Fqih Tetouani institution on the topic “I won’t permit what Allah Has Forbidden, and I won’t forbid what Allah Has Permitted, between Sharia connotation and ideological use”. Minister Ouahbi has presented his own vision of this quote as it is related to a series of legal reforms and renewal process through six fundamental points “the legitimacy principle which is the foundation for any governance system and it is based on renewal and jurisprudence diligence”, making clear that “the legitimacy principle has remained a firm pillar in the process of the governance system legitimacy in our country; the guardian/the monarch contracts and pledges the nation to be committed to absolute Sharia laws and its purposes, safeguards religion principles and governs with right and justice, guarantees rights and freedoms, and in response, communities should commit themselves to his obedience, pledge to support him in all what could protect the nation’s interests, and he defends its (the country) individual and collective rights as well its dignity and unity.”
Minister Ouahbi added “jurisprudence diligence and renewal has remained one the nation’s fundamental principle over extended civilizational periods; and in this context, we have reaffirmed that the guardian/the monarch’s commitment to the principle of legitimacy, in the process of assuming his governance duty, has not come to handcuff his hands but rather to allow him in this jurisprudence process”, reminding in this context what Moroccan author/historian Abdullah Aroui’s made as a conclusion in his thesis about “social and cultural roots for Moroccan nationalism”, when he has decided that “the Sultan is the imam and as such his function imposes on him to endorse and guarantee the supremacy of sharia laws, and out of this position he is the highest jurisprudence and judicial power in the country, where he should see and adjudicate difficult issues.”
Minister Ouahbi has confirmed that the reminder of the king’s commitment to the legitimacy principle as referred to in the above-mentioned royal speech has come in relation with and conditional to his Majesty’s eagerness that “it should be within the framework of Islamic Sharia and peculiarities of the Moroccan society, by endorsing moderation, open jurisprudence, consultation, dialogue and sharing all institutions and interested components in the process.”
Minister Ouahbi has highlighted that the legitimacy principle embodied in His Majesty’s quote: “I could not, as commander of the faithful, to permit what Allah Has Forbidden and forbid what Allah Has Permitted”, reaffirms his constitutional competency as a higher legitimate arbitral authority to settle the dispute among the nation’s components. Arbitration could not be self-evident unless there’s consensus, consultation and diligence for the sake of interest, where there’s any interest, there’s Allah rule. Where there’s any justice there’s Allah rule.. and here comes modern constitutional competency which finds its legitimate and historical background in the basic principle according which “the ruler’s rules clear off disagreement in jurisprudence matters.”
Minister Ouahbi has considered in is intervention that all what is being labeled, yet stigmatized as man-made laws do not generally oppose legitimate reference, to achieve therefore people’s interests out of its appropriateness with spirit of Islam and sharia purposes as it was the case of Abyssinia just king who ruled a non-Islamic state and has established “curiosity pact” to legitimize alliances and contacts with peoples who are different from us in confession, culture and religion, to defend universal humanitarian values, freedoms and rights, as has our Prophet Muhammad peace upon him informed us.
Our dutiful respect to His Majesty, said Ouahbi, requires from us as politicians, intellectuals and jurists, or as civil society players, not to deal with his speeches and instructions with a certain political selectiveness, or settling some politicized scores; His Majesty addresses the nation as commander of the faithful, and that his speeches and instructions complete each other and aspire to higher horizons and not to details, and therefore royal speeches have full connotations for what they order, that’s why kings’ speeches and instructions should not be involved in narrow disputes for the sake of small political gains and benefits.
Minister Ouahbi has pointed out that consensus around His Majesty requires a great deal of respect and humility and disdain of making use of some quotes to achieve disillusioned victories, because that consensus makes Moroccans understand the true meaning of his quotes.
In conclusion, I have found myself compelled to talk about this subject out of my own contribution to shed light on the genuine significance of the legitimacy principle and disdain all kinds of falsehood slogans and a pretext to stop any good offices to achieve freedom, justice and equality between women and men and lift injustice on all society categories and contribute to the building of a strong modern state.