How can the system of accountability in Pakistan be idealized in the teachings of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ)? Explain.

Introduction

Pakistan has several anti-corruption bodies and many laws, but public trust in accountability remains low. Each government accuses the last, cases rise and fall with political change, and the most powerful often escape. The teachings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ offer a different model: accountability that starts at the top, applies equally to all, rests on proof, and draws strength from fear of Allah.

Present accountability system and its weaknesses

Institutions

They include the National Accountability Bureau (NAB, 1999), the Federal Investigation Agency, provincial anti-corruption departments, the Auditor General of Pakistan, the Public Accounts Committee, the Federal Ombudsman and the courts.

Weaknesses.

NAB has been criticised by the superior courts for its political use, including lengthy detention without conviction, and amendments in 2022 sharply reduced its scope. Judges and military officers have their own internal systems, and some office holders have constitutional immunity under Article 248. Audit findings often lead to no action. Pakistan has generally ranked poorly on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index.

Prophetic teachings on accountability

1. Answerability is universal

"Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock. The ruler is a shepherd and is responsible for his subjects" (Bukhari, Muslim).

2. Accountability before Allah

He warned that any ruler who dies deceiving his people will be denied Paradise (Bukhari, Muslim).

… إِنَّ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْبَصَرَ وَٱلْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْـُٔولًۭا

"…Indeed, the hearing, the sight and the heart: about all those one will be questioned." (Al-Isra 17:36)

3. Public office is not for private gain

When Ibn al-Lutbiyyah returned with Zakat and gifts he had received, the Prophet ﷺ publicly asked why he did not sit in his parents' house to see whether gifts would come to him (Bukhari, Muslim). He said that anything taken unlawfully by an official would be carried by him on the Day of Judgement.

… وَمَن يَغْلُلْ يَأْتِ بِمَا غَلَّ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ …

"…And whoever betrays will come with what he took on the Day of Resurrection." (Aal-e-Imran 3:161)

4. Equality

In the case of the noble Makhzumi woman, he rejected intercession, saying: "By Allah, if Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad stole, I would cut off her hand" (Bukhari, Muslim).

5. Trust and justice.

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤَدُّوا۟ ٱلْأَمَٰنَٰتِ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم بَيْنَ ٱلنَّاسِ أَن تَحْكُمُوا۟ بِٱلْعَدْلِ …

"Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to those to whom they are due, and when you judge between people, to judge with justice." (An-Nisa 4:58)

How to make Pakistan's system ideal

1. Begin at the top

Reports state that the Prophet ﷺ offered in his last days to let anyone he had wronged take redress from him. If the Prophet ﷺ offered himself for accountability, then no president, prime minister, general or judge in Pakistan can claim to be above it. Article 248 immunity and similar protections should be reviewed, so that they protect official functions but not personal wrongdoing.

2. Equality without exceptions

All institutions, civil and military, should be subject to the same standards of disclosure and scrutiny. Selective action against opponents is itself a form of injustice, against which the Quran warns.

… وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا۟ ٱعْدِلُوا۟ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ …

"…And do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just. Be just; that is nearer to righteousness." (Al-Ma'idah 5:8)

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُونُوا۟ قَوَّٰمِينَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ شُهَدَآءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ ٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ وَٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ …

"O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives." (An-Nisa 4:135)

3. Independent and fair institutions

Hazrat Ali (RA) went before his own judge as an ordinary litigant. The heads of NAB and the FIA should be appointed by a transparent, bipartisan process, have fixed terms and be protected from political interference. The chaotic overlap between agencies should be ended, possibly by creating a single independent commission with clear jurisdiction.

4. Due process and proof

The Prophet ﷺ taught that the burden of proof lies on the claimant (Al-Bayhaqi), and that a judge must hear both sides (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi). He warned that some people may present their case more eloquently, and that winning it unjustly only secures a piece of the Fire (Bukhari, Muslim). Therefore, there should be no media trials, no long detentions before trial, and no prosecutions without evidence. Trials should be time-bound.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن جَآءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌۢ بِنَبَإٍۢ فَتَبَيَّنُوٓا۟ أَن تُصِيبُوا۟ قَوْمًۢا بِجَهَٰلَةٍۢ فَتُصْبِحُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَٰدِمِينَ

"O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful." (Al-Hujurat 49:6)

5. Asset transparency and conflict of interest

Following the example of Hazrat Umar (RA), who kept a record of the wealth of governors, officials at all levels should publicly declare their assets, including family holdings, before, during and after their tenure. Rules on official gifts should follow the Ibn al-Lutbiyyah principle. The Toshakhana controversies show just how relevant it is, and publication of records should be routine.

6. Merit in appointments

Corruption often begins with who gets appointed. The Prophet ﷺ declined to give office to those who were eager for it (Bukhari, Muslim), and he told Hazrat Abu Dharr (RA) that he was too weak for it (Muslim). Appointments should be merit-based, and subject to public hearings for key posts.

… إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ ٱسْتَـْٔجَرْتَ ٱلْقَوِىُّ ٱلْأَمِينُ

"…Indeed, the best one you can hire is the strong and the trustworthy." (Al-Qasas 28:26)

7. A voice for citizens

Complaints must be easy to make and act on. The Prophet ﷺ warned against closing the door on people's needs (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi), and "the best Jihad is a word of truth before a tyrannical ruler" (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi). Pakistan should strengthen its Right of Access to Information Act 2017, ombudsmen, the Citizen's Portal, and freedom of the press, and enact strong protection for whistle-blowers.

وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌۭ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ

"And let there be among you a nation inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful." (Aal-e-Imran 3:104)

8. Inspection and audit

The Prophet ﷺ checked accounts of his Zakat collectors. Muhammad ibn Maslamah (RA) later did this for Hazrat Umar (RA). Audit reports should be made public, with action required within a fixed time, and Public Accounts Committee decisions should be enforced.

9. Recovery and just punishment

Stolen public money must be returned, and punishments should be applied consistently. Plea bargains that allow the powerful to go free after paying a small part of what they have taken undermine the idea of justice.

10. Reduce the opportunities for corruption

Digital services, simple procedures and adequate pay, as Hazrat Ali (RA) advised in his letter to Malik al-Ashtar, can reduce temptation.

11. Moral reform and self-accountability

External systems can do only so much. A culture in which a person fears Allah, is ashamed of bribes, and refuses to celebrate corrupt wealth will make the work of any institution easier. Schools, mosques, media and the family should all help to create this.

وَلَا تَأْكُلُوٓا۟ أَمْوَٰلَكُم بَيْنَكُم بِٱلْبَٰطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا۟ بِهَآ إِلَى ٱلْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا۟ فَرِيقًۭا مِّنْ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْإِثْمِ وَأَنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

"And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it to the rulers in order that you may knowingly consume a portion of other people's wealth sinfully." (Al-Baqarah 2:188)

Practical limitations

Seventh-century Madinah was a small community with direct access to its leader, whereas Pakistan has a very large population and complex institutions. Prophetic principles need modern tools such as forensic audits, data analysis and professional investigators. The Prophet ﷺ himself was unique, too, and no ruler today can claim his moral authority. Progress also relies on political consensus, on a free press, and on a civil-military balance, which will be hard to achieve.

Conclusion

Pakistan's accountability system can be idealised in the teachings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ if it begins at the top, treats everyone equally, rests on independent institutions and firm evidence, makes officials' wealth transparent, gives appointments on merit, and lets citizens speak out. Those principles must be joined with modern tools and moral reform. Real accountability is not revenge against opponents, but justice for all, and it begins with those in power.

The writer can be reached at ma6749429@gmail.com