Islamic Revival

Ovamir Anjum’s refreshingly bold essay ‘Who Wants the Caliphate?’ (2019) is a wide-ranging reflection on various aspects of Muslim thinking about the caliphate. 1  Through a detailed argument for the desirability, feasibility and religious necessity of the caliphate, it takes aim at a ‘failure of imagination and intellectual courage’ that does not allow for ‘Islam to be Islam’ and calls for a broadening of thought beyond hegemonic categories such as the nation-state. In this short essay, we echo these views through a critical reflection on two types of contemporary narratives that counter the religious necessity, or preferably, the shar’i obligation, of the caliphate. We indicate how these are ultimately weak arguments, in no small part because they are still beholden to, or fail to venture beyond, dominant secular categories of thought and practice.     On the particular aspect of the caliphate’s shar’i obligation, Anjum is clear that this is a matter of consensus: ‘All surviving Musl

The English translation of the Arabic book 'Saheefa-tul Madinah' by Professor Muhammad al-Massar i is now available to download for free from:  The Prophetic Constitution of Madinah This much needed detailed Ijtihad expounds the topic and dispels various commonly held assumptions and myths about the constitution of the first Islamic State established by the Prophet Muhammad  ﷺ. The following is from its Contents page:  Contents Chapter One: The Origin of the Sahifah (Document)  Section: The circumstances surrounding the writing of the Sahifah (document) of Al-Madinah  Imam Ibn Kathir (May Allah’s mercy be upon him) attempted to summarize some of this Section: Examples of the harm and abuse undertaken by the Jews and the polytheists and the acts of Ka’b bin Al-Ashraf  Section: The joining together as brothers “Al-Mu’akhaah) between the Muhajirin and the Ansar  Narrations revealing the strength of this “Mu’akhaah” (forming of brotherhood) and its depth, the like of which the his

After the Banu Umayyah were massacred and banished from Syria by the tyrannical Amir of Syria, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Ali (the first Abbasid caliph’s uncle), he summoned al-Awza‘i*. After going missing for three days, the latter appeared before the court of the Amir. Al-Awza‘i relates: “I went in to see him and he was reclining on his bed with a staff in his hand and soldiers to his right and left bearing menacing swords and iron rods. So I imparted the Islamic greetings to him but he didn’t reply. He banged the staff in his hand and asked: ‘O, Awza‘i, what’s your view regarding what we have done to the people and this land in removing the oppression of those [Banu Umayyah]? Was it considered Jihad and defending Islam?’ I thought to myself and decided to tell the truth, bracing for certain death [and said]: O Amir! I heard Yahya b. Sa`id al-Ansari say: I heard Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Taymi say: I heard `Alqama b. Waqqas say: I heard `Umar b. al-Khattab say: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “

Presented below is translation of a short piece written by Professor Muḥammad ibn Abdullah al-Massari which covers the sourcing for the ḥadith : ‘ The majority of the hypocrites from among my Ummah are (to be found among) the reciters.’   Set out below is the narration from four companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, cited among a wide array of texts.  Apart from those narratives which carry the particle ‘ inna ’ [ان], the reported wording is identical across throughout.  With some detailed analytical comment also provided, the reader can be assured that this ḥadith is considered to be Ṣaḥīḥ . Some editing of the original document has been applied, to streamline the text and to enable greater readability. As for hypocrisy, it is the inveterate sickness that one may be drowning in without even realising, for it is a hidden matter… The major hypocrisy, one that leads to eternal damnation in the lowest rungs of hellfire, is that one feigns to the Muslims his faith in

Since the demise of the Ottoman Caliphate, the Muslim world has moved from one crisis to another. The parlous state of the ummah is now the subject of many discussions and numerous Islamic groups have attempted to find the magic formula to reverse this decline. Invariably and correctly, the subject of a return to Islamic governance has become a rallying call for many that seek to return to a place where the ummah was a leading one. Yet recently, the rise of ISIS and the return to the Taliban government has given us two very different yet for some, very troubling models of how a shariah ruled state should run. Beyond these examples, contemporary Islamic study on the topic either negates well-known Islamic precedents found in our tradition or offers models of authoritarianism where a caliph has the control over all and is one step away from repression.  Today we have brought together two Islamic thinkers and scholars that have been working for some time on rethinking Islamic gove

Dr. Muhammad AL-MASSARI : RESPONSE to Critical Questions about TALIBAN'S LEGITIMACY - Part 2   Part 3 Source

Dr. Muhammad AL-MASSARI : RESPONSE to Critical Questions about TALIBAN'S LEGITIMACY - Part 1 Source

Introduction   P rophecies relating to the coming of the final hour, have a powerful propensity to capture the imagination.  None more so than those which appear in our tradition, the final revelation sent to mankind.  Indeed, it can cogently be argued that in our present era we have borne witness to some of them: whether that be the Arabs competing in the construction of tall buildings, the lady which is clothed yet naked, and the tyranny of security forces beating people with whips. Several questions have been tabled of late asking specifically about Prophecies relating to ‘the Battle Expedition of India,’ the ‘ ghazwat-ul-hind ’, what the authenticity of the traditions are, and whether this specifically relates to events prior to the end of days.  Rather than listing all questions, it is intended that this short comment will cover all those areas that have been raised, with the permission and help of Allah the exalted. Citations Out of the well-known books ḥadith in