Islamic Revival

Every so often the Muslim  ummah  witnesses the death of tyrants and people of evil. Whether the death of Gaddafi a few years ago, or the recent death of Islam Karimov, the butcher of Uzbekistan, or the death of a number of soldiers of invading or oppressive forces in the Muslim lands, these pieces of news often bring relief and joy, especially to those who have experienced directly their evil and oppression. Some Muslims, however, ask “is this allowed?” or “should we really celebrate the death of anyone”? This brief piece looks at some interesting historical, scholarly and jurisprudential points on this issue, clarifying that not only is this permissible, but that many learned people made a point of thanking Allah and being joyful at the progenitors of evil. It is a given that the death of sincere Muslims, martyrs, scholars and callers to Islām ( Du’aat ) is a cause for sadness and loss. This is recognised in the Prophetic (ﷺ) tradition and in Qur’anic verses, though Isla...

Sociology’s claim to objective scientific inquiry was once assumed to be a given. In more recent times, it has come to be thoroughly questioned even within academia itself. With reference to the writing of Sheikh Taqiuddin Nabhani, br Shafiul Haq explores this turn in the questioning of sociology’s universal applicability. In his book “The Islamic State”, Shaykh Taqiuddin An Nabhani discusses the problem of: “lending culturally based subjects, such as sociology… unnecessary respect and erroneously classifying them as universal sciences.” He mentions the error of letting these disciplines affect our reading of the primary Islamic texts, whereas we should be referring to the Islamic sciences to gain a sound understanding of the religion. So, Shaykh Nabhani  problematises sociology’s claim to being a scientific discipline of universal applicability. He rather describes it as a cultural discipline. By ‘cultural’ what is meant is that sociology, far from being objective...

Ibn Khaldun is one of the most well-known historians of Muslim heritage who propounded a new historiographical method whereby he analysed the factors contributing to the rise and fall of civilisations: the immutable cycle which governs the lifespan and nature of an empire or polity. This article is a brief but interesting introduction into his work. Ibn Khaldun is best known for his formulation of the notion of  ‘Asabiyyah , broadly translated as “group-feeling/solidarity” which is the fundamental building block which provides strength to the successful origins and development of a fledgling empire or polity. His broad interactions with a range of peoples from multiple continents contributed to his theory and model of human social organisation. His Islamic learning and scholarship also contributed to his view of history’s divine coordination by Allah. ‘Abdur-Rahman Ibn Khaldun is considered as one of the greatest thinkers in the annals of human history. He lived in the middle...