Islamic Revival

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ O you who believe, beware of Allah: give up any outstanding dues from usury, if you are true believers If you do not, then be warned of war from Allah and His Messenger [Qur’ān 2: 278/279] In his  Tafsir , al-Suyuṭi summarises several important narratives regarding the interpretation of these verses. [1]   Of particular note is the narrative that is mentioned purportedly to be from Ibn ‘Abbās: واخرج ابن جرير وابن منذر وابن ابي حاتم عن ابن عباس في قوله: فاذنوا بحرب قال من كان مقيماً على الربا لا ينزع عنه فحق على امام المسلمين ان يستتيبه فان نزع والا ضرب عنقه As narrated by Ibn Jarir, Ibn Mundthir and Ibn Abi Ḥātim from Ibn ‘Abbās regarding His statement (in the verse): ‘ be warned of war ,’ he said: If someone insists on usury and does not desist, it is the lawful duty for the Imām of the Muslims to ask him...

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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: ...

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,...