Islamic Revival

It is unfortunate that the Islamic concepts, definitions and terminologies which were well known by Muslims and codified by Islamic scholarship for centuries have in more recent times become vague, distorted or in some cases totally absent. One such issue is the subject of Dar al-Kufr (land of disbelief) and Dar al-Islam (land of Islam). Understanding the distinction between the two is vital when it comes to evaluating present regimes in the Muslim world and in the aftermath of the Arab spring is essential in order to determine what changes to a constitution and state are necessary to make it more than just Islamic in name. Sadly, some attempt to classify countries as Islamic or not utilising criterion other than those established by the Shariah evidences. So Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's condemnation of Israel and overt stance against America lead some to argue that Iran has been Dar al-Islam, a legitimate Islamic state since the Iranian revolution by Ayatollah Khomeni in 1979. They

The following is a detailed paper by a brother on this topic.  Muslims living in the West are confronted with problems not experienced historically. Questions regarding their roles, purposes and identities abound along with how to engage with society. Nothing has created so much heated debate as political participation in secular democratic systems and voting for non-Islamic political parties. This paper considers voting and political participation in the UK context along with the political forces and influences surrounding the process, critiquing the juristic arguments used to justify or prohibit such practices and concluding on ways for Muslims to effectively and legitimately engage with the political realities. INTRODUCTION Muslim presence in Britain has existed since the sixteenth century. The need for labour after World War II saw a migration of Muslims from the subcontinent. More recently they have been joined by Muslims from the Middle East, Europe and local converts to