The Islamic State

Introduction The purpose of this paper is to delineate the basic elements involved in the concept of the Islamic state and to clarify the basis and scope of political power. More specifically, discussions will focus on the purpose of the Islamic state, the source of political legitimacy, and the sc...

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Autor principal: Louay M. Safi
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: International Institute of Islamic Thought 1991
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Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/21e69998f1824b9ea9c6c924540be2de
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:21e69998f1824b9ea9c6c924540be2de2021-12-02T17:47:05ZThe Islamic State10.35632/ajis.v8i2.26222690-37332690-3741https://doaj.org/article/21e69998f1824b9ea9c6c924540be2de1991-09-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ajis.org/index.php/ajiss/article/view/2622https://doaj.org/toc/2690-3733https://doaj.org/toc/2690-3741 Introduction The purpose of this paper is to delineate the basic elements involved in the concept of the Islamic state and to clarify the basis and scope of political power. More specifically, discussions will focus on the purpose of the Islamic state, the source of political legitimacy, and the scope of state power. I will contend that a clear distinction should be made between the role and purpose of the state and those of the ummah, for only through the separation of the responsibilities and objectives of the two can the injunctions of the Shari‘ah and the principles of revelation be properly observed. Historical Background Although the word “state” (dawlah) was first used in the Qur’an, almost six centuries had to elapse before the word was given its first technical definition by Muslim scholars. The word dawlah was mentioned once in the Qur’an (in 59:7) in connection with the distribution of the fay’ (the property Muslims appropriated from the Banu al Nadr upon the latter‘s expulsion from Madinah). The Qur’an justified this departure from the usual practice of dividing the spoils among the fighters by referring to the divine intention of preventing the circulation of wealth among a small group within the society? Up until the late fifth century, one could hardly find any reference to the state in Muslim literature, or in Western literature for that matter. Other terms such as al amsar or dar al Islam were employed whenever a reference was made to the territories under Muslim control. Alternatively, the state as a political body was identified by its political organs, i.e., al khilafah, ... Louay M. SafiInternational Institute of Islamic ThoughtarticleIslamBP1-253ENAmerican Journal of Islam and Society, Vol 8, Iss 2 (1991)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Islam
BP1-253
spellingShingle Islam
BP1-253
Louay M. Safi
The Islamic State
description Introduction The purpose of this paper is to delineate the basic elements involved in the concept of the Islamic state and to clarify the basis and scope of political power. More specifically, discussions will focus on the purpose of the Islamic state, the source of political legitimacy, and the scope of state power. I will contend that a clear distinction should be made between the role and purpose of the state and those of the ummah, for only through the separation of the responsibilities and objectives of the two can the injunctions of the Shari‘ah and the principles of revelation be properly observed. Historical Background Although the word “state” (dawlah) was first used in the Qur’an, almost six centuries had to elapse before the word was given its first technical definition by Muslim scholars. The word dawlah was mentioned once in the Qur’an (in 59:7) in connection with the distribution of the fay’ (the property Muslims appropriated from the Banu al Nadr upon the latter‘s expulsion from Madinah). The Qur’an justified this departure from the usual practice of dividing the spoils among the fighters by referring to the divine intention of preventing the circulation of wealth among a small group within the society? Up until the late fifth century, one could hardly find any reference to the state in Muslim literature, or in Western literature for that matter. Other terms such as al amsar or dar al Islam were employed whenever a reference was made to the territories under Muslim control. Alternatively, the state as a political body was identified by its political organs, i.e., al khilafah, ...
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author Louay M. Safi
author_facet Louay M. Safi
author_sort Louay M. Safi
title The Islamic State
title_short The Islamic State
title_full The Islamic State
title_fullStr The Islamic State
title_full_unstemmed The Islamic State
title_sort islamic state
publisher International Institute of Islamic Thought
publishDate 1991
url https://doaj.org/article/21e69998f1824b9ea9c6c924540be2de
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