us-marines

The 10 principles of justice by Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio

Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio, (1754-1817) is the founder of the Sokoto Sultanate[1] which was established in 1804 in West Africa. This is an extract from his book Usul al-‘Adl...

May 29, 2023

Caliphate, Featured, Ruling

Wise sayings about the ruler from Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih

This is an excerpt from Ibn ‘Abd Rabbih’s book Al-‘Iqd al-Farid (The Unique Necklace). Ruling power is the rein of all things. It organizes rights, maintains punishments, and is...

May 25, 2023

Comment

The Power of Public Opinion

This is an excerpt from Ayatollah Khomeini’s book Velayat-e Faqeeh (Governance of the Jurist). Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil has been made a duty primarily for the...

May 25, 2023

baya, Caliphate, Featured, Ruling

Uthman bin Affan’s bay’a: Binding the Caliph to a constitution

The bay’a is a contract and so it’s permitted to add additional conditions to the contract, as long as these conditions do not contradict the sharia. If the khaleefah...

May 8, 2023

Tafseer

“Let there be an ummah among you who calls to good”: Is the ‘مِن’ partitive or explanatory?

In Surah Ali ‘Imran verse 104 Allah (ta’ala) says, وَلْتَكُن مِّنكُمْ أُمَّةٌۭ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى ٱلْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ ۚ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ “Let there be a group...

April 2, 2023

Featured, Tafseer

What is the meaning of the verse: “Those who do not rule by what Allah has sent down, such people are disbelievers”?

There are many verses in the Holy Qur’an which oblige Muslims to judge and rule by the sharia. Three of these verses contain commands which are identical except for...

April 2, 2023

Caliphate, Featured, Ruling

Does حُكْم (hukm) mean judging or ruling or both?

The term حُكْم (hukm) and its derivatives appear more than 250 times[1] in the Qur’an. Allah (Most High) says, إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُكُمْ أَن تُؤَدُّوا۟ ٱلْأَمَـٰنَـٰتِ إِلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهَا وَإِذَا حَكَمْتُم...

March 27, 2023

Caliphate, Featured, Judiciary

Can women be judges in Islam?

There is no dispute among the classical scholars that it’s prohibited for a woman to hold a ruling position such as the Khaleefah or a waali (governor), although she...

March 26, 2023