Author: islamciv

Jews in the Ottoman Caliphate

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This article has been reproduced from caliphate1.com In 1492, when Spain’s rulers (Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile) expelled its Jewish population as a result of the Spanish Inquisition and the Alhambra Decree, Sultan Bayazid II sent out the Ottoman Navy under the command of admiral Kemal Reis to evacuate them safely to Ottoman lands. He sent out proclamations throughout the Caliphate that the refugees were to be welcomed. He granted the Jews permission to settle in the Ottoman State and become Ottoman citizens and issued a firman (decree) to the governors of his European provinces to give them a friendly and welcome reception. “You venture to call Ferdinand a wise ruler,” he said to his courtiers, “he who has impoverished his own country and enriched mine!” [The Jewish Encyclopaedia – Vol. 2, Isadore Singer and Cyrus Adler, Funk and Wagnalls, 1912, p. 460] Bernard Lewis, in his scholarly overview entitled The Jews of Islam, documents how Jews lived, worked and flourished under Ottoman rule. For example, many Jews were experts in medicine: “The prominence …

INFOGRAPHIC: Structure of the Islamic State

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The Islamic State (al-dowlah al-Islamiyyah الدولة الإسلامية) consists of a distinct form (shakl شَكْل) and structure (tanzeem تَنْظِيم) of government that is unlike any other ruling system. It is unique in terms of the foundations (usul أُصُول) upon which it is built, and the principles (qawa’id قَواعِد) which underpin its institutions (ajhizah أَجْهِزَة) and systems (anzimah أَنْظِمَة). Abdul-Qadeem Zallum says, “The Islamic ruling system is distinct from all other existing ruling systems in the world. It is unique in terms of the basis upon which it is built. As a result it is distinct in the thoughts, concepts, criteria and laws by which it looks after the affairs, the constitution and laws which it implements and executes, and in the shape by which the state is represented and distinguished from all other shapes of ruling in the whole world.”[1] Having said this, the Islamic ruling system will inevitably share characteristics with other forms of government, since the top-level institutions such as having a ruler, judiciary, military, police, executive departments and so forth are the same …

‘Comfort after Calamity’, a poem by Imam Ali

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الْفَرَجُ بَعْدَ الشدَّة ‘Comfort after Calamity’ Many a times, especially in the current Muslim world, we find ourselves in situations which render the soul helpless, and leave no hope in sight. It is in such moments that the faith of a Muslim is tested. One should always remember that the night is always darkest before the dawn, and after hardship there always comes ease. If the believers choose to pass these moments complaining and without faith, then they shall be questionable before Allāh. However, if these moments are passed with patience and prayer, then these very moments will pave the path for spiritual elevation and success for the believers.[1] 1- When calamities reach their final extent That their intensity causes the soul to melt 2- When adversities take root, and solace bids farewell then in dire and hard times, comes comfort and rest[2] Notes [1] Abdullah Ayaz Mullanee, ‘The Poetic works of Sayyiduna Ali,’ a translation of Diwan Ali, p.73 [2] Ibid

Do not think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do

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Allah ta’ala says,  وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَـٰفِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍۢ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ مُهْطِعِينَ مُقْنِعِى رُءُوسِهِمْ لَا يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ ۖ وَأَفْـِٔدَتُهُمْ هَوَآءٌۭ Do not think ˹O Prophet˺ that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them until a Day when ˹their˺ eyes will stare in horror—rushing forth, heads raised, never blinking, hearts void.[1]

Indeed, Allah’s help is ˹always˺ near.

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Allah ta’ala says, أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْا۟ مِن قَبْلِكُم ۖ مَّسَّتْهُمُ ٱلْبَأْسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصْرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌۭ ٢١٤ Do you think you will be admitted into Paradise without being tested like those before you? They were afflicted with suffering and adversity and were so ˹violently˺ shaken that ˹even˺ the Messenger and the believers with him cried out, “When will Allah’s help come?” Indeed, Allah’s help is ˹always˺ near.[1] Sayyid Qutb comments on this ayah, “With these poignant and profound words, and in this direct manner, Allah addresses the founding community of Islam, drawing their attention to the experiences of their fellow believers before them who were entrusted with the same task of establishing the divine code of living on earth. Nevertheless, the message in these words is timeless. It is directed to all human groups to whom Allah assigns that honourable task. It is an awesome experience that drives Allah’s own Messenger and those who have accepted …

10 Points on the Gaza Crisis

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This has been reproduced from stand4palestine.com 1- Palestine is home to Masjid al-Aqsa, the second house of worship to be built on Earth, following Masjid al-Haram in Makkah. It is also the first qibla of the beloved Prophet ﷺ and the destination of his miraculous night journey. Al-Aqsa and the Palestinian cause is firmly connected to our deen. It is not just a political struggle, or a nationalist struggle; it is an Islamic concern and struggle. Allah (swt) declares the sacredness of al-Aqsa: سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ Glory be to the One Who took His servant ˹Muḥammad˺ by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (Al-Isra’, 1) 2- Three generations across seven decades of the Palestinian people have endured Israeli oppression: mass forced expulsion, dispossession of land (including through targeted terror), killings, random …

Conditions of the Caliph: The Caliph must be capable of ruling

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Al-Kifāyah الكِفايَة (competency or capability) is a condition (shart) of the bay’ah[1] because “Imamate is prescribed to succeed prophethood as a means of protecting the deen and of managing the affairs of this world,”[2] and the one contracted with this great responsibility must be capable of fulfilling the task. Although kifāyah is a general term which may apply to many areas of competency, in the context of the bay’ah, and as a condition of the Khaleefah, the scholars such as al-Mawardi, al-Ghazali and al-Juwayni all mentioned it in terms of capability to rule i.e. having a ruling mentality and disposition, and free from any disability which may affect his ability to fulfil the task of discharging people’s affairs. Other conditions related to kifāyah such as sanity, being free, mujtahid and brave were mentioned as separate conditions and pillars[3], even though they are all linked to the reality of the Khaleefah’s ability to run the state. Mona Hassan says, “The caliph’s ability to actually do so, termed kifāyah, is all that remains after al-Juwaynī’s process of …

The 10 principles of justice by Shehu Uthman Dan Fodio

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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 ‘The Foundations of Justice for Legal Guardians, Governors, Princes, Meritorious Rulers, and Kings.’ Notes [1] The Sokoto Sultanate is also referred to as the Sokoto Caliphate, but since the Ottoman Caliphate was in existence and it’s prohibited to have more than one Caliph, Sultanate is a more appropriate term for the reality of this state, even if the term Caliphate was used. [2] Sahih Muslim 1826, https://sunnah.com/muslim:1826 [3] Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-i-‘Imran, ayah 159 [4] Sahih Muslim 1828a, https://sunnah.com/muslim:1828a [5] Sunan Abi Dawud 2948, https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2948 [6] Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley, ‘Democratic Tyranny and the Islamic Paradigm,’ Diwan Press, 1st edition, 2018, Kindle Edition, p.85

The Power of Public Opinion

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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 sake of accomplishing these high aims. We have restricted it, however, to a narrow category of affairs where harm is suffered chiefly by the individual who is guilty of a sin by deed or by omission. We have the idea firmly in our heads that the instances of evil we are called upon to combat (munkarāt) are only the things we encounter or hear about in everyday life. For example, if someone plays music while we are riding on the bus, or the owner of a coffee house does something wrong, or someone eats in the middle of the bazaar during Ramadān, we regard all these things as instances of evil we must denounce. Meanwhile, we remain totally oblivious to far greater evils. Those who are destroying the welfare of Islam and trampling on the rights of the weak – it is they whom we must …

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

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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 agrees to these conditions then he cannot break them without agreement from those who contracted the bay’a to him from the Ahlul hali wal-aqd (people’s electoral representatives) on behalf of the ummah. Allah (Most High) says,يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَوْفُوا۟ بِٱلْعُقُودِ “O you who believe, fulfil your contracts.”[1]