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Islam 'a religion, not a state; a message, not a govt' Published Date: November 26, 2009 By Nawara Fattahova, Staff Writer KUWAIT: The American University of Kuwait (AUK) hosted a lecture titled 'Islam and Secularism' on Tuesday. Dr Souad Ali, a US Fulbright Scholar at the AUK was the keynote speaker during the event. She has written a book analyzing Abd Al-Raziq's book which was published in 1925. The book titled 'Islam and the Foundations of Rule: Research on the Caliphate and Government in Islam' (Al-Islam Wa Usul Al-Hukm: Bahth Fil Khilafah Wal-Huk?mah Fil Islam) by the Egyptian reformist scholar, Ali Abd Al-Raziq (d. 1966), caused an uproar in Egypt that continues to this day. Dr. Souad Ali provided a background about the author. "Abd Al-Raziq was the first Azhar-educated scholar who was ranked as the AIim (Muslim scholar with expertise in Islamic Jurisprudence) to declare that "Islam is a religion, not a state; a message, not a government." More than eighty years after its publication, 'Abd Al-Raziq's book continues to draw wide attention and his controversial ideas are increasingly debated upon between intellectual, religious, and political circles," she said. She then spoke about her analysis of the book, "This study examines Abd Al-Raziq's book in light of the continuing political upheaval in the contemporary Islamic world and attempts to evaluate the importance of the book as a modern and moderate development in Islamic thought. The urgency of such an investigation becomes particularly significant in the midst of the current resurgence of Islamic 'fundamentalism,' or lslamist ideologies with reference to political Islam," noted Dr. Ali. The Islamist view, held by such figures as Sayyid Qutb (d. 1966) stands in direct contrast to 'Abd AI-Raziq's advocacy of political secularism and his separation of Islam and government. Interestingly, 'Abd Al-Raziq presented his arguments through traditional Islamic methods, utilizing the Quran, Sunna, Ijma (consensus) and Qiyas (reasoning by way of analogy), in his contention that Islam is 'a religion, not a state," she further said. The Book My new book 'A Religion, Not A State: Au 'Abd Al-Raziq's Islamic Justification of Political Secularism' explores, and is situated within the history of Muslim thought, Sheikh 'Abd Al-Razlq's Islamic argument for declaring the notion of universal Islamic polity where one individual bears the title of Caliph is invalid; not advocated by the religion," pointed out Dr. Ali. The argument is described as 'Islamic' because it employs a traditional Islamic conceptual framework. "On the other hand, when placed within the context of previous concept of a Caliphate, Abd Al-Raziq's argument is unique in the sense that he does not just declare the end of the Caliphate. Rather, he declares the caliphate, considered an Islamic institution based on an ideology that was supposedly founded by the Prophet himself, to be a human innovation rather than a religious imperative," she explained . Dr. Ali then shortly spoke about the historical background of the juristic theories of the Caliphate and the Caliphate in the Colonial Era. Then she mentioned three important events: "In the year or so after abolition of the Caliphate in Turkey three important events occurred:(1) the British-supported 1-Hashimite ruler of the Hijaz, Sharif Hussein, who became the self- proclaimed Caliph, only to be ousted by the Saudi forces; (2) The ruler of Egypt, King Fpuad, expressed interest in the elevated post of Caliph of all Muslims, placing Egypt with its famed center of Muslim learning (Azhar) as a worthier seat of the Caliphate than Istanbul (or Ankara) and (3) Abd Al-Raziq published his book, affirming the non-validity of the very concept of Caliph," she said. The lecture also included information about Sheikh Au 'Abd Al-Raziq's Intellectual Formation and the place he occupies among Disciples of Sheikh Muhammad Abduh (d. 1905). Then Dr. Ali explained the system of governance practiced during the time of the Prophet and the critiques of 'Abd Al-Raziq's position. Dr. Ali then concluded by detailing the implications that 'Abd Al-Razlq's study has on the debate over Islam and politics. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
