• Youth throughout history have had the greatest role in facing the dangers to our Ummah and achieving its historical victories.
• The struggle with the enemy is civilizational, between two contrasting systems, which necessitates the development of our Islamic project.
• The path to the revival of the Islamic Ummah requires strong hands and insightful vision, dedicated to Allah.

Youth in every nation are the backbone of its renaissance, the secret of its strength, and the determination of its path. They are looked upon when times get tough, and they are the hope on which nations rely. In every situation, they bear the burden of learning from past lessons, meeting present challenges, and shaping the future. This is their role in leading and rising nations, as well as in struggling nations rising from the ruins of a harsh past. In times of historical decline and the search for future paths, their burden is even greater.

Throughout history, youth have played the greatest role in facing the dangers to our Ummah and achieving its historical victories. They were the majority of the fighting force on the day of Badr, took the initiative to meet the enemy at Uhud, and led the Islamic conquests in the East and West. Muhammad ibn al-Qasim led the conquest of Sindh, Qutayba ibn Muslim led the conquest of Turkestan, and Mahmud of Ghazni was in his thirties when he began his campaign to conquer India.

Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi was 32 when he ruled Egypt and started preparing for the liberation from the Crusaders. Qutuz and Baibars were young when they won the Battle of Ain Jalut and ended the Mongol threat that endangered the world. Muhammad Al-Fatih was not yet 20 when he ascended the Ottoman throne, and two years later, he conquered Constantinople, which had resisted conquest for centuries.

Today, the afflicted peoples of our Ummah still place their hopes on their youth to lift them out of prolonged hardship and deep disgrace. Observing our current reality, one can hope for those expectations to be met. The youth of Palestine give us hope that victory is possible and near, in Allah’s will.

Conditions for Victory

An examination of history and the present necessitates certain conditions to achieve these hopes:

First: The realization in the minds and hearts of the victorious generation of the truth that our enemies have long tried to obscure: the core of our battle is our faith. The essence of victory lies in our awareness of this truth and our efforts to match it with intellectual, spiritual, and practical readiness.

We see Zionist leaders and their state affirm their distorted Torah foundations and false Talmudic premises openly and without hesitation. Western leaders also affirm them, sometimes subtly and other times plainly. Their actions clearly reflect these beliefs.

Understanding the motivations behind the enormous crimes and genocides they commit in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and throughout their history is impossible without understanding these religious myths that the state of Israel was founded upon, as warned by the French Muslim thinker Roger Garaudy. These distorted religious texts incite the killing of women and children, and are enacted by their current government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes ministers who take pride in their bloody ideologies.

For instance, Amihai Eliyahu, the Minister of Heritage, called for the extermination of the people of Gaza with a nuclear bomb. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a follower of the infamous Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the extremist Kach movement, praises the perpetrator of the Hebron mosque massacre, Baruch Goldstein, calling him a “hero,” hanging his picture on his home wall. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denies the existence of a Palestinian people altogether, claiming it was invented a hundred years ago to fight the Zionist project in the land of “Israel.” He arrogantly declares the necessity of expanding their state to include the “Greater Israel” as “allegedly” promised in the Torah.

Religious beliefs were not far from American presidents, who were influenced by Evangelical Zionism, which views the existence of “Israel” and its support as essential for the return of Jesus Christ.

Achieving the desired victory requires understanding the enemy’s essence, motivations, and plans, which will only happen by comprehending their religious drives and preparing suitable countermeasures; “And Allah is most knowing of your enemies. And sufficient is Allah as an ally, and sufficient is Allah as a helper.” (An-Nisa: 45)

Developing the Islamic Project

Second: Recognizing that the struggle with the enemy is a civilizational conflict between two contrasting systems. This necessitates developing our Islamic project in its political, economic, and intellectual aspects, and possessing equivalent scientific and technological foundations. We must acknowledge the enemy's scientific and technological lead and find ways to surpass it, employing it for the benefit of humanity and saving the world from a bleak future controlled by an aggressive system that holds the means to its destruction with its nuclear capabilities. These capabilities are already threatening the world, coupled with their hostility towards others and readiness to annihilate them to maintain their superiority and dominance.

This also entails the necessity of generational solidarity in the path of change; youth and elders must unite. The discord and disconnect between generations must end, and youth must not be incited to belittle the first generation of dawah carriers and path pioneers. Achieving the enemy's goal of creating a generation disconnected from its history, rich with lessons and experiences, must be avoided.

Our history is filled with exemplary elderly leaders who led the Ummah to glory and pride. The devil did not sow discord regarding their status and significant roles. Starting with the two sheikhs, Abu Bakr and Umar, and passing through Musa bin Nusayr, who was nearing eighty when he completed the conquest of Africa and moved towards Andalusia. Yusuf bin Tashfin was also nearing eighty when he won the Battle of Zallaqa, saving Andalusia in 479 AH. He continued his honorable jihad until he was nearly a hundred at his death. This legacy extends to Ahmad Yassin and others.

Third: The advocacy role of the best Ummah brought forth for mankind is immense. It is not confined to a specific group or team, nor can it be carried solely by a leading elite without the support of the masses and the supportive popular bases. Youth groups alone cannot bear it without the guidance of elders and teachers hardened by life, shaped by experiences, and driven by the ambition to pass on this legacy to promising young generations. This must be done in a spirit that embodies the blessed divine revelation, the righteous prophetic method, and the ongoing divine and universal laws.

Fourth: The path to reviving the Ummah requires strong hands and insightful vision from those troubled by the remembrance of the Hereafter, dedicating their efforts to Allah; “And remember Our servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—those of strength and [religious] vision. Indeed, We chose them for an exclusive quality: remembrance of the home [of the Hereafter].” (Sad: 45-46) This path is paved through the deceit of night and day and the forces of arrogance and oppression, yet it is the only path to salvation in this world from the evil machinations of enemies we have seen firsthand, and salvation in the Hereafter from Allah's judgment, who entrusted us with His religion and the legacy of His Prophet; “And We had already destroyed generations before you when they wronged, and their messengers had come to them with clear proofs, but they were not to believe. Thus do We recompense the criminal people. Then We made you successors in the land after them so that We may observe how you will do.” (Yunus: 13-14)

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When the "Arab Spring" emerged, it seemed to mark the beginning of empowerment for the Islamic project and its movement, which appeared at the peak of its strength and presence. However, after internal and external conspiracies against this spring, and when the situation turned around, the Islamic project and its movement entered into a new ordeal. The Islamic movement was subjected to regional and international conspiracies like never before, with some regimes orchestrating massacres and arresting tens of thousands.

Islamic movements in different countries retreated steps backwards, preserving their individuals and entities. Consequently, the Islamic project itself retreated from being proposed as a roadmap for the nation's revival.

However, when the blessed battle of "The Aqsa Flood" erupted - which has been ongoing for nearly six months - it revived the Islamic movement and restored momentum to its project.

Therefore, as part of its mission towards its nation, "Al-Mujtamaa" dedicated this month's issue to "The Islamic Project... and Wise Governance", attempting to outline the characteristics of this governance and forecast the future of the Islamic project.

The future of Islam is a religion that no one needs to worry about, as it is the true promise of Allah, as narrated by His Prophet (peace be upon him), saying: "This matter (i.e., Islam) will keep spreading as far as the night and day reach, until Allah will not leave a house made of mud or hair, but will make this religion enter it, while bringing might to a mighty person (a Muslim) and humiliation to a disgraced person (who rejects Islam)." (Sahih Muslim).

The future belongs to the strong Islamic state based on the prophetic methodology, which no one fears for, as Allah Almighty also informed us through His Prophet (peace be upon him), saying: "‘Prophethood shall remain among you as long as Allah wills. He will bring about its end and follow it with a Caliphate on the precepts of Prophethood for as long as He wills and then bring about its end. Kingship shall then follow, to remain as long as God wills and then come to an end. There shall then be monarchical despotism which shall remain as long as God wills and come to an end upon His decree. There will then emerge Khilafat on the precepts of Prophethood’. Then he became silent.” (Narrated by Nu'man ibn Bashir)

As for the future of the Islamic movement, it depends on working according to the constants and traditions through which divine promise of empowerment is realized. Its future will only be bright with the efforts of its sons to reconcile differences, mend ruptures, renew ideas, means, and frameworks, and avoid mistakes. This will be a new start, perhaps God will decree through it a bright future for Islam, as a religion, a state, and a law, by its hands.

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Establishing the Caliphate System and Recognizing the Ummah's Right to Choose Its Leaders

Despite the great calamity of the Prophet's death (peace be upon him), the Muslims did not neglect to aspire to their future. They disliked remaining without a leader, even for a day, leading the Ansar to gather at the Saqifa of the Banu Sa'ida to discuss it. Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was chosen as the first of the rightly guided caliphs on the day the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away, even before his burial, in a remarkable practice of Shura (consultation).

Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) confirmed the Ummah's right to choose its caliph, which remained the method after, saying: “If any person gives the Pledge of allegiance to somebody (to become a Caliph) without consulting the other Muslims, then the one he has selected should not be granted allegiance, lest both of them should be killed.” 

Shura wasn't a political act that people resorted to when the caliph died; rather, it was a method of governance.

The Sustainability of Shura and its Breadth

Shura was not merely a political act that people resorted to upon the death of a caliph or when he was nearing his death; rather, it was a method of governance. The evidence of caliphs practicing Shura in their governance is abundant and cannot be fully listed. Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab would allow intelligent youth to attend his Shura councils and say, “No one should be prevented from expressing their opinion due to their young age, as knowledge is not based on age or seniority, but rather Allah places it wherever He wills.” The circles of consultation expanded to encompass military planning to achieve the best outcomes, as well as the jurisprudential matters that arose. Abu Bakr, upon facing an issue, would gather the leaders and the virtuous for consultation, and if they reached a consensus, he would act accordingly. Umar consulted even on the matter of wine punishment, and he would even consult women in their matters, taking their opinions into consideration.

Preserving the Islamic State’s Unity

Abu Bakr realized the political motivations behind the Ridda (apostasy) movement—that it meant dismantling the state in favor of tribalism. He confronted it with strength and decisiveness. When Amir al-Mu'minin, Umar ibn al-Khattab, removed Khalid ibn al-Walid from the general command of the army, some sought to incite Khalid to rebel. But his response was, “Never, as long as Ibn al-Khattab lives.” This statement strongly indicates the determination of the people, leaders, and soldiers alike, to maintain the unity of the state and obedience to the caliph, even in the darkest moments of anger.Top of Form

Balancing Rights and Duties between Caliphs and Subjects

The caliphs understood that their appointment by the people did not grant them sanctity or immunity. Abu Bakr said in his speech when he became the caliph: “I have been appointed your leader, but I am not the best among you.” Umar declared at the beginning of his caliphate that it was a test from Allah and that he was a servant of the Ummah. It is no surprise that the Ummah, represented by its opinion leaders, imposed the salaries of the caliphs, as happened at the beginning of the caliphate of Abu Bakr and Umar. When Abu Bakr passed away, he ordered the return of all the money he had taken from the public treasury as salary.

Illustrating the importance of this issue during the era of the Rashidun Caliphs, Umar once asked Salman al-Farisi, “Am I a king or a caliph?" Salman replied, “If you took from the lands of the Muslims a single dirham or less or more and then misused it, then you are a king, not a caliph.

The Rightly Guided Caliphs realized that when the people chose them, it did not make them immune or sacred.

Obeying Obeying the Caliph is obligatory, as long as it aligns with Allah’s Sharia. This was the approach of the Rightly Guided Caliphs in governance. Abu Bakr said, “Obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Messenger; but if I disobey Allah and His Messenger, you owe me no obedience.” Umar said, “No one should be obeyed in disobedience to Allah.” The Caliphs acknowledged the right of the subjects to criticize and correct them. Abu Bakr stated in his first speech, “If I do well, support me; and if I do wrong, correct me.” Al-Bukhari narrated in “The Great History” that when Umar asked the companions what they would do if he deviated from righteousness, Bashir ibn Saad told him that they would correct him. When a man said to Umar, “Fear Allah!” he replied, “There is no good in you if you do not say it, and there is no good in us if we do not accept it.” The Caliph must acknowledge their mistakes if they recognize them. Uthman ibn Affan, in response to criticism, wrote to the people of Kufa, “I am not a scale that doesn’t incline.”

The most reliable reports suggest that Saad ibn Ubada, Ansar’s candidate for caliphate on the day of the Saqifah, did not pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr or Umar afterwards. Narrations in Bukhari also mention that Ali ibn Abi Talib and a group from Banu Abd Manaf initially refused to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr until six months after the death of Fatimah, the Prophet's daughter. Political awareness at the time allowed for such disagreements without causing harm, as the majority's allegiance to Abu Bakr was sufficient, and “unanimity was not necessary,” as Ibn Taymiyyah states. Umar tore up the land grant document issued by Abu Bakr to Uyainah bin Hisn, the leader of Fazarah, when he became a Muslim, as it was no longer necessary to soften his heart to accept Islam. Ayinah complained to Abu Bakr, asking, “Are you the leader or Umar?” He replied, “Indeed, it is Umar, if Allah wills.”

A number of companions opposed Umar's decision to leave conquered lands as Muslim states’ endowments, advocating for them to be divided among Muslims like the spoils of war. Umar was so troubled by this opposition that he prayed to Allah to save him from it. During Uthman's caliphate, the opposition escalated into anger and rebellion, resulting in his assassination. The armed conflict continued during Ali ibn Abi Talib's caliphate, culminating in wars among Muslims.

Keeping Up with the State’s Vast Expansion

Since the conquests began yielding their fruits, new needs emerged, and the Rightly Guided Caliphs exerted efforts to keep pace with them. One such effort was the administrative delegation policy adopted by Abu Bakr in managing the conquering armies, as he did with Khalid ibn al-Walid, unleashing the potential of the great conqueror. When Umar became caliph, his policy tended towards centralized control over settled conquests and states, with the fear of prominent leaders becoming an infatuation.Top of Form

Since the conquests began yielding their fruits, new needs emerged, and the Rightly Guided Caliphs exerted efforts to keep up with them.

This policy did not pass without the caliph realizing the necessity of changing the management approach of the conquered lands, even if he contradicted it. This is evident in his rebuke of Muawiyah, the governor of the Levant, when he would parade in a procession, with people stopping at his door to attend to their needs. Muawiyah argued with the abundance of the enemy's eyes and the necessity of making them aware of the authority's grandeur. Umar, then let him be. Similarly, Umar kept the senior companions close to him to benefit from their opinions and appointed governors based on their competence and obedience rather than their popularity.

Umar also recognized the importance of establishing new cities according to the growing needs of the state. He ordered the construction of Basra, Kufa, and Fustat. The first two were needed as stable camps for the armies close to the battlegrounds, while Fustat was made the new capital of Egypt to prevent the danger of residing in Alexandria due to its vulnerable maritime location.

Facing the Consequences of Becoming a Global State

The Islamic state transitioned into a global entity, which resulted in changes in power dynamics and political effectiveness. The number of early Muslims, who were the pillars of the state and the original bearers of the message, decreased due to death and assimilation with the conquests. Umar sought to prioritize them and maintain their status and influence by organizing the Diwan al-Jund (military register) and giving them the greatest financial rewards. However, the emergence of the political effectiveness of Arab tribes and the increasing influence of new territories imposed a new reality. The dissatisfaction of the provinces with their governors intensified despite frequent changes, as they “were not satisfied with a governor, and no governor was satisfied with them.” Umar also realized the danger of the formation of a Qurayshite aristocracy receiving the greatest rewards, arousing the resentment of the tribes. He announced that if he lived until the following year, he would equalize the grants among the people, but he died before he could fulfill this promise. 

The most prominent feature was the development of the concept of “Ahlul-Hal wal-'Aqd,” so they no longer were the earlier Muslims.

The most prominent feature was the development of the concept of Ahlul-Hal wal-'Aqd (the decision-making Muslim committee), so they no longer were the participants of the Battle of Badr and the earlier Muslims. The numbers and influence of these early companions declined, while the leadership of tribes and provinces, which played a major role in the conquests and the state's resources, emerged. The rebilion against Uthman and his martyrdom in the capital city by groups of those was the declaration of the new reality. Despite this, the Rashidun Caliphs continued to try to rely on the early companions. Uthman did not submit to the will of the rebels who sought to depose him because they were not Ahlul-Hal wal-'Aqd, and so did Ali, who refused to accept their allegiance, stating, “This matter is not for you to decide; it is only for the people of Badr.” However, he was forced to accept the inevitability of change and move the caliphate from Medina to Kufa, justifying that the wealth and men were in Iraq.
The Rashidun Caliphs also recognized the consequences of the emergence of large groups of servants and slaves who had no protection or control. They did not fit within the tribal organization of the Muslim community. Many of them joined the rebels against Uthman, forming a severely dangerous element of the state. They became the backbone of the workforce in society because Arabs were content to employ their slaves in their markets. Umar expressed his concerns when he saw that they composed most of those in the marketplace, saying to his companion, “If this continues, your men will need their men, and your women will need their women.” When one of them, Abu Lu'lu'a, stabbed him, Umar said to Ibn Abbas, “You and your father were fond of having many non-Arab disbelievers in Medina!”

Umar recognized the danger of this problem before it happened, fearing that the vast conquests would overwhelm the sincere Muslims' capacity to absorb these masses flocking to the heart of state and society, calling them to the true religion. He used to say, “I wish there was a mountain of fire between us and the Persians, so they couldn’t reach us and we couldn’t reach them!” He advised the Arabs, after their wealth had increased, on the importance of investment for the future and urged them to work themselves and not succumb to unemployment and dependency.

Despite Umar's fear of the increase in the numbers and influence of non-Muslims, he and those who followed him acknowledged their rights to care and justice. It was Umar who gave assistance to the poor among the dhimmis from the Muslim treasury, and Ali ibn Abi Talib ordered his official on Modar to treat the subjects, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, with kindness and justice, as they were either brothers in religion or equals in humanity.  

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GoodGovernance, IslamicProjectFuture

The concept of "righteousness" represents achieving integrity, and conducting affairs in the most upright manner in managing people, wealth, and the resources of the nation.

In reality, delving into the components of righteous governance depends on elucidating the concept of righteousness in Arabic lexicography and particularly in the Quranic context. In this context, Arabic lexicography defines righteousness as goodness, integrity, aligning with truth, guidance, knowing the path, moderation, economy without extravagance, rationality, maturity, good conduct, mental and psychological abundance, and harmony.

All these linguistic connotations indicate that managing people's lives and administering them is the essence of governance. Its objectives in nurturing societies will not be achieved unless accompanied by these connotations driven by the substance of righteousness in the Arabic language.

Righteous Governance: Traditional Concepts

The nation possesses a distinguished array of authoritative sources that represent its guiding reference in charting its course and directing it towards serving the domains of life. In this context, revisiting the Noble Quran as the supreme reference in the nation that has produced civilization and sparked knowledge represents a pivotal methodological point.

Allah Almighty Named Himself 'Al-Rashid' and Attributed Governance to Himself

Allah Almighty named Himself 'Al-Rashid' and attributed governance to Himself, as He said: “All authority belongs to Him. And to Him you will (all) be returned.” (Quran, Surah Al-Qasas, 28:88). This means that He has the authority and management over people's affairs, and the seriousness of the matter is evident from its linkage to the creedal realm of monotheism at the outset, and its association with the ultimate destinies and human outcomes. This is the first important issue in this context, where it is established that one of the first signs of righteous governance, as traditional concepts affirm, is its emergence from a monotheistic vision, which leads to nurturing and generates within the community the civilization derived from the applications of purification fostered by the belief in monotheism.

Furthermore, guidance is added to understand the essence of righteous governance in Islamic civilization through examining the implications of the name of Allah, Al-Rashid, as the one who guides creation to the path of rectitude and correctness, thereby attaining success and fulfilling the desires of Allah from His creation.

Reflecting on the actions of survivors in the history of Islam in every era on Earth reveals the recurrent pursuit of guidance in all contexts and stages, especially in turbulent and challenging phases. In Surah Al-Kahf, Allah clarifies the behaviour of the believing youth in the face of political storms and dangers: “Our Lord! Grant us mercy from Yourself and guide us rightly through our ordeal.” (Quran, Surah Al-Kahf, 18:10). This means providing the ability to achieve righteousness, rectitude, and sound conduct to attain salvation. The response came in line with their request, as Allah said: “take refuge in the cave. Your Lord will extend His mercy to you and accommodate you in your ordeal.” (Quran, Surah Al-Kahf, 18:16).

This reflection on this triad has fundamentally generated a field of utmost importance known in the history of science in this civilization as the field of Sharia politics. Its diverse accumulated literatures were able to extract the characteristics of mass governance through rule, dissect them, and establish them in stable rules and laws, expanding on the following:

Firstly: The characteristics of righteous governance and its establishment on the principles of the methodology outlined in the Noble Quran, as a law for people aiming at a set of laws and outcomes, include: nurturing monotheism, nurturing purification, and nurturing civilization.

Managing People's Lives and Administering Them is the Essence of Governance Top of Form

Secondly: The characteristics of the righteous ruler, and what qualifies him for the governance of people, are the qualities that must be present in his body, soul, mind, and ethics.

Thirdly: The characteristics of institutions and functions that achieve the objectives of Sharia in the governance of creation, to the extent that it reached the classification in explaining the functional description of various positions in the nation. Some of its titles reveal the goals of targeting righteous governance, such as the book "Ma'id al-Ni'mah wa Mubid al-Niqam" by Al-Sabki, the Shafi'i jurist from Egypt (d. 771 AH / 1369 CE). It elaborates in detail on what is necessary for each position and institution in the nation for those responsible for them to fulfil their duties.

Good Governance: Contemporary Features

The advancement of knowledge, and the development of political, social, and administrative sciences, have added various contributions and refinements to this issue, making wise governance a subject that receives a significant amount of service and intellectual attention.

Various literatures have established a number of criteria and standards for achieving this desired form of governance in the politics of people and the leadership of societies, including:

Firstly: Stemming from a sense of responsibility and promoting it. Responsibilities have diversified to encompass scientific, ethical, professional, and national aspects.

Secondly: Operating on the basis of transparency and clarity in leading the masses and carrying out actions.

Thirdly: Embracing the principle of accountability, which necessitates the establishment of monitoring mechanisms.

Fourthly: Emphasizing the principle of participation between leadership (government) and the masses.

Fifthly: Responding to the aspirations and needs of people, including their biological, mental, psychological, and social needs.

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Awareness of Human Dignity and the Will to Safeguard it: The Path to Establishing Wise Governance

A number of international institutions, foremost among them the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, have pointed out that righteous governance is characterized by a set of standards that make it "a process whereby institutions and individuals facilitate public affairs and ensure human protection." The High Commissioner itself has decided that for righteous governance to fulfill its duties and achieve its goals, and in line with its designation, it must adhere to the following established criteria:

Firstly: Full respect for human beings and their dignity, which is an ancient and noble principle mentioned in the supreme reference for the nation when the Noble Quran stated: "And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam." (Quran, Surah Al-Isra, 17:70).

Secondly: Complete adherence to the rule of law and non-discrimination among people on any basis in rights and duties.

Thirdly: Nurturing political pluralism and allowing power rotation based on competence, qualifications, and popular consent.

Fourthly: Conducting action based on values that promote responsibility, solidarity, mutual support, and tolerance, rejecting exclusion or marginalization.

Fifthly: Operating on the basis of fulfilling various economic, cultural, educational, political, and expressive rights.

Sixthly: Acting to ensure the right to health, housing, food, education, justice, security, and other essentials in line with the human dignity guaranteed by Islam.

In truth, each of these criteria and standards has visible supporters for achieving righteous governance, and these two reinforcing supporters are:

1- The sound and consistent methodology outlined in the Noble Quran, which guided the applications of the state of prophecy and the rule of the rightly guided caliphs.

2- Repeated practical experience in local, regional, and global history.

It remains clear that the presence of awareness of human dignity and the will to safeguard it is the path to establishing righteous governance in this troubled world!

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Khaled Fahmy, Professor of Linguistics at the Faculty of Arts - Menoufia University.

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Since the waves of Western colonialism entered in the nineteenth century AD, followed by expansionist policies that affected most countries in the world, it was the turn of the Islamic world, which was still under the rule of the Ottoman Caliphate, to be affected.

It is intriguing to contemplate that the Islamic Caliphate fell shortly after the beginning of those Western expansionist ambitions. These European powers came to replace the Islamic rule that had been established for centuries in this region of the world. This replacement aimed to abolish the existing rule, in a binary that seemed zero-sum from its inception: either the West or Islamic rule. This has led to the lingering question we are still seeking an answer to: Can Islamic Caliphate be reconciled with the modern form of the state represented in its modern nationalist form?

The Islamic world witnessed futile attempts to shape a distorted model of the Western state with an Islamic imprint

The state is the material and spiritual domain that reflects the culture and identity of society. Since the emergence of Western colonization and attempts to impose the cultural background brought by the occupier on Islamic countries—whether culturally through scientific missions and the imposition of foreign languages or undermining the role of Islamic religion, or politically through the introduction of a new model of administration and governance unprecedented in the Islamic world and enforced by brutal force—several dilemmas have arisen that we still struggle with and remain trapped within without a way out to this day. These dilemmas have been imposed by a set of reasons that continue to exist and hinder the resolution of problematic issues they have introduced, including:

1- The Western civilization system has forcefully imposed itself on the Islamic world and continues to do so until today. This forceful imposition obstructs a genuine desire to study that model calmly and objectively, away from absolute rejection resulting from the hatred enforced by overwhelming power.

2- Major Western civilization models, represented in the form of governance and the organization of the relationship between religion and the state, among others, stemmed from a purely Western political, cultural, and historical evolution that the Islamic world did not experience. The attempt to impose these models by force distorts the Arab and Islamic historical course, pushes the Islamic world to grapple with dilemmas it did not know, and burdens it academically and intellectually in debates that do not offer solutions to its real problems. This situation hinders Islamic civilizational development.

Secularization of the Caliphate or Islamization of the Modern Western State?

The imposition of the modern Western model of the state on the Islamic world after the fall of the Caliphate resulted in futile attempts to shape a distorted model of the Western state with an Islamic touch. On the other hand, Islamic movements emerged calling for the restoration of the Islamic state represented by the lost Caliphate. These two phenomena have been intertwined in our Arab and Islamic world since the colonial era and post-independence period.

The diverse Arab experiences, particularly those of the major Arab states after independence, have shown significant failures on various levels. This includes both political regimes that adopted secularism while retaining some formal Islamic elements, and Islamic movements that attempted to restore the Caliphate within the framework of Western secular states that had already established themselves in many countries.

The National State Formed on Hostility to Religion Was Not the Optimal Model for Political Governance in the Islamic World

The failure of political systems can be attributed to the authoritarian and tyrannical nature of those regimes, which sought to dismantle all opposing forces to their power. This era witnessed the emergence of Islamic awakening movements in the seventies, primarily composed of Islamic movements. As part of efforts to undermine these movements, secular mechanisms were heavily reinforced in the major Arab-Islamic countries to counter the influence of Islamic movements. This was done through various methods, including state control over religion, domination of religious institutions, subjecting them to political authority, banning religious parties, and justifying any action against Islamic symbols and groups as an establishment of citizenship and human rights!

On the other hand, Islamic movements greatly assimilated with the modern nationalist state, using its mechanisms and integrating into its political, economic, and social structures. Secularism became an independent factor in the equation of the relationship between Islam and the modern nationalist state. Islamic movements were distributed across national borders, separated from each other, committed to the modern nationalist form, and complied with existing laws and political regulations. They became part of electoral and political processes, and over time, some academics referred to this as the secularization of Islamic projects in favour of the sovereignty of the modern nationalist state.

Religion and politics

The result of the West adopting and forcefully imposing secularism on the Islamic world, followed by the inheritance of post-independence Arab regimes using secularism as a weapon to eliminate Islamic opposition and the ongoing persecution of Islamic political figures, was a major cause of extremist forces using religion as a tool and weapon in the arena of conflict between regimes and opposition. Thus, the caliphate became the suppressed opposition, and secularism became synonymous with despotism, forming a new dichotomy resulting from Western attempts to impose the Western civilizational model in inappropriate contexts. This distorted the Islamic civilizational trajectory, where religion was not in conflict with the state and was not a tool in political struggles, but rather a cultural and civilizational background to which everyone, including non-Muslims, belonged, and was not a subject of dispute, questioning, or review.

The Islamic movements aligned with the nation-state by utilizing its mechanisms and integrating into its political structures

The modern nation-state, which initially emerged with hostility towards religion, was not the optimal form of political governance in the Islamic world. The imposition of the dichotomy of religion versus state distorted the Muslim state post-independence and exacerbated intellectual and cultural entanglements in unrealistic and illogical problems for which Muslims could not find solutions, as questioning the basis was not feasible or even raised.

This dichotomy led to the corruption of both religion and state in the Islamic world, turning religion into a tool of conflict between political power and opposition, or perhaps between political power and society as a whole. Religion became a tool for civilizational conflict between Muslims and the West, when the conflict between Muslims and the West was not necessary unless the West forcibly imposed its secularism against Muslims and imposed hatred of religion upon them.

The optimal solution is to return to neutralizing religion from the political arena not because it is a crisis to be eliminated, but because Islamic religion is an inherent and universally recognized cultural identity existing in the hearts and minds of the people of the Islamic world, which does not need to be forcibly imposed or fought against by political authority. Then, we should start questioning the most important problems faced by Arabs and Muslims in their reality, such as despotism, occupation, cultural backwardness, poverty, educational and cultural decline. These are the real problems for which solutions must be provided, and we must break free from the deadlock of religion and state imposed on us by others to distract us from our real issues and needs.

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