Religious institutions in the contemporary nation-state were established to represent the character of the Muslim society in our country and to preserve the identity of those Islamic communities that belong to the religion of Islam, which the majority of its inhabitants adhere to. When we talk about national identity in Arab countries, it is primarily the Islamic identity that reflects the majority affiliation of its people. Although there are other religious affiliations, Islam and the law guarantee their rights, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Book of Allah Almighty: "There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing." (Al-Baqarah: 256).

It is incorrect to claim that the national identity in Muslim countries does not belong to Islam or that Islam has no place in it. This is a major fallacy propagated by some thinkers who are nominally affiliated with Islam but are intellectually inclined towards Western civilization. There is a significant difference between Muslim countries and non-Muslim countries in terms of identity.

Religious institutions in Muslim countries play a significant role in reinforcing national identity

There is no doubt that religious institutions in Muslim countries have a very significant role in strengthening national identity and fostering a sense of belonging to our Muslim nations where Allah is worshipped, His name is mentioned, and His laws are applied. Some of the key ways in which religious institutions contribute to preserving national identity include:

Firstly: The Responsibility of Performing Religious Rites:

The Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) or the Authority of Religious Affairs in Muslim countries is responsible for the performance of religious rites. This includes building mosques and providing places of worship for people, which contributes to the psychological stability of the populace regarding the state and its duty to serve the people in practicing their religious rituals. This, in turn, enhances national loyalty through the services provided in Islamic matters.

When people see that mosques are thriving, well-maintained, and properly cared for, they appreciate the state's efforts. This helps in preserving the national fabric and maintaining national identity by fulfilling the responsibility of performing religious rites such as prayer, facilitating the payment of zakat and its distribution to those entitled to it under the supervision of the state, and making it easier for people to go on pilgrimage to the Holy House of Allah, among other rituals.

The Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) or the Authority of Religious Affairs is responsible for the performance of religious rites

Secondly: The Care for the Holy Quran and the Sunnah:

Another primary responsibility of religious institutions in our country is the care for the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet. This is achieved by providing Quran learning centers, Quranic study circles, and organizing Quran and Sunnah competitions. They also focus on printing the Quran, books of Tafsir (Quranic interpretation), Quranic sciences, books of Hadith (Prophetic traditions), and the sciences of Hadith. Additionally, they produce radio and television programs dedicated to Tafsir, Quranic sciences, recitation, and Tajweed (proper pronunciation during recitation), as well as programs on the Sunnah. This encourages people to engage with the Quran and the Sunnah, drawing from their teachings the love for their homeland and a sense of belonging to this religion and the land that upholds its principles.

The Quran discourages staying in a country where religious rites are not performed, freedoms are not respected, and the Book of Allah is not cared for, as stated by Allah the Almighty: "Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves - [the angels] will say, 'In what [condition] were you?' They will say, 'We were oppressed in the land.' The angels will say, 'Was not the earth of Allah spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?' For those, their refuge is Hell - and evil it is as a destination. (97) Except for the oppressed among men, women, and children who cannot devise a plan nor are they directed to a way." (An-Nisa: 97-98).

Thirdly: Innovation in Religious Services:

Religious institutions provide numerous services to citizens, contributing to the enhancement of national identity within the country and achieving a sense of satisfaction with government performance. This fosters stability among all sects and strengthens the relationship between the people and the authorities. Religious institutions should focus on developing and innovating the services they offer.

Vital Duties of Religious Institutions in Our Nation: Preserving the Holy Quran and Prophetic Sunnah

For example, in the "Fatwa Service," the forms and formats of fatwas should be varied. It is not enough to rely solely on direct visits to meet with muftis for their opinions. There are advanced services, such as telephone fatwas and electronic fatwas. Additionally, there are services like applying for scholarships in Islamic sciences, searching for mosques, booking halls in mosques for cultural and religious activities, subscribing to electronic Qur'anic recitations, subscribing to Qur'anic study circles, manuscript and library services, registration for religious activities for youth, girls, and children, religious media services, registration for Hajj and Umrah, and services guiding people to pay their zakat and donations to the Zakat House or state-approved institutions.

These religious services make people feel that the state cares for them and addresses their needs, even innovating services to satisfy them. This generates pride in the homeland and helps maintain national identity.

Fourthly: Lectures and Seminars on National Identity:

It must be known that Muslim countries are targeted by the enemies of Islam, who use various means to create division within the Muslim community. They aim to ignite disputes between rulers and the ruled, and among different sects and intellectual schools. Therefore, religious institutions must play a role in raising intellectual awareness and striving to avoid falling into the trap of conflict, which Allah has forbidden in His words: "And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient." (Al-Anfal: 46).

This verse offers a great solution to division, conflict, and disputes, reinforcing the concept of national unity and preserving national identity in Muslim countries. Allah made the foundation of judgment His command, for both rulers and the ruled, in His words: "And obey Allah and His Messenger." He then prohibited disputes that lead to failure and division within a single community, saying: "And do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart."

Religious Institutions' Duty: Promoting Intellectual Awareness and Conflict Avoidance

Let the call to preserve national identity in Muslim countries be through Friday sermons, mosque lessons, workshops, seminars, radio programs, and television programs supervised by religious institutions in each Muslim country.

Fifth: Jurisprudence of dealing with non-Muslims:

One of the most important roles of religious institutions is to educate people about the jurisprudence of dealing with non-Muslims, emphasizing that non-Muslims in our countries are part of our fabric and unity. Differences in religion do not mean conflict or war but rather containment, respect, and cooperation for the common good that benefits our countries and nations. Some non-Muslims in our countries have expressed themselves by saying: "I am Christian by religion, Muslim by identity, and belong to Arab-Islamic civilization despite being Christian."

Allah Almighty has provided us with a constitution for dealing with non-Muslims in two verses that are exquisite and precise, needing no further explanation. They are His saying: (Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. Allah only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion - [forbids] that you make allies of them. And whoever makes allies of them, then it is those who are the wrongdoers.) (Al-Mumtahanah), so the Qur'an distinguishes between two types of non-Muslims:

The first: Citizens of non-Muslims in our country, they have what we have, and upon them is what is upon us, so we have mutual rights and duties.

The second: Non-Muslims who want evil for our countries, so it is our duty to fight them, to protect our national identity in our countries, and not to allow them to suffer; in order we achieve national unity in the countries of the Muslims

One of the most important roles of religious institutions is to educate people on the jurisprudence of dealing with non-Muslims

Muslims should take pride that the first civil constitution in history was the Constitution of Medina, through which the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, achieved national unity among all residents of Medina, including Muslims, Jews, Christians, and polytheists, as well as various ethnic groups such as the Aus and Khazraj, Muhajirun and Ansar, and other Arab tribes. If there is a religion that roots for national unity and Islamic identity, Islam comes first.

These are concepts that religious institutions in our countries should strive to promote. While ministries of interior focus on achieving security through combating crime, ministries of religious affairs and religious institutions aim to achieve security through intellectual aspects. Both are indispensable wings in any country.

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No society throughout human history has been without the religious phenomenon and the innate need for religion. This is expressed through the public, individual, and collective display of religiosity, known as the social existence of religion. Ancient societies, since the Stone Age, have lived according to religious beliefs, practiced worship rituals, and created a vast religious heritage, reaching the level of religious myths that governed the behavior of individuals, societies, and civilizations. Humans have an inherent religious nature, as stated in the noble hadith: "Every child is born with a true faith of Islam; then his parents convert him to Judaism or Christianity or Magianism,…" Just as individuals have an innate need for religion, there is also a collective need for it as institutions.

Although the emergence of religious institutions is much later than the appearance of religion and religious manifestations—meaning that the institutionalization of religion is not as ancient as religion itself—it became evident in simple places of worship. It then evolved and took on more civilized forms, such as mosques, churches, religious houses, and religious groups. This means that the appearance and development of religious institutions are linked to the development of human civil life, that is, the development of history itself. This has led to their quantitative and qualitative increase, especially in conservative societies. The religious institution has taken on an official history of appearance, emerging as an institution with a role, influence, and authority, reaching the level of the highest reference and supreme religious authority in society.

Some Arab and Islamic Regimes Have Not Hidden the Nationalization and Monopolization of Religion by Employing Official Religious Institutions

Although concepts often suffer from epistemological issues, including differences and lack of consensus on their comprehensive and exclusive definitions, the term "religious institution" in our Arab and Islamic world can be summarized to encompass its structure, importance, and function. It refers to the organized and official religious body with specific and permanent tasks and functions, such as the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments, Zakat and Hajj, universities, zawiyas (Sufi lodges), Quranic schools, and fatwa and religious guidance bodies, which play cultural, social, and spiritual roles, even if they overlap in tasks and functions with some non-religious institutions. Consequently, they occupy a central and pivotal place in the lives of people and states due to their soft influence on public life.

Here, we are talking about the religious institution, which often refers to official institutions, not non-governmental religious institutions such as charitable associations, volunteer organizations, and religious parties. This raises the issue of their true roles between the process of the nation’s civilizational revival and the secular containment by the state.

Despite the overwhelming wave of secularism that swept the world, especially after the rational revolution against the church in the West, and despite the flood of some contemporary ideologies and secular philosophies, the demand for "religion" in political and public life has been renewed. Its renewed role in political crafting and societal influence has reemerged, with modernity not lasting long against it.

Despite strenuous attempts to make the modern state a state of citizenship, to impose the logic of its ideological neutrality, and to remove it from religious conflicts, elevating it to the level of a non-ideological institutional civil state, official political use of religion has appeared. Secularism has been employed as a tool by the state to control religion, causing some regimes to use the "religious shield" as one of the pillars of despotism through the religious institution and directed religious thought to legitimize power religiously and morally. Thus, some regimes in Arab and Islamic countries have not hidden the nationalization and monopolization of religion by employing official religious institutions, such as controlling mosques and zawiyas to direct and control their religious influence.

.. Some regimes have skillfully employed traditional religious institutions to counter the civilizational political project of Islam.

 In recent decades, religiously flavored policies have emerged in some ostensibly secular countries, known as the opportunistic exploitation of religion. This reflects an illegitimate relationship between authority and religion, exploiting religion without genuinely adopting its methodology, behavior, law, and truth. Religion is invoked each time to legitimize the ruler and ensure religious loyalty to him, exploiting religious and national sentiments to cement blind acceptance of state authority over individuals and societies.

Despotic regimes have masterfully employed traditional religious institutions to counter the civilizational revivalist political project of Islam through claims of "renewing religious discourse," re-examining religious texts, reviewing the heritage of Islamic jurisprudence, and even nationalizing and monopolizing official religious institutions. They have diluted educational, pedagogical, and media systems, stripping them of any fundamental or identity-related dimension under the guise of combating "terrorism" and drying up the sources of extremism. The champion of freedom and enemy of despotism, Imam Abdul Rahman al-Kawakibi, rightly exposed such justificatory roles of the ruler in the name of religion: "Despotism in politics is born out of or accompanies despotism in religion."

However, a reflection on the pages of Islamic history, despite the unfortunate phenomenon of court scholars and ruler-worshipping clerics, reveals a clear truth: the makers of civilization and those who maintained the vitality of the ummah were not the political authorities. History has recorded dark pages about some of its princes who were closer to corruption, decadence, dictatorship, and absolute monarchy, marking the glaring constitutional crisis of Islamic civilization after the Rightly Guided Caliphate.

Despite these lamentable manifestations of the corruption of kings and princes, there was a societal engagement within the depths of the ummah that preserved hope by tipping the scales in favor of civilizational action over political corruption. It was the society that stood guard over identity and values, and the influence of what is today called religious and societal institutions was stronger than that of the state in organizing peoples and guiding the ummah. The crafting of civilization was not penned by rulers but began in the depths of society, liberating the human conscience, will, thought, and behavior through ijtihad (independent reasoning), creativity, and renewal at the societal level, not at the level of authority.

The religious institution needs self-criticism and genuine review in order to restructure and enhance its roles

Even during moments of separation between politics and civilization, the religious institutions were compelled to bear the burden of civilizational effectiveness. Their fuel was scholars, thinkers, judges, moral supervisors, creators, writers, intellectuals, and others who influenced reality without waiting for authorization from the ruler.

This was evident in the spread of Quranic schools, religious education, the authority of fatwas, the mission of mosques, the fields of endowments, the role of zakat, and the manifestations of social solidarity and various forms of volunteering. These represented brilliant aspects of Islamic civilization and embodied independent and effective cooperative institutional entities. The theoretical divine preservation of identity and values in society, as stated in the verse: "Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur'an and indeed, We will be its guardian" (Al-Hijr: 9), was combined with their practical preservation through the duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil, performed independently through organized institutional and civilizational action, as mentioned in the verse: "And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful" (Aal Imran: 104).

Between this historical revivalist role of the religious institution and its containment in modern times, it needs self-criticism and genuine review to restructure and elevate its roles to genuinely revive and bear the trust of religion, free from authoritative exploitation and bureaucratic containment policies. Dealing with both its official and popular levels with full independence and sovereignty preserves its civilizational role for the benefit of the ummah, making religion beneficial to humanity. It should not isolate religion in mere ritualistic practices, detached from engaging with the major issues of contemporary life. The mission of creating a purposeful human being is the sacred and civilizational duty of this religious institution, which it must fulfill sincerely for Allah. The harmony with the human renaissance and the civilizational role of religion depends on its historical and ethical responsibility.

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