In the previous two episodes, we discussed two books: "The Governing Values of the Islamic Civilizational Project" and "Principles of the Islamic Project." Both are part of a series by Dr. Atiyah Adlan that establishes general frameworks for the Islamic civilizational project that the nation aims to undertake, influencing its Islamic movement.

Importance of Concept Regulation

The importance of concept regulation for the Islamic movement cannot be overstated. This episode's book, "The One Hundred Concepts Related to the Islamic Project," by Dr. Atiyah Adlan, published by Dar Al-Asool Al-Ilmiyah in Istanbul (first edition 2025, 222 pages), continues this series. The author emphasizes the need for integrity and moderation, highlighting, correcting, and defining general and crucial concepts related to Islamic law (Sharia) and the reality in which it operates. These concepts, tied to the Islamic movement, can positively influence the project if accurate and defined or negatively if flawed or ambiguous. They span belief, legal rulings, politics, economics, society, and more.

Key Concepts and Their Impact

Key general concepts regulate thinking and safeguard the Islamic movement from deviation. These include belief, religious law, understanding reality, and principles of human civilization, resembling jurisprudential rules in their generality and influence on various concepts and positions. They are essential in managing the battle of awareness and must be studied within the framework of preparing for the Islamic civilizational project. The book discusses one hundred concepts, presenting a scholarly effort for future building.

The Space of Concepts and Its Map

The Space of Concepts and Its Map highlights that these concepts are not limited to terminologies or legalities. Although terminologies related to the Islamic project are included, legal concepts prevail, sciences are fundamental, and studies are a means to reach them. Concepts are simply the ideas the mind conceives, and understanding is the perception of meaning from words. Concepts are the plural of "concept," meaning the mentally and psychologically conceived understanding.

Divergence of Concepts

People's understanding of the same thing and discourse can vary significantly, where concepts diverge. The concepts of the people of faith regarding God, the universe, and life differ from those of disbelief, polytheism, or innovation. Similarly, concepts related to laws, regulations, and principles of life vary, as do those related to reality, unfolding events, and divine laws governing people's lives. Thus, correct and well-defined concepts and erroneous and troubled ones exist. This difference stems from varying sources, influences, intellects, innate dispositions, inherited cultures, and any deviations affecting hearts. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify concepts, affirm correct ones, and reject deviant ones to guide the Islamic movement effectively.

 

 

Read also : What the Islamic movement lacks.

 

 

The One Hundred Concepts.

Dr. Adlan mentioned a hundred concepts that he viewed as related to the Islamic project and that frame its aspects from a conceptual perspective. These are the concepts that everyone who wishes to work on a genuine Islamic project should be aware of. These concepts are:

1. Belief in the unseen is a major doctrinal, value-based, and civilizational pillar.
2. Acceptance and not responding is a condition for the soundness of faith.
3. The essence of Islam is submission and obedience to God.
4. "Islam is apparent, and faith is in the heart, and there is a close connection between the two.
5. A person enters Islam through the two testimonies (shahada) and does not exit it except by committing a nullifying act from its nullifiers.
6. Tawhid (the concept of monotheism) is the first obligation upon the servants, and it is a high cultural value
7. Learning the evidence of faith is obligatory, but it is not a condition for its validity.
8. Lordship has ranks: the lordship of creation and benevolence, the lordship of ownership and dominance, and the lordship of kingship and sovereignty.
9. The belief in the divinity of God is naturally and semantically derived from the belief in His lordship.
10. Worship is a comprehensive term for everything that Allah is pleased with, both in outward and inward actions.
11. The methodology of a Muslim in belief in the names and attributes of Allah: affirmation without similarity and glorification without negation
12. Allah has ninety-nine names, and a Muslim must believe in them in general and in detail for what he knows among them.
13. Belief in divine decree and destiny is one of the fundamentals of religion and delving deeply into it is not the way of the believers.

• The translation of the Arabic text is: "It is not permissible to declare a Muslim as an infidel or to testify to the Islam of a non-believer.

15. One must believe in all of God's messengers without distinction.

• Belief in the Hereafter is a driving force for goodness and righteousness.

17. The well-known by necessity is what the ummah has agreed upon, has been transmitted by continuous narration, and is universally known by both the general public and the specialized scholars.
18. What is known by necessity is abundant and widespread in creed and law, such as the lordship of God, His divinity, His attributes of perfection and majesty, the obligation of prayer, almsgiving (zakat), fasting, and pilgrimage (hajj), the prohibition of adultery, murder, wine, and gambling, and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the seal of the prophets and the Messenger of God to all people, among other things

• The book and the Sunnah are the reference points of this nation.

20. The authentic transmission cannot contradict the clear reasoning.
21. The essence is that the Messenger is a role model for the believers in all of his sayings and actions; and the division of Sunnah into legislative and non-legislative is a newly introduced statement that is rejected.
22. The era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs is a reference for legitimate politics and governance.
23. Revelation must be accepted in all matters related to the unseen or the auditory.
24. The similar verses in the Quran must be referred back to the definitive verses.
25. Muslims are bound by the rulings (ahkam), and the objectives (maqasid) are their fruit; one does not suffice without the other.
26. There is no dispute in terminology as long as the term is derived from the cultural environment of Muslims.
27. Rule: "The differences in rulings according to different times cannot be denied." Its field of application is the rulings associated with interests and customary practices.
28. In Islam, there is no room for a conflict of interests and principles, because the recognized interests cannot be imagined to be in conflict with the principles.
29. Allah has established laws and norms to organize human civilization; these must be understood and observed when assessing situations.
30. The essence of ignorance (Jahiliyyah) lies in the establishment of life on the basis of rejecting God's authority over His servants.
31. Loyalty to the believers and enmity towards the fighting disbelievers are intrinsic to the religion.
32. Separating from ignorance (Jahiliyyah) is the methodology of the Hanafis.
33. Jihad is the pinnacle of Islam.
34. The aim of jihad is to eliminate the trial represented by the dominance of the laws and powers of ignorance (Jahiliyyah), so that the word of Allah may be the highest.
35. Defensive jihad is an individual obligation, while offensive jihad and conquest are communal obligations.
36. There is no value in opinions that contradict the consensus that deny the obligation of offensive jihad.
37. Among the conditions for jihad are neither the equality of forces nor the need for permission from the Imam when he is absent.
38. Palestine is an Islamic land, and resistance is an individual obligation on Muslims when its people are not sufficient to fulfill this duty.
39. The victorious group is never absent from any time in the history of the nation; it works for the religion of God, and in most times, it is located in Jerusalem
40. The nation is the source of the legitimacy of the ruler, and the relationship between the nation and the ruler is contractual

• The lack of legitimacy is caused by not acquiring it in the first place or by losing it after acquiring it. Acquiring it occurs when the nation chooses the ruler and leads them by the Quran, while losing it happens through the ruler's apostasy or the emergence of clear disbelief.

42. Obedience to the ruler is obligatory in what is good, not in what is wrong, provided that he leads the nation by the Book of God.
43. The Islamic political system is based on several foundations, the most important of which are: the sovereignty of the Sharia, the authority of the nation, and consultation as the method of governance.
44. The sovereignty that contemporary constitutions state belongs to the people means the exclusive right to establish obligatory discourse, and it possesses characteristics, the most important of which are: singularity, supremacy, absoluteness, authenticity, and infallibility. In Islam, this sovereignty belongs solely to the Sharia of God Almighty, and here democracy diverges from Islam.
45. The nation is the one in authority and the source of political legitimacy
46. Consultation is the method of governance in the Islamic system, and it is obligatory and binding in the context of governance, having multiple circles as stipulated by the Islamic constitution of the state.
47. Politics, in its essence, is to lead everyone towards righteousness as much as possible.
48. The state has elements: land, people, and governing system.
49. The caliphate is a system of governance whose reality is: a vicegerency of prophethood in guarding the religion and managing worldly affairs through it.
50. The method of governance in Islam is unique and distinct, having its own foundations, institutions, and tools that set it apart.
51. The state in the Islamic system is based on a contractual relationship, and the political contract is called the pledge (bay'ah). It has two types representing two stages because the head of state is chosen through two stages: the selection of the people of resolution and consent and the ratification by the general public. The subject of the contract is the vicegerency of the nation in guarding the religion and managing worldly affairs through it.
52. Humanity's succession on earth is the foundation for the establishment of the political community and the state, not the social contract.
53. Democracy is a system of governance based on the principle that the people hold sovereignty and are the source of authorities, standing in stark contrast to the Islamic system due to the principle of sovereignty and other matters.
54. Democracy faces severe criticism in the West due to capitalism's dominance over it, which has made it, in reality, an oligarchy to some extent.
55. The concept of citizenship includes both right and wrong; the right is to respect the bond of nationality, and the wrong is to make it the basis of belonging and the principle of dealings.
56. Humanity is a concept with two faces; the first is a right that reflects human dignity, and the second is false, portraying humanity as an all-encompassing religion in which all other religions dissolve.
57. The identity of the Islamic nation is Islam, and highlighting it is a religious duty and a civilizational commitment.
58. The people of authority and contract are the elites of the nation, the accredited individuals who possess strength and influence, and they are the true leaders.
59. When the time is vacant of a general authority, the matter returns to the people of authority and contract, and when such authority exists, they oversee it. They represent the nation in appointing, monitoring, and dismissing it if necessary, and the nation chooses them.
60. The principle of peaceful transfer of power does not contradict the regulations governing the Islamic system

• The principle of separation of powers is essentially a mechanism used to prevent tyranny, and there is no prohibition in the Sharia system from employing it in a way that does not harm the cohesion of the system or lead to widespread responsibility and laxity of the state

62. The independence of the judiciary is one of the important principles of governance, and the regulations governing the judiciary in Islam include what indicates that this principle can be realized in the Islamic state.
63. The timing of the appointment of the imamate does not conflict with the regulations governing the state in Islam; it is possible to realize.
64. Revolting against a just Muslim ruler who has legitimacy is forbidden by consensus, while revolting against a ruler whose rule manifests evident disbelief is allowed by consensus. The disagreement arose regarding revolt against the corrupt
65. Usurpation is not one of the legitimate means to assume power, but if it occurs and stabilizes, it must be accepted on the condition that the ruler leads the nation by the Book of God, and that their usurpation is not in the context of a coup against a ruler with an oath of allegiance.
66. Islamic kingship is permissible when the nation is unable to establish an Islamic system according to the tradition of the caliphs, provided that the ruler leads the nation by the Book of God.
67. The "choking kingship" refers to that Islamic kingship which extended from the beginning of the era of Muawiya until the end of the Ottoman state
68. The "Jabriah" refers to the period that followed the fall of the Ottoman caliphate and extends to the present day, and it has no relation to Islam.
69. The term "revolution" has been used in Islamic history to refer to movements that revolt against rulers, but after its application in liberation movements from tyrants, there is no longer any objection to its use
70. Civilization, modernity, and empowerment are closely related terms, but they are not synonymous; the first is dominated by the value dimension, the second is dominated by the material dimension, and the third is dominated by the dimension of power in all its forms.
71. The path of the nation towards empowerment is clarified in the Quran, and it is summarized in overcoming trials and pursuing wise efforts.

 

72. The decline of the West is a term that reflects the expectations of thinkers in the West and East regarding the near end of Western hegemony, with backing from European and American reality

 

73. The clash of civilizations is an idea that Huntington spoke of, and it is a reality that humanity is experiencing now, while its opposite is the idea of the end of history mentioned by Fukuyama, which heralds liberalism as the pinnacle of human development, with history's ship having come to rest upon it, a notion that is incorrect.

 

74. Civilizational coexistence is a duplicitous term; it is used to sedate the targeted third world under colonization.

 

75. True freedom is one of the objectives of Sharia, and it is not truly achieved except by freeing oneself from servitude to Allah alone, whereas in the West, freedom is misused; it manifests as freedom of dissolution and disintegration.

 

76. Islamic Sharia encompasses human rights in a manner that is broader and deeper than the United Nations Declaration.

 

• Orientalism, Westernization, and self-orientalism are differing terms.

 

78. Sharia includes an economic system with foundations, institutions, goals, tools, and development programs.

 

79. Moderate Islam is Islam itself as it includes beliefs, laws, rulings, systems, and obligations.

 

80. The Abrahamic religion is a massive heretical innovation that contradicts the definitive principles of religion and the constants of Sharia.

 

81. The “Deal of the Century” is a conspiracy overseen by America, ultimately aimed at displacing the Palestinian people for the benefit of the expansion of “Israel,” and compensating the countries hosting the migrants financially from the pockets of the Gulf states.

 

82. Normalization is unanimously forbidden.

 

83. Extremism and terrorism are descriptions concocted by evil international forces and have been attributed to Islamists.

 

84. One of the objectives of Sharia is to achieve social justice and equal opportunities.

 

85. Gradualism and phased approaches are accepted methodologies in Sharia under certain conditions.

 

86. Political accountability is enjoining what is good and forbidding what is wrong in politics and governance, and it is one of the communal obligations.

 

87. - Demonstrations and other forms of peaceful popular movements are means of political accountability, and there is no restriction on means as long as they do not involve what is not permissible by Sharia.

 

88. Renewing religion does not mean renewing the contents of Islam as conveyed in the Book and the Sunnah, nor changing the established rulings; rather, it means renewing the mechanisms of discourse and exerting efforts in dealing with contemporary issues and revitalizing the nation with religion.

 

89. Institutionalism and institutional work, as well as the state of institutions, are core aspects of Islam and guidance.

 

90. The separation between religious and political spheres is a contemporary deceptive cry that claims to advocate for the separation of practical specializations while it actually calls for the separation of two realms: the religious and the political.

 

• The revisions made by Islamists are, in fact, retractions rather than revisions.

 

92. The theory of religion as a shameful element in international relations serves as a legal exit to relieve the burden of debt from peoples who inherited the lands after tyrannical rule.

 

93. The Quran includes a complete epistemological cognitive theory sufficient for the establishment of a great civilization.

 

94. The Quran, prior to anthropology, was concerned with humans; thus, an Islamic anthropology should be established.

 

95. The term "impossible state" refers to the impossibility of establishing an Islamic model in the form of the Western model.

 

96. Modernity is a set of perceptions that form the basis of the way of life in the West, and among its ideas are: relativism, evolution, human dominance over nature, and denial of metaphysics.

 

97. Secularism is a way of life based on the principle of separating religion from life.

 

98. Liberalism is a thought built on three foundations: absolute freedom, individualism, and rationality.

 

99. Despotism is the monopolization of power, which begins with political despotism, passes through inheritance, and ends up with treachery against the nation.

 

100. Radicalism means fundamentalism, which refers to a person's return to their doctrinal roots; it is a term loaded with anti-religious connotations.

 

Read also : Principles of the Islamic Project

 

 

Approach to Addressing Concepts

Dr. Adlan says about the approach to addressing each concept that the way to do this is to weigh them against the scale, as stated in the Holy Quran.( Indeed, We sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and with them We sent down the Scripture and the balance ˹of justice˺ so that people may administer justice.) (Al-Hadid:25) And He, the Exalted and Mighty, said: (O believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Should you disagree on anything, then refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you ˹truly˺ believe in Allah and the Last Day. This is the best and fairest resolution.) (An-Nisa:59) , It is necessary, in response to the two sources of revelation, to always seek guidance from the understanding of the early generations regarding the Book and the Sunnah; they are the people of the preferred generations, especially the righteous companions who witnessed the revelation and accompanied the Messenger and learned directly from him.

The Islamic project is in great need of sound understanding and accurate definitions! Indeed, a Muslim needs to add the integrity of intention to the correctness of understanding. As Ibn Qayyim mentioned in "I'lam" (1/69): "Among the greatest blessings of God bestowed upon His servant is sound understanding and good intention. There is no gift given to a servant after Islam that is better or more noble than these two; they are the two pillars of Islam, and it stands upon them. Good understanding is a light that God casts into the heart of His servant, distinguishing between the correct and the corrupt, truth and falsehood, guidance and misguidance, and right and wrong, and it is supported by good intentions, the pursuit of truth, and the fear of the Lord in private and public. Its material is cut off by following whims, prioritizing the worldly life, seeking the praise of people, and neglecting piety.

 

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