Ali abd al-Raziq
Encyclopedia
Ali Abdel Raziq was an Egyptian
Islamic scholar
and sharia
judge. He can be regarded as the intellectual father of Islamic laicism or secularism (the separation of state and religion
, not the secularization
of society). His main work is called "Islam and the Foundations of Governance" (Al-Islam Wa Usul Al-Hukm) and was first published in 1925. Due to its controversial standpoints regarding the necessity of the caliphate
and religious government, the book triggered an intellectual and political battle in Egypt
. In essence the author claims that the Muslims may agree on any kind of government, be it religious or worldly, as long as it serves the interest and common welfare of their society.
Abdel Raziq's arguments:
1. The two main sources of Islamic law (sharia
), the Quran and the Sunnah
(Tradition of Messenger Muhammad), neither demand nor reject the rule of a caliph
(caliphate) or imam
(imamate).
2. There is no real ijma
(consensus) on the necessity of the caliphate.
3. Experience shows that the caliphate entailed a series of disasters for the Muslim community, and there is no single rational argument for the (re-)establishment of the caliphate.
As Abdel Raziq recounts the horrors of the caliphate, among other things, one can conclude that he advocated a humanist kind of governance, probably a democratic state. This assumption is supported by the fact that his father Hassan Abdel Raziq and his oldest brother, the philosopher Mustafa Abdel Raziq, were also liberal activists. In Abdel Raziq's opinion, the separation of Islam and state is supposed to protect Islam and the Muslims from the political abuse of Islam.
Ali Abdel Raziq also wrote "Consensus in Islamic Law" (Al-Ijma´ Fi Ash-Shari´ah Al-Islamiyyah) which was published in 1947. He later served as Minister of Endowments (twice), one of the three highest positions in religious learning and administration (beside the Rector of al-Azhar and the Grand Mufti) before he died in December 1966.
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
Islamic scholar
Islamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...
and sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
judge. He can be regarded as the intellectual father of Islamic laicism or secularism (the separation of state and religion
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
, not the secularization
Secularization
Secularization is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions...
of society). His main work is called "Islam and the Foundations of Governance" (Al-Islam Wa Usul Al-Hukm) and was first published in 1925. Due to its controversial standpoints regarding the necessity of the caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
and religious government, the book triggered an intellectual and political battle in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. In essence the author claims that the Muslims may agree on any kind of government, be it religious or worldly, as long as it serves the interest and common welfare of their society.
Abdel Raziq's arguments:
1. The two main sources of Islamic law (sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
), the Quran and the Sunnah
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
(Tradition of Messenger Muhammad), neither demand nor reject the rule of a caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
(caliphate) or imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
(imamate).
2. There is no real ijma
Ijma
Ijmāʿ is an Arabic term referring to the consensus of the Muslim community. Various schools of thought within Islamic jurisprudence may define this consensus as that of the first generation of Muslims only; the consensus of the first three generations of Muslims; the consensus of the jurists...
(consensus) on the necessity of the caliphate.
3. Experience shows that the caliphate entailed a series of disasters for the Muslim community, and there is no single rational argument for the (re-)establishment of the caliphate.
As Abdel Raziq recounts the horrors of the caliphate, among other things, one can conclude that he advocated a humanist kind of governance, probably a democratic state. This assumption is supported by the fact that his father Hassan Abdel Raziq and his oldest brother, the philosopher Mustafa Abdel Raziq, were also liberal activists. In Abdel Raziq's opinion, the separation of Islam and state is supposed to protect Islam and the Muslims from the political abuse of Islam.
Ali Abdel Raziq also wrote "Consensus in Islamic Law" (Al-Ijma´ Fi Ash-Shari´ah Al-Islamiyyah) which was published in 1947. He later served as Minister of Endowments (twice), one of the three highest positions in religious learning and administration (beside the Rector of al-Azhar and the Grand Mufti) before he died in December 1966.