The book is a challenge and a wake-up call on the current Muslim Umma exposing their apparent ineptitude and disregard to the warnings signs lessons and proofs in the Holy Qur’ān and the Aḥādīth of the Holy Apostle. Muslim Ummas' knowledge is abundant but without spiritual leader (an Imām/Caliph). This leads to distorting the Sunnah. Knowledge becomes subsequently not substantiated by action. Opinion has replaced firmness comprehensiveness conclusiveness and grasp of the Universal Message. There is no way out or an alternative to the woes of the Muslim Umma, but to remember Muḥammad Rasūlullah and his Ṣaḥābas and then act upon their examples. There is no Muslim who is not a Muqallid (imitator) of the Holy Apostle for the Sunnah is self explanatory. He is the only one. A Muslim should avoid begging Allah to return him to earth to work righteous deeds other than the deed he had done. Therefore imitating one other than the Holy Apostle is not allowed.

This excellent book is translated from the original Arabic book 'Nidham ul Islam' by Sheikh Taqiuddin An Nabahani, an Islamic jurist, 'alim, writer and the founder of Hizb ut-Tahrir - the largest Islamic global political party under a single leadership. It lays out the fundamentals to develop a strong Islamic personality and da'wah carrier. It begins with laying the foundation by explaining the correct way to belief. It proves the existence of a creator intellectually and the Quran as the final revelation sent to humanity by Allah (swt). It then goes on to clarify the important creedal concept of Al-Qada wal Qadar (fate and destiny), which is often held in a vague or confused manner. The third chapter, its largest concentrates on explaining the different ideologies that exists namely Capitalism, Communism and Islam highlighting the differences between them giving the reader a clear framework to understand the world that we live in. After having laid the basis for the correct belief, intellectual and political thinking, it then moves onto address the key Islamic legal principles. The short chapters are intended to focus on the most important aspects such as Usuli subjects like the meaning of Hukm Shar'i, the types of ahkam shariah, Sunnah and emulating (ta'assi) the actions of the Messenger (saw). The last section of the book also clarifies misconceptions regarding spirituality and morals according to Islam as well as articulating the need for a constitution for the future Islamic state.

This work studies the development of the institution of the uluma in the Muslim world, with special reference to Shi'ite Islam, in which a semi-formal hierarchy has been in existence since the 19th century. The book examines the emergence of Ithn 'Ashar jurisprudence and its periodic changes, the rise of a Shi'ite learned body, the institutionalization of the positions of mujtahid and marja' a l-taqlid, their financial sources of authority, and finally the political roles of the uluma. It also surveys the long drawn out struggle for authority amongst the representatives of speculative thought in Shi'ism. It includes the challenges of the Sufis, Akhbaris and Shaykhis to the office of ulama, which was successfully empowered with juristic mandate and with the charismatic authority of the viceregent of the Imam.

This collection of papers presents a reformist project calling upon Muslim intellectuals and scholars everywhere to comprehend the vast breadth and depth of the crisis engulfing Muslim thought today and the necessity of solving this crisis to enable the Ummah to experience a revival and fulfill its role among the nations of the world. The reader will find a variety of articles dealing with this intellectual crises, these include a chapter on ijtihad's role and history, important since our intellectual problems cannot be solved without the scholars' use of independent reasoning and creativity. Another discusses imitation (taqlid) calling upon Muslim scholars and intellectuals to abandon imitation and to stop favoring the past over the present when trying to solve modern problems. Another looks at human rights.

Islamic Thought is a fresh and contemporary introduction to the philosophies and doctrines of Islam. Abdullah Saeed, a distinguished Muslim scholar, traces the development of religious knowledge in Islam, from the pre-modern to the modern period. The book focuses on Muslim thought, as well as the development, production and transmission of religious knowledge, and the trends, schools and movements that have contributed to the production of this knowledge. Key topics in Islamic culture are explored, including the development of the Islamic intellectual tradition, the two foundation texts, the Qur’an and Hadith, legal thought, theological thought, mystical thought, Islamic Art, philosophical thought, political thought, and renewal, reform and rethinking today. Through this rich and varied discussion, Saeed presents a fascinating depiction of how Islam was lived in the past and how its adherents practise it in the present. Islamic Thought is essential reading for students beginning the study of Islam but will also interest anyone seeking to learn more about one of the world’s great religions.

A comprehensive guide to Islamic legal scholarship, this Handbook offers a direct and accessible introduction to Islamic law and the academic debates within the field. Topics include textual sources and authority, institutions, substantive legal areas, Islamic legal philosophy, and Islamic law in the Muslim World and in Muslim minority countries.

Across the Muslim world today, if anything is self-evident across the Muslim world today it is that the Ummah is badly in need of reform. On this point it can be stated with confidence that Muslims are agreed. Poverty and injustice characterize the face of Muslim lands from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Pollution and corruption are the order of the day in the societies where the gulf between them and the developed countries of the world has never been wider. Politics in the Muslim world are all too often the politics of deprivation, and culture the culture of despair. “Crisis in the Muslim Mind” examines the intellectual and historical roots of the malaise that has encompassed the Ummah and threatens to efface its identity. Firs published in Arabic in 1991, this important work (in an abridged English translation) is designed to familiarize educated and concerned Muslims with the nature of the crisis confronting them, and to suggest the steps necessary to overcome it.

A concise and authoritative introduction to Islamic political ideas In sixteen concise chapters on key topics, this book provides a rich, authoritative, and up-to-date introduction to Islamic political thought from the birth of Islam to today, presenting essential background and context for understanding contemporary politics in the Islamic world and beyond. Selected from the acclaimed Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought, and focusing on the origins, development, and contemporary importance of Islamic political ideas and related subjects, each chapter offers a sophisticated yet accessible introduction to its topic. Written by leading specialists and incorporating the latest scholarship, the alphabetically arranged chapters cover the topics of authority, the caliphate, fundamentalism, government, jihad, knowledge, minorities, modernity, Muhammad, pluralism and tolerance, the Qur'an, revival and reform, shariʿa (sacred law), traditional political thought, ‘ulama' (religious scholars), and women. Read separately or together, these chapters provide an indispensable resource for students, journalists, policymakers, and anyone else seeking an informed perspective on the complex intersection of Islam and politics. The contributors are Gerhard Bowering, Ayesha S. Chaudhry, Patricia Crone, Roxanne Euben, Yohanan Friedmann, Paul L. Heck, Roy Jackson, Wadad Kadi, John Kelsay, Gudrun Krämer, Ebrahim Moosa, Armando Salvatore, Aram A. Shahin, Emad El-Din Shahin, Devin J. Stewart, SherAli Tareen, and Muhammad Qasim Zaman. A new afterword discusses the essays in relation to contemporary political developments.

In the early centuries of Islam the response of Muslims to problem-solving the various issues and challenges that faced their rapidly expanding community was to use intelligence and independent reasoning based on the Qur’an and Sunnah to address them. This practice is known as ijtihad. As the centuries wore on however the gates of ijtihad were generally closed in favor of following existing rulings developed by scholars by way of analogy. And as reason and intellect, now held captive to madhhabs (schools of thought) and earlier scholarly opinion stagnated, so did the Muslim world. Ijtihad and Renewal is an analysis of ijtihad and the role it can play for a positive Muslim revival in the modern world, a revival based on society-wide economic and educational reform and development. It makes the case that the grafting of solutions rooted in the past onto the complex and unique realities of our own age, in a one-size-fits-all perspective, has paralysed the vitality of Muslim thought, and confused its sense of direction, and that to revive the Muslim world from its centuries of decline and slumber we need to revive the practice of ijtihad. Focusing attention on thinking through solutions for ourselves based on our own times and context, using the Qur’an and Sunnah, as well as the wisdom and experience of the past distilled from these, as tools in this endeavor whilst not the only solution, is certainly a viable and powerful one.

Islam features widely in the news, often in its most militant forms, but few people in the non-Muslim world really understand its nature. Malise Ruthven's Very Short Introduction, offers essential insights into the big issues, provides fresh perspectives on contemporary questions, and guides us through the complex debates.