The classical scholars considered the Caliphate and ruling of such vital importance that they included this topic within their ‘aqīdah (creed) works. The Lebanese academic, Yusuf Ibish, states “there is hardly a book on uṣūl [beliefs] that does not contain, a long or short, discussion of it [the Imamate]”
"The scholars have agreed that it is not permissible for two caliphs to be appointed in the same time, irrespective of whether Dar al-Islam [the Abode of Islam] was widely spread or not."
[Al-Būshanjī:] Al-Muʿtaṣim returned to Baghdad from the Byzantine front in Ramadan of ’18. It was then that he tried Aḥmad and had him flogged before him. A trustworthy associate of mine reported to me what he was told by Ibrāhīm ibn Muṣ‘ab, who at that time was standing in for Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm as al-Mu‘taṣim’s chief of police: “I’ve never seen anyone brought face to face with kings and princes show as little fear as Aḥmad did that day. To him we were nothing but a cloud of flies.”
The recently released Pandora Papers [click here for more details] show how the present corrupt rulers of the Muslim world enrich themselves at the expense of the Musim Ummah and use secretive offshore companies to hide their ill-gotten wealth. But Allah has promised us that these kings and emirs will be replaced by the likes of rightly guided rulers like ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz
From Muhammad, Messenger of Allah, to Jaifar and 'Abd, sons of al-Julanda, and may peace be upon those who follow Allah's guidance. To proceed, I invite you both to Islam; accept Islam and you will attain salvation, for I am Allah's Messenger to all mankind so that I may warn those who are alive and establish (Allah's) word over the unbelievers. If you declare your Islam I will appoint you both as governors [of your lands], but if you refuse then (know that) your dominion is only fleeting, and my horsemen will dismount in your courtyard, and my Prophethood will prevail over your dominion.
‘How dare you slumber in the shade of complacent safety leading lives as frivolous as garden flowers, while your brothers in Syria have no dwelling place save the saddles of camels and the bellies of vultures? Blood has been spilled! Beautiful young girls have been shamed, and must now hide their sweet faces in their hands! Shall the valorous Arabs resign themselves to insult, and the valiant Persians accept dishonour?’
Ibn ‘Adi has narrated from Abu Hurayrah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘In Hell, there is a valley from which the Fire seeks refuge seventy times a day. Allah (swt) has prepared it for the jurists who act to be admired by people. And the most hated of people to Allah (swt) is the scholar of the ruler.’
In Kitāb al-Amwāl (Book of State Revenue), Abū ‘Ubayd al-Qāsim ibn Sallām* provides us with an accurate record of legal precedents laid down in the first two centuries of Islam, in particular those pertaining to the sources of revenue and the avenues of public expenditure. The book is essential for every student of Islamic law, … Continue reading Abū ‘Ubayd on the Rights of the Ruler and the Ruled
We will see in this article that what occurred in Medina was in fact a coup in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ seized power by gaining the support of men and women from two of the most powerful factions of the city just before someone else was about to be crowned king.
In the previous two posts in this series (part 1 and part 2), we examined the Shari‘ah evidences that show how the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ was not only restricted to how we perform the prayer, pilgrimage and other acts of worship, but also in how to govern, run an economy etc. and in … Continue reading The Political Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ: Part 3
The Caliphate 