The Falsity of the Concept of the Islamic State

by Abdassamad Clarke

The following is based on a series of postings on the DFC mailing list of Danish Muslims. The first section was in response to a preceding post and in its turn it elicited a reply that appeared to be cut and paste from a lengthy document, possibly from a web-site or a publication by the Hizb at-Tahrir to which I responded line-by-line. The whole has been worked on substantially, although I have not edited the original post espousing the idea of an Islamic state.

There is no word in the Qur'an or in the hadith literature for 'state'. The Arabic word that is commonly used - 'dawlah' - does not occur in the Qur'an. [The word doulah does occur inthe Qur'an. The best exegesis of both dawlah and doulah is in Sultaniyya by Shaykh Dr Abdalqadir as-Sufi.] I have never come across the use of this word 'dawlah' in the hadith or in the literature recording the early community of Islam [as far as my reading of ahadith has gone. If anyone knows of such a hadith, I would be very interested to learn of it].

Jumua Khutba

Shaykh Muhammad al Qasabi – 3rd November 2006

Jumua Mosque of Cape Town

Muslims you should know that amongst the most important objectives of the Islamic shariah is being united, helping one another to goodness and taqwa and these are amongst the most fundamental goals which the shariah pursues. Our mutual experience of solidarity and gathering and mutual assistance in our obligatory acts of ibada such as the prayer, zakat and hajj and the celebrations of the two Eids is nothing but an active proof and a container of the secrets of the communal nature of our din. It also shows that the din encourages co-operation and mutual concern. There are quranic ayats and prophetic hadiths which order us to come together and forbid us from splitting up.

Read the khutba in English

Shaykh Muhammad al Qasabi is Imam of the Granada Mosque.