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{{short description|Government based on Islamic law}}
{{short description|Government based on Islamic law}}
{{about|the concept of a state based on Islamic law|the modern violent extremist group|Islamic State|other uses}}
{{about|the concept of a state based on [[Sharia|Islamic law]]|the Salafi jihadist organisation|Islamic State|other uses}}
{{distinguish|text=Muslim countries, see [[Muslim world]]}}
{{distinguish|text=Muslim countries, see [[Muslim world]]}}
{{original research|date=April 2019}}
{{original research|date=April 2019}}
{{Islamism sidebar|Concepts}}
{{Islamism sidebar|Concepts}}
An '''Islamic state''' is a [[State (polity)|state]] that has a [[form of government]] based on [[sharia|Islamic law (sharia)]]. As a term, it has been used to describe various historical [[Polity|polities]] and theories of governance in the Islamic world.<ref name=OEIW>{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Ayubi|first1=Nazih N.|first2=Nader|last2=Hashemi|first3=Emran|last3=Qureshi|title=Islamic State|encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|editor-last=Esposto|editor-first=John L.|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2009|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t236/e0394|access-date=2019-04-21|archive-date=2019-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715192403/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t236/e0394|url-status=live}}</ref> As a translation of the Arabic term ''dawlah islāmiyyah'' ({{lang-ar|دولة إسلامية}}) it refers to a modern notion associated with [[political Islam]] ([[Islamism]]).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Islamic State|first=John L.|last=Esposito|encyclopedia=The Oxford Dictionary of Islam|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2014|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1125|quote=[Islamic State] Modern ideological position associated with political Islam.|access-date=2019-04-21|archive-date=2021-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426113313/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1125|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|first=Sohail H.|last=Hashmi|title=Dawla|editor=Richard C. Martin|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World|publisher=MacMillan Reference|year=2004|quote=One also finds in contemporary Islamist writings the neologism ''dawla Islamiyya'', or ''Islamic state''.}}</ref> Notable examples of historical Islamic states include the State of [[Medina]], established by the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]], and the Arab Caliphate which continued under his successors and the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyads]].
An '''Islamic state''' has a [[form of government]] based on [[sharia]]. As a term, it has been used to describe various historical [[Polity|polities]] and theories of [[Islamic governance|governance]] in the [[Muslim world|Islamic world]].<ref name=OEIW>{{cite encyclopedia|last1=Ayubi|first1=Nazih N.|first2=Nader|last2=Hashemi|first3=Emran|last3=Qureshi|title=Islamic State|encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|editor-last=Esposto|editor-first=John L.|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2009|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t236/e0394|access-date=2019-04-21|archive-date=2019-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715192403/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t236/e0394|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a translation of the Arabic term ''dawlah islāmiyyah'' ({{langx|ar|دولة إسلامية}}) it refers to a modern notion associated with [[political Islam]] ([[Islamism]]).<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Islamic State|first=John L.|last=Esposito|encyclopedia=The Oxford Dictionary of Islam|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2014|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1125|quote=[Islamic State] Modern ideological position associated with political Islam.|access-date=2019-04-21|archive-date=2021-04-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426113313/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1125|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|first=Sohail H.|last=Hashmi|title=Dawla|editor=Richard C. Martin|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World|publisher=MacMillan Reference|year=2004|quote=One also finds in contemporary Islamist writings the neologism ''dawla Islamiyya'', or ''Islamic state''.}}</ref> Notable historical examples include the [[first Islamic state]] in [[Medina]], established by the prophet [[Muhammad]], and the [[Arabs|Arab]] [[Caliphate|caliphates]] which continued under his successors, such as the [[Rashidun Caliphate|Rashidun]] and [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyads]].


The concept of the modern Islamic state has been articulated and promoted by ideologues such as [[Rashid Rida|Sayyid Rashid Rida]], [[Mullah Omar|Mohammed Omar]], [[Abul A'la Maududi]], [[Ayatollah]] [[Ruhollah Khomeini]], [[Israr Ahmed]], [[Sayyid Qutb]] and [[Hassan al-Banna]]. Implementation of Islamic law plays an important role in modern theories of the Islamic state, as it did in classical Islamic political theories. However, most of the modern theories also make use of notions that did not exist before the modern era.<ref name=OEIW/>
The concept of the modern Islamic state has been articulated and promoted by ideologues such as [[Rashid Rida]], [[Mullah Omar]], [[Abul A'la Maududi]], [[Ruhollah Khomeini]], [[Israr Ahmed]], [[Sayyid Qutb]], [[Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani]] and [[Hassan al-Banna|Hassan al-Banna.]] Implementation of Islamic law plays an important role in modern theories of the Islamic state, as it did in classical Islamic political theories. However, most of the modern theories also make use of notions that did not exist before the modern era.<ref name=OEIW/>


Today, many [[Muslim world|Muslim countries]] have [[Application of sharia law by country|incorporated Islamic law]], wholly or in part, into their [[List of national legal systems|legal system]]s. Certain Muslim states have declared Islam to be their [[state religion]] in their [[constitution]]s, but do not apply Islamic law in their courts. Islamic states that are not [[Islamic monarchy|Islamic monarchies]] are mostly [[Islamic republic]]s.
Today, many [[Islamic world|Islamic countries]] have [[Application of Sharia by country|incorporated Islamic law]], wholly or in part, into their [[List of national legal systems|legal system]]s. Certain Muslim states have declared Islam to be their [[state religion]] in their [[constitution]]s, but do not apply Islamic law in their courts. Islamic states that are not Islamic monarchies are mostly [[Islamic republic]]s.


== Historical Islamic states ==
== Historical Islamic states ==
[[Majid Khadduri]] gives six stages of history for the Islamic state:<ref name=khadduri>{{cite book|title=The Islamic Law of Nations: Shaybani's Siyar|last=Khadduri|first=Majid|author-link=Majid Khadduri|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]]|year=1966|chapter=Translator's Introduction|page=19-22}}</ref>
[[Majid Khadduri]] gives six stages of history for the Islamic state:<ref name=khadduri>{{cite book|title=The Islamic Law of Nations: Shaybani's Siyar|last=Khadduri|first=Majid|author-link=Majid Khadduri|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]]|year=1966|chapter=Translator's Introduction|page=19-22}}</ref>
#City-state (622–632)
 
#Imperial (632–750)
# City-state (622–632)
#Universal ({{circa}} 750–900)
# Imperial (632–{{circa}} 750)
#Decentralization ({{circa}} 900–1500)  
# Universal ({{circa}} 750–{{circa}} 900)
#Fragmentation ({{circa}} 1500–1918 )
# Decentralization ({{circa}} 900–{{circa}} 1500)  
#Nation states (1918–present)
# Fragmentation ({{circa}} 1500–1918)
# Nation states (1918–present)


=== Early Islamic governments ===
=== Early Islamic governments ===
{{main|Caliphate|Muhammad in Medina}}
 
The [[first Islamic State]] was the political entity established by Muhammad in Medina in 622 CE under the [[Constitution of Medina]]. It represented the political unity of the Muslim ''[[Ummah]]'' (nation). It was subsequently transformed into the [[caliphate]] by Muhammad's disciples, who were known as the Rightly Guided (''[[Rashidun]]'') Caliphs (632–661 CE). The Islamic State significantly expanded under the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] (661–750) and consequently the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] (750–1258).
{{main|Caliphate|First Islamic state}}
The [[first Islamic state]] was the political entity established by Muhammad in Medina in 622 CE under the [[Constitution of Medina]]. It represented the political unity of the Muslim ''[[Ummah]]'' (nation). It was subsequently transformed into the [[caliphate]] by Muhammad's disciples, who were known as the Rightly Guided (''[[Rashidun]]'') Caliphs (632–661 CE). The Islamic State significantly expanded under the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] (661–750) and consequently the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] (750–1258).


=== Essence of Islamic governments ===
=== Essence of Islamic governments ===
The essence or guiding principles of an Islamic government or Islamic state, is the concept of ''al-[[Shura]]''. Several scholars have different understandings or thoughts, with regard to the concept al-Shura. However, most Muslim scholars are of the opinion that Islamic ''al-Shura'' should consist of the following:<ref>Jeong, Chun Hai; Nawi, Nor Fadzlina. (2007). ''Principles of Public Administration: An Introduction''. Kuala Lumpur: Karisma Publications. {{ISBN|978-983-195-253-5}}.</ref>
[[File:Religion, its Influence on the State of Society.pdf|thumb|500x500px]]
The essence or guiding principles of an Islamic government or Islamic state is the concept of ''al-[[Shura]]''. Several scholars have different understandings or thoughts, with regard to the concept al-Shura. However, some Muslim scholars are of the opinion that Islamic ''al-Shura'' should consist of the following:<ref>Jeong, Chun Hai; Nawi, Nor Fadzlina. (2007). ''Principles of Public Administration: An Introduction''. Kuala Lumpur: Karisma Publications. {{ISBN|978-983-195-253-5}}.</ref>
* Meeting or consultation that follows the teachings of Islam.
* Meeting or consultation that follows the teachings of Islam.
* Consultation following the guidelines of the [[Quran]] and the [[Sunnah]].
* Consultation following the guidelines of the [[Quran]] and the [[Sunnah]].
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The Arabic word  ''dawla'' comes from the root ''d-w-l'', meaning "to turn, come around in a cyclical fashion". In the [[Quran]], it is used to refer to the nature of human fortunes, alternating between victory and defeat (3:140). This use led Arab writers to apply the word to succession of dynasties, particularly to the overthrow of the [[Umayyad]]s of Damascus by the [[Abbasid]]s.<ref name=hashmi>{{cite encyclopedia|first=Sohail H.|last=Hashmi|title=Dawla|editor=Richard C. Martin|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World|publisher=MacMillan Reference|year=2004}}</ref> The first Abbasid caliphs themselves spoke of "our ''dawla''" in the sense of "our turn/time of success".<ref name=akhavi>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Akhavi|first=Shahrough|title=Dawlah|encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|editor-last=Esposito|editor-first=John L.|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2009}}</ref> As Abbasids maintained their power, the dynastic sense of ''dawla'' became conflated with their dynastic rule,<ref name=hashmi/> and in later times ''[[al-Dawla]]'' was used across the Islamic world as a honorific title for rulers and high officials.<ref name=akhavi/>
The Arabic word  ''dawla'' comes from the root ''d-w-l'', meaning "to turn, come around in a cyclical fashion". In the [[Quran]], it is used to refer to the nature of human fortunes, alternating between victory and defeat (3:140). This use led Arab writers to apply the word to succession of dynasties, particularly to the overthrow of the [[Umayyad]]s of Damascus by the [[Abbasid]]s.<ref name=hashmi>{{cite encyclopedia|first=Sohail H.|last=Hashmi|title=Dawla|editor=Richard C. Martin|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World|publisher=MacMillan Reference|year=2004}}</ref> The first Abbasid caliphs themselves spoke of "our ''dawla''" in the sense of "our turn/time of success".<ref name=akhavi>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Akhavi|first=Shahrough|title=Dawlah|encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|editor-last=Esposito|editor-first=John L.|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2009}}</ref> As Abbasids maintained their power, the dynastic sense of ''dawla'' became conflated with their dynastic rule,<ref name=hashmi/> and in later times ''[[al-Dawla]]'' was used across the Islamic world as a honorific title for rulers and high officials.<ref name=akhavi/>


Like their Christian contemporaries, pre-modern Muslims did not generally conceive of the state as an abstract entity distinct from the individual or group who held political power.<ref name=hashmi/> The word ''dawla'' and its derivatives began to acquire modern connotations in the [[Ottoman Empire]] and Iran in the 16th and 17th centuries in the course of diplomatic and commercial exchanges with Europe. During the 19th century, the Arabic ''dawla'' and Turkish ''devlet'' took on all the aspects of the modern notion of state while the Persian ''davlat'' can mean either state or government.<ref name=akhavi/>
Like their Christian contemporaries, pre-modern Muslims did not generally conceive of the state as an abstract entity distinct from the individual or group who held political power.<ref name=hashmi/> The word ''dawla'' and its derivatives began to acquire modern connotations in the [[Ottoman Empire]] and Iran in the 16th and 17th centuries in the course of diplomatic and commercial exchanges with Europe. During the 19th century, the Arabic ''dawla'' and Turkish ''devlet'' took on all the aspects of the modern notion of state, while the Persian ''davlat'' can mean either state or government.<ref name=akhavi/>


=== Development of Modern Conception of Islamic state ===
=== Development of the Modern Conception of an Islamic State ===
{{see also|Muhammad Rashid Rida|The Caliphate or the Supreme Imamate (book)|Rashid Rida#Islamic Political Theory|Abul A'la Maududi|label 3=Islamic Political Theory of Rashid Rida||Label 2=The Caliphate or the Supreme Imamate}}
{{see also|Muhammad Rashid Rida|The Caliphate or the Supreme Imamate (book)|Rashid Rida#Islamic Political Theory|Abul A'la Maududi|label 3=Islamic Political Theory of Rashid Rida||Label 2=The Caliphate or the Supreme Imamate}}


According to Pakistani scholar of Islamic history Qamaruddin Khan, the term Islamic state "was never used in the theory or practice of Muslim political science, before the twentieth century".<ref>{{cite book|title=Political Concepts in the Quran|publisher=Islamic Book Foundation|last=Khan|first=Qamaruddin|year=1982|location=Lahore|pages=74|quote=The claim that Islam is a harmonious blend of religion and politics is a modern slogan, of which no trace can be found in the past history of Islam. The very term, “Islamic State” was never used in the theory or practice of Muslim political science, before the twentieth century. Also if the first thirty years of Islam were excepted, the historical conduct of Muslim states could hardly be distinguished from that of other states in world history.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Muslim politics|publisher=Princeton University Press|last1=Eickelman|first1=D. F.|last2=Piscatori|first2=J.|year=1996|location=Princeton|pages=53|quote=The Pakistani writer Qamaruddin Khan, for example, has proposed that the political theory of Islam does not arise from the Qur'an but from circumstances and that the state is neither divinely sanctioned nor strictly necessary as a social institution.}}</ref> Sohail H. Hashmi characterizes ''dawla Islamiyya'' as a neologism found in contemporary Islamist writings.<ref name=hashmi/> Islamic theories of the modern notion of state first emerged as a reaction to the abolition of the Ottoman caliphate in 1924. It was also in this context that the famous dictum that Islam is both a religion and a state (''al-Islam din wa dawla'') was first popularized.<ref name=OEIW/>
According to Pakistani scholar of Islamic history Qamaruddin Khan, the term Islamic state "was never used in the theory or practice of Muslim political science, before the twentieth century".<ref>{{cite book|title=Political Concepts in the Quran|publisher=Islamic Book Foundation|last=Khan|first=Qamaruddin|year=1982|location=Lahore|pages=74|quote=The claim that Islam is a harmonious blend of religion and politics is a modern slogan, of which no trace can be found in the past history of Islam. The very term, “Islamic State” was never used in the theory or practice of Muslim political science, before the twentieth century. Also if the first thirty years of Islam were excepted, the historical conduct of Muslim states could hardly be distinguished from that of other states in world history.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Muslim politics|publisher=Princeton University Press|last1=Eickelman|first1=D. F.|last2=Piscatori|first2=J.|year=1996|location=Princeton|pages=53|quote=The Pakistani writer Qamaruddin Khan, for example, has proposed that the political theory of Islam does not arise from the Qur'an but from circumstances and that the state is neither divinely sanctioned nor strictly necessary as a social institution.}}</ref> Sohail H. Hashmi characterizes ''dawla Islamiyya'' as a neologism found in contemporary Islamist writings.<ref name=hashmi/> Islamic theories of the modern notion of state first emerged as a reaction to the abolition of the Ottoman caliphate in 1924. It was also in this context that the famous dictum that Islam is both a religion and a state (''al-Islam din wa dawla'') was first popularized.<ref name=OEIW/>


The modern conception of Islamic state was first articulated by the Syrian-Egyptian Islamic theologian Muḥammad Rashīd Riḍā (1865–1935). Rashid Rida condemned the [[Abolition of the Ottoman sultanate|1922 Turkish Abolition of Sultanate]] which reduced the ''[[Caliphate|Khilafa]]'' into a purely spiritual authority; soon after the [[World War I|First World War]]. In his book ''[[The Caliphate or the Supreme Imamate (book)|al-Khilafa aw al-Imama al-Uzma]]'' (The Caliphate or the Grand Imamate) published in 1922, Rida asserted that the Caliphate should have the combined powers of both spiritual and temporal authority. He called for the establishment of an Islamic state led by [[Arabs]], functioning as a ''khilāfat ḍurūrah'' (caliphate of necessity) that upholds ''[[Sharia]]'', and defend its Muslim and non-Muslim subjects.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|year=2009|title=Islamic State|encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t236/e0394|editor-last=Esposto|editor-first=John L.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227135511/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t236/e0394|archive-date=27 February 2021|last2=Hashemi|first2=Nader|last3=Qureshi|first3=Emran|last1=Ayubi|first1=Nazih N.}}</ref>
The modern conception of an Islamic state was first articulated by the Syrian-Egyptian Islamic theologian [[Muḥammad Rashīd Riḍā]] (1865–1935). Rashid Rida condemned the 1922 [[abolition of the Ottoman sultanate]], which reduced the ''[[caliphate|khilafa]]'' into a purely spiritual authority soon after [[World War I]]. In his book ''[[The Caliphate or the Supreme Imamate (book)|al-Khilafa aw al-Imama al-Uzma]]'' (The Caliphate or the Supreme Imamate), published in 1922, Rida asserted that the caliphate should have the combined powers of both spiritual and temporal authority. He called for the establishment of an Islamic state led by [[Arabs]], functioning as a ''khilāfat ḍurūrah'' (caliphate of necessity) that upholds ''[[Sharia]]'' and defends its Muslim and non-Muslim subjects.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|year=2009|title=Islamic State|encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t236/e0394|editor-last=Esposto|editor-first=John L.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227135511/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t236/e0394|archive-date=27 February 2021|last2=Hashemi|first2=Nader|last3=Qureshi|first3=Emran|last1=Ayubi|url-status=dead|first1=Nazih N.}}</ref>


Another important modern conceptualization of the Islamic state is attributed to [[Abul A'la Maududi]] (1903–1979), a Pakistani Muslim theologian who founded the political party [[Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan|Jamaat-e-Islami]] and inspired other Islamic revolutionaries such as [[Ayatollah]] [[Ruhollah Khomeini]].<ref name="autogenerated1996">Nasr, S. V. R. (1996). ''Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism''. Chapter 4. New York: Oxford University Press.</ref> Abul A'la Maududi's early political career was influenced greatly by anti-colonial agitation in India, especially after the tumultuous abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924 stoked anti-British sentiment.<ref>Minault, G. (1982). ''The Khilafat Movement: Religious Symbolism and Political Mobilization in India''. New York: Columbia University Press.</ref>
Another important modern conceptualization of the Islamic state is attributed to [[Abul A'la Maududi]] (1903–1979), a Pakistani Muslim theologian who founded the political party [[Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan]] and inspired other Islamic revolutionaries such as [[Ayatollah]] [[Ruhollah Khomeini]].<ref name="autogenerated1996">Nasr, S. V. R. (1996). ''Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism''. Chapter 4. New York: Oxford University Press.</ref> Abul A'la Maududi's early political career was significantly influenced by anti-colonial agitation in India, especially after the tumultuous abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924 stoked anti-British sentiment.<ref>Minault, G. (1982). ''The Khilafat Movement: Religious Symbolism and Political Mobilization in India''. New York: Columbia University Press.</ref>


The Islamic state was perceived as a third way between the rival political systems of democracy and socialism (see also [[Islamic modernism]]).<ref>Kurzman, Charles (2002). "Introduction". ''Modernist Islam 1840-1940: A Sourcebook''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.</ref> Maududi's seminal writings on [[Islamic economic jurisprudence|Islamic economics]] argued as early as 1941 against [[free-market capitalism]] and [[Interventionism (politics)|state intervention]] in the economy, similar to [[Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr]]'s later ''[[Iqtisaduna|Our Economics]]'' written in 1961. Maududi envisioned the ideal Islamic state as combining the democratic principles of electoral politics with the socialist principles of concern for the poor.<ref>Khir, B. M. "The Islamic Quest for Sociopolitical Justice". In Cavanaugh, W. T.; Scott, P., eds. (2004). ''The Blackwell Companion to Political Theology''. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 503–518.</ref>
The Islamic state was perceived as a third way between the rival political systems of democracy and socialism, which was also noted by [[Islamic modernism]].<ref>Kurzman, Charles (2002). "Introduction". ''Modernist Islam 1840-1940: A Sourcebook''. Oxford: Oxford University Press.</ref> Maududi's seminal writings on [[Islamic economic jurisprudence|Islamic economics]] argued as early as 1941 against [[free-market capitalism]] and [[Interventionism (politics)|state intervention]] in the economy, similar to [[Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr]]'s 1961 ''[[Iqtisaduna|Our Economics]]''. Maududi envisioned the ideal Islamic state as combining the democratic principles of electoral politics with the socialist principles of concern for people with low incomes.<ref>Khir, B. M. "The Islamic Quest for Sociopolitical Justice". In Cavanaugh, W. T.; Scott, P., eds. (2004). ''The Blackwell Companion to Political Theology''. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 503–518.</ref>


== Muslim world today ==
== Muslim world today ==
[[File:Islam World.svg|thumb|350x350px|Government type among countries with a Muslim majority]]
[[File:Islam World.svg|thumb|350x350px]]
Today, many Muslim countries have incorporated Islamic law in part into their legal systems. Certain Muslim states have declared Islam to be their state religion in their constitutions, but do not apply Islamic law in their courts. Islamic states which are not Islamic monarchies are usually referred to as Islamic republics,<ref>Elliesie, Hatem. [http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/download/attachments/69533704/Elliesie+Islamic+Modeled+States.pdf "Rule of Law in Islamic Modeled States"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610123146/http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/download/attachments/69533704/Elliesie+Islamic+Modeled+States.pdf |date=2019-06-10 }}. In Koetter, Matthias; Shuppert, Gunnar Folke, eds. (2010). ''Understanding of the Rule of Law in Various Legal Orders of the World: Working Paper Series Nr. 13 of SFB 700: Governance in Limited Areas of Statehood''. Berlin.</ref> such as the islamic republics of Iran,<ref>Moschtaghi, Ramin. [http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/download/attachments/22347860/Moschtaghi+Iran.pdf?version=3&modificationDate=1309541940000 "Rule of Law in Iran"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612222935/http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/download/attachments/22347860/Moschtaghi+Iran.pdf?version=3&modificationDate=1309541940000 |date=2019-06-12 }}. In Koetter, Matthias; Shuppert, Gunnar Folke, eds. (2010). ''Understanding of the Rule of Law in Various Legal Orders of the World: Working Paper Series Nr. 13 of SFB 700: Governance in Limited Areas of Statehood''. Berlin.</ref> [[Pakistan]] and [[Mauritania]]. Pakistan adopted the title under the [[Constitution of Pakistan of 1956|constitution of 1956]]; [[Mauritania]] adopted it on 28 November 1958; and Iran adopted it after the [[Iranian Revolution|1979 Revolution]] that overthrew the [[Pahlavi dynasty]]. In Iran, the form of government is known as the [[Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists]]. Afghanistan was run as an Islamic state ([[Islamic State of Afghanistan]]) in the post-communist era since 1992, but then ''[[de facto]]'' by the [[Taliban]] ([[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]]) in areas controlled by them since 1996 and after the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban the country was still known as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan until 15 August 2021, when the [[2021 Taliban offensive|Taliban captured the country]].
Today, many Muslim countries have incorporated—albeit to varying degrees—Islamic law into their legal systems. Certain Muslim states have declared Islam to be their state religion in their constitutions, but do not apply Islamic law in their courts. Islamic states that are not monarchies are usually called Islamic republics,<ref>Elliesie, Hatem. [http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/download/attachments/69533704/Elliesie+Islamic+Modeled+States.pdf "Rule of Law in Islamic Modeled States"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610123146/http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/download/attachments/69533704/Elliesie+Islamic+Modeled+States.pdf |date=2019-06-10 }}. In Koetter, Matthias; Shuppert, Gunnar Folke, eds. (2010). ''Understanding of the Rule of Law in Various Legal Orders of the World: Working Paper Series Nr. 13 of SFB 700: Governance in Limited Areas of Statehood''. Berlin.</ref> such as the Islamic republics of Iran,<ref>Moschtaghi, Ramin. [http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/download/attachments/22347860/Moschtaghi+Iran.pdf?version=3&modificationDate=1309541940000 "Rule of Law in Iran"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612222935/http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/download/attachments/22347860/Moschtaghi+Iran.pdf?version=3&modificationDate=1309541940000 |date=2019-06-12 }}. In Koetter, Matthias; Shuppert, Gunnar Folke, eds. (2010). ''Understanding of the Rule of Law in Various Legal Orders of the World: Working Paper Series Nr. 13 of SFB 700: Governance in Limited Areas of Statehood''. Berlin.</ref> [[Pakistan]], and [[Mauritania]]. Pakistan adopted the title under the [[Constitution of Pakistan of 1956|constitution of 1956]]; [[Mauritania]] adopted it on 28 November 1958; and Iran adopted it after the [[Iranian Revolution|1979 Revolution]] that overthrew the [[Pahlavi dynasty]]. The Iranian form of government is known as a [[Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists]]. Afghanistan was run as an Islamic state ([[Islamic State of Afghanistan]]) in the [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|post-communist]] era after 1992; it was a [[de facto]] Islamic totalitarian state under the [[Taliban]] ([[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]]) in areas controlled by the group from 1996 to its 2001 overthrow. The country was known as the [[Islamic Republic of Afghanistan]] between 2004 and 15 August 2021, when a [[2021 Taliban offensive|Taliban offensive]] resulted in a return to Islamic totalitarianism.


[[Pan-Islamism]] is a form of Internationalism and anti-nationalism within [[Political aspects of Islam|political Islam]] which advocates the unification of the Muslim world under a single Islamic state, often described as a caliphate or ummah. The most famous, powerful and aggressive modern pan-Islamic group that pursues the objective of unifying the Muslim world and establishing a worldwide caliphate is the Wahhabi/Salafi jihadist movement [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]].
[[Pan-Islamism]] is a form of Internationalism and anti-nationalism within [[Political aspects of Islam|political Islam]] which advocates the unification of the Muslim world under a single Islamic state, often described as a caliphate or ummah. The most famous, powerful and aggressive modern pan-Islamic group that pursues the objective of unifying the Muslim world and establishing a worldwide caliphate is the Wahhabi/Salafi jihadist movement [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]].
Line 69: Line 73:
The [[Libyan interim Constitutional Declaration]] as of 3 August 2011 declared Islam to be the official religion of Libya.
The [[Libyan interim Constitutional Declaration]] as of 3 August 2011 declared Islam to be the official religion of Libya.


=== [[Brunei]] ===
=== Brunei ===
[[Brunei]] is an absolute [[Islamic monarchy]]. With the constitution in 1959, Islam became the official religion of the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bt.com.bn/art-culture/2010/03/08/golden-history-islam-brunei |title=The golden history of Islam in Brunei &#124; the Brunei Times |access-date=2015-10-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003072346/http://www.bt.com.bn/art-culture/2010/03/08/golden-history-islam-brunei |archive-date=2015-10-03 }}</ref>
[[Brunei]] is an absolute Islamic monarchy. With the constitution in 1959, Islam became the official religion of the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bt.com.bn/art-culture/2010/03/08/golden-history-islam-brunei |title=The golden history of Islam in Brunei &#124; the Brunei Times |access-date=2015-10-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003072346/http://www.bt.com.bn/art-culture/2010/03/08/golden-history-islam-brunei |archive-date=2015-10-03 }}</ref>


=== [[Iran]] ===
=== Iran ===
Leading up to the [[Iranian Revolution of 1979]], many of the highest-ranking clergy in Shia Islam held to the standard doctrine of the [[Imamah (Shia doctrine)|Imamate]], which allows political rule only by Muhammad or one of his true successors. They were opposed to creating an Islamic state (see Ayatollah [[Abdul-Karim Ha'eri Yazdi|Ha'eri Yazdi]] (Khomeini's own teacher), Ayatollah [[Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi|Borujerdi]], [[Marja'|Grand Ayatollah]] [[Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari|Shariatmadari]], and Grand Ayatollah [[Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei]]).<ref>Chehabi, H. E. (Summer 1991). [https://www.jstor.org/pss/20025388 "Religion and Politics In Iran: How Theocratic is the Islamic Republic?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126225016/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20025388 |date=2020-01-26 }} ''Daedalus''. '''120'''. (3). pp. 69-91.</ref> Contemporary theologians who were once part of the Iranian Revolution also became disenchanted and critical of the unity of religion and state in the Islamic Republic of Iran, are advocating [[secularization]] of the state to preserve the purity of the Islamic faith (see [[Abdolkarim Soroush]] and [[Mohsen Kadivar]]).<ref>Kurzman, Charles (Winter 2001). [http://www.drsoroush.com/PDF/E-CMO-20010100-Kurzman_Critics_Within.pdf "Critics Within: Islamic Scholars' Protest Against the Islamic State in Iran"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808093457/http://www.drsoroush.com/PDF/E-CMO-20010100-Kurzman_Critics_Within.pdf |date=2017-08-08 }}. ''International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society''. '''15''' (2).</ref>
Leading up to the [[Iranian Revolution of 1979]], many of the highest-ranking clergy in Shia Islam held to the standard doctrine of the [[Imamah (Shia doctrine)|Imamate]], which allows political rule only by Muhammad or one of his true successors. They were opposed to creating an Islamic state (see Ayatollah [[Abdul-Karim Ha'eri Yazdi|Ha'eri Yazdi]] (Khomeini's own teacher), Ayatollah [[Seyyed Hossein Borujerdi|Borujerdi]], [[Marja'|Grand Ayatollah]] [[Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari|Shariatmadari]], and Grand Ayatollah [[Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei]]).<ref>Chehabi, H. E. (Summer 1991). [https://www.jstor.org/pss/20025388 "Religion and Politics In Iran: How Theocratic is the Islamic Republic?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126225016/https://www.jstor.org/stable/20025388 |date=2020-01-26 }} ''Daedalus''. '''120'''. (3). pp. 69-91.</ref> Contemporary theologians who were once part of the Iranian Revolution also became disenchanted and critical of the unity of religion and state in the Islamic Republic of Iran, are advocating [[secularization]] of the state to preserve the purity of the Islamic faith (see [[Abdolkarim Soroush]] and [[Mohsen Kadivar]]).<ref>Kurzman, Charles (Winter 2001). [http://www.drsoroush.com/PDF/E-CMO-20010100-Kurzman_Critics_Within.pdf "Critics Within: Islamic Scholars' Protest Against the Islamic State in Iran"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808093457/http://www.drsoroush.com/PDF/E-CMO-20010100-Kurzman_Critics_Within.pdf |date=2017-08-08 }}. ''International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society''. '''15''' (2).</ref>


=== [[Saudi Arabia]] ===
Per Supreme leader, Islamic state is the 3rd phase of Iranian Islamic Republic program and is in and of itself part of [[New Islamic Civilization]].<ref>[https://tssq.atu.ac.ir/article_15736_e34468fcbcda5fc1fa7bc13a22b11adb.pdf The Foundations and Indicators of the Islamic State from the Perspective of Majestic Ayatollah Khamenei] The State Studies Quarterly
Vol 9, No. 33, 2023, pp 195-222.</ref>


[[Saudi Arabia]] is an [[Islamic monarchy| Islamic absolute monarchy]]. The [[Basic Law of Saudi Arabia]] contains many characteristics of what might be called a constitution in other countries. However, the [[Qur'an]] and the [[Sunnah]] is declared to be the official constitution of the country which is governed on the basis of [[Sharia|Islamic law (Shari'a)]]. The [[Allegiance Council]] is responsible to determine the new King and the new Crown Prince. All citizens of full age have a right to attend, meet, and petition the king directly through the traditional tribal meeting known as the [[majlis]].<ref name=Cavendish>{{cite book |title=World and Its Peoples: the Arabian Peninsula |author=Marshall Cavendish |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7614-7571-2 |pages=92–93 |url=https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse |url-access=limited }}</ref>
=== Saudi Arabia ===


=== [[Yemen]] ===
[[Saudi Arabia]] is an  Islamic absolute monarchy. The [[Basic Law of Saudi Arabia]] contains many characteristics of what might be called a constitution in other countries. However, the [[Qur'an]] and the [[Sunnah]] is declared to be the official constitution of the country which is governed on the basis of [[Sharia|Islamic law (Shari'a)]]. The [[Allegiance Council]] is responsible to determine the new King and the new Crown Prince. All citizens of full age have a right to attend, meet, and petition the king directly through the traditional tribal meeting known as the [[majlis]].<ref name=Cavendish>{{cite book |title=World and Its Peoples: the Arabian Peninsula |author=Marshall Cavendish |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7614-7571-2 |pages=92–93 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |url=https://archive.org/details/worlditspeoplesm0000unse |url-access=limited }}</ref>
 
=== Yemen ===


The [[Constitution of Yemen]] declares that [[Islam]] is the [[state religion]], and that [[Shari'a]] (Islamic law) is the source of all legislation.
The [[Constitution of Yemen]] declares that [[Islam]] is the [[state religion]], and that [[Shari'a]] (Islamic law) is the source of all legislation.


=== [[Mauritania]] ===
=== Mauritania ===


The [[Islamic Republic of Mauritania]] is a country in the [[Maghreb]] region of western [[North Africa]].<ref>{{cite book|publisher=Facts On File, Inc.|title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East|year=2009|page=448|isbn=978-1438126760|quote=The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, situated in western North Africa [...].}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=David|last=Seddon|title=A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East|year=2004|quote=We have, by contrast, chosen to include the predominantly Arabic-speaking countries of western North Africa (the Maghreb), including Mauritania (which is a member of the Arab Maghreb Union) [...].}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Mohamed|last=Branine|title=Managing Across Cultures: Concepts, Policies and Practices|year=2011|page=437|quote=The Magrebian countries or the Arab countries of western North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) [...].}}</ref>  Mauritania was declared an independent state as the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, on November 28, 1960.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web |title=History of Mauritania |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Mauritania/History |website=Britannica |access-date=23 July 2022}}</ref> The Constitutional Charter of 1985 declares Islam as the state religion and [[sharia]] the law of the land.
The [[Islamic Republic of Mauritania]] is a country in the [[Maghreb]] region of western [[North Africa]].<ref>{{cite book|publisher=Facts On File, Inc.|title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East|year=2009|page=448|isbn=978-1438126760|quote=The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, situated in western North Africa [...].}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=David|last=Seddon|title=A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East|year=2004|quote=We have, by contrast, chosen to include the predominantly Arabic-speaking countries of western North Africa (the Maghreb), including Mauritania (which is a member of the Arab Maghreb Union) [...].}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Mohamed|last=Branine|title=Managing Across Cultures: Concepts, Policies and Practices|year=2011|page=437|quote=The Magrebian countries or the Arab countries of western North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) [...].}}</ref>  Mauritania was declared an independent state as the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, on November 28, 1960.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web |title=History of Mauritania |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Mauritania/History |website=Britannica |access-date=23 July 2022}}</ref> The Constitutional Charter of 1985 declares Islam as the state religion and [[sharia]] the law of the land.


=== [[Pakistan]] ===
=== Pakistan ===
[[Pakistan]] was created as a separate state for Indian Muslims in [[British Raj|British India]] in 1947, and followed the parliamentary form of democracy. In 1949, the first [[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]] passed the [[Objectives Resolution]] which envisaged an official role for Islam as the state religion to make sure any future law should not violate its basic teachings. On the whole, the state retained most of the laws that were inherited from the British legal code that had been enforced by the British Raj since the 19th century. In 1956, the elected parliament formally adopted the name Islamic Republic of Pakistan, declaring Islam as the official religion.
[[Pakistan]] was created as a separate state for Indian Muslims in [[British Raj|British India]] in 1947, and followed the parliamentary form of democracy. In 1949, the first [[Constituent Assembly of Pakistan]] passed the [[Objectives Resolution]] which envisaged an official role for Islam as the state religion to make sure any future law should not violate its basic teachings. On the whole, the state retained most of the laws that were inherited from the British legal code that had been enforced by the British Raj since the 19th century. In 1956, the elected parliament formally adopted the name Islamic Republic of Pakistan, declaring Islam as the official religion.


=== [[Afghanistan]] ===
=== Afghanistan ===
After the fall of [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]] (Soviet occupation), Afghanistan has gone through several attempts to set up an Islamic state:
After the fall of [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan]] (Soviet occupation), Afghanistan has gone through several attempts to set up an Islamic state:
*[[Islamic State of Afghanistan]] (1992–2002)
*[[Islamic State of Afghanistan]] (1992–2002)
Line 97: Line 104:
*[[Islamic Republic of Afghanistan]] (2004–2021)
*[[Islamic Republic of Afghanistan]] (2004–2021)
*[[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]] (2021–present)
*[[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]] (2021–present)
=== Syria ===
[[Syria]] was previously ruled by its [[Ba'athist Syria|Ba'athist regime]] from 1963 until 2024 when it [[Fall of the Assad regime|collapsed]]. Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Islamist [[Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham]] (HTS) declared Syria an Islamic state from 2025 which it will govern for five years under its [[2025 Interim Constitution of Syria|temporary constitution]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 March 2025 |title=Syria forms committee to draft constitutional declaration for country's transition |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/syria-forms-committee-to-draft-constitutional-declaration-for-country-s-transition/3498058 |access-date=13 March 2025 |website=Anadolu Agency}}</ref><ref name="CNN20250313">{{Cite news |title=Syrian leader signs constitution that puts the country under an Islamist group's rule for 5 years |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/13/middleeast/syria-constitution-ap-intl/index.html |access-date=13 March 2025 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref name="WP20250313">{{Cite news |date=13 March 2025 |title=Syrian leader signs constitution that puts the country under an Islamist group's rule for 5 years |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/03/13/syria-constitution-assad-alsharaa/be14baa8-000a-11f0-b7a7-d938159de2bc_story.html |access-date=13 March 2025 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==
* {{section link|Theocracy|Islamic theocracies}}
* [[Syed Farid al-Attas]]
* [[Syed Farid al-Attas]]
* [[Central Waqf Council]]
* [[Christian state]]
* [[Former Salafist states in Afghanistan]]
* [[Former Salafist states in Afghanistan]]
* [[Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist]]
* [[Halachic state]] – Jewish state governed by rabbinical law (halakha)
* [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]]
* [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]]
* [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan]]
* [[Islamic Revolutionary State of Afghanistan]]
* [[Islamic Revolutionary State of Afghanistan]]
* [[Islamic State]]
* [[Islamic State of Azawad]] – a former short-lived unrecognised state declared unilaterally in 2012 by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
* [[Islamic State of Azawad]] – a former short-lived unrecognised state declared unilaterally in 2012 by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
* [[Islamic State of Indonesia]] – (Negara Islam Indonesia or Darul Islam), Islamist group in Indonesia that aims for the establishment of an Islamic state of Indonesia (an unrecognised state)
* [[Islamic State of Indonesia]] – (Negara Islam Indonesia or Darul Islam), Islamist group in Indonesia that aims for the establishment of an Islamic state of Indonesia (an unrecognised state)
* [[Islamic State]]
* {{section link|Theocracy|Islamic theocracies}}
* [[Halachic state]] – Jewish state governed by rabbinical law (halakha)
* [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]]
* [[Christian state]]
* [[Christian republic]]
* [[Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist]]
* [[Central Waqf Council]]


== References ==
== References ==
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== Further reading ==
== Further reading ==
* Ankerl, Guy (2000). ''Contemporary Coexisting Civilizations. Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western''. Geneva: INUPress. pp. 5001. {{ISBN|2-88155-004-5}}.
* Ankerl, Guy (2000). ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20200808004453/https://books.google.com/books/about/Coexisting_Contemporary_Civilizations.html?id=hzr4-09oo3MC Contemporary Coexisting Civilizations. Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western]''. Geneva: INUPress. pp. 5001. {{ISBN|2-88155-004-5}}.


== External links ==
== External links ==

Latest revision as of 00:45, 25 March 2026


This article is about the concept of a state based on Islamic law. For the Salafi jihadist organisation, see Islamic State. For other uses, see Islamic state (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Muslim countries, see Muslim world.

Template:Islamism sidebar An Islamic state has a form of government based on sharia. As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world.[1] As a translation of the Arabic term dawlah islāmiyyah (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) it refers to a modern notion associated with political Islam (Islamism).[2][3] Notable historical examples include the first Islamic state in Medina, established by the prophet Muhammad, and the Arab caliphates which continued under his successors, such as the Rashidun and Umayyads.

The concept of the modern Islamic state has been articulated and promoted by ideologues such as Rashid Rida, Mullah Omar, Abul A'la Maududi, Ruhollah Khomeini, Israr Ahmed, Sayyid Qutb, Taqi al-Din al-Nabhani and Hassan al-Banna. Implementation of Islamic law plays an important role in modern theories of the Islamic state, as it did in classical Islamic political theories. However, most of the modern theories also make use of notions that did not exist before the modern era.[1]

Today, many Islamic countries have incorporated Islamic law, wholly or in part, into their legal systems. Certain Muslim states have declared Islam to be their state religion in their constitutions, but do not apply Islamic law in their courts. Islamic states that are not Islamic monarchies are mostly Islamic republics.

Historical Islamic states[edit | edit source]

Majid Khadduri gives six stages of history for the Islamic state:[4]

  1. City-state (622–632)
  2. Imperial (632–c. 750)
  3. Universal (c. 750–c. 900)
  4. Decentralization (c. 900–c. 1500)
  5. Fragmentation (c. 1500–1918)
  6. Nation states (1918–present)

Early Islamic governments[edit | edit source]

Main articles: Caliphate and First Islamic state

The first Islamic state was the political entity established by Muhammad in Medina in 622 CE under the Constitution of Medina. It represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah (nation). It was subsequently transformed into the caliphate by Muhammad's disciples, who were known as the Rightly Guided (Rashidun) Caliphs (632–661 CE). The Islamic State significantly expanded under the Umayyad Caliphate (661–750) and consequently the Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258).

Essence of Islamic governments[edit | edit source]

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The essence or guiding principles of an Islamic government or Islamic state is the concept of al-Shura. Several scholars have different understandings or thoughts, with regard to the concept al-Shura. However, some Muslim scholars are of the opinion that Islamic al-Shura should consist of the following:[5]

  • Meeting or consultation that follows the teachings of Islam.
  • Consultation following the guidelines of the Quran and the Sunnah.
  • There is a leader elected among them to head the meeting.
  • The discussion should be based on mushawarah and mudhakarah.
  • All members are given fair opportunity to voice out their opinions.
  • The issue should be of maslahah ammah or public interest.
  • The voices of the majority are accepted, provided it does not violate the teachings of the Quran or Sunnah.

Muhammad himself respected the decision of the shura members. He is the champion of the notion of al-Shura, and this was illustrated in one of the many historical events, such as in the Battle of Khandaq (Battle of the Trench), where Muhammad was faced with two decisions, i.e. to fight the invading non-Muslim Arab armies outside of Medina or wait until they enter the city. After consultation with the sahabah (companions), it was suggested by Salman al-Farsi that it would be better if the Muslims fought the non-Muslim Arabs within Medina by building a big ditch on the northern periphery of Medina to prevent the enemies from entering Medina. This idea was later supported by the majority of the sahabah, and thereafter Muhammad also approved it.

Muhammad placed great emphasis on agreement about the decision of the shura because the majority opinion (by the sahabah) is better than a decision made by one individual.

Revival and abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate[edit | edit source]

Main article: Ottoman Caliphate

The Ottoman Sultan, Selim I (1512–1520) reclaimed the title of caliph which had been in dispute and asserted by a diversity of rulers and shadow caliphs in the centuries of the Abbasid-Mamluk Caliphate since the Mongols' sacking of Baghdad and the killing of the last Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad, Iraq 1258.

The Ottoman Caliphate as an office of the Ottoman Empire was abolished under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1924 as part of Atatürk's Reforms. This move was most vigorously protested in India, as Mahatma Gandhi and Indian Muslims united behind the symbolism of the Ottoman Caliph in the Khilafat Movement which sought to reinstate the caliph deposed by Atatürk. The movement leveraged the Ottoman resistance against political pressure from Britain to abolish the caliphate, connecting it with Indian nationalism and the movement for independence from British rule. However, the Khilafat found little support from the Muslims of the Middle East themselves who preferred to be independent nation states rather than being under the Ottoman Turkish rule. In the Indian sub-continent, although Gandhi tried to co-opt the Khilafat as a national movement, it soon degenerated into a jihad against non-Muslims, also known as Moplah riots, with thousands being killed in the Malabar region of Kerala.[6]

Modern Islamic state[edit | edit source]

Part of a series on
Nationalism
Development
Core values
Types
Organizations
List of nationalist organizations
Related concepts

Development of the notion of dawla[edit | edit source]

The Arabic word dawla comes from the root d-w-l, meaning "to turn, come around in a cyclical fashion". In the Quran, it is used to refer to the nature of human fortunes, alternating between victory and defeat (3:140). This use led Arab writers to apply the word to succession of dynasties, particularly to the overthrow of the Umayyads of Damascus by the Abbasids.[7] The first Abbasid caliphs themselves spoke of "our dawla" in the sense of "our turn/time of success".[8] As Abbasids maintained their power, the dynastic sense of dawla became conflated with their dynastic rule,[7] and in later times al-Dawla was used across the Islamic world as a honorific title for rulers and high officials.[8]

Like their Christian contemporaries, pre-modern Muslims did not generally conceive of the state as an abstract entity distinct from the individual or group who held political power.[7] The word dawla and its derivatives began to acquire modern connotations in the Ottoman Empire and Iran in the 16th and 17th centuries in the course of diplomatic and commercial exchanges with Europe. During the 19th century, the Arabic dawla and Turkish devlet took on all the aspects of the modern notion of state, while the Persian davlat can mean either state or government.[8]

Development of the Modern Conception of an Islamic State[edit | edit source]

See also: Muhammad Rashid Rida, The Caliphate or the Supreme Imamate (book), Islamic Political Theory of Rashid Rida, and Abul A'la Maududi

According to Pakistani scholar of Islamic history Qamaruddin Khan, the term Islamic state "was never used in the theory or practice of Muslim political science, before the twentieth century".[9][10] Sohail H. Hashmi characterizes dawla Islamiyya as a neologism found in contemporary Islamist writings.[7] Islamic theories of the modern notion of state first emerged as a reaction to the abolition of the Ottoman caliphate in 1924. It was also in this context that the famous dictum that Islam is both a religion and a state (al-Islam din wa dawla) was first popularized.[1]

The modern conception of an Islamic state was first articulated by the Syrian-Egyptian Islamic theologian Muḥammad Rashīd Riḍā (1865–1935). Rashid Rida condemned the 1922 abolition of the Ottoman sultanate, which reduced the khilafa into a purely spiritual authority soon after World War I. In his book al-Khilafa aw al-Imama al-Uzma (The Caliphate or the Supreme Imamate), published in 1922, Rida asserted that the caliphate should have the combined powers of both spiritual and temporal authority. He called for the establishment of an Islamic state led by Arabs, functioning as a khilāfat ḍurūrah (caliphate of necessity) that upholds Sharia and defends its Muslim and non-Muslim subjects.[11]

Another important modern conceptualization of the Islamic state is attributed to Abul A'la Maududi (1903–1979), a Pakistani Muslim theologian who founded the political party Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and inspired other Islamic revolutionaries such as Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.[12] Abul A'la Maududi's early political career was significantly influenced by anti-colonial agitation in India, especially after the tumultuous abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924 stoked anti-British sentiment.[13]

The Islamic state was perceived as a third way between the rival political systems of democracy and socialism, which was also noted by Islamic modernism.[14] Maududi's seminal writings on Islamic economics argued as early as 1941 against free-market capitalism and state intervention in the economy, similar to Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr's 1961 Our Economics. Maududi envisioned the ideal Islamic state as combining the democratic principles of electoral politics with the socialist principles of concern for people with low incomes.[15]

Muslim world today[edit | edit source]

Today, many Muslim countries have incorporated—albeit to varying degrees—Islamic law into their legal systems. Certain Muslim states have declared Islam to be their state religion in their constitutions, but do not apply Islamic law in their courts. Islamic states that are not monarchies are usually called Islamic republics,[16] such as the Islamic republics of Iran,[17] Pakistan, and Mauritania. Pakistan adopted the title under the constitution of 1956; Mauritania adopted it on 28 November 1958; and Iran adopted it after the 1979 Revolution that overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty. The Iranian form of government is known as a Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists. Afghanistan was run as an Islamic state (Islamic State of Afghanistan) in the post-communist era after 1992; it was a de facto Islamic totalitarian state under the Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) in areas controlled by the group from 1996 to its 2001 overthrow. The country was known as the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan between 2004 and 15 August 2021, when a Taliban offensive resulted in a return to Islamic totalitarianism.

Pan-Islamism is a form of Internationalism and anti-nationalism within political Islam which advocates the unification of the Muslim world under a single Islamic state, often described as a caliphate or ummah. The most famous, powerful and aggressive modern pan-Islamic group that pursues the objective of unifying the Muslim world and establishing a worldwide caliphate is the Wahhabi/Salafi jihadist movement Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The Libyan interim Constitutional Declaration as of 3 August 2011 declared Islam to be the official religion of Libya.

Brunei[edit | edit source]

Brunei is an absolute Islamic monarchy. With the constitution in 1959, Islam became the official religion of the country.[18]

Iran[edit | edit source]

Leading up to the Iranian Revolution of 1979, many of the highest-ranking clergy in Shia Islam held to the standard doctrine of the Imamate, which allows political rule only by Muhammad or one of his true successors. They were opposed to creating an Islamic state (see Ayatollah Ha'eri Yazdi (Khomeini's own teacher), Ayatollah Borujerdi, Grand Ayatollah Shariatmadari, and Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei).[19] Contemporary theologians who were once part of the Iranian Revolution also became disenchanted and critical of the unity of religion and state in the Islamic Republic of Iran, are advocating secularization of the state to preserve the purity of the Islamic faith (see Abdolkarim Soroush and Mohsen Kadivar).[20]

Per Supreme leader, Islamic state is the 3rd phase of Iranian Islamic Republic program and is in and of itself part of New Islamic Civilization.[21]

Saudi Arabia[edit | edit source]

Saudi Arabia is an Islamic absolute monarchy. The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia contains many characteristics of what might be called a constitution in other countries. However, the Qur'an and the Sunnah is declared to be the official constitution of the country which is governed on the basis of Islamic law (Shari'a). The Allegiance Council is responsible to determine the new King and the new Crown Prince. All citizens of full age have a right to attend, meet, and petition the king directly through the traditional tribal meeting known as the majlis.[22]

Yemen[edit | edit source]

The Constitution of Yemen declares that Islam is the state religion, and that Shari'a (Islamic law) is the source of all legislation.

Mauritania[edit | edit source]

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb region of western North Africa.[23][24][25] Mauritania was declared an independent state as the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, on November 28, 1960.[26] The Constitutional Charter of 1985 declares Islam as the state religion and sharia the law of the land.

Pakistan[edit | edit source]

Pakistan was created as a separate state for Indian Muslims in British India in 1947, and followed the parliamentary form of democracy. In 1949, the first Constituent Assembly of Pakistan passed the Objectives Resolution which envisaged an official role for Islam as the state religion to make sure any future law should not violate its basic teachings. On the whole, the state retained most of the laws that were inherited from the British legal code that had been enforced by the British Raj since the 19th century. In 1956, the elected parliament formally adopted the name Islamic Republic of Pakistan, declaring Islam as the official religion.

Afghanistan[edit | edit source]

After the fall of Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (Soviet occupation), Afghanistan has gone through several attempts to set up an Islamic state:

Syria[edit | edit source]

Syria was previously ruled by its Ba'athist regime from 1963 until 2024 when it collapsed. Following the fall of the Assad regime, the Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) declared Syria an Islamic state from 2025 which it will govern for five years under its temporary constitution.[27][28][29]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ayubi, Nazih N.; Hashemi, Nader; Qureshi, Emran (2009). "Islamic State". In Esposto, John L. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  2. ↑ Esposito, John L. (2014). "Islamic State". The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2019-04-21. [Islamic State] Modern ideological position associated with political Islam.
  3. ↑ Hashmi, Sohail H. (2004). "Dawla". In Richard C. Martin (ed.). Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. MacMillan Reference. One also finds in contemporary Islamist writings the neologism dawla Islamiyya, or Islamic state.
  4. ↑ Khadduri, Majid (1966). "Translator's Introduction". The Islamic Law of Nations: Shaybani's Siyar. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 19-22.
  5. ↑ Jeong, Chun Hai; Nawi, Nor Fadzlina. (2007). Principles of Public Administration: An Introduction. Kuala Lumpur: Karisma Publications. ISBN 978-983-195-253-5.
  6. ↑ Gail Minault, The Khilafat Movement: Religious Symbolism and Political Mobilization in India (1982).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Hashmi, Sohail H. (2004). "Dawla". In Richard C. Martin (ed.). Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. MacMillan Reference.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Akhavi, Shahrough (2009). "Dawlah". In Esposito, John L. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  9. ↑ Khan, Qamaruddin (1982). Political Concepts in the Quran. Lahore: Islamic Book Foundation. p. 74. The claim that Islam is a harmonious blend of religion and politics is a modern slogan, of which no trace can be found in the past history of Islam. The very term, "Islamic State" was never used in the theory or practice of Muslim political science, before the twentieth century. Also if the first thirty years of Islam were excepted, the historical conduct of Muslim states could hardly be distinguished from that of other states in world history.
  10. ↑ Eickelman, D. F.; Piscatori, J. (1996). Muslim politics. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 53. The Pakistani writer Qamaruddin Khan, for example, has proposed that the political theory of Islam does not arise from the Qur'an but from circumstances and that the state is neither divinely sanctioned nor strictly necessary as a social institution.
  11. ↑ Ayubi, Nazih N.; Hashemi, Nader; Qureshi, Emran (2009). "Islamic State". In Esposto, John L. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021.
  12. ↑ Nasr, S. V. R. (1996). Mawdudi and the Making of Islamic Revivalism. Chapter 4. New York: Oxford University Press.
  13. ↑ Minault, G. (1982). The Khilafat Movement: Religious Symbolism and Political Mobilization in India. New York: Columbia University Press.
  14. ↑ Kurzman, Charles (2002). "Introduction". Modernist Islam 1840-1940: A Sourcebook. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  15. ↑ Khir, B. M. "The Islamic Quest for Sociopolitical Justice". In Cavanaugh, W. T.; Scott, P., eds. (2004). The Blackwell Companion to Political Theology. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 503–518.
  16. ↑ Elliesie, Hatem. "Rule of Law in Islamic Modeled States" Archived 2019-06-10 at the Wayback Machine. In Koetter, Matthias; Shuppert, Gunnar Folke, eds. (2010). Understanding of the Rule of Law in Various Legal Orders of the World: Working Paper Series Nr. 13 of SFB 700: Governance in Limited Areas of Statehood. Berlin.
  17. ↑ Moschtaghi, Ramin. "Rule of Law in Iran" Archived 2019-06-12 at the Wayback Machine. In Koetter, Matthias; Shuppert, Gunnar Folke, eds. (2010). Understanding of the Rule of Law in Various Legal Orders of the World: Working Paper Series Nr. 13 of SFB 700: Governance in Limited Areas of Statehood. Berlin.
  18. ↑ "The golden history of Islam in Brunei | the Brunei Times". Archived from the original on 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  19. ↑ Chehabi, H. E. (Summer 1991). "Religion and Politics In Iran: How Theocratic is the Islamic Republic?" Archived 2020-01-26 at the Wayback Machine Daedalus. 120. (3). pp. 69-91.
  20. ↑ Kurzman, Charles (Winter 2001). "Critics Within: Islamic Scholars' Protest Against the Islamic State in Iran" Archived 2017-08-08 at the Wayback Machine. International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society. 15 (2).
  21. ↑ The Foundations and Indicators of the Islamic State from the Perspective of Majestic Ayatollah Khamenei The State Studies Quarterly Vol 9, No. 33, 2023, pp 195-222.
  22. ↑ Marshall Cavendish (2007). World and Its Peoples: the Arabian Peninsula. Marshall Cavendish. pp. 92–93. ISBN 978-0-7614-7571-2.
  23. ↑ Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East. Facts On File, Inc. 2009. p. 448. ISBN 978-1438126760. The Islamic Republic of Mauritania, situated in western North Africa [...].
  24. ↑ Seddon, David (2004). A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East. We have, by contrast, chosen to include the predominantly Arabic-speaking countries of western North Africa (the Maghreb), including Mauritania (which is a member of the Arab Maghreb Union) [...].
  25. ↑ Branine, Mohamed (2011). Managing Across Cultures: Concepts, Policies and Practices. p. 437. The Magrebian countries or the Arab countries of western North Africa (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) [...].
  26. ↑ "History of Mauritania". Britannica. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  27. ↑ "Syria forms committee to draft constitutional declaration for country's transition". Anadolu Agency. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  28. ↑ "Syrian leader signs constitution that puts the country under an Islamist group's rule for 5 years". CNN. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  29. ↑ "Syrian leader signs constitution that puts the country under an Islamist group's rule for 5 years". The Washington Post. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.

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