Islamism and the Islamic Caliphate in Israr Ahmed’s Thoughts

Document Type : Scholary

Authors

Assistant Professor, Department of History, Faculty of Humanities, Arak University, Arak, Iran

Abstract

With the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate, the idea of reviving the Islamic caliphate spread from the east to the west of the Islamic world. It was as if the Sunnīs, who had not experienced the world without a caliph before, were astonished and each of them formulated the idea of the caliphate in the Islamic world. As a well-known Pakistani writer, Israr Ahmed is one of the most important theorists in this field in the eastern part of the Islamic world. His thought was a reflection of the three streams of thought that started from Azad, Iqbal, and Maududi, showing its influence in a period and under its socio-political conditions. In the present article, the main issue is to introduce the ideas of Islamism and the Islamic Caliphate as well as the intellectual transformation of Israr Ahmed in a chronological manner and historical context and to explain his political thought in this field. According to the historical-analytical method, Israr Ahmed first followed Azad’s thoughts in the idea of returning to the Qur’ān and the idea of Iqbal's intellectual reform. To do so, he established Markazi Anjuman for Khuddam-ul-Quran in 1972 and publicized it in his writings. Next, the effects of the revolutionary thoughts of Maududi and the reforming views of Iqbal manifested themselves in his views. He then established Tanzeem-e-Islami in 1975 and Tahreek-al-Khilafah in 1991, returning to Azad’s views and Maududi’s Islamic Revolution in order to realize an overarching revolution as well as the caliphate system. The latter stage in his political theory was a combination of traditional Sunnī views on the caliphate system and modern western governance.

Keywords

References

‘Abdurrazzāq, A, (1925), Al-Islam wa Uṣūl al-Ḥikam Baḥth fī al-Khilāfa wa al- Ḥukūma fī  Islām. Dār al-Hilāl.
Ahmed, I. (1975), The Call of Tanzeem-e-Islami. Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-Ul-Qur’ān.
Ahmed, I. (2002), Rise and decline of the Muslim ummah, with a comparison to Jewish history and a brief survey of the present efforts towards the resurgence of Islam. English translation by Dr. S. Ansari, Lahore, Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-Ul-Qur’ān.
Ahmed, I. (2006), Caliphate in Pakistan, what, why & how? A collection of two articles written by: Dr. Israr Ahmed. Lahore, Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-Ul-Qur’ān.
Ahmed, I. (2011), Islamic renaissance: The real task ahead. Translated by A. Afzaal. Published by Islamic Organization of North holder.
Ahmed, I. (2006), Bai’yah, the basis for organization of a revivalist party in Islam. Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-Ul-Qur’ān.
Ahmed, M., Reetz, D., Johnson, T. H. (2010), Who speaks for Islam? Muslim grassroots leaders and popular preachers in South Asia. The National Bureau of Asian Research (Nbr), Nbr Special Report #22.
Ahmed, sh. (1993), Dr. Israr Ahmed’s political and activities [Master’s thesis]. Institute of Islamic Studies, MCGill University, Montreal.
Badi’, B. (1998). “Protest and political reconstruction in the Islamic world.” Translated by A. Naghibzade, Hukumat-e Eslami, Vol. 3. No. 4, ….
Ḥazratī, H., & A. Qādirī (2010),“The Political thought of Hezb al-Tahrir (Eltehrir party).” Journal of History Researches(new edition), Vol. 2, No. 7, ...
Howenstein, N. (2008), The jihādi terrain in Pakistan: An introduction to the Sunnī jihādi groups in Pakistan and Kashmir. Pakistan Security Research Unit (PSRU), Research Report 1, Department of Peace Studies, University of Bradford.
Iqbal, M. (1930). The reconstruction of religious thought in Islam. Translated by A. Ārām, Kānūn-i Nashr-i Pazhūheshhāy-i Islāmī, Nashr-i Risālat-i Ghalam.
Nūri, M. (1997). “Negārishhā wa Girāyishha-yi siyāsī-yi Tawfīq al-Shāwī.” Hukumat-e Eslami. Vol. 2, No. 1, …
Parray, T. A. (2011), “‘Allāma Iqbal on Islam- Democracy Discourse: An Analysis of his Views on Compatibility and Incompatibility.” Islam and Muslim Societies- a social science journal, Vol. 4, No. 2, …
Rashīd-Riḍā, M. (1934). Al-Caliphate. Cairo, Maṭba'at al-Manār bi-Miṣr, p. 57-65.
Classical and Contemporary Islamic Studies (formerly known as Journal of Contemporary Islamic Studies)
Volume 3, Issue 2
Summer & Autumn
July 2021
Pages 231-244

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics