4th International Student Conference

in Islamic Studies (ICSIS)

Shari'a or Law: the Crisis of

Modern Islamic Movements in
the Age of Globalization

Mowafg Masuwd
Zawia University, Libya
masuwd@zu.edu.ly
+218925412490
 Introduction

Globalization is interaction or exchange

– Culture
– Education
– Politics
– Economy
– Religion
• Legal interaction
 Shari'a ‫الشريعة اإلسالمية‬

• a set of rules revealed by Allah

• Some fixed (unchangeable / no ijtihad)
• Other rules are flexible (depends on
ijtihad and qiyās)
• Enforced by governments, ulama and
every common Muslim
• Universal rules
 Law

• The law is subject to change (flexible)

• Changes made by people
• Depends on time and location
• Enforced by governments only
• Applied to all equally
• Negotiable
 Shari'a or Law

In Education
– Faculty of Shari'a ‫كلية الشريعة‬
– Faculty of Law ‫كلية القانون‬
– Faculty of Shari'a and Law ‫كلية الشريعة و القانون‬
In Court
– Islamic Court ‫المحكمة الشرعية‬
– Civil Courts ‫المحكمة المدنية‬
– Shari'a Judge ‫القاضي الشرعي‬
– Judge ‫القاضي‬
Khilafa State / National State

Theme Khilafa State National state

The head Khalifa President, king, etc.
Citizens Unequal Equal
Boarders Open Closed
Source of Al Qur’an and People
law/Shari'a (Sunna)
 The Crisis
Shari'a is very limited if
applied to modern
national state

Crisis

Shari'a is applicable to
khilafa state only
 Modern Movements and
Organizations
• The fall of Ottoman Caliphate 1922
• National identity vs. Muslim identity
• Unity of Muslims
– Muhammadiyah 1912

– Nahdlatul Ulama 1926

 Law, Shari'a &
Globalization

• Is it accepted to accept and follow laws

which contradicts the Shari'a ?

The consequences if the answer is YES

 ‫‪Traditional Views‬‬
‫• ابن حزم األندلسي‪:‬‬
‫(ال خالف بين اثنين من المسلمين ‪ ...‬أن من حكم بحكم اإلنجيل مما لم‬
‫ت بالنص عليه وحي في شريعة اإلسالم فإنه كافر مشرك خارج عن‬ ‫يأ ِ‬
‫اإلسالم) اإلحكام في أصول األحكام‬
‫‪Gospel = kafir and mushrik, outside Islam‬‬
‫• ابن تيمية‪:‬‬
‫(ن ُ َ‬
‫س ُخ هذه التوراة مبدلة ال يجوز العمل بما فيها‪ ،‬ومن عمل اليوم‬
‫بشرائعها المب َّدلة والمنسوخة فهو كافر) مجموع الفتاوى‪.‬‬
‫‪Torah = kafir‬‬
 Ibn Kathīr

‫َو َم ْن لَ ْم يَحْ ُك ْم ِب َما أَنز َل ه‬

َ ‫َّللاُ فَأُولَئِ َك ُه ُم ا ْلكَافِ ُر‬
‫ون‬
Whoso judgeth not by that which
Allah hath revealed: such are
disbelievers. 44
َ ‫ظا ِل ُم‬
‫ون‬ ‫َو َم ْن لَ ْم يَحْ ُك ْم ِب َما أَنز َل ه‬
‫َّللاُ فَأُولَ ِئ َك ُه ُم ال ه‬
Whoso judgeth not by that which
Allah hath revealed: such are
wrong-doers. 45
َ ُ‫سق‬
‫ون‬ ‫َو َم ْن لَ ْم يَحْ ُك ْم ِب َما أَنز َل ه‬
ِ ‫َّللاُ فَأُولَئِ َك ُه ُم ا ْلفَا‬
Whoso judgeth not by that which
Allah hath revealed: such are evil-
livers.47
 Ibn Kathīr

To use Shari'a mixed with

human made rules = kafir
To follow the law of the
torah or gospel = kafir

What about human made

laws?
 Modern Views

• Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al

ash-Sheikh (1893–1969)
• The Grand Mufti of Saudi
Arabia,
• Two important fatwa
against the law
Is it obligatory (wajib) to
make a hijra from Islamic
countries which ruled by
law?
The country which ruled
by law is not a land of
Islam and the hijra is an
obligation (wajib) p. 188
 FINAL QUESTION

• In the age of
globalization, how
Muslims can face the
challenges of the
national state which
adopts the law ?
 CONCLUSION

• In depth reading of sacred scriptures

• Inner-religious dialogue before inter-
religious dialogue
• Hermeneutics, tafsir and fiqh
• Hadith criticism
• Contextual understanding of fatwa
• Education: the necessary religious
knowledge ‫المعلوم من الدين بالضرورة‬