Islam and the Foundations of Political Power

Research output

Complete citation

Poljarevic, Emin. Review of Islam and the Foundations of Political Power, by Ali Abdel Razek, translated by Maryam Loutfy and edited by Abdou Filali-Ansary. Religious Studies Review 42, no. 2 (2016): 129. https://doi.org/10.1111/rsr.12484.

Status

Published (2016)

Publication type

Scholarly book review

Overview

This review revisits Ali Abdel Razek’s controversial 1925 argument that Islam does not impose the caliphate as a religious obligation. It explains how Abdel Razek, himself a trained religious scholar, used the Qurʾan, Prophetic traditions, and a revision of formative Sunni history to challenge the established connection between religious jurisprudence and political sovereignty. The review situates the book within the abolition of the Ottoman caliphate, European colonialism, and the authority of al-Azhar, whose scholars strongly opposed its conclusions. It assesses the modern translation as an important entry into an enduring intra-Muslim debate over scripture, history, and political legitimacy. The review’s contribution is to show why the text remains valuable not simply as a secularist manifesto but as a historically situated act of Islamic interpretive argument.

Research question or central concern

Why did Abdel Razek’s rejection of the caliphate as a religious requirement provoke such controversy, and why does the argument remain significant?

Main argument, approach, and contribution

The review reads the book as both historical document and internal reinterpretation of Islamic sources. It argues that Abdel Razek’s importance lies in contesting a dominant Sunni political narrative through the tradition’s own textual materials. The review highlights the work’s continuing relevance for debates about political authority, jurisprudence, and the Islamic state.

Keywords

Ali Abdel Razek; caliphate; Islamic political thought; al-Azhar; secularism; political authority; interpretation