In Islamic legal theory, failure in implementation does not negate obligation. One does not abandon prayer because some pray without concentration, nor fasting because it is done without reflection. Similarly, the appointment of a Caliph is not annulled by the misconduct of rulers.
The socio-economic conditions cited as priorities are not natural disasters, but consequences of flawed political systems. Capitalist structures exacerbate inequality; nation-state borders fragment Muslim unity and obstruct coordinated development; education systems inculcate secular epistemologies detached from the Islamic worldview. These are structural issues that no amount of charity or individual activism can resolve within the current paradigms.
The hadith stating that “the Caliphate after me will last thirty years” is a descriptive prophecy about the era of Prophetic-model Caliphate, not a prescriptive limitation on the Islamic obligation of political unity and leadership. The idea that Islam abandoned the concept of Caliphate after thirty years has no basis in classical jurisprudence, historical practice, or theological reasoning.
To say “we are safe, so we do not need the caliphate” is to confuse the individual's luxury with the community’s duty. It is to claim sufficiency in fragments of the deen, while neglecting its collective expression and divine mandate. It is also complacency and a failure to recognise that their individual circumstances may be in relative comfort due to the space afforded to them by a kufr regime and ideology today, that can be easily taken away tomorrow – leaving them with no recourse to anyone to stand up for them on the basis of Islam either.
Arguing that the West won't allow the emergence of a Caliphate is not a fiqhī evaluation, but a surrender to the dominant international order - a worldview that elevates the invincibility of global hegemons above the command of the Creator. Such a posture is not realism, but rather despair and cowardice masquerading as maturity.
The essay by Reza Pankhurst explores the decline of the caliphate up until its formal abolition in 1924, highlighting its transformation from a powerful institution to a mere symbolic figurehead. The caliphate originally served as a centralized political authority in Islam but became hereditary over time. Pankhurst discusses the historical and theoretical frameworks surrounding the caliphate, including differing views on its selection, authority, and legitimacy. The analysis reveals the complex evolution of Islamic political theory regarding governance, reflecting waning popular involvement in leadership selection and advocating for a potentially reformed model grounded in the original principles of shared authority among Muslims.
Dr Reza Pankhurst critiques the podcast with Dr. Yasir Qadhi, arguing that real change for the Muslim ummah cannot come from within the current world order, which serves Western interests. The establishment of an Islamic state (Khilafa) is deemed crucial for defending and uniting Muslims, contrasting YQ's view of it as a low-priority, idealistic goal.
Rebellion and Islam - when the appointment of the Islamic rulers became akin to a hereditary process, was rebellion the natural outcome? And did restricting rebellion restrict the choice of the umma?
تقديم الصدقات والعمل لزيادة الوعي على الجرائم الصهيونية - هذه كلها أفعال يجب أن نقوم بها في هذا الوقت للمساعدة في التخفيف الفوري للأزمة بأي وسيلة فعالة. ولكن هذه كلها ليست كافية
The ongoing oppression of Muslims worldwide, particularly in Gaza, requires urgent action beyond temporary solutions. True liberation necessitates rejecting nationalism for a unified Islamic polity.