Reforming political Islam: a critical reading of Aḥmad al-Raysūnī’s perspectives

• Main Authors: Mohamed Fouz, Mohamed Zacky, Moniruzzaman, Md.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: IIUM Press 2021
• Subjects: JC Political theory; JC49 Islam and Politics
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/90370/7/90370_Reforming%20political%20Islam%20a%20critical%20reading%20of%20A%E1%B8%A5mad%20al-Rays%C5%ABn%C4%AB%E2%80%99s%20perspectives.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/90370/; https://journals.iium.edu.my/irkh/index.php/ijrcs/article/view/185/78

This paper critically analyses how Aḥmad al-Raysūnī employs the maqāṣid approach in reforming the concept of ‘Islamic State’ of Political Islam. Al-Raysūnī argues that the concept of Islamic State has many conceptual lapses which threaten the foundations of the Islamic world view. He further suggests that those conceptual issues can be overcome by developing a new understanding on the state and its role based on the maqāṣid approach. However, this paper notes that the perspectives of al-Raysūnī did not produce a holistic critique on the foundations of the theory of Islamic state as such. It is because the maqāṣid approach and its constituent elements such as maṣlaḥa and mafsada, wasīla and maʾālāt, which al-Raysūnī uses as his analytical framework, do not cover the analytical depth required to study modern political concepts such as state, law, and sovereignty that are rooted in highly philosophical arguments. Hence, this paper highlights the need for developing a new analytical model that can help to build critical Islamic perspectives while taking foundational, conceptual and philosophical considerations of modern socio-political concepts into account.