Islamic Perspectives on Citizenship and Statehood
The title is a chapter in the book “Islam Beyond Conflict” by N.A. Fadhil Lubis. The abstract of the chapter was published on Taylor & Francis eBooks’ website. The following is an excerpt of its abstract.[1]
Islamic and Western traditions on citizenship
It is now widely agreed that comparative studies of Islamic and Western traditions on citizenship may help to bridge the differences between us. However, some key concepts need to be clarified before a fruitful dialogue can start.
Objective of the article
My discussion in this chapter is from the perspective of the Sunni tradition, and I draw on the chief judge and influential figure of the late Abbasid dynasty, al-Mawardi, in particular for my exposition. The substance of my argument is that the four classical sources of Islamic law, namely the prophetic traditions (the Qur’an, the Sunnah), consensus (Ijma’), and analogical reasoning (qiyas) provide indications from which an Islamic account of citizenship can be constructed.
Method of the study
Apart from traditional materials pertaining to membership of a community, however, critical use can also be made of positive regulative frameworks clarifying the relationship between citizenship and the state.