❖ Intellectual Conflict Between the Islamic State and Modern Social Sciences ❖
The Islamic State carries two essential responsibilities:
① Issuance of Rulings (Policy Formulation)
② Implementation of Rulings (Practical Enforcement)
The process of issuing rulings is fundamentally divided into two types:
On the other hand, a structural or institutional system is established for the implementation of rulings. This structure may vary according to circumstances, as Islamic law does not place the same emphasis on its form as it does on the issuance of rulings.
The essential element of the Islamic State is the dominance of Kalam and Fiqh in the process of issuing rulings. Merely issuing rulings is not sufficient—their implementation is equally necessary.
⚠ If there is a deficiency in implementation, it is not deemed individual disbelief (kufr), but neglecting the issuance of rulings equates to dismantling the very foundation of the Caliphate.
In this context, we can affirm that the system of the Caliphate continued—at some level—from the time of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (رضي الله عنه) to the fall of the Ottoman Empire, because during this entire period, Kalam and Fiqh were never separated from the process of issuing rulings.
In the modern secular state, social sciences have replaced Kalam and Fiqh in the process of issuing rulings.
This divergence between the issuance and implementation of rulings became a critical issue for Muslims when European colonial powers seized state authority from them across various regions.
After gaining independence from colonial rule, new political systems were imposed upon Muslims, including constitutions, democracies, and other institutional frameworks.
In Pakistan’s constitution, Islamic clauses were added, such as:
“No law shall be enacted that is repugnant to the Qur'an and Sunnah.”
However, the pressing question is:
Do these clauses guarantee that every law will be framed in the light of the Qur'an and Sunnah?
Social sciences are founded on the notion that just as physical laws are discovered through scientific methods, so too can the principles of human behavior and social systems be determined scientifically.
They propose that the ideal society should be built not on the foundation of religion, but on the principles of human freedom.
In modern secular states, social sciences occupy the same status that Kalam and Fiqh hold in the Islamic State.
As the influence of social sciences increases in policy-making, the relevance and authority of Islamic rulings and jurisprudence gradually diminish.
The ideal society envisioned by social sciences never existed even in the 18th or 19th centuries.
Their primary objective was for the state to mold its society according to these prescribed ideologies.
A state founded on the basis of social sciences can never be considered an Islamic state, because social sciences were not formulated to fulfill the objectives of the Shari’ah.
Sadly, we are now shaping the minds of our younger generations based on the very knowledge system that was erected to replace Kalam and Fiqh—and we remain oblivious to this reality.
◈ Islamic State: Issuance and Implementation of Rulings
The Islamic State carries two essential responsibilities:
① Issuance of Rulings (Policy Formulation)
② Implementation of Rulings (Practical Enforcement)
➊ Issuance of Rulings
The process of issuing rulings is fundamentally divided into two types:
- Rulings regarding beliefs are referred to as "Kalam" (Islamic Theology).
- Rulings regarding actions are referred to as "Fiqh" (Islamic Jurisprudence).
➋ Implementation of Rulings
On the other hand, a structural or institutional system is established for the implementation of rulings. This structure may vary according to circumstances, as Islamic law does not place the same emphasis on its form as it does on the issuance of rulings.
The essential element of the Islamic State is the dominance of Kalam and Fiqh in the process of issuing rulings. Merely issuing rulings is not sufficient—their implementation is equally necessary.
⚠ If there is a deficiency in implementation, it is not deemed individual disbelief (kufr), but neglecting the issuance of rulings equates to dismantling the very foundation of the Caliphate.
✔ Continuity of the Islamic State
In this context, we can affirm that the system of the Caliphate continued—at some level—from the time of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (رضي الله عنه) to the fall of the Ottoman Empire, because during this entire period, Kalam and Fiqh were never separated from the process of issuing rulings.
✿ Modern Secular State and Social Sciences
In the modern secular state, social sciences have replaced Kalam and Fiqh in the process of issuing rulings.
This divergence between the issuance and implementation of rulings became a critical issue for Muslims when European colonial powers seized state authority from them across various regions.
After gaining independence from colonial rule, new political systems were imposed upon Muslims, including constitutions, democracies, and other institutional frameworks.
❀ The Case of Pakistan
In Pakistan’s constitution, Islamic clauses were added, such as:
“No law shall be enacted that is repugnant to the Qur'an and Sunnah.”
However, the pressing question is:
Do these clauses guarantee that every law will be framed in the light of the Qur'an and Sunnah?◉ Nature and Impact of Social Sciences
Social sciences are founded on the notion that just as physical laws are discovered through scientific methods, so too can the principles of human behavior and social systems be determined scientifically.
They propose that the ideal society should be built not on the foundation of religion, but on the principles of human freedom.
In modern secular states, social sciences occupy the same status that Kalam and Fiqh hold in the Islamic State.
⚠ The Decline of Kalam and Fiqh
As the influence of social sciences increases in policy-making, the relevance and authority of Islamic rulings and jurisprudence gradually diminish.
The ideal society envisioned by social sciences never existed even in the 18th or 19th centuries.
Their primary objective was for the state to mold its society according to these prescribed ideologies.
✖ Incompatibility of Social Sciences with the Islamic State
A state founded on the basis of social sciences can never be considered an Islamic state, because social sciences were not formulated to fulfill the objectives of the Shari’ah.
A Tragic Reality
Sadly, we are now shaping the minds of our younger generations based on the very knowledge system that was erected to replace Kalam and Fiqh—and we remain oblivious to this reality.
