Islam and the Foundations of Political Power.

• Author: Hasanoglu, Kayhan Ali
• Position: Book review

Islam and the Foundations of Political Power

By Ali Abdel Razek, translated by Mayram Loutfi, edited by Abdou Filali-Ansary

Edinburg: Edinburg University Press, 2012, 131 pages, $89.95, ISBN: 9780748639786.

Ali Abdel Razeks short treatise al-Islam wa-'usul al-hukm, originally published in Egypt, in 1925, contributed to a debate that still remains at the heart of political discourse in the Islamic world. The subject, essentially, the doctrinal status of politics in Islam, was all the more pertinent given the abolishment of the caliphate by Kemal Ataturk the preceding year; and with it an institution that had remained in existence since death of the Prophet, thirteen centuries previous. Given a new and contentious attempt to resurrect the caliphate in the Middle East, the work is especially relevant again today.

Islam and the Foundations of Political Power comes as the second instalment of the "In Translation" series of Edinburgh University Press, "Modern Muslim Thinkers," edited by Abdou Filali-Ansary and published in association with The Aga Khan University. The clarity and charm of the English indicates the stylistic success of the translators, Maryam Loutfi and Aziz Esmail, who worked with the aid of the editor. The precise influence of a-lIslam is a matter of contention, but the work is undoubtedly amongst the most important of the early twentieth century for Islamic political thought, making this translation, the first into English, an important work.

The book represents a systematic and traditional scholarly work attacking the old and commonly held belief that the establishment and maintenance of the caliphate is part of a religious creed. Unfortunately for the author, the provocative and novel nature of the work did not go ignored, and very quickly unfavorable responses appeared from other scholars ('ulama) on behalf of Sunni orthodoxy. Almost just as swiftly, Abdel Rezak was called before an al-Azhar disciplinary committee, had his title of 'alim revoked, and was barred from working in education and the judiciary.

The introduction neatly describes the political context of Egypt at the time and the currents Abdel Razek was working against, making it clear that the government had a hand in his harsh treatment. There is also a short tribute from the author's grandson, which delivers a personal account of the author's religious sincerity and repudiates some of the cruder objections made towards him.

The book is made up of nine chapters...