Kwara State University
Abdus-Sami'i Arikewuyo
Designation: Associate Professor
Department: Religions, History and Heritage Studies
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| S/N | Title | Abstract | Authors | Volume Numbers | Publication Type | Publication Date | Link | |
| 1 | AN EXAMINATION OF THE CONCEPT OF STATE AND SOVEREIGNTY IN ISLAM: THE QUR’ANIC PERSPECTIVE |
The Glorious Qur’an is a divine book which contains comprehensive guide for the Muslims in all aspects of human life in order to attain prosperity in this world and salvation in the hereafter. State and sovereignty are basic components of polity. Polity is obviously one of the major endeavours of life that attracts either prosperity or ruin for man and the society in which he lives. There abound historical accounts on polity and sovereignty in the human society but most often a number of such stories, for example the Greek and Roman empires, end up in perdition. For man to establish purity on earth as required in an ideal state, it is imperative to factor the teachings of the Qur’an into polity with regards to the institution of leadership, political structure and establishment of an egalitarian and God fearing society. Considering these as inevitable ingredients for political survival, prosperity and salvation, the paper examines the Qur’anic concept of state and sovereignty with a view to identifying its provisions on foundation of state, sovereignty, political ideology and the principles governing the ruler(s) and the ruled. Findings from the study revealed that sovereignty and dominionship belong absolutely to Allah while man is only His vicegerent and trustee in positions of leadership. Hence, the need to checkmate the excesses of the latter as fulfilled by the Qur’an. The research work adopts both the exegetical and analytical methods. Conclusively, the paper recognized the Qur’an as a source for the most infallible and sustainable political theory which guarantees the survival of all members of the ’Ummah (Muslim Community) irrespective of race, colour, status and generation and therefore recommends holding fast unto it. Keywords: State, Sovereignty, Dominionship, Qur’an, Polity | Ad-Dirayah International Journal of Islamic Studies Vol. 5 No. 5 Department of Islamic Studies Nasarawa State University, Nasarawa | |||||