مذہب اور ریاست کے تعلق کے عصری مباحث: قرآن حکیم کی روشنی میں تجزیہ
Contemporary Debates on the Relationship between Religion and State: An Analysis in the Light of the Holy Qur’an
Keywords:
Divine sovereignty (hakimiyyah), Islamic political theory, Qur’anic perspective, Religion and state; Religion-state relationship, Shura (consultative governance)Abstract
The relationship between religion and state constitutes a foundational concern in political theory, manifesting diversely across historical and cultural contexts and gaining heightened salience in contemporary scholarship amid competing paradigms of secularism, theocracy, and religious democracy. This study undertakes a systematic, textually grounded analysis of these ongoing debates through the hermeneutical framework of the Holy Qur’an. By critically engaging the political theorizations of classical scholars such as Al-Mawardi and Ibn Khaldun alongside modern intellectuals including Allama Muhammad Iqbal and Maulana Abul Ala Maududi, the research evaluates their conceptualizations in light of pertinent Qur’anic injunctions and the authenticated Prophetic tradition (Sunnah). Findings affirm that Islamic ontology precludes a rigid dichotomy between religion and state, positing instead the absolute sovereignty of Allah (hakimiyyah) while configuring the state as a normative instrument for realizing Shariah-derived imperatives of justice (‘adl), equity, consultative governance (shura), and collective welfare (maslaha). Anchoring its argumentation in the paradigmatic Prophetic polity established in Medina, the paper rigorously contests orientalist bifurcations exemplified in the works of W. Montgomery Watt and Arnold J. Toynbee that artificially segregate the Prophet Muhammad’s (ﷺ) mission into discrete spiritual and political phases. Complementing this critique, an exegetical and historical examination of Qur’anically attested prophetic governance models (notably those associated with Prophets Yusuf, Musa, Yusha, and Talut, peace be upon them) elucidates the indispensable integration of sacred and temporal authority within the Islamic political imaginary. The study concludes by advancing a Qur’anically derived normative framework for contemporary Muslim polities, one that prioritizes justice, inclusivity, and public welfare through contextual ijtihad and institutional reform.
