al-Islam Din Kamil - ضمن «Muhadarat al-Shinqiti»
- Author died
- 1393 AH
- Editions
- Dār ‘Aṭā’āt al-‘Ilm
al-Islam Din Kamil (Islam is a Complete Religion) is a famous lecture and treatise by the Mauritanian scholar Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti (1325–1393 AH / 1907–1974 CE), in which he expounds the comprehensiveness and sufficiency of the Islamic faith based on the Quran .
Background and Context
The lecture was originally delivered inside the Prophet's Mosque (al-Masjid al-Nabawi) in Medina during the visit of King Muhammad V of Morocco to Saudi Arabia in 1378 AH . At the king's request for a discourse on the perfection of Islam, al-Shinqiti delivered this address, which he later committed to writing for publication at the request of his peers and students .
Content and Structure
The treatise takes as its foundational text the verse revealed on the Day of Arafah during the Farewell Pilgrimage: الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا ("This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as your religion") [al-Ma'idah: 3] . Al-Shinqiti argues that the verse is an explicit proof that Islam leaves no matter needed by humanity in this worldly life or the hereafter without clarifying and addressing it .
To demonstrate this universal scope, al-Shinqiti outlines the Quranic treatment of ten major foundational issues on which worldly and otherworldly affairs revolve :
- Monotheism (al-Tawhid): Delineated into God's lordship (rububiyyah), worship (uluhiyyah), and divine names and attributes (al-asma' wa-l-sifat) .
- Moral admonition (al-Wa'z): Centered on the constant consciousness of God's watchful oversight and knowledge over all secret and open deeds .
- Distinguishing righteous deeds from invalid ones (al-Farq bayn al-'amal al-salih wa-ghayrih) .
- Governance and arbitration by other than divine revelation (Tahkim ghayr al-shar' al-karim) .
- Social and interpersonal relations within society (Ahwal al-ijtima' bayn al-mujtama') .
- Economics (al-Iqtisad) .
- Politics and statecraft (al-Siyasah) .
- The problem of the dominance of non-Muslims over Muslims (Taslit al-kuffar 'ala al-Muslimin) .
- The disparity in material numbers and equipment when confronting adversaries (Du'f al-Muslimin 'an muqawamat al-kuffar fi al-'adad wa-l-'udad) .
- The discord and disunity of hearts among the community (Ikhtilaf al-qulub bayn al-mujtama') .
For each of these challenges, the author provides solutions and remedial principles drawn directly from the Quran .
Publication and Circulation
The work has been printed independently in several editions, including by Dar al-Madani in Jeddah . It was subsequently included as the opening text in al-Muhadarat (a compilation of al-Shinqiti's formal lectures and treatises), published within the collected works project Athar al-Shaykh al-'Allamah Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti under the general supervision of Bakr Abu Zayd .
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