al-Mujtama wal-Usra fi al-Islam
- Author died
- 1433 AH
- Editions
- Dār ‘Ālam al-Kutub li-l-Ṭibā‘ah wa-l-Nashr wa-l-Tawzī‘
al-Mujtama wal-Usra fi al-Islam (Society and the Family in Islam) is a study by the Tunisian scholar Muhammad Tahir al-Jawabi (d. 1433 AH / 2012 CE) examining the foundational principles, institutions, and legal rulings governing social and familial life in Islam .
Background and Purpose
The work developed out of al-Jawabi's experience teaching the course "Islam and the Building of Society" to students across multiple faculties at King Saud University in Riyadh, including the colleges of administrative sciences, arts, sciences, education, medicine, engineering, and agriculture . Al-Jawabi composed the book to articulate the unchanging foundations of Islamic society and address emerging contemporary issues, particularly in response to rapid global intellectual shifts transmitted through modern mass media that directly affect Muslim households .
Structure and Contents
The book is organized into two primary sections :
- Part One: The Muslim Society (al-Mujtama al-Muslim): This section defines human society, distinguishes it from the state, and outlines the five foundational pillars of an Islamic society: the human individual, social ties, shared interests and objectives, land, and the adoption of Islam as both a creed and a way of life . It reviews the historical emergence of Islamic society through the Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ upbringing of the Companions in Mecca and the subsequent establishment of the community in Medina . It details the core elements of Islamic upbringing—monotheism (tawhid), worship, ethics, legal compliance, enjoining good and forbidding evil, seeking knowledge, and productive labor—while clarifying the preventive purpose of Islamic penal legislation . It also examines mechanisms for reinforcing communal solidarity (such as congregational prayers, greetings, visitation, neighborly obligations, and the collective payment of blood money by the aqila) and addresses societal vices, including narcotics and bribery, before concluding with the defining characteristics of Muslim society .
- Part Two: The Family in Islam (al-Usra fi al-Islam): This section treats the family as the primary cell of society and discusses the conditions necessary for its educational role . It concentrates on marriage as the core institution of the family, covering its legal status, objectives, and associated rulings . Al-Jawabi outlines spousal rights and obligations, emphasizing women's legal prerogatives in Islam, including choice and consent in marriage, fair treatment, financial support (nafaqa), judicial divorce for mistreatment, and dissolution through khul' .
Publication History
The first edition was published in 1418 AH (1997 CE) by Dar Alam al-Kutub in Riyadh, following a preface dated Rabi al-Thani 1417 AH (December 1996 CE) . A second edition followed in 1419 AH (1999 CE) through the same publisher . A third, expanded and revised edition was published in 1420–1421 AH (1999–2000 CE), incorporating textual corrections, the trimming of peripheral sub-issues, and expanded explanations and section headings .
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