al-Muslimun fi Bilad al-Ghurba
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- al-Muslimun fi Bilad al-Ghurba
al-Muslimun fi Bilad al-Ghurba (Muslims in Lands of Estrangement) is a contemporary jurisprudence treatise by Amin al-Shaqawi addressing legal rulings and novel issues (nawazil) concerning Muslims living in non-Muslim societies.
Background and Purpose
The treatise was completed in Riyadh on 18 Jumada al-Ula 1436 AH (March 2015 CE). al-Shaqawi wrote the work for Muslims living in non-Muslim countries—whether original native inhabitants or expatriate residents—to guide them regarding practical solutions and Islamic rulings on modern situations they encounter. Intended as a concise introductory handbook rather than an exhaustive compendium, it provides key rulings and directs readers seeking deeper elaboration to larger, specialized studies.
Structure and Contents
The author categorizes the jurisprudential issues facing Muslim minorities under three foundational principles (usul):
- Nationality and residency (al-jinsiyya wa-l-iqama)
- Legal arbitration and claiming rights (al-tahakum wa-istifa' al-huquq)
- Loyalty and disavowal (al-wala' wa-l-bara')
In its initial edition, the book encompasses approximately fifty legal questions distributed across these three headings. In an added first supplement (al-Mulhaq al-Awwal), the author incorporated thirty additional questions, citing legal verdicts (fatwas) from senior scholars on general rulings, and concluded with guidance issued by the Saudi Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta directed at young Muslims living abroad.
Methodology and Sources
al-Shaqawi grounds his analysis on scriptural texts, general legal maxims (al-qawa'id al-shar'iyya), and the precise examination of factual circumstances (tasawwur al-waqa'i'), taking into account that legal verdicts may vary according to differing individual conditions and contexts. In formulating and referencing his discussions, he relies on established juristic rulings and draws notably upon the doctoral dissertation of Muhammad Yusri on the jurisprudence of Muslim minorities (Fiqh al-Nawazil li-l-Aqalliyyat al-Muslima), commending its scholarly grounding and adherence to the methodology of the early generations (al-salaf).
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