Towards an Islamic Theory of International Relations: New Directions for Methodology and Thought

AbdulHamid AbuSulayman · ʻAbdulḤamīd Abū Sulaymān

Jan 1993 · Islamization of Knowledge Series Book 1 · International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

About this ebook

Recent events have demonstrated that one of the most important fields of study in this century is world order. The contribution of this book to this field is that it attempts to lay the intellectual foundations for a reconsideration of what constitutes a truly Islamic world order. Perhaps the words of the late Professor Ismail al-Faruqi, in his scholarly introduction to this work, best describes the landmarks of such an order; "The world order of Islam would confer upon every person by virtue of birth and humanity, the ultimate right and honor, namely, the capacity to think and make up one's mind as to which millah one wishes to belong and hence, by which law one desires to order one's life and that of one's dependents."In dealing with his subject, the author has had to return to the sources of Islam, the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and develop a methodology for dealing with them in a creative and practicable manner. In doing so, he examines the methodology developed by the early generations of Muslim scholars and finds it limited by its legalistic approach. Thus, much of the value of his work lies in its discussion of methodology and in the social sciences in general, by means of methodology developed from a purely Islamic perspective.Originally submitted as a doctoral dissertation, and then revised for its publication in 1987 as "The Islamic Theory of International Relations", this edition, retitled "Towards an Islamic Theory of International Relations", has undergone serious editorial revision, and may now be seen to convey the author's pioneering ideas in a way that befits their importance.

About the author

AbdulHamid AbuSulayman is President of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) USA; President of the Child Development Foundation, USA; and former Rector of the International Islamic University, Malaysia. He is also the author of numerous works including: The Islamic Theory of International Relations: New Directions for Islamic Methodology and Thought (1987); Crisis in the Muslim Mind (1987); Marital Discord: Recapturing the Full Islamic Spirit of Human Dignity (2003); Revitalizing Higher Education in the Muslim World (2007) as well as several books and papers in Arabic. AbuSulayman has also delivered numerous papers and lectures and has been instrumental in organizing many international symposia, conferences and seminars. (2011).