وظيفة الأمة وسؤال الشرعية دراسة في الدلالات النصية للقرآن والحديث

The function of the nation and the question of legitimacy A study in the textual semantics of the Qur’an and Hadith

Abstract

This paper discusses the function of Umma as it can be extracted from the Qur'anic significance and the conditional relationship between fulfilling its functional requirements and its entitlement to legitimacy. The hypothesis adopted by this paper is that religion in its specific meaning in the Islamic faith is the basis for the formation of the nation. This means that the nation, in its Islamic concept, is a social entity whose members unite on the basis of the belief that unites them, and defines their function and the purpose of their existence. Under this connection between religion and the formation of the nation on the one hand, and its function on the other hand, any disconnection of the nation from religion, or a breach of its function, necessarily makes it lose the legitimacy of its existence. Based on this hypothesis, this paper discusses the following question: Based on the indications of the Qur’anic texts mentioned in this context, is it really envisaged that the Islamic nation will abandon its religious reference and its legitimacy will be questioned? This question is very problematic and complex, as it attempts to discuss and explain the gap between the normative descriptions of the nation as spoken of in the Qur’an, and the reality of the civilizational setback experienced by Islamic societies in their current situation. The approach adopted by this paper in answering this problem revolves around analyzing the textual indications related to the indicators of the civilizational fall of the nation, the size of this fall and the breadth of its base, and the extent of its impact on its survival and the continuity of its existence.