Islam Reflection

Islam Reflection
Institution
Course
Question 1
Arjomands is interested in changing the ideologies in the current constitution and give it a historical basis. It is because the modern academic study of the Islamic law cannot meet the challenge of guiding in structuring Muslim’s constitution. Therefore, a new discipline of historical jurisprudence is needed in order to analyze the historic act of foundation of the Muslim umma in Medina.
Another aspect developed by Arjomand is that fraternization between emigrants and their Yathribite is constitutional. He asserts that after Muhammad had initiated bonding between men by mixing their blood, it symbolized legal rite with implications such as mutual inheritance. From personal view, the formal marking of each deed at the end is essentially theocratic signature. It means that the above suggestions make God and Muhammad the arbiters of any disputes that may arise among parties involved. Therefore, one agrees with these ideologies since the benediction of those who observe the act of God and his messenger, Muhammad, would replace the provision for judicial arbitration in the earlier deeds.
Hummel’s brings an example of Egypt and Libya as countries built on religion and culture. Islam provides legitimacy and unity for Arab countries. With the rereading of the Medina Constitution evident, there is valid that it creates strong foundations for Islamic countries. However, the philosophy of “balanced opposition” will generate a tribal-oriented leadership will be very centralized and non-democratic. It could hinder development of a constitution that applies to everyone.
Question 2
Umayyads administrative practices were more engaging than the Ottomans’. Muawiya, for instance, the founder of the Umayyad dynasty established the first Arab-Islamic dynasty with its capital at Damascus. He later founded a decentralized state in which local governors, particularly in most troublesome province or Iraq, “were given free rein to collect taxes and punish rebels”1. This leadership merged into provinces that were run by Byzantine and Sassanid bureaucrats. Some of the Sassanids were in-charge of the governmental divisions, where they conducted official business in Greek and Pahlavi. This is derived from Murphy and Kinra’s argument that “religion differences created uprises in Umayyad that tapped the support of the mawali,or non-Arab converts to Islam, who were emerging as an primary social group with grievances against the regime for being treated as second-class Muslims and having to pay taxes demanded of non-Muslims despite their conversion. Al-Mukhtar proclaimed Ibn al-hanafiyya as the Mahdi, and the messianic redeemer who would come to institute a reign of justices”2.
However, Ottoman administration was more exciting than Muyyad’s since his po...