Lost Islamic History

04/07/2025

Most discussions about "Islamic government" focus on the external form instead of the underlying framework.

Historically, Muslim political theory based in philosophical Sufism centered God's sovereignty and creation's emanation from His existence.

New post:

An alternative conception of Islamic governance that goes beyond just implementation of law

30/04/2025

"The ones who are entrusted with the management of the affairs of society can recognize these signs [of decline] and act in accordance with reforming the society’s affairs and applying the correct remedies. Just as is the case in both spiritual and medical treatment of the individual, there are specific principles that guide this treatment. And if treatment is done incorrectly, it worsens the condition."

- Ottoman scholar Katip Çelebi on preventing the decline of states and societies

https://rusafatoramla.substack.com/p/on-the-guidelines-for-the-rectification

28/04/2025

The shari‘ah doesn’t demand the eternal survival of specific customs or dialects, but it does demand justice. That is the line between natural transformation and oppression: not nostalgia, but the ethical imperative to protect the rights and lives of people. Culture can (and will) change, but justice, tied to an unchanging Divine, must be preserved. Our moral imperative is to protect the oppressed, not the museum exhibit.

Reclaiming the Duty of Justice Over the Myth of Stasis

05/02/2025

"I fell in love with al-Quds. I never felt at home as much as I felt there. The Ottoman-installed mosaic tiles lining the outside of the Umayyad-built Dome, itself surrounded by Mamluk-erected madrasas and plaques inscribed with the heroic deeds of the Kurdish liberator of the city, all spoke to me and my burgeoning love of history and personal experience of the Muslim community as being multi-ethnic and diverse."

https://rusafatoramla.substack.com/p/i-wanted-to-believe-in-palestinian

24/12/2024

Muslims should be at the forefront of transformation. The era of clinging to past systems, of waiting for the liberal West to uphold its own theories of human rights, of nostalgic pining for the return of the Ottomans while watching Ertuğrul, it all must come to an end:

A Post-Liberal Vision Through a Mongol Lens

21/12/2024

One of the notable features of Muslim civilization has always been its ability to adapt to modern circumstances.

The 21st century challenge for Muslims determining their own political futures in places like Afghanistan and Syria is to build systems that can effectively deal with modernity while remaining within a larger Islamic framework of justice and sovereignty.

https://rusafatoramla.substack.com/p/on-the-importance-of-developing-a

15/12/2024

After a few years away, I'm looking to get back into blogging and writing short articles. I'd appreciate any support, feedback, or subscriptions.

Here's my first article, a short piece on linguistic diversity in Muslim history:

If I were to adhere to a specific political theory (I mostly don’t), it would be that boundaries between Islamicate languages should be blurred as much as possible.

15/03/2021

Pages from the Tafsir of the anonymous “Young Man of Arévalo”. Not much is known about him, other than that he lived in 16th century Spain, when Islam was outlawed. He was likely raised and lived his life as a Muslim entirely in secret, being forced to practice Christianity in public. Secret Muslims in Spain at the time were known as Moriscos. Despite these restrictions, he is evidence of a robust scholarly tradition in Spain, having travelled throughout the Iberian Peninsula, meeting with other scholars, and writing. He wrote three texts: this Tafsir, a short compendium of Islamic law (fiqh) and a text on Islamic spirituality (tasawwuf). Although the script he wrote in was Arabic, the language was Castilian, a combination known as Aljamiado.

25/02/2021

An Ottoman Turkish poetic couplet by Sultan Süleyman (d. 1566), who wrote under the pen name Muhibbi.

Latin transcription:
Halk içinde mu'teber bir nesne yok devlet gibi
Olmaya devlet cihânda bir nefes sıhhat gibi.

English translation (with the following lines):
The people think that there is nothing like wealth and power
But in this world the best state is good health
What people call power is just struggle and war
But in this world the best throne and greatest state is Union (with the Divine)

13/02/2021

"Muslims were great scientists and they made progress in our civilization. But they did not detach themselves from the creator. They didn't need to resort to atheism: that we have to kill God in order to progress in life."

Short English talk/bayaan for families before the formal Arabic khutbah. Shaykh M. Amin Kholwadia is the founder and executive director of Darul Qasim.

07/02/2021

The central dome of the Atik Valide Mosque in the district of Üsküdar in Istanbul. It was built in the 16th century and was patronized by Nurbanu Sultan, the wife of Ottoman Sultan Selim II. It was one of the final mosques designed by the famed architect Mimar Sinan.