What do you think?
Rate this book
The Islamic Secular
The basic point of the secular in the modern West is to "liberate" certain pursuits--the state, the economy, science--from the authority of religion. This is also assumed to be the goal and meaning of "secular" in Islam. Sherman Jackson argues, however, that that assumption is wrong. In Islam the "secular" was neither outside "religion" nor a rival to it. "Religion," in Islam was not identical to Islam's "sacred law," or "shari'ah." Nor did classical Muslim jurists see shari'ah as the all-encompassing, exclusive means of determining what is "Islamic." In fact, while, as religion, Islam's jurisdiction was unlimited, shari'ah's jurisdiction, as a sacred law, was limited. In other words, while everything remained within the purview of the divine gaze of the God of Islam, not everything could be determined by shari'ah or on the basis of its revelatory sources. Various aspects of state-policy, the economy, science, and the like were "differentiated," from shari'ah and its revelatory sources, without becoming non-religious or un-Islamic. Given the asymmetry between the circumference of shari'ah and that of Islam as religion, not everything that fell outside the former fell outside the latter. In other words, an idea or action could be non-shar'i (not dictated by shari'ah) without being non-Islamic, let alone anti-Islam. The ideas and actions that fall into this category are what Jackson terms "the Islamic Secular."
Crucially, the Islamic Secular differs from the Western secular in that, while the whole point of the Western secular is to liberate various pursuits from religion, the Islamic Secular differentiates these disciplines not from religion but simply from shari'ah. Similarly, while both secularization and secularism play key roles in the Western secular, both of these concepts are alien to the Islamic Secular, as the Islamic Secular seeks neither to discipline nor to displace religion, nor expand to its own jurisdiction at religion's expense. The Islamic Secular is a complement to religion, in effect, a "religious secular." Nowhere are the practical implications of this more impactful than in Islam's relationship with the modern state. In this book, Jackson makes the case for the Islamic Secular on the basis of Islam's own pre-modern juristic tradition and shows how the Islamic Secular impacts the relationship between Islam and the modern state, including the Islamic State.
Crucially, the Islamic Secular differs from the Western secular in that, while the whole point of the Western secular is to liberate various pursuits from religion, the Islamic Secular differentiates these disciplines not from religion but simply from shari'ah. Similarly, while both secularization and secularism play key roles in the Western secular, both of these concepts are alien to the Islamic Secular, as the Islamic Secular seeks neither to discipline nor to displace religion, nor expand to its own jurisdiction at religion's expense. The Islamic Secular is a complement to religion, in effect, a "religious secular." Nowhere are the practical implications of this more impactful than in Islam's relationship with the modern state. In this book, Jackson makes the case for the Islamic Secular on the basis of Islam's own pre-modern juristic tradition and shows how the Islamic Secular impacts the relationship between Islam and the modern state, including the Islamic State.
541 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 13, 2024
23 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 18, 2024
Islam has its own pre-modern secularity that is distinctly different from the European Universalist understanding of secularism: This is the intriguing argument made by Sherman Jackson in The Islamic Secular.
His new book argues that secularism was widely practised in the Muslim world and the intention of Sharia — a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on the scriptures of Islam — was to have a large secular space.
Jackson often produces fascinating work, whether delving into the history of Islam among Black Americans, tackling medieval Ayyubid-Mamluk law, or writing a book on metaethics about theodicy, slavery, and the Islamic response to African-American suffering.
With a pedigree of rich and engaging works behind him, the question I had when approaching The Islamic Secular was, does this book belong in the same pedigree as his previous excellent works?
The book is undeniably rich and comprehensive, offering a thorough perspective that prompts Western Islamic scholars and practicing Muslims to think carefully, as it challenges discourses in both groups.
The Islamic Secular's central argument revolves around the belief that Sharia governs every facet of life — a perspective commonly held by both Western thinkers and many Muslims.
Jackson challenges this notion, stating: “Islam consists in not one but two distinct yet inextricably bound modes of religiosity; 1) a shar’i mode, whose ground is shari’ah, its sources, and dictates; and 2) a non-shar’i mode — what I refer to as a ‘differentiated,’ ‘secular mode’ — whose concrete substance is not a dictate or derivative of shari’ah or its sources.”
Here, Jackson suggests that Islam is characterised by its boundaries, Sharia has clear limits built into it, and most of daily life, religious life and devotion, falls outside of it.
Jackson illustrates this concept through examples such as the renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, whose architectural masterpieces in present-day Turkey were driven by religious devotion but not influenced by Sharia.
Sinan thus represents what Jackson terms the 'Islamic Secular,' as his work existed beyond Sharia's boundaries. These boundaries even impacted moral questions, as exemplified by Taqi Al-Din Al-Maqrizi (d. 1442), a Mamluk chronicler, who, in 1403-1404, wrote disparagingly about an economic crisis that struck Egypt.
The crisis, known as the ‘silver famine,’ occurred when silver, used in everyday currency, ran out. In response, copper coins were issued. While this was happening, trade had been severely affected by the outbreak of plague, military threats, and political instability, exacerbating the economic fallout.
Al-Maqrizi criticised the corruption and poor economic policies of the authorities. While he cited multiple reasons for the dire situation, he specifically targeted the introduction of copper coins.
According to Al-Maqrizi this led to inflation, weakened people's purchasing power, and made basic necessities unattainable for many.
Al-Maqrizi further argued that the use of copper coins contradicted Sharia and advocated a return to judicially approved metals like silver or gold to alleviate the people's suffering.
In the book, Jackson contends that Al-Maqrizi blurred the boundaries between legal and non-legal matters by focusing solely on the negative consequences of economic policy.
Contrary to Al-Maqrizi's stance, leading scholars of the time considered copper coins permissible. Jackson demonstrates that the assessment of whether copper coins are a good policy falls outside the scope of Sharia and requires knowledge from beyond the tradition.
To explore the boundaries of Sharia further, Jackson turns to Mamluk jurist Shihab Al-Din Al-Qarafi, who argues, "While it may be permissible for a man to engage in a particular act, such as building a house, buying a pack-animal, or marrying a woman, any particular house, pack-animal, or woman may be more or less beneficial or harmful to him. That their juristic status is equally permissible does not change this fact."
One interpretation of Al-Qarafi's statement is that an act’s legal status cannot be determined by its practical implications. That said, Al-Qarafi adds, "On the contrary, knowledge of the consequences of actions routinely lies beyond the hukm shar’i." Thus, the ethical framework for dealing with these issues has to come from outside Sharia.
Sherman Jackson argues that The Islamic Secular presents a unique perspective on secularism within Islam, contrasting it with modern-day secular ideologies.
He highlights how this form of secularism isn't antagonistic towards religion, but rather integrated within Islamic religious frameworks.
Jackson's work delves into the complexities of this concept, exploring its boundaries, worldly nature, and its role in Muslim devotional practices governed by Sharia.
Here we must now return to the question posed at the beginning: does The Islamic Secular belong in the rich mountain of scholarship Jackson is known for?
While readers familiar with his work will come to their own conclusions, The Islamic Secular is an invigorating and enriching text that will spark debate in both academic and Muslim circles.
It is also a work that readers may come back to time and again to grasp both the finer points and to investigate new questions that will come to mind.
The Islamic Secular is an important intervention in the study of Muslim law, which both researchers and those interested in Islam will find useful, interesting, and critical.
His new book argues that secularism was widely practised in the Muslim world and the intention of Sharia — a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on the scriptures of Islam — was to have a large secular space.
Jackson often produces fascinating work, whether delving into the history of Islam among Black Americans, tackling medieval Ayyubid-Mamluk law, or writing a book on metaethics about theodicy, slavery, and the Islamic response to African-American suffering.
With a pedigree of rich and engaging works behind him, the question I had when approaching The Islamic Secular was, does this book belong in the same pedigree as his previous excellent works?
The book is undeniably rich and comprehensive, offering a thorough perspective that prompts Western Islamic scholars and practicing Muslims to think carefully, as it challenges discourses in both groups.
The Islamic Secular's central argument revolves around the belief that Sharia governs every facet of life — a perspective commonly held by both Western thinkers and many Muslims.
Jackson challenges this notion, stating: “Islam consists in not one but two distinct yet inextricably bound modes of religiosity; 1) a shar’i mode, whose ground is shari’ah, its sources, and dictates; and 2) a non-shar’i mode — what I refer to as a ‘differentiated,’ ‘secular mode’ — whose concrete substance is not a dictate or derivative of shari’ah or its sources.”
Here, Jackson suggests that Islam is characterised by its boundaries, Sharia has clear limits built into it, and most of daily life, religious life and devotion, falls outside of it.
Jackson illustrates this concept through examples such as the renowned Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, whose architectural masterpieces in present-day Turkey were driven by religious devotion but not influenced by Sharia.
Sinan thus represents what Jackson terms the 'Islamic Secular,' as his work existed beyond Sharia's boundaries. These boundaries even impacted moral questions, as exemplified by Taqi Al-Din Al-Maqrizi (d. 1442), a Mamluk chronicler, who, in 1403-1404, wrote disparagingly about an economic crisis that struck Egypt.
The crisis, known as the ‘silver famine,’ occurred when silver, used in everyday currency, ran out. In response, copper coins were issued. While this was happening, trade had been severely affected by the outbreak of plague, military threats, and political instability, exacerbating the economic fallout.
Al-Maqrizi criticised the corruption and poor economic policies of the authorities. While he cited multiple reasons for the dire situation, he specifically targeted the introduction of copper coins.
According to Al-Maqrizi this led to inflation, weakened people's purchasing power, and made basic necessities unattainable for many.
Al-Maqrizi further argued that the use of copper coins contradicted Sharia and advocated a return to judicially approved metals like silver or gold to alleviate the people's suffering.
In the book, Jackson contends that Al-Maqrizi blurred the boundaries between legal and non-legal matters by focusing solely on the negative consequences of economic policy.
Contrary to Al-Maqrizi's stance, leading scholars of the time considered copper coins permissible. Jackson demonstrates that the assessment of whether copper coins are a good policy falls outside the scope of Sharia and requires knowledge from beyond the tradition.
To explore the boundaries of Sharia further, Jackson turns to Mamluk jurist Shihab Al-Din Al-Qarafi, who argues, "While it may be permissible for a man to engage in a particular act, such as building a house, buying a pack-animal, or marrying a woman, any particular house, pack-animal, or woman may be more or less beneficial or harmful to him. That their juristic status is equally permissible does not change this fact."
One interpretation of Al-Qarafi's statement is that an act’s legal status cannot be determined by its practical implications. That said, Al-Qarafi adds, "On the contrary, knowledge of the consequences of actions routinely lies beyond the hukm shar’i." Thus, the ethical framework for dealing with these issues has to come from outside Sharia.
Sherman Jackson argues that The Islamic Secular presents a unique perspective on secularism within Islam, contrasting it with modern-day secular ideologies.
He highlights how this form of secularism isn't antagonistic towards religion, but rather integrated within Islamic religious frameworks.
Jackson's work delves into the complexities of this concept, exploring its boundaries, worldly nature, and its role in Muslim devotional practices governed by Sharia.
Here we must now return to the question posed at the beginning: does The Islamic Secular belong in the rich mountain of scholarship Jackson is known for?
While readers familiar with his work will come to their own conclusions, The Islamic Secular is an invigorating and enriching text that will spark debate in both academic and Muslim circles.
It is also a work that readers may come back to time and again to grasp both the finer points and to investigate new questions that will come to mind.
The Islamic Secular is an important intervention in the study of Muslim law, which both researchers and those interested in Islam will find useful, interesting, and critical.
September 6, 2024
Phenomenal work of scholarship, truly magnum opus worthy. Enjoyed it thoroughly, both the arguments Jackson concocts and his prose are of the highest standard. The book is a page turner, condensing difficult concepts meticulously to a few pages and integrating it beautifully in his system (which he labels as The Islamic Secular). I look forward to when this book becomes a part and parcel of the academic tradition and Islamic social policy— I predict it will not gather a speckle of dust.
May 20, 2024
Very lengthy and wordy but doesn't really say much. Not a convincing argument either.
November 13, 2025
A dense, scholarly work which outlines a concept of 'The Islamic Secular' in the first part, giving a history of Western secularism and 'Islamic secularism'. Then, critically assesses the relevant works of Wael Hallaq, an-Na'im, and Andrew March in the second part by bringing their positions on the relations between Islam, Sharia, secularism, and the modern-state in conversation with his Islamic Secular.
It serves as a sort of middle ground between the popular Hallaqian ahistorical totalizations and Sharia 'maximalism' (occasionally used to justify horrific Islamist movements in Africa and the Middle East) and an-Na'im's subordination of the Sharia to the modern-state and complete Sharia 'minimalism'.
It serves as a sort of middle ground between the popular Hallaqian ahistorical totalizations and Sharia 'maximalism' (occasionally used to justify horrific Islamist movements in Africa and the Middle East) and an-Na'im's subordination of the Sharia to the modern-state and complete Sharia 'minimalism'.
February 16, 2025
Sherman Jackson wrote a book in his 60s after having “mind-blowing” realizations that I summarized in a tweet last year. There are Shar’i and non-Shar’i aspects in all affairs, and pragmatism dictates consideration these systems that run in parallel for a proper approach in matters. What’s controversial or mind-blowing about this?
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews