Rashid Rida's theory of Caliphate in the context of the emerging nation-state

This thesis studies Rashid Rida's treatise on the caliphate and re-reads his ideas on the caliphate in the light of the emerging context of nation-state. It also examines Rida's thinking on such Islamic legal concepts as consensus (ijma'), legal analogy (giyas), and public interest (maslaha). By comparing Rida's doctrine of caliphate to that of al- Mawardi and studying his ideas on ijma', qiyas, and maslaha, the thesis seeks to identify Rida's points of deviation from and similarity with the traditional Islamic thought on the issues. In other words, the thesis looks at Rida's modern re-construction of traditional Islamic legal and political thought. The thesis conducts the analysis of Rida's intellectual Output in the light of his environment and seeks to establish the overriding impact of the context on Rida's thinking. On the example of Rashid Rida, the thesis suggests that the Islamic reform movement has been undergoing the epistemic shift from that of "Islamic governance" to nation-state which implies the re-construction of the questions of sovereignty and legislative authority.