Introduction: Background and overview
Classical juristic theories of the caliphate : from idealism to accommodationism
The caliphate in the colonial era
Ali Abd al-Raziq's intellectual formation and his place among the disciples of Muhammad Abduh
The central message
The ruling system in the time of the prophet
Critiques of Abd al-Raziq's position
The implications of Abd al-Raziq's study for the debate over Islam and politics.