The Quran predicts the success of Islam and Muslims:

“God has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion – the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change their (state), after the fear in which they lived, to one of security and peace: ‘They will worship Me (alone) and not associate anyone with Me.’” (Al Nur 24:55).

The future of Islam and Muslim Ummah is clearly laid out in the above Qur’anic verse in that the Lord Almighty will grant the believers power and a change from a life of fear to security and peace. Also, the believers in their supplications always ask God to grant success to Islam and Muslims. Other verses predict the superiority of the Islamic system and its prevalence over all other systems, such as the following:

“It is He who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to prevail it over all religions, and enough is God for a Witness.” (Al Fath 48:28). This statement is repeated in two other verses but with the following ending: “Even though the pagans may detest it.” (Al Tawbah 9:33; Al Saff 61:9).

The Quran also tells us:

“Verily never will God change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls).” (Al Ra’d 13:11). And: “That man can have nothing but what he strives for; that (the fruit of) his striving will soon come in sight; then will be rewarded with a reward complete; that to Lord is the final goal.” (Al Najm 53: 39-42).

The above verses read in conjunction with the following: “But you will not, except as God wills: For God is full of Knowledge and Wisdom.” (Al insan 76: 30). The last verses shows that although the future is contingent on the human agency, yet it is under God’s Will, since the outcome of all our actions depends on His Ultimate Knowledge and Wisdom.

Demographics project a phenomenal increase in the world Muslim population as well as their commitment to Islam.

A phenomenal increase in the world population of Muslims is forecast by a number of demographic studies, such as the Washington-based Pew Research Center, which carried out a number of surveys in Muslim countries between 2010 and 2015. Its findings on The Future of World Religions reported on April 2, 2015, confirmed that Muslims are the fastest-growing world religious group, and they will grow more than twice as fast as the overall world population between 2010 and 2050. While the overall world population is projected to grow by 35% to 9.3 billion, the number of Muslims is expected to increase by 73% to 2.8 billion in 2050. And in fact, Muslims will be the only major religious group projected to increase faster than the world’s population as a whole.

After the publication of this report, Michael Lipka and Conrad Hackett of the Center stated the main reason for Islam’s growth is simple demographics. Muslims have a higher fertility rate and, on average, have 3.1 children, significantly above the average of 2.7 for Christians and the average of 2.3 for all others. In all major world regions where there is a sizable Muslim population, Muslim fertility exceeds non-Muslim fertility.

And that the Muslim population is also helped by Muslims having the youngest median age of 23, which is seven years younger than the median of 31 for all non-Muslims in 2010. Thus a larger number of Muslims will come to have children at a time when people begin to have them – this, combined with higher fertility rates, will accelerate the growth of Muslims worldwide.

The report said the above projections apply to Muslims in countries with substantial populations, such as India and Nigeria. India’s Muslims will grow at a faster rate than its majority Hindu population, with a projected rise from 180 million, or 14.9% of India’s 2015 population to 19.4 %, or 333 million in 2060. Similarly, in Nigeria, there was almost a similar number of Muslims and Christians in 2015, but Muslims are projected to grow to a solid majority of the 60.5% population in 2060.

Not reported in these findings is the faith-based inherent strength of Muslim families. This stands out clearly when contrasted to the Western countries where half of the population does not marry, a majority cohabitates, and about half of the married couple's divorce within a year. Even the idea of a family as the productive unit of society is under attack by the dominant secular revisionists. For Muslims, the family is a divinely-ordained basic institution wherein to nurture future generations to become God’s honorable representatives on earth. The subject is discussed thoroughly in Western Families in Crisis, Muslims Resurging, published in 2019.

Family is intimately tied to the survival and furtherance of civilization, and any harm done to families is tantamount to harming civilization. Thus the current risky secularist course adopted for families does not bode well for Western civilization.

After the 9/11 incidents, two important studies were carried out on Muslims by organizations in the United States described in the following.

1. The Gallup’s Six Year Study in Muslim countries to Determine What a Billion Muslims Really Think Gallup founded by George Gallup in 1935 in Washington, DC is a private, employee-owned organization known for its public opinion polls and has 20-30 global branches.

The Gallup World Poll authorized a massive six-year research, which conducted interviews of tens of thousands of residents of more than 35 nations that are predominantly Muslim or have significant Muslim populations.

This study was carried out by John L. Esposito and his research associate Dalia Mogahed. It posed questions and responses to millions of Muslims to determine what “Islam” thought about America, terrorism, as well as about their own society. The results were published in Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think. The authors demonstrated conclusively that most Americans’ opinions about Islam were misguided, and terrorism is not an activity advocated by Islam.

The Gallup Poll said about 80 percent of Muslims live outside of the Middle East, and a majority of them considered terrorism antithetical to jihad. Jihad must be declared by the state or religious body and must not target civilians. Among Muslims globally, Jihad is synonymous with physical and spiritual struggle.

The study found a majority of Muslims desired democracy, and the lack of democracy in the Muslim world is more a function of history than religion. A majority of Muslims wanted the legal structure of their governments should be based on Sharia, and Sharia and democracy are not mutually exclusive.

Contrary to the general Western view that women are suppressed by men in Islamic society, the authors found that Muslim women track Muslim men on nearly every issue. They want liberty but not libertinism and support Sharia as a basis for law, and a large percentage consider it “protective” of women.

While the spread of democracy has been the stated goal of U.S. administrations, majorities in virtually every nation, with very few exceptions, agreed that the United States is not serious about the establishment of democratic systems in the region. The politically radicalized fear of Western control and domination and the lack of their self-determination reinforce their sense of powerlessness.

The poll data showed over 90 percent of Muslims disapproved of terrorism. In addition, the great majority of terrorists who self-identified by action or by opinion are not demonstrably religious. The authors pointed out these were eye-opening in that they appear against the prevailing Western secular, liberal thought.

The book ended with data about whether Muslim World hates the U.S. for its freedoms and prosperity, as concluded by many pundits in the West. In fact, the majority of Muslims admire American freedoms and their advanced technology. Even more surprisingly, the self-identified terrorists admired American freedoms at a higher rate than the general population. The authors concluded that perhaps a disillusionment with the disconnect between American professed idealism and American actions has a role in the formation of terrorists in the Muslim world.

2. The Pew Center surveys of Muslim countries: “Most Muslims Want Democracy, Personal Freedoms, and Islam in Political Life.”

The Pew Research Center referred to above is a non-partisan American think-tank. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world. The Pew Research Center carried out surveys between 2008 and 2012 involving more than 38,000 face-to-face interviews in over 80 languages in 39 countries and territories that represent roughly 67 % of all Muslims in the world.

The survey results reported in August 2012 indicated there is “a strong desire for democracy in Arab and predominantly Muslim nations. Solid majorities in Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, and Jordan believe democracy is the best form of government, as do a plurality of Pakistanis. Indeed, these publics do not just support the general notion of democracy – they also embrace specific features of a democratic system, such as competitive elections and free speech.”
Muslims across all the regions surveyed overwhelmingly agreed that “in order for a person to be moral, he or she must believe in God.” They also generally agreed that “certain behaviors – such as suicide, homosexuality, and consuming alcohol – are morally unacceptable.”

Among the important goals for their countries were political stability and economic prosperity. There was support for gender equality, but not in all circumstances. Extremist groups were largely rejected in predominantly Muslim nations, although significant numbers expressed support for groups such as the Palestinian organization Hamas.

Overwhelming percentages of Muslims want sharia to be the law of the land. But “many supporters of sharia say it should apply to their country’s Muslim population.” “Moreover, Muslims are not equally comfortable with all aspects of sharia… The surveys also show that Muslims differ widely in how they interpret certain aspects of sharia, including whether divorce and family planning are morally acceptable.”

It needs to be pointed out Sharia was the law of the land before colonialist occupation. And countries with a Muslim majority could come up with what suits their country using the guidelines of the Qur’an and Sunnah helped by their legislature and judiciary in this endeavor.
Muslim caliphates and the ascendency of Islamic civilization.

The Qur’an uses the term Khilafa (Caliphate) and its plural khulafa some nine times to describe humans are given the honor as God’s stewards of the earth. Beginning with Adam, all subsequent prophets represented this honor to the best of their communities. Muhammad(p), the last of prophets, exemplified this caliphate par excellence in establishing a temporal and spiritual example in all affairs of worldly life for success here and in the eternity of Hereafter.

Muhammad(p) came as a mercy for God’s creation, as attested in the following verse: “We sent you not, but as a mercy for all creatures.” (Al Anbiya 21:107). And through his conduct, he set an example for others to follow: “You have indeed in the Messenger of God a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for anyone whose hope is in God and the Final Day, and who engages much in praise of God.” (Al Ahzab 33:21). His character was superb: “And you (stand) on an exalted standard of character.”(Al Qalam 68:2). His wife, Aisha, who lived long after described him in great detail and taught others, when asked about the Prophet responded by quoting this verse.
There are a number of verses in the Qur’an to obey him. For example: “Say: “if you do love God, follow me: God will love you and forgive your sins; for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Say: “Obey God and His Messenger”: But if you turn back, God loves not those who reject Faith.” (Al Imran 3:31-32).

Born in 570 in Mecca, the religious center of Arabia, Muhammad(p) was known among his compatriots as the Truthful (al Sadiq) and Trustworthy (al Amin). He married Khadija, a wealthy widow, when he was about twenty-five.

The Meccan polytheists turned against Muhammad(p) when he began propagating the Islamic message and persecuted him and those who responded to his call. He asked the early Muslims to migrate to Christian Abyssinia, and in 622, when atrocities became unbearable, he made the migration - hijrah with his companions from Mecca to Medina.

Soon after migration, the Prophet(p) brought together disparate tribes of Medina under Islamic rule and enacted the first written constitution called the Charter of Medina. The first Islamic polity established in Medina has served as a model for Muslims worldwide for their communities.

The mission of Muhammad(p) was to lead humankind out of ignorance (Jahiliyah) to the enlightened path of Islam and to teach how to conduct its affairs of this worldly life in order to succeed here as well as in the eternity of Hereafter. Among his accomplishments, perhaps the greatest is he founded a unique community, the Ummah, which is alive and well today and is struggling to establish his ideal welfare state in a world apparently gone mad in pursuit of self-aggrandizement, greed, and corruption. With the first words of the Qur’an, Iqra, Read/Recite (Al Alaq 96:1), he initiated education in an illiterate society that rose and enlightened the world as torch-bearers of education and the pursuit of knowledge.

The first four caliphs after Muhammad(p) - namely Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali collectively comprise the Rashidun Caliphate, the Rightly Guided Caliphate (632-661) presented the ideal for the Muslim community and is looked upon as a golden period when a true Islamic polity was in existence. These caliphs were pious, humble, and unassuming and stood as an example for all others. The administrative and judicial organization of the Muslim community was largely established during the Rashidun rule.

Abu Bakr (632-634), the first caliph, set the basic principle for Islamic polity. On his election, in his inaugural address said, "O people, I have been put in authority over you, and I am not the best of you. If I do the right thing, then help me. If I do the wrong, then correct me. Truthfulness is a sacred trust, and lying is a betrayal. The weak among you are strong in my sight. I will surely try to remove their pain and suffering. And the strong among you are weak to me. I will, if Allah wills, fulfill the rights in full. When obscene things spread among any nation, calamities continue to descend upon them. As long as I obey Allah and His messenger, you should obey me. If I do not obey Allah and His messenger, then obedience to me is not an obligation upon you. Now, stand for the prayer; may Allah have mercy upon you.”

Umar al-Khattab, the second caliph ruled the Muslim community from 634 to 644. He was gifted both militarily and politically. He defeated two superpowers of the day - the Persian and Byzantine Empires. By 640, all of Mesopotamia and most of Syria and Palestine were subdued. He widely expanded the Muslim dominions and also ruled them effectively.

Umar pioneered reforms that are still valid today. Such as allocating stipends for infants, disabled, widows, and the helpless, state intervention to control the prices of merchandise, and that rulers and government officials must declare their assets. For the first time in history, he established a special cell to investigate complaints against officials of the state, with legal procedures personally led by him. Thus as a great ruler, he had a long-lasting impact on all times to come.

The Rashidun Caliphate rule was followed by the Umayyads. The Umayyad rule lasted for about 90 years, from 661 to 750. The Muslim populace was unhappy with the Umayyads for their murder of Ali, initiating dynastic rule, and they were toppled by Abbasids. The Abbasid rule, direct and indirect, lasted for over 500 years, from 750 to 1258. The Abbasids changed their capital from Damascus to Baghdad. Caliph al-Mansur (754-775) is credited with founding Baghdad. Others Abbasid caliphs of fame are Harun al-Rashid and al-Mamun. Caliph Harun encouraged translations from Greek, Chinese, Sanskrit, Persian and Syrian languages. He started establishing Dar-a l-Hikma, or the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, which was extended by Caliph Al-Mamun (813-833). The House of Wisdom served as the rendezvous for great scholars of the time from around the world to come together, discuss, debate, and pursue knowledge and further its various areas.

The Abbasid period is called the Islamic Golden Age. It was a magnificent period of the progress of education and intellectual advancement that began in the eighth century. The Abbasids had great passion for learning, and this opened the doors for new discoveries in sciences, literature, and technology. The discoveries were pioneered by remarkable Muslim intellectuals and thinkers, such as ibn Hayyan, the father of chemistry, al-Khwarizmi, the pioneer of Algebra, ibn al-Haytham, the founder of optics. and advances in astronomy made by astronomers such as Al-Battani. Baghdad had over 800 doctors, including the famous Ibn Sina, who wrote the Canon of Medicine and the Book of Healing.

There were significant advances in Literature. The most famous piece of fiction Alif Layla wa Layla, One Thousand and One Nights stands out to this day with its classic characters of Aladdin, Sindbad, and Ali Baba and continues to inspire many in the West.

Among technological advances, inventions such as gunpowder and paper mills were established. There was a revolution in agriculture and industries established for clocks, glass, ceramics, matting, mosaics, and astronomical instruments. The breakthroughs accomplished during this period paved the way for modern innovations.

During this period in Europe, all lands were owned by the noble aristocrats and peasants were serfs bound to the land they cultivated, the artisans had a servile status, and the mercantile communities existed through bribery to gain certain privileges. In the Muslim realm, the peasant, the artisan, and the merchant were all free men.

The material prosperity of people in the Islamic golden age was the envy of the Europeans, and their merchant corporations vied with one another for the privilege of trading with it.

Tragically, the Mongol hordes under Hulegu, the grandson of Chingis Khan, invaded Baghdad and completely destroyed the House of Wisdom, killed the last Abbasid caliph Al-Musta’sim and ordered the slaughter of his entire family and relatives. The great collection of books and manuscripts was thrown into the waters of Tigris that became black for days because of their destruction.

Abdul Rahman, an Umayyad that escaped from Abbasids, came to Spain and established Muslim rule there from 71 to 1492. Matthew Carr, a modern English writer acknowledges that until the expulsion of Moriscos, the last remaining Muslims, prosperity attained under Muslim Spain began to decline under the Catholic kings.

The last of the Muslim caliphates came into being under the Ottoman dynasty The Ottomans, through a series of conquests, created a vast empire that was the largest and long-lasting of the empires in history. It existed from 1300 to 1924 and was a multiethnic, multireligious, and multicultural entity. At its peak in 1500, the Ottoman Empire was one of the biggest military and economic powers in the world, controlling an expanse that included not just its base in Anatolia, Asia Minor but also much of southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, and controlled territory that stretched from the Danube to the Nile. It had a powerful military, lucrative commerce, and impressive achievements in fields from architecture to astronomy.
Its founder Osman I, came from Oghuz Turks of Central Asia. He was born in 1258, the year Baghdad was destroyed by the Mongols. The Turks were in constant conflict with Byzantines and had organized themselves into legendary warriors called Beyliks. Many refugees escaping Mongols joined them. Osman succeeded in greatly expanding his territories into southeastern Europe and defeated the Byzantine army in 1071 at the battle of Manzikert. Osman died in 1326, and before his death advised his son Orhan (1324-1360) to be foremost in observing his religious obligations, choose the God-fearing righteous subjects for suitable duties, and be just and fair towards his people.

The conquests of Ottomans were facilitated by their policies allowing Christians in control of their lands as long as they provided tribute and warriors without any other compulsion. This first Ottoman Empire incorporated Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia-Montenegro, Bosnia, and Croatia but bypassed the Byzantine capital Constantinople, which despite the damage inflicted by Crusaders, held out by massive defense walls.

Sultan Suleyman, called Kanuni, the Lawgiver and The Magnificent in Europe, reigned from 1520 to 1566. He conquered Hungary in 1526 and in 1529 put Vienna under siege with raids into central Europe. He created a powerful navy under the command of the Algerian Hayruddin Barbarossa, who brought the entire Mediterranean under Ottoman rule. In 1534 Suleyman conquered Iraq and the southern Caucasus from the Safavids and built an eastern fleet from bases in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea to Yemen.

The rule of Suleyman was at the peak of Ottoman power and prosperity and in the developing of the social and economic systems of government. However, in the second half of the 16th century, a series of external and internal challenges emerged that led to crises in the military, political, and financial institutions. The long wars that continued into the early 17th century with the Habsburgs of Austria increased the financial burdens and strained the army along with the corruption of the land class and the taxation system.

A secret group called the Young Turks was responsible for the fall and demise of the Ottoman Caliphate. The Turkish Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid tried to modernize the caliphate while maintaining its Islamic character but was unable to stop the spread of liberalism and secularism. The Western-educated Young Turks worked out a plan for revolution against the established government and, when they feared being discovered, fled to Paris. They brought into their scheme a group of discontented army officers. A Committee of Union and Progress or CUP was formed to depose Abdulhamid and change Turkey into a secular state based on European liberal ideals.

Unable to rely on the government troops, Abdulhamid announced the restoration of the constitution and recalled the parliament on July 23, 1908. But the CUP, under the leadership of Talat Pasha, Cemal Pasha, and Enver Pasha, demanded the end of his administration but chose not to end the sultanate. Two more sultans were given the rule, but only as puppets with no authority. Their programs introduced further secularization and reforms, including the education of women.

The Young Turks made disastrous foreign policy decisions in their hasty appraisal of the German military capability and, against the advice of the sultan, joined Germany in WWI. Upon the end of the war, with defeat imminent, The CUP cabinet resigned on October 9, 1918, and fled Turkey, less than a month before the Ottoman's defeat and signing of the Armistice treaty imposed by the Alliance.

If it weren’t for Turkey’s fateful entry into World War I, it is argued that the empire might have survived. According to Mostafa Minawi, a historian at Cornell University, the Ottoman Empire had the potential to evolve into a modern multi-ethnic, multi-lingual federal state. Instead, it joined World War I triggering its disintegration. “The Ottoman Empire joined the losing side,” he said. As a result, when the war ended, “The division of territories of the Ottoman Empire was decided by the victors.”

The two countries leading Muslims into the future. At present, among the countries leading Muslims into the future is Turkey along with its Justice and Development Party, known by the initials AKP. Turkey has history on its side and earns the respect of Muslims worldwide. The Pew Research Center, in its 2012 survey, found Turkey significantly increased its profile in the Middle East and is held in high respect in predominantly Muslim nations, and Erdogan received positive reviews among Muslim scholars. Sonar Cagaptay, an expert on Turkey at the Washington Institute concluded Why Turkey will emerge as the leader of the Muslim World with AKP as the party in power and Erdogan as its leader committed to Islamic ideology.

Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population, and Nahdlatul Ulama, the world’s largest Muslim organization known for its moderate Islamic stance, is the other that will lead world Muslims into the future. Joshua Kurlantzick, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations called Indonesia A Muslim Model- What Indonesia can teach the world? Indonesia has also taken up a number of exemplary Sharia-complaint businesses.

Future of the Muslim Ummah

1. The current situation Muslims are engulfed in is untenable and will not last. At present, there is much unrest and turmoil in the Arab and Muslim world. It is obvious from the prevailing events that this situation in the Muslim world will not last for long. Muslims, especially the Muslim youth, are active and interconnected in this global world, and they demand their rights and freedoms. It was evident in the Arab Spring protests that were initiated in the Middle East and North Africa. These youth are very much alive and continue protesting in a variety of forms, despite the efforts of anti-revolutionary regimes to quash them.

2. Restoration of the perfect past. While a vision of the past history has an important role in interpreting the future, and Muslims have justifiably yearned for the return of the caliphate, it could not be brought back in this globalized world with many interconnected complexities. Radical Islamic groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, known by its acronym ISIS have often mistakenly claimed its restoration but are condemned by Islamic scholars as anti-Islamic and Muslim masses are against their terrorist techniques that have resulted in the killing of thousands of innocent Muslims.

The complexity of contemporary reality is fully discussed, among others, by Ziauddin Sardar, a British Pakistani, who is a Professor of Law and Society at the Middlesex University, London, and Director of Center post-normal policy and future Studies at East-West University in Chicago. He is considered a foremost authority on Islamic thought and Islamic futures and has discussed the multipolar world with multi-civilizations we live in and that its future lies with those who appreciate its great diversity and pluralism existing within it.

2. A virtual upward future for Islam and Muslim Ummah. As discussed above, Pew Research has shown that in a couple of decades Islam and Muslims will become the most dominant group in the world. Moreover, they are committed to the principles of the Islamic faith. As such, a number of intellectuals envision a recovery of the past in the context of a progressive future. Among others, these individuals are presented by Ziauddin Sardar, Seyyed Hussain Nasr, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Anwar Ibrahim, Sohail Inayatullah, and Mohammad Hashim Kamali. These individuals, through their writings, contacts, and speeches, will create a movement to bring this vision into reality. They will draw on the cultural resources from Islamic history and use them to engage with other civilizations through dialogue and Islamic universals stated in clear terms. It will be multinational in outlook and against any imposition of one on other nations.

Islamic intellectuals such as Sohail Inayatullah, a Pakistani Australian Professor at the Graduate Institute of Future Studies at Tamkang University in Taipei, Taiwan, have listed five basic requirements to bring this future Islamic vision into existence, as discussed in the following.

1. The future system should have an interest-free economic system that is fair and equitable. There is great dissatisfaction with the prevalent economic system, which creates financial inequality and consequent poverty, as evidenced in protests whenever G7 or G20 rich countries meet. Thus the United Nations has set up a roadmap called Millennium Development Goals agreed upon by member states in 2010 to free men, women, and children from the dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, with about one billion estimated in absolute poverty worldwide.

The Organization of Islamic Conference, founded in 1969, has 57 members, 56 of which are members of the UN and 49 are from Muslim majority countries. In 1973, 56 of its members founded the Islamic Development Bank based on Islamic finance. It started its activities in 1975, and in May 2007, launched a poverty reduction Islamic Solidarity fund for Development initiated with $10 billion with the main purpose of poverty alleviation by reducing unemployment, fighting diseases and epidemics, eliminating illiteracy, and building capacities of 400 million of its poor mostly living in rural areas. The Fund started in early 2008 with an approach compatible with the UN Millennium Development Goals of poverty reduction programs.

Muslim countries, including the GCC region, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey, and Pakistan, have developed interest-free Islamic finance institutions. These institutions avoid the uncertain practices of conventional banks and currently have about $35 trillion that is expected to boom when combined with better environmental, social, and governance practices. These interest-free institutions are catching the interest of non-Muslim countries, with assets reaching $2.25 billion in 2017.

2. A future working project should take care of the poverty and health needs of the people.
Muslims are more charitable worldwide than any other faith group. Islamic faith requires the practice of giving zakat or a requirement of giving 2.5% of one’s annual accumulated wealth to help the poor, sick, and otherwise needy. The Pew Research of 39 Muslim-majority countries found that 77 percent of people donated to Zakat. In Malaysia and Pakistan, government agencies collect zakat, but in most cases, the donations are made through mosques or other religious organizations. With appropriate arrangements, these charities could be collected and invested into progressive funds for the alleviation of poverty.

As discussed above, the Islamic Development Bank was created to tackle poverty and take care of the basic needs of people in Muslim countries. It could be developed further to take care of the basic needs of people.

Although the modern state has encroached on the autonomy of Philanthropic organizations, wherever possible Muslim philanthropists and organizations should establish Islamic trusts (Waqfs) for the good of the public and serve as hospitals, schools, and other services.

3. A future system should have gender equality and gender fairness. There is worldwide demand for gender equality on the basis of equal dignity and fairness between the sexes, and Muslim countries are no exception. Islam gives the role of rearing the family to the females since they are physically and psychologically best suited for it, and males are given the role of breadwinners, a tradition set and tested throughout the history of humankind. However, it is left up to the individual families to work it out between them. The dominant secularists in Western societies are responsible for the current problems of family and for destroying this basic unit of society, as discussed in Western Families in Crisis, Muslims Resurging.

4. The future system should create an ecologically suitable environment. According to the scheme proposed by Inayatullah, this responsibility could be entrusted to the self-reliant communities that use advanced technologies and are linked to working cooperatively.

5. The future system should have a world governance system guided by wise leadership that is fair, just, and represents various communities. It should be multidimensional in approach and avoid domination of one over other communities, as is the case with the West led by the United States. Against the West, China, an emerging superpower, has a multinational outlook and intends to live cooperatively with Muslims, as explained by Wang Yi at a meeting of OIC foreign ministers in Islamabad on March 29, 2022.

Siraj Islam Mufti is a journalist and the author of "A Great Future Destined for Islam and Muslims, available at Amazon.com.