Preface to the Second Edition

The first edition of The Foundations of Sudan’s Constitution was presented to the public in December 1955. Today, the need for its reprinting has arisen. Yet, we found nothing to remove from it, nor did we see the necessity of adding anything to it. Accordingly, we present it as it originally appeared. However, this new edition differs from the previous one in the sense that it is divided into two parts: Part One, which contains The Foundations of Sudan’s Constitution, and Part Two, which includes a brief outline of the objectives of the Republican Party and its constitution.
On the back cover, we described The Foundations of Sudan’s Constitution as the Foundations of the Islamic Constitution, which Islamic advocates in our country and abroad strive to establish, though without achieving much success. This is because they do not understand the core principles of Islam. Consequently, they fail to differentiate between Sharia and Religion, and they mistakenly equate the two, believing that Sharia is Religion and that Religion is Sharia.
The decisive clarification in this matter is that Sharia is the gateway to Religion. It is the closer end of Religion that aligns with the realities of human existence. (In some aspects, it reflects the realities of the 7th-century era.)
In the 7th century CE, Sharia was not prepared for democratic governance as we understand it today. Our Sharia was founded on the principle of consultation (shura), which, at that time, was the most exemplary form of governance and the closest to involving the governed in ruling themselves. However, even so, it was not democratic governance. For this reason, a constitution as we know it today was not defined within it.
Anyone who seeks a constitution at the level of Islamic doctrine will find their pursuit unattainable, yielding only incoherence and contradiction. This has been the outcome for Islamic advocates in our country and abroad. However, anyone who seeks a constitution at the level of scientific Islam will attain it, and their endeavor will be sound and aligned with their aspirations. This is what the Republicans have done.
We now present to the public the Foundations of the Constitution, and, by Allah’s will, we will soon present the Sudanese Constitution (read: the Islamic Constitution), articulated, expanded, and systematically organized. May Allah guide us to the right path.