ICGER Seminar Examines the Political Events Leading Up to the Karbala Incident
On Friday, June 26, 2026, the International Center for Geopolitical and Economic Research conducted a seminar as part of its series on Islamic political history. During this event, Dr. Mohammad Walid Youssef, the Center’s President, addressed the political developments that led to the division of Muslims into Sunnis and Shiʿa. He emphasized that these events transpired prior to the “Karbala Incident,” in which Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, the grandson of Muhammad, was killed.
The seminar began with introductory remarks from its moderator, Dr. Imad Ghanoum, who emphasized the event’s significance in line with the Center’s intellectual approach. This approach focuses on analyzing major historical developments, especially those still active in Islamic awareness and influencing current political and social dynamics.
Dr. Ghanoum highlighted that the seminar’s significance lies not just in recounting history as a record of the past, but in viewing it as an ongoing influence shaping the present and helping explain its changes.
He also emphasized the significance of the rigorous scientific method used by Dr. Mohammad Walid Youssef in analyzing Islamic history. This approach considers historical events within their political contexts, avoiding fragmented or emotionally driven interpretations.
He observed that the Karbala Incident, with its significant influence on Islamic history and collective memory, cannot be fully understood without considering the key events leading up to it. These include the death of Prophet Muhammad, the transfer of caliphate, political shifts, and the broader circumstances that set the stage for what happened at Karbala.
Dr. Mohammad Walid Youssef then addressed a range of historical and political issues that preceded the Karbala Incident. He reviewed the final stage of the life of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, followed by the transfer of the caliphate to Abu Bakr, the major political events that occurred during his rule, and the manner in which he administered the emerging Caliphate at a critical stage in Muslim history.
He subsequently analyzed the reign of the second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, with particular emphasis on the administrative and political transformations experienced by the Islamic state during his tenure. Youssef contended that Umar ibn al-Khattab established the foundational structures of the empire and its institutions, not as a proponent of an abstract political theory, but as a leader influenced by historical progression and the development of emerging empires.
He clarified that while Umar did not create a modern democratic state, he established a state founded on justice, organization, and administration, with an administrative system including about seven thousand personnel.
Dr. Youssef also addressed the creation of the diwan administrative system during Umar ibn al-Khattab’s reign. He mentioned that some models were influenced by the Persian experience, and that the Islamic world largely continued to depend on the administrative foundations set during that era by the existing empires.
He further elaborated that Umar managed the financial affairs, military, provinces, administrative offices, and judiciary. According to the framework of Max Weber’s political sociology, this positioned him as the effective founder of the initial institutional structure of the Islamic state.
Youssef distinguished between the political authorities in Medina during the Prophet’s time and the later idea of an institutional state in terms of administration and politics.
Dr. Youssef discussed the transfer of the caliphate to the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, and explained how the transition occurred. He then outlined several events that he viewed as a departure from the core principles of the state established during Umar ibn al-Khattab’s rule.
He analyzed Uthman’s reign thoroughly, emphasizing the appointment of relatives, management of public funds, response to political and administrative violations, and the extensive powers given to some governors in running their provinces.
Dr. Youssef pointed out nineteen incidents in Uthman ibn Affan’s rule that conflicted with the state’s logic and institutions, leading ultimately to the people’s revolt.
The seminar ended by highlighting that it was part of a series of interconnected seminars. These will continue exploring key moments in Islamic history, leading up to the Karbala Incident. This significant event has lasting impacts that are still felt today in Islamic and political awareness.
