Islamic Studies

Front Matter

2024-04-19T07:02:07+05:00

The Official Endowment between Ethical Incentive and Paradigmatic Employment

2024-04-21T09:28:42+05:00

The growth of endowment institutions and charitable activities witnessed significant expansion during political transitions in the Levant, Iraq, and Egypt. Notably, this trend became more pronounced following the post-Crusades with the Zengid, Ayyubid, and Mamlūk states. These institutions and charitable endeavours became a focal point for many Jewish scholars and Israelis who devoted considerable scholarly attention to understanding the religious, social, and political dimensions of this phenomenon. This paper posits the fundamental hypothesis that these scholarly inquiries were influenced by religious and political considerations, thereby shaping Jewish memory. This memory, in turn, contributes to a reinterpretation of the region’s history, leaning more towards a politically biased agenda than an objective pursuit of knowledge. Within this context, the paper seeks to unravel the paradigmatic approach that scrutinizes the ethical motivations behind charitable works, alleging that those in charge manipulated them for propaganda and political objectives to secure personal gains. To examine this hypothesis, the paper delves into the ideological foundations underpinning this skewed interpretation. It critically evaluates a selection of research conducted by a cohort of historians within a broad spectrum of Jewish scholars who share a similar methodological approach and arrive at analogous conclusions.

Shu‘bah ‘an ‘Āṣim - Lexical Parsing

2024-04-21T09:41:07+05:00

This study sheds light on the lesser-known fact that the Qur’ān was revealed in seven aḥruf (letters), with the wisdom to accommodate the diverse dialects of the contemporary Arab tribes. The detailed preservation of these recitations through a chain of reciters traced back to the Prophet Muḥammad (peace be on him) emphasizes their enduring importance. In this research work, we categorize the words with differences into the Seven Arabic Language Aspects framework for the riwāyah (narration) of Shu‘bah ‘an ‘Āṣim. During the process of corpus development, we focus on preserving the ‘Uthmānī Muṣḥaf syntax during Arabic text modifications, utilizing calculated token count and root word count fields to address subsequent occurrences of each word in the Qur’ān systematically. This research also introduces a distinct approach by categorizing variations according to Seven Arabic Language Aspects rather than the conventional method found in qirā’āt literature, which typically focuses on emphasizing differences in ḥarakāt (vowel sounds) and letters when contrasting with the riwāyah of Ḥafṣ. This provides a deeper understanding of the reasons behind such changes, including shifts in meaning or morphological forms. Additionally, this methodology enables the quantification of specific words, facilitating targeted practice by identifying verses where particular linguistic features appear most frequently.

The Fiqh of Coronaviruses

2024-04-22T05:18:47+05:00

COVID-19, a disease caused by a novel coronavirus, is widely believed to have originated in animals. In the Islamic worldview, animals, including those suspected to be reservoirs of coronavirus or other zoonotic viruses, are divine creations, guided by divine command and sustained through divine provisions. Based on content analysis of relevant literature in environmental sciences, humanities and social sciences, I provide an Islamic religious understanding (fiqh) of certain ecological functions and ecosystem services that support life on earth but could also be harmful to humans. The objective of the study is to contribute to the discourse on biocentric environmental ethics from an Islamic perspective. The biocentric environmental ethics I advanced is framed on al-takāful al-bī’ī (mutual guarantee among environmental components) and corroborated by the One Health approach to zoonotic diseases in which human health is intractably linked with the health of animals and ecosystems. The study concludes that the breakout of zoonotic diseases is often a result of the breakdown of ecological barriers precipitated by human actions.

Ta‘āruf and Its Relevance to Interreligious Dialogue

2024-04-21T09:52:19+05:00

This article discusses interreligious dialogue as expressed in the Qur’ān, namely al-Ḥujurāt (49) verse 13. Expressed with the term “ta‘āruf” (to know one another), this concept can be interpreted as a foundation for modern interreligious discourse, promoting peaceful coexistence and harmony within the Islamic worldview. In this case, the worldview approach serves as a semantic framework to reconstruct conceptual meaning embedded in the Qur’ānic verse, delivering the reader a deeper apprehension of how Muslims should engage with other religions. This article concludes that ta‘āruf conveyed the message of interreligious dialogue in Islam built on interrelated conceptions of words based on the root ‘a-r-f, resulting in three primary reflections: first, the Qur’ānic verse demands Muslims and all of humanity to carry out dialogue; second, the verse hints that proper knowledge and piety are required before commencing the dialogue, denoting theological and epistemological needs for an interfaith conversation; and third, the verse acknowledges the nature of human creation in diverse social and cultural backgrounds, signifying the foundation of Islamic ethics (akhlāq), which is essential to dialogue.

The Authority of the Sunnah

2024-04-21T09:57:13+05:00

This article delves into the reasons behind the authority of the sunnah of Prophet Muḥammad (peace be on him) as a primary source of Islamic law, while shedding light on modern critics challenging its meaning, authority, and authenticity. The exploration of the sunnah’s status involves investigating the Prophet’s position as portrayed in the Qur’ān and scrutinizing its historical authenticity through an examination of the relevant literature on Islamic learning. The analysis, aimed at elucidating the Prophet’s status from a Qur’ānic perspective, is structured around various themes, expounding the meaning and significance of the sunnah within Islamic law.

Mohammed Rustom. Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of 'Ayn al-Quḍāt.

2024-04-21T09:59:18+05:00

Back Matter

2024-04-19T07:02:40+05:00