Islamic Studies

Front Matter

Editorial Team — 2024-09-30

Islamization of Knowledge as a “Muslim Question”

Mourad Laabdi — 2024-09-30

Islamization of knowledge (islāmiyyat or aslamat al-ma‘rifah) has emerged as one of the most significant Muslim global intellectual enterprises over the past half-century. Its efforts to integrate Islamic epistemology with Western knowledge systems have, however, subjected it to extensive criticism, a subset of which dismisses it as an ideological programme aimed at reviving religion, defying secularism, and subverting Western universal values. This article focuses on this subset of criticism and analyses its discourse by framing it within the broader context of the “Muslim Question.” Reminiscent of the historical Jewish Question, the “Muslim Question” continues to serve as a lens through which Islam and Muslims are systematically constructed as a problem. To retrace and investigate the inherent structure shared by the “Muslim Question” and this criticism, this study undertakes a discursive analysis of the decades-long critique of Bassam Tibi. It puts the criticism within the broader narrative of crisis; however, distinguishing it from the European rhetoric of the “crisis of Islam,” and questions it at the intersection of reasonable critique and Islamophobia. This article concludes that a critique of the Islamization of knowledge and its recent facet, knowledge integration (al-takāmul al-ma‘rifī), should acknowledge the plurality and diversity within Muslim intellectual traditions and resist homogenizing them under reductive categories. Such a merited study will have the potential to promote a more nuanced and balanced engagement with the intricate realities of contemporary Muslim thought and practice.

Beyond Tradition

Zakir Aras — 2024-09-30

This article examines the tradition of Qur’ānic exegesis before Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī (d. 1897) and the innovative approaches, he introduced, to the discipline. Using an inductive method, it analyses his books, articles, and speeches. Before him, Qur’ānic exegesis was dominated by classical methods focused on syntax, grammar, jurisprudence, and theology, failing to meet contemporary needs. Al-Afghānī did not write any Qur’ānic commentary in the classical style. Still, his articles on Qur’ānic themes in al-‘Urwah al-Wuthqā resemble independent exegeses, following a late Ottoman style. He advocated for a subjective and critical reading, centring only on the Qur’ān and rejecting linguistically focused exegesis. He emphasized the Qur’ān’s relevance to contemporary issues, highlighting its social, cultural, anthropological, and political messages.

Qur’ānic Worldview and the Environment

Rabia Aamir — 2024-09-30

This article analyses the prophethood of Muḥammad (peace be on him) as the Creator’s environmentally balanced strategy to achieve a secure and sustainable future for humanity. In line with the principles of innovating on the margins, this article foregrounds the purpose, need, and rationale for presenting such an altruistic environmental ethicist to the world. Negotiating through the environmental ethical debates of utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, and the Qur’ānic worldview, the article argues that a study of the rationale for the Prophet Muḥammad’s prophethood brings an acute awareness of intrinsic environmental ethics and allows Muslims to understand why the Qur’ānic weltanschauung underscores the importance of such a complete human benefactor or a perfect environmental ethicist for the world. It also puts forth the relevance of such a study for navigating the mayhem of contemporary social affairs.

Doctrine of Hijrah and Emergence of Muslim Communities in the West

Tahira Ifraq — 2024-09-30

The presence of Muslims in the West is not recent; their existence in the West dates back centuries. Like other minority groups, Muslims, as a religious minority, have been influenced by their circumstances. Human migration has impacted the culture, lifestyle, and habits of indigenous peoples, as migrants bring their faiths and religious traditions with them. Historically, migration occurred from the East to the West and vice versa for centuries. However, in the last two centuries, this migration has primarily been from developing to developed countries in search of a better future and employment opportunities. The doctrine of hijrah (migration) in Muslim legal thought, along with the emergence of Muslim communities in non-Muslim regions and their interactions with non-Muslims, has long been a subject of discussion among Muslim jurists. This research explores the formation of Muslim communities in non-Muslim countries and assesses the current situation in light of historical and contemporary discourses. Therefore, discussing classical concepts related to migration and the past and present emergence of Muslims in the West is appropriate. This article analyses various writings of classical and contemporary Muslim scholars on the issues of hijrah and Muslims’ settlement in the West.

The Painting and the Background in Arabic Prosody

Mohamed Abd El-Dayem — 2024-09-30

Following the interest in the theory, system, and method in contemporary studies, there is a clear focus on the theory of Arabic prosody in modern studies, which investigate the phonetic aspects of Arabic poetry and how they are unified with the senses in the poetry. Some scholars have introduced their hypotheses and conceptions about the metrical system of Arabic poetry. The present paper aims to introduce a new hypothesis, which concentrates on distinguishing between the metrical painting and its background as well as determining the metrical basis, rhythmic alternating units, and the metrical texture. In investigating the metrical system in Arabic, it reviews some prominent studies about Arabic metrics and discusses different metrical bases that have been proposed, such as stress, syllable length, and syllable weight, through the relation between these proposed metrical bases and the linguistic and metrical systems. In addition, the paper proposes a parallel unit to the syllable called “segment pack” to be the alternating metrical unit instead of the syllable, which has been adopted in aforementioned studies as if it is an alternating unit. Furthermore, it distinguishes between the elements of the metrical painting and its background and advances new hypotheses regarding the metrical basis and texture alongside the genesis of Arabic poetry.

Tehseen Thaver. Beyond Sectarianism: Ambiguity, Hermeneutics and the Formation of Religious Identity in Islam.

Syed Rizwan Zamir — 2024-09-30

Giovanni Maria Martini, ed. Visualizing Sufism: Studies on Graphic Representations in Sufi Literature (13th to 16th Century).

Carimo Mohomed — 2024-09-30

Nadia Mustafa. Approaching the Discipline of International Relations: Competing Paradigms and Contrasting Epistemes.

Sohaib Khaliq — 2024-09-30

Back Matter

Editorial Team — 2024-09-30