People Of The Book Research Articles

MEDENÎ SÛRELERDE ABDULLAH B. SELÂM İLE İLİŞKİLENDİRİLEN ÂYETLER BAĞLAMINDA TEFSİR RİVAYETLERİNİN DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

The Holy Qur’an was revealed considering the events occurred in twenty-three years. In the verses, Muslims, polytheists, Jews, Christians in the environment of nuzul and the relationship among them were told. The verses, which were understood correctly by the first addressees, then became difficult to understand because historical phases came between past and present, the context is estranged and some comments had various effects on them. In order to overcome this problem, the environment of addressing should be described and constructed again. The main material in this subject is comprised by asbab al-nuzul and tafsir narratives (ar-riwa’is). However, as these narratives include differences and contradictions, the very same narratives which are the means for solution can become a part of the problem. As the scholars indicate, an important portion of these narratives, especially those which are related to persons, are not real asbab al-nuzul but asbab al-nuzul explanations made in tafsir narrative style. This aspect of the narratives is not very well known today and it is not taken into consideration when evaluating the subject. The contradictive narratives should be evaluated on the basis of the Qur’an and sīra, in other words, the consensus of the facts. In the Holy Qur’an, in the verses revealed in different years of Medina period, some scholars among the People of the Book who hid and falsified the truth were criticized while those who adhered to the truths they believed and who did not make war against Islam were praised. These verses were evaluated by the majority of commentators without considering the Qur’an and sīra relationship as ʿAbdallāh b. Salām and his friends who believed in Islam in the first year of the hegira. Some of these comments are correct however, interpreting the verses revealed after the first year as ʿAbdallāh b. Salām and his friends does not correspond to the definition of addressees by the Holy Holy Qur’an and Qur’an and sīra relationship. Also, mentioned comments overshadow the development of relations with the Ahl al-Kitab and the existence of good ones among them. When the narratives and the comments are evaluated within the context of the process of nuzul and Qur’an and sīra relationship, it is understood that this approach is not right, the asbab al-nuzul narratives on which this though is based are not real reasons but commentary explanations. Analyzing the narratives from this perspective shall make positive contributions to the resolution of contradictory views in many subjects.

People of the Book dan Gagasan Pluralisme Keagamaan dalam Alquran

To a certain extent, globalization has provided religions with opportunities to play their roles more extensively and encounter each other more openly than before. In addition to its advantages, this has created a tendency of rigid and exclusive ways of religiosity among different religious believers when they encounter each other or with other cultures. For most believers, this is a way of claiming religious identities, which should be maintained and defended. This article deals with what Islam as a system of belief has contributed to religious pluralism. Using the thematic method of interpretation, it focuses on its analysis on Quranic verses of Ahl al-Kitab, a term that refers to People of the Book. The article argues that from the Quranic perspective, religious pluralism is valid and constitutes one of the main principles of Quranic teachings. Religions of People of the Book differ in terms of syir’ah and minhaj, but they at the same time share a substantial similarity in terms of din, which is seen in their shared doctrine of monotheism (tawhid). To this monotheism, Alquran calls other religions to find a common term. This inclusive religiosity plays as the basis of how Alquran responds to other religions: it acknowledges their validity as systems of belief and emphasizes the shared point as seen in its response to the opposition of People of the Book in the early Islam (Jews and Christians).

Methodological and Sociological Analysis About The Fatwa Of Majelis Tarjih Muhammadiyah Concerning To The Muslim Marriage With An Ahl Al-Kitab

Relation between the different of religion comunity in the multicultural nation as in Indonesia be a natural phenomenon that it cannot be avoided. As to one of the problem that had appeared in this case is about wedding problem betweena moslem with the difference religion womans. Majority of the Indonesia religious scholars as scholar in Majelis Tarjih Muhammadiyah had been prohibiting wedding like that with various reason. while a part little of the contemporary moslem scholars have been permiting the wedding. The points which will discussed in this research is how is opinion of Majelis Tarjih Muhammadiyah about the law of wedding with the woman from Ahl Al-Kitab and its ijtihad methodology. This research should analyze the argumentation of the Majelis Tarjih that make forbidding a muslem married with the difference religion womans. This research using library research approach dan content analysis. The results of this research are: (1) Majelis Tarjih of Muhammadiyah forbidding the wedding with sad al-dzari’ah as its argumentation; (2) Majelis Tarjih’s opinion has been irrelevant because two reason, the mistake of methodology and the change of the Indonesian contemporary society (based on an empiric data). Keywords: Ahlu Kitab; Majelis Tarjih; Different Religion Marriage

Pernikahan Beda Agama: Kritik terhadap Argumen Kaum Liberal

Interreligious marriage, especially in Indonesia, could make, a hard polemic in a society . It, In a beginning, was a social issue. But, suddenly, become an intellectual one. This issue, ussualy, comes from intelectual liberal Muslim. They build, in understanding Islamic law, especialy in a interreligious marriage, a contextual approach. It, so that, makes a anthropocentric thought and disobeying a vallue, in Islamic worldview. Hence, I would, as a writter, review reductionic arguments of intelectual liberal Muslim which was justified as freedom of interreligious marriage. I will, to achieve it, refiew their argumen and explain their inconsistent in istinba>t} al-ah}ka>m . The result of this is discovered that interreligious marriage is rulled by Muslim or man in Islam who marries a woman of ahl kitab which is leaned to Islam and good moral. And not in otherwise. And the other result of this is known that marriage of sahabat by woman of ahl al kitab is enticed to Islamic teaching. So that interreligious marriage in Islam is not, as it claimed by the liberal Muslim, an antroposentic view but it is valuable by Islamic worldview.

KONSEP AHL AL-KITAB MENURUT PEMIKIRAN RASYID RIDHA DALAM TAFSIR AL- MANAR

Qur’an as a source of Islamic teachings is actually global precepts; therefore it needs interpretation with continuously reasoning in order to comply with society, which always changes overtime. Interpretation and reasoning to the Qur’an are needed particularly in this modern time. This paper studies Muhammad Rashid Ridha’s thoughts on a term of ahl al-kitab. This paper examines the term of ahl al-kitab in the Qur’an according to him, along with his arguments. With historical approach, Ridha argues that the term of ahl al-kitab refers not only to Nasrani (Christians) or Yahudi (Jews) but also it includes other religions that have a holy book supposedly carried by a prophet

Why Does the Qurʾān Need the Meccan Sanctuary? Response to Professor Gerald Hawting's 2017 Presidential Address

In this response to Prof. Hawting’s Presidential Address, I offer my views on the centrality of the Meccan sanctuary to the message of the Qur'an in the Meccan period, its subsequent salience in the Medinan period, and the evidence for its continued importance for the Muslims of the seventh century. Reverence for the Meccan sanctuary, I argue, was pivotal to the early community’s self-understanding as a discrete community, both distinct from the “People of the Book” (ahl al-kitab) and as a successor community with a shared biblical lineage. I contend, moreover, that reverence for a sanctuary in Mecca and its attendant rites was regarded as a touchstone feature of the religiosity of the newly hegemonic conquerors from Arabia by the earliest contemporary observers of the conquests and their aftermath. http://dx.doi.org/10.31441/jiqsa.3.2018.a002

REFORMULASI KONSEP DAKWAH DI ERA MODERN (Kajian tentang Dakwah tehadap Ahl al-Kitāb)

In this modern era, dakwah activities must keep abreast of the times, including the concepts and methods used. Da'wah is used for this must be reformulated in accordance with the times. Similarly, the public is often called the Ahl al-Kitab (Nasrani and Yahudi), although it has done deviations agains this own holy book, so that their holy book is not pure anymore. Christians assume that Jesus was the son of God, as well as Jews assume that Uzayr is the Son of God. And they deny the coming of the last Prophet, the Prophet Muhammad. as described in their scriptures. That to realize there formulation da'wah of the Ahl al-Kitab. It is necessary to create harmony among religions depends on the willingness to improve relations in order to organize the future in to a better direction. So that constructive dialogue is necessary to build a community that has a concern. In addition, Muslims must be a lamp to the followers of the other. Various concepts and methods offered in the Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet in delivering dakwah appeal against the Ahl al-Kitab. Such as bi al-hikmah, al-Mauiz}ah, al-Muja>dalah, and tolerance a sever exemplified by the Prophet.

Menimbang Kontorversi Pemaknaan Konsep Ahl Al-Kitāb dalam Al-Qur’an

One of the controversy-laden terms in the discourse of Islamic theology is ahl al-Kitab. Different ways of interpreting the term through textual and contextual exegesis of the Qur’an verses concerning it have colored the history of Muslim beliefs about other religion and religious communities. This paper aims to probe the controversies and arguments through revealing paradigms that underlies any views that differ from each other. Compromising the controversy was considered very important. Therefore, in the context the difference of textual and contextual interpretation of the term, the author conclude that both interpretations should be understood as mutual inclusion rather than two separate points in terms of mutual exclusion. Textual interpretation discovers basic, objective meaning of the term in Qur'an, while the contextual interpretation discovers its contextual meaning, both linguistic and socio-cultural. 

PERDEBATAN SEPUTAR AHL AL-KITAB

Ahl al-Kitab is a very popular term but it is still not clear to those who are meant by the term and it is always debated by Islamic scholars, both classical and contemporary. Is the term identical with Jews and Christian only or it also include other believers, like Zoroastrian, Shabi’in, and even Hindis or Buddhist? Discourse of the coverage of the term is certainly very interesting to discuss because it can give wide law implication in social life like marriage with them and their slaughtered animal.

Jawaban Islam Atas Diskursus Pernikahan Antar Orang Beda Agama

Mapping the Mainstreaming to Interfaith Marriage Law. This article intends observe the linkage of the implementation of interfaith marriage with the opinion of Islamic jurists’ and to political and social change in a country. Interfaith marriage law—as occurred in (former) North Yemen, Jordan, Algeria. And Iraq—is not influenced by the Islamic school of thought of the majority population. In contary, interfaith marriage in the aforementioned states is not inline with the mainstream opinion of islamic jurists that forbidding softly (makruh) Muslim man to marry a women of Ahl al-Kitab. The regulation is obviously influennced by the rise of Islamism. Such as the Muslim brotherhood in Jordan, Front Islamic Salvation in Algeria, and the growing influence of Shiite movements in Iraq and Noth Yemen in establishing relgious conservatism in matters of interfaith marriage. Thus, it can be understood why those countries prefer to refer text of the Quran that regulate interfaith marriage law. Keywords: Interfaith marriage law, islamic family law, Ahl-Kitab.

PANDANGAN RASHĪD RIḌĀ TERHADAP ISRĀILIYĀT DAN ALKITAB DALAM TAFSĪR AL-MANĀR

This paper studies on Rashīd Riḍā’s view on isrāiliyyāt and the Bible in his tafsir al-Manār. As a reformer in the field of exegesis, Riḍā found urgent necessity in returning al-Qur’an to its original purpose which is to give guidance. The problem is that Riḍā saw many authors of exegesis work (mufassir) before him give profuse and unnecessary exegetical discussion. To Riḍā, displaying this kind of lavish information diverts from the original vision of al-Qur’an and cannot be tolerated. In this case, Riḍā resolutely opposes the quotation of isrāiliyyāt. Interestingly, behind this stance, Riḍā quotes the Bible in his work. This becomes the main focus of this study; how Riḍā views isrāiliyyāt and the Bible, what is the essential difference between the two according to Riḍā, and what is the reason behind his quotation of the bible and his opposition against isrāiliyyāt?. To analyze this topic, descriptive-analytical method is used. The result is, it is found that according to Riḍā, isrāiliyyāt are just unfounded stories and not worth quoting. While the Bible in Riḍā’s view is a holy book containing the New and Old Testament the truth of which is believed by the People of the Book themselves. In this case, Riḍā believes that the source worth quoting is only one which is ṣaḥīḥ and marfū’ from the Prophet. Whenever it has to be from the People of the Book, one should quote from the Bible even though Riḍā himself realizes that there are many oddities in it. There are several reasons behind Riḍā’s quoting the Bible (1) Bible is still sourced to the books of Ahl al-Kitab. (2) Bible becomes the guidance of Ahl al-Kitab. (3) Bible can be accounted for according to the Bible.(4) Bible does not have negative motives toward Islam. Key words: Rashīd Riḍā, Tafsir al-Manār, isrāiliyyāt, the Bible

Sectarianism in Islam and Muslim Communities

Conference Reports Sectarianism in Islam and Muslim Communities The 44TH Annual Conference of the North American Association of Islamic and Muslim Studies (NAAIMS) cosponsored and hosted by Middle East Studies at Brown University on September 19, 2015 highlighted “Sectarianism in Islam and Muslim Communities.” The Conference Program Chair, Beshara B. Doumani, the Director of the Middle East Studies (MES) at Brown University, and Sarah A. Tobin, MES Associate Director, welcomed the participants and expressed the Department’s excitement for hosting a conference on sectarianism in the Muslim world with the goal of “bringing informed perspectives on one of the most pressing issues of our time.” In her introductory remarks, NAAIMS Board of Director member, Maria M. Dakake (George Mason University , Fairfax, VA), welcomed the guests on behalf of NAAIMS President, Jon Mandaville (Portland State University, OR) who was not able to attend. In his prepared remarks to the attendees, Mandaville referenced the importance of this conference for analyzing the “enormous diverse aspects of Islam,” and noted how the use of language and “word-choices” creates “different worlds” that generate labels and pejorative implications of the word “sect.” Established and emerging scholars examined critical aspects of sectarianism in four panel sessions. The following are among the questions addressed by the presentations and analyzed by the discussants: Are different Islamic sects [e.g., Ismaili, Shi’i, Sunni, Zaidi, Kharijite, etc] perceived as differentreligionsorbeliefsystems?Didpoliticsplayaroleinthedevelopment ofsectarianismsincetheadventofIslam?Howdidsectarianconceptsdevelop Sein / Sectarianism in Islam and Muslim Communities 107 in the early Muslim community? Are extremist groups products of modernity, and not of Islamic principles? The first panel, “Rhetorics of Sectarianism,” was moderated by the chair, Faiz Ahmed (Brown University, Providence, RI), with Nancy Khalek (Brown University, Providence, RI) serving as the panel discussant. The panel opened with a most fascinating presentation titled “A Narrative Identity Approach to Islamic Sectarianism,” by Adam Gaiser (Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL). It examined how narratives are used by people to form identities through which they interpret their experiences, and therefore, the “narrative identity approach might be fruitfully applied to the study of Islamic sectarianism by treating sect/school affiliations as one particular cluster of narratives.” Gaiser explained how this approach “avoids essentializing sect and school affiliations by recognizing them as products of human beings – products that accumulate, change and develop (even break down) – over time . . . [and] it recognizes sect/school identity as part of the multiple, intersecting and competing identities that constitute a person or social entity.” According to the discussant, Nancy Khalek, Gaiser’s paper was the “most poignant with respect to the proper terminology for assessing communal identification among doctrinal groupings,” and that his examination of “strategies of narrative is an important intervention in how we study medieval Islamic sources, which are themselves often didactic, highly constructed, and put to political ends.” For example, in his response to a question about how he would formulate each chapter along a narrative identity line, Gaiser stated that “each sect/group would have to have its own answer to the question of difference.” Gaiser argued that “the Kharijites viewed themselves as a righteous remnant amidst a sea of kufr, and they responded by separating physically from the rest of the Islamic kufr, and they responded by separating physically from the rest of the Islamic kufr community, or by hiding the Ibadi response in their midst.” He explained that the Shi’ites, on the other hand, “clung to their Imams - who were assumed to be God’s chosen representatives after the Prophets, although they were not prophets themselves.” Piety seems to be the dynamic force behind difference and identity. Michael Pregill’s (Boston University, Boston, MA) presentation “Sects That Feign Forgetting Anti-Sunnism and Anti-Judaism in Early Shi’i Propaganda” examined how various approaches toward understanding Islamic scripture are based on how the Qur’an is read, interpreted and understood. He argued that the “Qur’anhierarchalizesdifferentkindsofbeliefs,dividingpeopleintoidolaters,Ahl al-Kitab,andBelievers/Muslims,sotheearlyMuslimcommunitykindofinherits thatandusesitinitsworldview-establishinghierarchiesanddrawingdistinctions between different ranks of believers, and assimilating ‘heretics’/sectarians totheQur’anichierarchy-sothatsectariansareseenasnotquiteinfidels,butnot 108 Journal of Islamic and Muslim Studies, Vol. 1.1 quite believers either - the way that Jews and Christians are kind of in-between disbelievers and believers in the Qur’an.” Finally, the...

İmam Mâtürîdî’’ye Göre Müslümanlar ile Ehl-i Kitap Arasındaki Beşerî ve Sosyo-kültürel İlişkilerin Dinî Temelelleri

The new facilities of the global world have tremendously accelerated mutual interaction among the people from different religious and cultural circles compared to the past. In a sense, the current status has forced them to live in coexistence rather than homogenous society. Therefore, this status drove them into understand each other better and enhance to some principles of coexistence. Each group struggled to improve a new discourse benefiting from their experiences in the past with respect to the new situation. In this process, especially the creators’ multicultural life, Muslim societies have a critical importance. It is considered that understanding better of the aspect of Imam Mâturidi (he is the pioneer of Mâturidism in the tradition of Islamic sciences) in his multicultural society makes a great contribution to the aforementioned struggle. The issue is confined to his opinions about Ahl al-Kitab and tried to give an overview of his approach.

Defining the Boundaries of Sacred Space: Unbelievers, Purity, and the Masjid al-Haram in Shi‘a Exegesis of Qur’an 9:28

This study examines how some of the most preeminent commentators of the Shi‘a exegetical tradition have interpreted Qur’an 9:28 to frame the relationship between shirk (associating others with God), impurity, and the confessional boundaries around Islamic sacred space, the Masjid al-Haram in particular. The paper revolves around three main questions: how do commentators define the boundaries of shirk ? What is the nature of the mushrik ’s (polytheist’s) impurity? And, what is the extent of the prohibition against entering the Masjid and why? The paper demonstrates that commentators tend towards highly precautionary interpretations of non-Muslim impurity, including that of ahl al-kitab , with contrary views appearing only in the modern period. Nevertheless, despite some variance of opinion, the exegetical tradition on Qur’an 9:28 is not unique to Shi‘a Islam but reflects an understanding of what counts as sacred space and how separation acts to make space sacred that is found in religion more generally.

Nurcholish Madjid’s Idea of Inclusive Theology in Islam

Nurcholish Madjid was one of Indonesian Muslim intellectuals who had shaped specific school of Islamic thought known as neo-modernism. One of contemporary issues that he was concerned with was the problem of religious plurality, which was a fact in Indonesian religious life and had been debated among Indonesian Muslim scholars before him. However, at his era, the discussion of such an issue became more controversial and attracted wider debate. This is because he interpreted “Islam,” which is commonly understood as religion of the followers of Prophet Muhammad, to mean “surrender” to God’s will which is at the heart of all prophetic religions before him. In addition, he extended the concept of people of the book (ahl al-kitab), which includes exclusively the adherents of Judaism and Christianity as traditionalists understand, to cover other religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and so on. Drawing greatly on Nurcholish’s works, this article argues that his theology of religious pluralism can be categorized as inclusive, which is different from exclusivism.

Manhaj Tafsir dalam Memahami ayat-ayat Kisah dalam Al Quran

<p>The narrative verses in the Holy Qur’an mainly function to lead the morality (<em>akhlaq</em>) of the society. Islam has guiding principles for interpreting such verses so that Moslems can gain objective comprehension upon them. One of the foremost principles is to view the narratives as mysterious events and only Allah SWT knows the sequential facts-say, the real chronologies– of the stories. Besides, Moslems should not rely the validity of the narratives on <em>ahl al-kitab</em>’s explanation. It is, finally, imperative that any stories be confirmed and rechecked across reliable sources, such as al-Qur’an, hadits, and ulama’s trustworthy interpretation (<em>tafsir</em>).</p> As the interpretation of narrative verses spread very fast orally or in written, it might be unexpectedly interfered by some <em>Israiliyat</em> stories. This paper provides three insights to respond the subsistence of <em>Israiliyat</em>s: first, the validity of the <em>Israiliyat</em>s should always be questioned except when al Quran and Hadits have provided evident points of justification; second, the <em>Israiliyat</em>s whose content is appropriate with the teachings of al Quran and <em>hadits</em> can enrich our religious perspectives; third, the <em>Israiliyat</em>s whose content contradicts Islamic values (<em>syari’ah</em>) should be disregarded and thrown away; and fourth, it is prohibited to tell false stories.

Heart Speaks to Heart: Women of the Book in Conversation

Muslim and Catholic teenage girls discussing dating and marriage . . . Jewish and Catholic women studying the Bible together . . . Jewish, Christian, and Muslim moms sharing kosher marshmallows. These are just a few snapshots of the conversations taking place between Jewish, Christian, and Muslim “women of the book” in Chicago. “People of the book” (ahl al-kitab) is a Qur’anic term Muslims use to describe religions centered on a revealed text, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Christians and Jews would not necessarily define themselves in this manner, but I have used the term “women of the book” in my title because it is a convenient way to group these three monotheistic faiths. “Heart speaks to heart” is the famous saying of Cardinal John Henry Newman that, I believe, captures the essence of the kind of dialogue that often takes place between Jewish, Christian, and Muslim women. This article is not intended to be an exhaustive survey of all the dialogues between Jews, Catholics, and Muslims in Chicago. Rather, I will simply use broad strokes to describe some of the incredibly rich conversations that have been taking place here between “women of the book.”

Between the Seventh and the Twenty-first

Monotheistic traditions of the Abrahamic variety have commonly conceived of the Divine interacting with this world through the Divine Word. No surprise, then, that the Qur’an refers to the Jews, Christians, and Muslims as “People of the Book” (Ahl al-Kitab). Yet the task of seeking and finding God is not as simple as opening a book, even the Book. Reading religious words necessitates some self-awareness about the revelation’s context, the history of interpretations that stands between us and the text, and our own situatedness. What follows is a series of musings on these principles.

Between the Seventh and the Twenty-first

Monotheistic traditions of the Abrahamic variety have commonly conceived of the Divine interacting with this world through the Divine Word. No surprise, then, that the Qur’an refers to the Jews, Christians, and Muslims as “People of the Book” (Ahl al-Kitab). Yet the task of seeking and finding God is not as simple as opening a book, even the Book. Reading religious words necessitates some self-awareness about the revelation’s context, the history of interpretations that stands between us and the text, and our own situatedness. What follows is a series of musings on these principles.

Israiliates and tafsir

The term israiliates is frequently mentioned in tafsir literature. Scientists relate the origin of israiliates to the early period of Islamic history, to the time of scholars, when some of them, searching for some extra knowledge and details from the narration about the Messengers and earlier peoples, turned to the words of the followers of the Holy Books (ahl al-kitab) who converted to Islam. Because of an easy acceptance of israiliates lots of unusual and illogical things concerning israiliates, which have nothing in common with Islamic belief, settled to the bottom of Islamic heritage, in its broader sense, and especially into tafsir heritage, in its narrower sense. In this paper, the author analyses linguistic and terminological meaning of the term israiliates, their classification, and the view of them that should be taken.