Sunglasses Research Articles

The Formation of Muslim Minorities within a Muslim Majority Context: the Case of Shia Groups in Nigeria

Abstract Focusing on al-Ḥaraka al-Islamiyya fī Nayjīriyā (Islamic Movement in Nigeria), which is the largest Shia group in the country, this article examines Shia’s growth and social relations between its members and the Sunni majority. It analyses how the imn uses its structure, networks, and reform programs to spread Shia at the grassroots despite theological and political opposition from the Sunni majority. Beyond engaging in doctrinal polemics with the Sunnis, the Shias organized themselves into a well- structured religious movement with a political agenda challenging the Sunni majority and the Nigerian state. They are construed as a threat by the state, a notion supported by the Sunni Muslims within and outside the government. Subsequently, these dynamics inform how both Shia minorities and Sunni majority react to each other and how they both partake in remaking the wider social fabric of the society they share through interpersonal encounters and their relationship with the state.

Introduction: the Formation of Religious Minorities in Muslim Africa

Abstract Minorities are not defined by mere numbers but must be considered as emergent formations within their wider surroundings. As such, minorities are defined by the relations to their majorities, especially by the differences to, but also by their exchanges with them, which have an impact on their lives and communal identities. Minorities emerge in larger processes and narratives by which their surrounding societies render themselves into imagined communities and thereby partake in the remaking of the wider social fabric. Focusing on religious minorities in Muslim Africa, this introduction to the special issue provides a framework for how to understand how various minorities form and how their minority status impacts how they live their religion, see themselves as members of society, and make claims towards the state. The introduction moreover reviews the scholarly work done on the different religious minorities found within Muslim Africa and presents the essays included in the special issue. Considering the resulting social dynamics and their surrounding debates, we move beyond an understanding of Muslim Africa as coined solely by its Sunni Muslim majority.

Defying Ornaments

The article will discuss works of art produced by Palestinian artists, in which the ornament functions as an intermediary for conveying signs, symbols, messages, and identities. In Muslim tradition, the ornament represented, and visually participated in, establishing the social order, and was also a signifier of a distinct theological, social, dogmatic, and gendered identity. The works at the heart of this article present the ornament as part of an aesthetic and ethical inquiry, a means of reenacting individual and collective history as well as preserving and deconstructing conventions, a method that is both poisonous and a remedy for social hierarchies, fixed identities, and oppressive power relations. I argue that the ornament represented in contemporary Palestinian artworks reflects a destructive or constructive urge, which Mark Wigley describes as an: “elaborate mechanism for concealing and preserving, if not constructing, identity.”

MISS QUEEN DALAM PANDANGAN TEOLOGI AHLUS SUNNAH WAL JAMA’AH

The development of LGBT in Indonesia is getting more and more prominent. LGBT people began to dare to use various ways to show the existence of their group by continuing to exist by organizing various activities, one of which was through organizing a very lively beauty contest specifically for transgender people (waria) both at national and international levels under the name Miss queen. The existence of positive appreciation and praise for the implementation of the contest shows that Indonesian citizens, who are majority adherents of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah Islam, are starting to accept this deviant phenomenon. Through a sociological approach, the researcher tries to reveal how Miss queen is from the theological view of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah. The researcher found that in the theology of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, it is firmly stated that LGBT is categorized as a despicable act and it is forbidden for its adherents to promote, support, and campaign for LGBT activities, including Miss queen.

Malezya ve Türkiye’de Devlet Üniversitelerinde Yüksek Din Öğretimi: Karşılaştırmalı Bir Çalışma

Higher religious education institutions, like other fields, operate within the universities today. While countries establish and develop their own institutions according to their history, society and state, the experience and knowledge of similar institutions in other countries is vital for the development of the universities. Comparative studies can make significant contributions in this regard. Therefore, this article aims to compare higher religious education at public universities in Malaysia and Turkey in terms of six themes: history, current situation, aims, programme structure, student admission and graduate employability. Malaysia and Turkey represent two strikingly different countries in terms of the state’s relationship with religion and the religious composition of society even though they both have a Muslim majority population. This is a qualitative, literature-based study which employs document analysis. Official documents, academic articles and internet sources are used as references to examine and present information about higher religious education in both countries. The findings of the article are as follows: The development of higher religious education in Turkey has been intermittent and is closely related to the politics of religion, as the major political changes have had an impact on higher religious education. In contrast, the development of higher religious education has been steadier in Malaysia. Even though the politics of religion and electoral calculations of political parties have influenced higher Islamic education in Malaysia, this has not at least resulted in their closures or dramatic decreases in their numbers. Currently, higher religious education is thriving in both countries, but more rapidly (at least quantitively) in Turkey than in Malaysia. Regarding the aims of higher religious education, there are direct references to Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah and raising practising Muslims in Malaysia, where the aims and programme outcomes are determined by a national agency. Historically, the official mission statements of theology faculties in Turkey were more inclined towards modern aims/concepts, partly to legitimise the place of theology in a secular university. However, in recent years, there has been a tendency towards overtly Islamic values and concepts. However, due to the lack of a national agency which defines the aims of theology/Islamic sciences faculties, the official mission and vision statements seem patchy and vague, but the accreditation process might lead to more common and unified aims and programme outcomes. In Turkey, higher religious education officially does not adopt any branch of Islam, as opposed to Malaysia, which might be an opportunity for becoming more accommodative and integrative in a modern society which is marked by plurality and diversity. There are different higher religious education programmes in Malaysia, which has sought to integrate Islamic knowledge with professional one. This has resulted in the introduction of multi and cross-disciplinary programmes and specializations. The graduates of these programmes, in turn, can work in very different professions from security to finance and from judiciary to religious services. Multi and cross-disciplinary programmes are currently unavailable in Turkey, as higher religious education faculties only offer a single programme. Another important difference between the two countries is the process of student admission. While there are different post-secondary education/examination systems in Malaysia, in Turkey there is a national university entrance exam. Despite the different examination systems, in Malaysia students need to have a solid background in Islamic education, Arabic and English in order to enrol on Islamic Studies programmes; whereas in Turkey there are just few questions regarding religious education in the university entrance exam; therefore, no background in religious education, Arabic or English is necessary. Even though this can provide an opportunity for those who do not have any Islamic education background, there are problems that theology/Islamic sciences faculties have to start from the basics, such as teaching how to read the Qur’an. Finally, in both countries the employability of higher religious education graduates seems one of the most pressing issues, but this issue is more prevalent in Turkey than in Malaysia.

Memahami Al-Ghazzali: Jawaban atas Kritik Skeptisisme dan Inkonsistensi

Al-Ghazali is one of the greatest Muslim scholars. He is known as Hujjah al-Islām because of his success in defending Islamic orthodoxy in the face of heretical groups. However, Al-Ghazali is also not free from controversy. Among these criticisms is that Al-Ghazali had experienced a period of skepticism and inconsistent thinking. This research attempts to analyze Al-Ghazali's works and secondary books that explain Al-Ghazali's thoughts. This study uses a qualitative approach to the type of literature research. The topic of this research is the controversy surrounding skepticism and accusations of inconsistency in Al-Ghazali's thought. The steps in this study include topic selection, information exploration, focus determination, data collection, data presentation, and report preparation. The results of this study suggest that Al-Ghazali's skeptical period was not a problem because it happened in a short time and he did not produce any papers. The problem of Al-Ghazali's inconsistency arises because of the many works attributed to him but not actually Al-Ghazali's work or because of the different readers intended by Al-Ghazali in his different books, as stated by Dunya. In conclusion, this study argues that a comprehensive reading of Al-Ghazali's work is needed to provide a complete picture of Al-Ghazali's figure and the extent to which his works are devoted.

Restricted Divine Actions in the Holy Qur’an, according to Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama’ah and respond to offender

This research is concerned with clarifying the provisions of divine actions that are restricted in the Holy Qur’an according to Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah in terms of: their meaning, the point of perfection in their attribution, and the ruling on deriving the names of God from them. The research included four demands: the first of which was to mention the rules of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah in the chapter on Attributes, and the second to explain a group of provisions of the attributes of God Almighty’s actions that are restricted in the Holy Qur’an according to the Sunnis and the group, and the third to mention a group of interpretations of the verses of the attributes of God Almighty’s actions that are restricted in the Qur’an According to the Sunnis and the group, and the fourth in the doctrine of the opponents in the chapter on the attributes of God’s actions that are restricted in the Holy Qur’an and the possibility of pushing the people of the Sunnah and the community against the opponents of God’s actions. The research mapped the descriptive-analytical approach by following the words of the Sunnis and their implications in clarifying the reality of the attributes of God Almighty’s actions that are restricted in the Holy Qur’an, ending with a conclusion that included results and recommendations. Evidence of divine actions.

Analysis the Role of Ahlussunnah Wal Jama'ah through PMII on Economic Development in Regional Planning in Medan City

The purpose of this study is to provide an overview regarding the role of PMII Medan city branch in economic development. The movement carried out by PMII in economic development is to instill Ahlussunnah Wal Jamaah values ??as Manhaj al fikr, with the principles of tawasuth (moderate), tawazun (neutral), ta'adul (balance), and tasamuh (tolerant) in building a movement towards development economy by building a balanced economic system between the position of the State, market and society, especially in the city of Medan. Based on the research results, all PMII activities, both informal and non-formal, as well as the economic development institutions initiated by the Medan branch of the PMII have stimulation and have a positive effect on economic development in the city of Medan.

FROM DIE WELT WRITERS (2007-2020) ALEVISM AND ALEVIS IN GERMANY

Used to express mass media that provides one-way communication such as television, newspaper, radio and magazine, digital media, which takes the place of traditional media and gives the opportunity to communicate interactively, has become one of the indispensables of humanity. In this context, the Internet news portal of Die Welt, which has a high impact in Germany, started its broadcasting life in 1995. Die Welt, which managed to reach the level of multimedia news centre in a short time, continues its activities by growing day by day and reaching more readers. In our study, based on selected news on the portal, Alevis, Alevism, Islam, religious practices (headscarf, alcohol, prayer, fasting, etc.), integration policies and articles published on Turkey, it was aimed to reach what information is given about Alevism and Alevis in Germany. While doing this, the articles written by A. Posener, F. Schindler, F. Peters, H. Hirsch, K. Eigendorf, Ö. Muzlu, T. Stoldt in Die Welt were used. It has been seen that the authors generally agree on the following points: Alawites accept the prophets and books in Judaism and Christianity as equal revelations, the idea of the principle of equal rights for all people, regardless of men and women, is an indispensable part of their beliefs, and life itself is the focal point of the Alevi belief; it is not important to perform purely religious rites such as going to the mosque, praying five times a day, prohibiting pork and alcohol, fasting or making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Many points have been reached such that Alevis not only preach the culture of tolerance and nonviolence at all times, they live it, therefore they are the natural ally of the West in Turkey, at least 500,000 Alevis live in Germany and they can be in harmony with the German society without any difficulties within the framework of the integration policy, Alawites have been mistreated at all times in Turkey, their existence has been ignored, and even they have been subjected to forced Islamization (Sunnization). In our research, the reality and validity of the issues stated by the authors were examined in the light of scientific data and tried to be understood and explained. Keywords: Alevis, Alevism, Sunni Islam, Alevism in Germany, Alevis and Turkey.

Understanding "The Character Building" at Nahdlatul Ulama University Blitar

Nahdlatul Ulama University Blitar has the motto The Character Building in carrying out its vision, mission, and institutional goals. This qualitative descriptive writing with literature study will try to interpret the motto. The data analysis technique uses content analysis by sorting out data according to the objectives and problems studied. This paper finds the following points. First, the academic community of Nahdlatul Ulama University Blitar continues to evaluate program activities or policies in realizing its goals, objectives, vision, and mission, as well as trying to increase job satisfaction for structural officials, employees, and employees. Second, the academic community of Nahdlatul Ulama University Blitar continues to improve social competence for their academics with various activities through the tri dharma of higher education which includes education/teaching, research, and community service. Third, the academic community of Nahdlatul Ulama University Blitar continues to improve morality for their academic community, to practice the teachings of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah an-Naahdliyah in carrying out the Tridharma of Higher Education.

The scientific and historical position, jurisprudence and personality of imam sadiq from the sunnis point of view

Imam Sadiq is one of the scientific, jurisprudential, and moral pioneers of our time and an outstanding personality of the Islamic world and humanity. He established a large scientific center in Masjid al-Nabi located in Madinah Munuwrah, which had the status of the first university in the world, and educated up to four thousand students in various branches of religious and intellectual sciences of the time, a valuable contribution to the flourishing of Islamic civilization, the production of sciences in the fields of different and scientific guidance of people. He is a personality who does not fit in the form of a single religion, religion or sect, but the whole of humanity is indebted to the efforts of intellectual sciences and the publication of religious sciences by that honorable man. Famous scientists and thinkers such as Imam Azam Abu Hanifa, the leader of the Hanafi religion, Imam Malik Ibn Anas, the leader of the Maliki religion in religious sciences, and Jabir Ibn Hayyan and others in experimental and intellectual sciences were his students. Many scholars of different sects, both Muslim and non-Muslim, have spoken about the knowledge, knowledge, asceticism, chivalry, morals, behavior and characteristics of that noble person and have described his eminence as the universe leader. The scientific, jurisprudential and personal status of Imam Sadiq is prominent in the eyes of all Muslims, and he does not belong to a particular religion, but belongs to all Muslims and humanity. Key words: Imam Sadiq, Ahl al-Sunnah, scientific position, jurisprudential position, personality.

Coping with Defeat: Sunni Islam, Roman Catholicism, and the Modern State. By Jonathan Laurence. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2021. xxviii + 579 pages. $99.95 cloth, $35.00 paper.

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PENTAFSIRAN AKIDAH DALAM SURAH AL-FATIHAH MENURUT PEMIKIRAN HJ. MUHAMMAD SA’ID BIN ‘UMAR

Tafsir Nur al-Ihsan is the earliest Malay-language tafsir book that was printed in 1934. This book was written by Hj. Muhammad Sa’d bin ’Umar (d. 1932 AD) presented the interpretation of Surah al-Fatihah as an introduction to the book as is common with the content of other books of interpretation. The interpretation is still general and requires a study to see if it contains the facts of faith and is appropriate to be practiced within the framework of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah. This study aims to explain the interpretation of Surah al-Fatihah Hj. Muhammad Sa’id in focus of faith. Next, the role of the study is to analyze the beliefs that should be used as guidelines in Muslim life. This study is important in proving that the interpretation of Surah al-Fatihah is always consistent in explaining the principles of faith that are compatible with the apparent content of its verses. Knowledge related to fiqh and tasawwuf is not the main container in the early stages of interpreting the book Tafsir Nur al-Ihsan. This qualitative study applies the inductive method by identifying and gathering the facts of belief from the content of the interpretation of Surah al-Fatihah. The descriptive method is carried out to analyze the facts of belief in the aspect of emphasis of belief, comparison of facts between sources of interpretation and then formulate the emphasis of belief. The findings of the study show that the interpretation of Surah al-Fatihah contains principles of belief that are parallel to the Pillars of Faith. Belief in Allah S.W.T is always emphasized in every verse based on the appearance of the verse and has similarities with some books of al-ma’thur interpretation such as Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Tafsir al-Tabari. The study found that the emphasis on belief is in line with the teachings of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah. Although the method of interpretation is simple without long debates, readers of tafsir have the opportunity to gain a clear and authentic knowledge of the faith behind the interpretation of Surah al-Fatihah.

Declaration The approach of the scholar Ibn forak in his book "Mushkil al-Hadith and its Explanation"

This research highlights the scholar “Ibn Fourk’s” book “Al-Hadith Problems” in the aspect of understanding the text of the hadith and its jurisprudence and repelling the contradiction from it; this is because the science of the various hadiths is a great science with rules and foundations that only those with exceptional and profound linguistic, rhetoric, interpretation, Al-Hadith, jurisprudence and its origins can comprehend. Ibn Fourk was an Imam and one of the Islamic figures that fit under this category. Recently, there have been a lot of problematic issues in hadith texts that appear to be ambiguous and contradictory, and given the importance of the hadith problems, which eliminates the problem and contradiction from the hadith. It is worthwhile to highlight the methodology of scholars who have written in this field in order to be aware of their method and scientific and doctrinal approach. This research demonstrates the Imam's efforts and methodology, and scientific value of his book.Many scholars who spoke about names and characteristics who came after him were influenced by his approaches, like Imam al-Bayhaqi and others of al-Ash’ari school who paid a lot of attention to the names and characteristics, such as, hand, eye and intercourse, and exaggerating in interpretation. The modern reader should have knowledge about these interpretations and curriculums of the contemporaries. It is obvious from the methods of scholars in decoding ambiguities and problems in al-Hadith texts through scientific methods, so that the reader may distinguish the approach of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah from the approach of people of opinion and speech.

Revision of Internal Structure and Ordering of the Qurʼānic Sūras 105 al–Fīl and 106 Quraysh: Structural and Rhetorical Analysis

The article analyses two suras of the Qur’an (Q. 105 and Q. 106) within the scope of the hypothesis that they initially constituted a textual unity. This assumption was presented by some reports of early Muslim traditions. Several modern researchers also mentioned the thematic coherence of these two suras. Structural analysis of the rhyming endings in both suras and distribution of their thematic units give new insights about supposed previous initial composition of the text. Rhetorical side of the revelation was also analysed according to the concept of emotional plots. These new arguments reinforce the idea that Q. 105 and Q. 106 were revealed as one distinctive piece of the Qur’anic text.

Sunni Islamic perspectives on lab-grown sperm and eggs derived from stem cells – in vitro gametogenesis (IVG)

An exciting development in the field of assisted reproductive technologies is In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) that enables production of functional gametes from stem cells in the laboratory. Currently, development of this technology is still at an early stage and has demonstrated to work only in rodents. Upon critically examining the ethical dimensions of various possible IVG applications in human fertility treatment from a Sunni Islamic perspective, together with benefit-harm (maslahah-mafsadah) assessment; it is concluded that utilization of IVG, once its efficacy and safety are guaranteed, could be permissible by strictly adhering to Islamic ethical principles related to marriage, biological/genetic relatedness, sexual intercourse, and moral status of the embryo/fetus versus that of the gamete. As a result, IVG will be acceptable for treating primary infertility, age-related infertility, and preventing genetic diseases. However, it will be unacceptable for application in posthumous reproduction, donor gametes, genetic enhancement, and procreation in same-sex couples.

Manufacturing the Ummah: Turkey’s transnational populism and construction of the people globally

Inspired by the concept of ‘transnational populism’ this paper investigates the efforts of a religious populist regime to narratively construct ‘the transnational people’ and ‘the transnational leader’ in diasporic spaces that Sunni Muslim minorities occupy. The paper aims to show how Turkey’s ruling party is constructing an Islamist civilisational populist narrative fortified with emotions and how it is disseminating it. We show that Turkey’s current regime has expanded its definition of ‘the people’ in domestic politics to include the whole global Sunni Muslim community (the Ummah), presenting itself as the representative, protector and saviour of the Ummah that has been victimised by the Crusader West. It also expanded its definition of diaspora to include non-Turkish Sunni Muslims/Islamic communities who did not originate from Turkey. Then, similar to its propagation of this narrative and emotional rhetoric at home, it has attempted to transnationalise this Islamist civilisational populist narrative and thes emotions to the Sunni Muslim diaspora communities through state and non-state apparatuses. As a novel contribution, this paper builds a bridge between diaspora studies, religion and populism to capture this transnational aspect of populism.

Review Article: Analysis Caffeine in Powder Coffee Using Spectrophotometry UV-VIS Method

Introduction: Caffeine is made by extraction from roasted and ground coffee by dichloromethane after being heated in deionized water mixed with magnesium oxide. The extract was purified, dried and bottled in a bottle of dark glass. A stratified random selection was applied to select a number of vials for the study of homogeneity and stability, which revealed that the prepared reference material was homogeneous and fairly stable. Objective: This study aims to determine the level of caffeine levels in ground coffee. The quantification of the % purity of caffeine was performed using a calibrated UV/visible UV/visible spectrophotometer and high-performance liquid chromatography calibrated by the diode-array detection method. Method: This study uses literature review, from several articles published in literature through PubMed, Science Direct, Researchgate, publons and Google Scholar with articles published from 2012 to 2022. Result and Discussion: The results obtained from both methods combined to drive the certified value and uncertainty regarding the certified value of the purity of the reference material were found to be 99.86% and the associated uncertainty was ±0.65%, which makes the candidate reference material a very useful calibran in the chemical analysis of food and medicine. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the caffeine levels contained in robusta and arabica coffee beans with varying soaking duration of 3 days, 5 days, and 7 days there are differences in caffeine levels

A Critique of the Concept of Ḥākimiyya: Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd’s Approach

This article seeks to demonstrate how the Egyptian scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd (d. 2010) challenges the concept of divine sovereignty (ḥākimiyya), or the rule of God, developed during the twentieth century, primarily by Sayyid Qutb and Abul Ala Mawdudi—a concept that has inspired many Sunni Islamist movements. The article first explores key aspects of the concept of ḥākimiyya as presented by these two thinkers. Then, key components of Abu Zayd’s humanistic hermeneutics are explained briefly. The article argues that Abu Zayd uses this hermeneutic to challenge the concept of ḥākimiyya and the three main ideas associated with it: (1) the notion of divine sovereignty; (2) the associations between divine sovereignty, the Prophet, and the Qurʾān; and (3) the necessity of implementing Sharia. The article concludes that while challenging the concept of divine sovereignty, Abu Zayd argues for a political theory which seeks to de-politicize Islam—a theory which emphasizes that the state should take a neutral position toward the religious orientation of its citizens and the state law should not necessarily be derived from religious principles.

Maṣlaḥa as “Flourishing” and Its Place in Sunnī Political Thought

Abstract Modern Muslim reformers have made regular appeals to maṣlaḥa (well-being) and maqāṣid al-sharīʿa (the purposiveness of the law) in justifying numerous reform proposals. These arguments have proven to be controversial, not only among traditional Muslim scholars, but also western scholars of Islam who argue that these concepts were always marginal to the enterprise of Islamic law, and that the ubiquity with which arguments are now made in the name of maṣlaḥa and maqāṣid al-sharīʿa are little more than utilitarianism. This article distinguishes between the controversial position of maṣlaḥa and maqāṣid al-sharīʿa in theology (kalām) and theoretical jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh) and its ubiquity in substantive law (fiqh) to argue that jurists took for granted the purposiveness of the law in their immanent practices of formulating detailed rules. I argue that this reflects the political or social dimension of the law, and it applies a fortiori to the rules governing political office. I argue that maṣlaḥa, should be understood as a particular kind of flourishing rather than a form of utility and this is reflected in the teleological nature of juristic reasoning in substantive law. Using this framework, I analyze the rules of the caliphate and consider what the “maṣlaḥa” of the political is – i.e., what does it mean for the political to “flourish” – from the perspective of Sunnī law.