Anic Concept Research Articles

The Qur'anic Model on Social Change: Family Structure as a Method of Social Reform

Islam emphasises the belief that the family is the cornerstone of human civilisation. This article explains that Islamic teachings regarding family structure are unique in providing theoretical and practical answers to modern challenges and have the ability to reform any deviation. Furthermore, it constructs, from the study of the Quran and the prophetic applications, a model for gender equality and harmonious family relations. The methodology of this article is based on conducting a textual analysis of relevant Qur’anic concepts and Prophetic applications. It is my hope that having this understanding may show the way towards realising the significance of enforcing gender equity in order to establish healthy and peaceful human relations, especially among family members, which in turn will lead to generating a peaceful human culture and society in our modern time.

The Qur’an

Given that each teaching of the Qur’an is essential, it is neither possible nordesirable to divide its teachings into “essential,” “less-essential,” or “nonessential.”Since this book seeks to serve “the needs of those new to the studyof the Qur’an,” The Qur’an: Some Essential Teachings would have been amore accurate title and would have forewarned the reader that the authorpresents only select teachings. That aside, A. R. Kidwai, a rising Islamicscholar, felt compelled to write this book to meet the needs of the commonreader, because he believes that the available material mainly addresses thespecialized reader. This brilliant work is designed to equip readers with thenecessary tools to “grasp better advanced works on the Qur’an” (p. vi). Thebook mainly deals with the concepts of God, messengership, and theHereafter and throws some light on modes of worship, as well as on socialand family relations, in a very lucid, fluent, and persuasive manner. This book opens by analyzing the Qur’anic concept of God. The thirdchapter, which deals with the Prophet, is full of remarkable observationsabout his life and his role as a perfect role model for humanity. Some importantaspects of his personality, however, have been left out, such as his leadership,emphasis on acquiring `ilm (knowledge), and the use of reason ...

Umma: the Orientalists and the Qur{Arabic right hamza}Anic concept of identity

Umma: the Orientalists and the Qur{Arabic right hamza}Anic concept of identity

Excellence and Precedence: Medieval Islamic Discourse on Legitimate Leadership

This volume focuses on how legitimate leadership came to be defined in the formative period of Islam in terms of two key Qur'anic concepts: moral excellence (fadl/fadila) and precedence (sabiqa). These two concepts undergirded a specific discourse on leadership which developed in the first century of Islam. This discourse is reconstructed through careful scrutiny of the manaqib literature in particular, which contains detailed accounts of the excellences attributed to the Rashidun caliphs. This book stresses that all early factions, including the proto-Shi'a, subscribed to the Qur'anically-mandated vision of a righteous polity guided by its most morally excellent members. Such a conclusion forces us to rethink the nature of leadership in the earliest period and reconsider the criteria invoked to establish its legitimacy.

The Qur’anic Concept of Umma and its Function in Philippine Muslim Society

The Qur’anic Concept of Umma and its Function in Philippine Muslim Society

The Qur'an's Self-Image

This is a well-researched and carefully thought out book on the highly complex issue of the Qur' an 's self-referential terms to its own status as Scripture. Particularly illuminating are the author, Daniel Madigan's, clear and profound engagements with the semantic content of key Qur'anic words like kitab, mushaf, qur'an, dhikr, tanzil. and wahy, and his discussion of the inter-relatedness of these tenns. Madigan successfully problematizes partic­ularly the key terms kitab and Qur'an since, as he shows, their meanings can be fairly fluid and their essence cannot be easily and crudely reduced to a rigid demarcation between orality and "writtenness" alone. 
 A central focus of his book is indeed the tension between the orality and the written nature of Islam's sacred scripture, already suggested in the name given to it, al-Qur'an, which itself may be translated as ''the Recitation," and "the Reading." Madigan stresses the primacy of the oral nature of the Qur'an; in his (rather brief) discussion of the terms kalam Allah (the speech of God) and kitabAl/ah (the book of God), he states, ... the focus on the ontological status of the Qur'an [as represented in the usage of the term kalam Allah] may be not merely the result of specula­tion but rather an attempt to recover something that was lost when the concepts of kitab Allah and Qur'an were collapsed into the content of the mushaf. 
 Chapters 2 - 4 provide a fine and nuanced exposition of the Qur'anic conception of kitab, which, as Madigan persuasively suggests, has to do with divine, timeless authority becoming manifest in the human, time­bound world. The difference between Qur'an and kitab is therefore, not merely a question of display or storage, through the medium of the human voice in the fonner and through written composition in the latter, but has to do rather with the Qur'an's origin, that is, "its author and the source of its composition." ...

Prophethood and the World in Qur'anic Discourse

This article discusses the concept of universality, characteristic of the Islamic message and its relation to the meanings of certain key terms in the Qur'an. It considers in particular the four Qur'anic terms: al-nās, al-calamīn, al-umma and al-qariya, in order to investigate the relationship between them and their connection with the linquistic historical and prophetic contexts. The study then examines three important prophets, namely, Abraham, Noah and Adam and their connection with the question of universality. The Qur'anic concept of universality is seen as strongly associated with Arab peculiarities and is reshaped through revelation to enable it to join the monotheistic messages in general, so that it goes beyond the concepts of tribal and/or blood relations to the wider notions of humanity and the march of history. The article concludes by suggesting that this new way of looking at the concept of universality is paramount if one is to gain a fuller understanding of contemporary intellectual and cultural decline.

The Meaning of Hikma in Sūrat al-Baqara (Q.2:129)

This article follows the concept of ḥikma (wisdom) in the Qur'anic verse: ‘Our Lord! And raise up in them an Apostle from among them who shall recite to them Thy communications and teach them the Book and the wisdom and purify them; surely Thou art the Mighty, the Wise.’ (Q.2:129) The notion of ḥikma is explained in the compilations of several Qur'anic commentators, representing different scientific methods and ideological groups. Moreover, the above-mentioned verse is the first to occur with this sense of ḥikma, in terms of the Qur'anic order. This study traces the different linguistic meanings and origins of this concept, through the compilations of famous ancient Arab linguists and poetic citations, especially from pre-Islamic poetry. In addition to the linguistic meaning of the term, the article also explores its metaphorical meaning. The study reaches the conclusion that the Qur'anic concept of ḥikma is specified through the context, in other words, through the literal and the versificational. The various meanings which the commentators attribute to the concept indicate that interpretative judgements are limited by the human capability to specify the meanings of Qur'anic concepts. Therefore the human language differs from that of God, who descended the Qur'an by revelation 'in plain Arabic language' (Q.26:195).

THE ROLE OF SUBJECT (MUJTAHID) IN AL-SHAFI'I'S METHODOLOGY: HERMENEUTIC APPROACH

Ever since the Qur'an was revealed, Muslims have been making greatefforts to understand and live in accordance with it. Within a very shortperiod of time after the Prophet's death, schools of fish emerged in theHijaz, Iraq, and Syria. They defined the sources of the religion (al-din)and engaged in developing methods to better understand them. By theearly part of the second century, more systematic approaches appeared;the roots of the schools that emerged reached back to the Companions ofthe Prophet as well as to the Prophet himself.' Their approaches representedman's natural tendencies to understanding the din. Many schoolsappeared only to fade away and be replaced by ones more comprehensivein their approach. In the late second century, Imam al-Shafi'i (150-204 A.H.) put forward the first systematic methodology of fiqh. In hiswork, al-Risalah, Imam al-Shafi'i offered a methodoIogy for the verypurpose of understanding the din. Of course, the methodology took forgranted a certain definition of Islam. Even though his methodology drewfrom prior lines of thought, it is widely accepted that as an originalmethodology, the Imam's theory of fiqh drastically transformed the perceptionof Islam that had hitherto prevailed."In order to change the approach toward the din, he redefined conceptssuch as Sunnah and ijtihad. He identified ijtihad with qiyas; and whereasthe term Sunnah had been used for the practice of the Muslim community,the Imam restricted its application to the Sunnah of the Prophetand the companions. In his vocabulary the concept of hikmah took onconsiderable importance. Al-Shafi'i can almost be singled out by his definitionof the concept of hikmah from other Muslim scholars. In order toestablish and consolidate the authority of the Sunnah on the basis of theQur'an, he interpreted and defined this Qur'anic concept as being synonymouswith the Sunnah ...

The impact of the Qur'anic conception of astronomical phenomena on Islamic civilization

Discussions of astronomical phenomena in religious texts usually center around either their literal astronomical content or their symbolic significance. We shall instead consider the use of frequent references to astronomical phenomena in the Qur'an as exhortations to a worldview that ushered in the modern era. The Qur'anic conception of astronomical phenomena had a critical impact on Islamic civilization and the civilizations that followed because it introduced and mandated the adoption of certain attitudes. Among these were a greater respect for empirical data than was common in the preceding Greek civilization and an insistence that the Universe is ruled by a single set of laws. Both of these were rooted in the Islamic concept of tawhîd, the unity of God.

A Concept of Philosophy in the Qur'anic Context

One of the most debated subjects in philosophy is the nature andsubject matter of philosophy itself. It is pethaps the only discipline thatcritically discusses its own natum. This is one msan that has led philosophers,particularly after the nineteenth century, to distinguish philosophyfrom such other experimental sciences as physics, biology, or astronomy.When we add to this the nature of subjects discussed in philosophy, asopposed to the issues discussed in those sciences, the sharp distinctionbetween the two becomes decisively clear.It is our aim to investigate critically the nature of philosophical subjects,which constitub basically the method of philosophy, in order toarrive at a concept of philosophy that is acceptable to the Qur'anic perspective,which can be taken, as we shall see, as a contribution towardthe effort of Islamization. Our discussion requim the development of aclear conception of the term "philosophy." If we am to develop an Islamicconcept of philosophy, then we are required in the first instance toclarify what we mean by philosophy. We feel compelled to do this, becausein the history of human thought thew am more than a score ofconceptions about the nature, purpose, and subject matter of philosophy.However, settling this problem alone does not fulfill the task of our paper.We must, moreover, show what the role of philosophy may be in thissociety (in general) so that we can delineate mow effectively its significancein a Muslim community (in particular). Finally, we must try tojustify our arguments from the Qur'anic perspective in order to defendthe conception of philosophy that is to be developed hew as an adequateone.The discussion, then, will be divided into three main sections. Thefirst section will be devoted to "what philosophy is." In the second, weshall elucidate what we shall tern the "Qur'anic conception of or attitude ...

EDITORIAL

In this issue we have included the opening address of Taha Jabir Al-‘Alwani which was delivered at the First AMSS History Conference withthe theme of “Strategies for an Islamic Perspective on History and HistoricalWriting,” that was held on Dhu al Qidah 1-2, 1411/May 26-27, 1990.Al- ‘Alwani states that the collapse of Marxism all Over the world is a logicalconclusion of the philosophies which circulated in the West with a stampof undeserved academic authority and universality.Western thought, he says, will explain the fall of Marxism by trying torevive philosophies removed from Marxism and condemning Marxism asbeing opposed to human nature, antithetical to freedom and democracy, andopposed to the natural flow of history. But the alternatives to be projectedwill not be essentially any different. Therefore, Al- ‘Alwani warns, the gleewe witness in the West at the collapse of Marxism will be short-lived becausebefore too long the shortcomings of Westem thought will become more apparent.What is needed for removing the suffering of mankind is a comprehensivealternate philosophy that presents a realistic and satisfactory interpmtionof history, an overall conception of life, mankind, and the universe.Al-‘Alwani argues that the Qur’anic interpretation of time, life, theuniverse, mankind, history, and good and evil provides contemporary humanitywith a philosophical and civilizational alternative that is capable of leadingmankind out of the present crisis.It is in this context that the contributions of MISS become relevant. Ourwriters are engaged in providing a critique of the Wstern disciplines andthen highlighting the features oftheir Islamized versions. Abdul Rashid Motenattempts a contrast between the Western mode of political inquiry and theIslamic alternative. This underscores the fact that the methodology andepistemology of Western political science is built mund the seemingly limitlesspower of natural sciences. Moten exposes the subjective and ideological natureof political science in its own epistemic landscape from real life situations.He concludes that the instrumentalist conception of political community andthe final packaging of knowledge are all colored with the social, cultural,and historical experience of Western Christianity, which is also, paradoxically,materialistic and secular to the core. By identifying reason and revelationas the twin sources of knowledge, Islamic political thought is associated withsuch Qur‘anic concepts as Tawhid, Khilafah, ‘Ibadah, 'Adl, and the like ...

クルアーンにおける Taqwa の概念

The term taqwa is usually taken to mean “fear of God, ” or “piety.” The pre-Islamic meaning of taqwa was “self-defense against some destructive force coming outside.” Prof. Izutsu analyzes that this original meaning of taqwa, brought into the Qur'anic world, changes into “fear of God.” By contrast, Prof. Rahman emphasizes the ethical meaning of the concept of taqwa, which he translates as “conscience.” He insists that “self-defense, ” the original meaning, is the basic meaning of the Qur'anic concept of taqwa.In order to elucidate the concept of taqwa, the Qur'anic usages of taqwa and other forms of the same Arabic root W-Q-Y are analyzed on the one hand. On the other hand, some of the basic themes in the Qur'an are briefly explained: “the personal relation between God and man, ” “the Day of Judgment, ” and “the crucial importance of man's deed based on the idea of the Islamic community.”The terms tagwd, iman (faith) and islam (surrender) mean one and the same total response of man to the One God, but each term shows a different modality of the whole. In the modality of taqwa, man confronts God as mysterium tremendum, which implies more than “fear of God.” While the modality of faith is related to the inner peaceful, static self, that of taqwa is related to the active self who acts in historical situations. This is due to the preservation of the original meaning of taqwa “self-defense.” The direct self-defense is impossible against God. Within the modality of tagwd, man is already surrendered. A new meaning is given to “self-defense, ” that is, “to follow the divine guidance and not to follow man's selfish desires.”

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:The Qur'anic Concept of History, by Mazheruddin Siddiqi.Counsels in Contemporary Islam. Islamic Surveys 3. By Kenneth Cragg.Die Welt des Islam und die Gegenwart. (The World of Islam and the Present Time.) Edited by Rudi Paret.A History of Medieval Islam, by J. J. Saunders.The Lands of the Eastern Caliphate, by Guy LeStrange.The Modern History of Lebanon, by Kamal S. Salibi.Documents from Islamic Chanceries. First Series (Oriental Studies III). Edited by S. M. Stern.The University Looks Abroad: Approaches to World Affairs at Six American Universities, a report from Education and World Affairs.Bread From Stones: Fifty Years of Technical Assistance. Edited by John S. Badeau and Georgians G. Stevens.