Centuries Of Islam Research Articles

A Critical Analysis of Abū Rayyah's Perspectives on Ḥadīth Recording

Abū Rayyah, a prominent 20th-century Egyptian Islamic scholar, has sparked significant debate with his critical stance on the traditional processes of Ḥadīth collection and documentation. His arguments challenge long-standing views and practices, questioning the reliability of certain narrators and the methodologies employed in the early Islamic centuries. Aiming to contribute to the ongoing discourse surrounding the authenticity and methodology of Ḥadīth compilation within Islamic tradition, this paper provides a critical analysis of the views of Abū Rayyah on the recording of Ḥadīth, examining the historical context and scholarly responses to his critiques. Through a comprehensive review of primary sources, including Abū Rayyah's own writings and the responses from other Islamic scholars, the paper evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of his arguments. This involves analyzing his methodological approaches, his use of evidence, and the broader implications of his critiques for Islamic jurisprudence and theology. Ultimately, this study seeks to provide a balanced assessment of Abū Rayyah's contributions to the study of Ḥadīth, acknowledging his role in prompting critical reflection and debate while also considering the validity of the critiques against his views. By doing so, the paper aims to enhance the understanding of Ḥadīth recording practices and their impact on Islamic thought and practice.

Manifestation of Ethical Teachings in Illustrations of Lithographic Manuscript Called ‘Expressing the Story of His Highness Solomon’

Holy Qur'an that is replete with historical stories pertaining to the prophets and their nations and aims at transferring revelation teachings and human guidance drew the attentions of the experts from the early Islamic centuries. Historians engaged in narrating the stories of the prophets’ lives in their writings. However, such writings lacked pictorial expression. Thus, in order for the literary-religious concepts of these writings to be better revealed, the miniaturists from the later centuries were assigned to decorate them with images. One of these is the lithographical manuscript called ‘expressing the story of His Highness Solomon’.The present study was based on the credible library-electronic resources and pictorial data collection through a field of research and sought finding an answer to the question as to what visualization principles and regulations can be applied in the aforesaid manuscript so that the ethical teachings latent in its story can be better expressed.

الاغتيال السياسي: مفهومه، تكييفه، نماذجه، وتجريمه في الفقه والقانون

Under Islamic Sharia, the crime of political assassination is, indeed, a political crime as a criminal offense and is considered a non-political crime as a penalty or punishment. It is the physical elimination of a political figure for a political purpose. With no doubt, by killing the ruler or President of a country, the regime may fall in some cases. It is a political crime in this sense, and it is a non-political crime as a punishment or penalty in accordance with Islamic Sharia, International and national law. Because the perpetrator of the crime of political assassination is punished with the most severe punishment, even death by hanging, unlike the general political crime. The crime of political assassination is as old as politics itself. Since the state existed, politics and political assassination have also been existed with state. Even during the best Islamic centuries (i.e Khilfa Al-Rashida period) the Khalifa (rulers) were assassinated by the opponents. In this article, we will endeavor to discuss the provisions of political assassination from Islamic Sharia perspective, and will make its comparison with both International and Afghan laws as well.

The Impact of Political Tyranny on Historical Writing in the Early Islamic Centuries

The Impact of Political Tyranny on Historical Writing in the Early Islamic Centuries

Critical Analysis of Curriculum Management Development in 21st Century Islamic Education

Dalam menghadapi dinamika global abad ke-21, pendidikan Islam memerlukan transformasi yang mendalam, khususnya dalam pengembangan manajemen kurikulum. Artikel ini menyajikan telaah kritis terhadap pendekatan-pendekatan yang diambil dalam pengelolaan kurikulum pendidikan Islam pada era ini. Metode Penelitian: Penelitian ini mengadopsi pendekatan analisis literasi dan studi pustaka sebagai landasan utama. Dengan merinci kerangka pemikiran dan konsep-konsep kunci, kami mengeksplorasi peran manajemen kurikulum dalam memenuhi kebutuhan pendidikan Islam di era modern. Pendekatan interdisipliner juga digunakan untuk mengintegrasikan perspektif-perspektif yang beragam. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pengembangan manajemen kurikulum pendidikan Islam pada abad ke-21 merupakan kebutuhan mendesak. Tantangan utama yang diidentifikasi melibatkan integrasi teknologi modern, peningkatan literasi digital, dan penyesuaian konten kurikulum untuk mencerminkan realitas global. Adapun temuan signifikan melibatkan perlunya transformasi dalam pendekatan pembelajaran, di mana kreativitas, kritis berpikir, dan literasi kultural menjadi fokus utama. Manajemen kurikulum harus mempertimbangkan aspek-aspek ini untuk memastikan relevansi pendidikan Islam dengan tuntutan zaman. Selain itu, hasil penelitian menyoroti kebutuhan akan pendekatan interdisipliner dalam mengembangkan kurikulum, memungkinkan integrasi antara ilmu-ilmu agama, sains, teknologi, dan humaniora. Ini dapat menciptakan lulusan yang tidak hanya terampil dalam aspek keagamaan, tetapi juga mampu berkontribusi dalam mengatasi tantangan kompleks dalam masyarakat global saat ini. Secara keseluruhan, telaah kritis terhadap pengembangan manajemen kurikulum pendidikan Islam abad ke-21 menggarisbawahi perlunya inovasi, adaptasi, dan kesiapan untuk menghadapi perubahan dinamis dalam pendidikan dan masyarakat.

A Historical Exploration of the Selected Writing Trends on As-Sīrah An-Nabawiyyah (Prophetic Biography) from the First Century of Islam to the Contemporary Times

This research paper seeks to explore trends or tendencies in as-Sīrah an-Nabawiyyah (Prophetic Biography) emphasizing the historical investigation of selected writings on this subject from the first century of Islam until contemporary times. Muslims and others find exemplary qualities in every aspect of the Prophet’s life that inspire them to love him, understand his sayings, and follow his deeds, and accept all his decisions. Also, Muslim scholars rely on the Prophetic Sīrah to understand and explain the Islamic Sources, al-Qur’an and as-Sunnah. Initially, most works on Sīrah focused on the composition of the Prophet’s biography, and subsequently, their writers became interested in recording its events in separate books. This study aims to highlight the writing trends on the Prophetic Sīrah throughout Islamic history, and then, examine selected writings addressing the demands and concerns of their times. This work starts with an introduction, and then, continues the discussion on the literal and technical definition of the Prophetic Sīrah, the phases of its writing trends, firstly, from the first century to the third century, secondly, from the fourth century to the golden age of Orientalism, and, lastly, from nineteenth century to contemporary age. This study arrives at insightful findings that for each age, there has been a trend or tendency in the writing of the Prophetic Sīrah according to the demands and concerns of the time. The researchers propose that the demands of modern-day writing trends on the Prophetic Sīrah include rhetorical (Kalāmī), philosophical (Falsafī), and social (Ijtimā’ī) approaches.

Building Inspirational Islamic Education Learning with the Flipped Learning Model using Canva Application as a Solution to 21st Century Islamic Education Learning Problems at SD Al Falah Surabaya

Building Inspirational Islamic Education Learning with the Flipped Learning Model using Canva Application as a Solution to 21st Century Islamic Education Learning Problems at SD Al Falah Surabaya

The Evolution of 'Kafir' in the Qur’an: A Diachronic Study on the Socio-Political Influences Shaping Its Meaning

The term 'kafir' in the Qur’an possesses a complex meaning, which is one of the most pivotal elements of the Qur’an, influenced by the context from the time of revelation to the practice of the interpretive community. Considering the element of time, the meaning of 'kafir' has changed over the years; it is dynamic and dependent on temporal, spatial, and socio-political contexts. This paper explores the historical-critical changes in the meaning of 'kafir' over time, known as a diachronic study, by considering the socio-political backgrounds accompanying these emerging meanings. The objective of this paper is to foster a more comprehensive understanding of 'kafir' as a dynamic and discursive term throughout history. The findings indicate that with the continuous evolution of context, different understandings and meanings have surfaced, rendering the meaning of 'kafir' fluid. The term dates back to pre-Islamic times and was later used in the Qur’an within a new conceptual framework. Within the interpretive community, political divisions in the first centuries of Islam contributed to diverse meanings of 'kafir.' In the modern era, the predominance of the nation-state concept has brought the term 'kafir' into debates concerning the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims and their status within the nation-state. This type of historically grounded diachronic study helps to avoid essentialism in the study of historically significant terms and concepts related to Muslim societies, which are still often examined in popular academic discourse.

21st Century Islamic Education Teachers' Teaching Practice in Teaching Recitation of The Qur'an

21st Century Islamic Education Teachers' Teaching Practice in Teaching Recitation of The Qur'an

Arabographic texts and the problem of reading

This article explores the development of the Arabographic tradition during the early centuries of Islam. Evidence from pre-Islamic graffiti, poetry, and prose, as well as other sources, suggests the existence of an established writing tradition in western Arabia during this period. Furthermore, the Quran contains indications of the use of written documents. This graphic system enabled writing not only occasional or brief text fragments, but also significant volumes of information. The codification of the Quran marked a pivotal moment in the final transition from an oral to a written cultural tradition. The earliest handwritten fragments of the sacred text, as well as epigraphy, enable tracing the progression from a basic to a more intricate writing system. This comprised distinctive signs for consonant graphemes, vowel indicators, regular utilization of matres lectionis, and so on. The surviving documents also demonstrate a broad range of script variations. Later on, in the 8th century, early medieval Muslim scholars transcribed the poetic heritage and prose of the Jahiliyyah period using this graphic system.

Assessment and Analysis of defense-military fortifications of Zahidan Kuhnih city in the middle Islamic centuries (5th to 9th century AH)

Assessment and Analysis of defense-military fortifications of Zahidan Kuhnih city in the middle Islamic centuries (5th to 9th century AH)

The Transformation of Islamic Historiography in the Era of the Caliphate

In the first two centuries of Islam, there was no singular and uniform historiographical tradition, and multiple schools emerged in the regions of Medina, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. Gradually, the tension between the perspectives of court historians and other chroniclers, the vastness of Islamic culture, and the relative freedom of historians in employing the method of observation or narration led to the creation of works with different approaches. Nevertheless, Islamic historiography in the third and fourth centuries A.H. shifted towards a narrative-oriented discourse and made less use of analytical and critical perspectives. This article aims, using a comparative-critical method, to provide a brief analysis of the historiographical trends from the first to the fourth centuries A.H. and to compare the historiographical methods and perspectives of the Umayyads and Abbasids. According to the research findings, the Umayyads and Abbasids used history and historians as tools to legitimize their rule and, knowingly or unknowingly, contributed to the spread of certain historiographical distortions and deviations. Eventually, with the beginning of the translation movement and the cultural expansion and assimilation, conditions were created for the flourishing of historiography by historians from the subordinate regions, and the historical perspective of Muslim historians became more global and analytical. This culminated in a new generation of professional historians succeeding in producing distinguished works.

The Riddle of the Thread: On Arabic ghazal

Ghazal is the Arabic word for “amatory verse”, and in other languages of the Islamic world it designates a sonnet-like poetic form. The notion that the word stems from Arabic ghazl “spinning thread” is widely held, despite the absence of support for this in classical lexicography and poetry criticism. Comparison to Semitic cognates points to an alternative derivation of ghazal from a verb of speaking – specifically, speech that is ambiguous and suggestive – by way of attraction to the gazelle (Arabic ghazāl), an ancient Near Eastern idiom for the beloved. While ghazal poetry emerged in Western Arabia during the first century of Islam, the genesis of ghazal as a term of art predates the literary record, as may be appreciated in a poem by ʿAmr ibn Qamīʾa (6th century CE) that has been called the earliest complete qaṣīda in Arabic manuscript tradition.

Emergence of Sufism and Moderate Sufism

Sufism calls for a return to the teachings of Islam, and to hard work, construction and reconstruction that is accomplished with the blood of the heart. It calls for strengthening and educating the self, and reforming the souls according to divine law, and condemns the weakness, dependence, laziness, and escaping from shouldering the responsibilities, and confronting the problems of life, which seeks that the person who believes in the One God, the Almighty, the Powerful, the Mighty, who created the most honorable creature in the entire universe, and who has lost his selfhood, credibility, his humanity and status long ago, due to some false and misleading ideas of Sufism, specifically the idea calling for the annihilation in God instead of remaining by loving God, based on the doctrine of “Pantheism” which says, “there is no reality for this material world, including the man,” and the saying “you should die before you die.” However, the doctrine of Pantheism has some considerations. We must know first what Sufism is? When we search for this word, we see that it is not in the Qur’an or in the Prophetic hadiths, just as we do not find a Muslim in the first and second century since the rise of Islam called a Sufi, and Muslim in the first century of Islam liked to be called a believer due to his faith, piety, and self-purification. Where did this word come from? We only have to say that Sufism was taken from Soof: wool, so it is said that he is a Sufi if he wears woolen cloth, and what we rely on most for this is linguistic derivation. Many people took this opinion, including Al-Suhrawardy, the author of the book (Awarif Al-Maʻārif), Al-Tusi, the author of the book (Al-Lamʻ), and Ibn Khaldun, author of (Introduction).

Typology of 21st Century Islamic Boarding School Education (Pesantren) in Indonesia

This research examines the dynamics of Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia with a focus on typology and development. Through a qualitative descriptive approach and library research, this research identified three developing typologies of Islamic boarding schools: Salaf Islamic Boarding Schools, Modern Islamic Boarding Schools, and Radical Islamic Boarding Schools. Salaf Islamic boarding schools, which are traditional Islamic boarding schools, maintain the teaching of classical Islamic books without adding to the general curriculum. The case study of the Tarbiyatun Nasyi'in Islamic Boarding School in Jombang provides an illustration of the sustainability of the Salafist model which still exists today. Modern Islamic boarding schools, represented by Pondok Modern Gontor, show transformation by incorporating a general curriculum, emphasizing Arabic and English language teaching, and managing Islamic boarding school management neatly. This phenomenon illustrates the adaptation of Islamic boarding schools to the demands of the times and general education. Radical Islamic boarding schools reflect a conservative and scriptural Islamic ideology, often involving fundamentalist views and radicalism. Case studies of Islamic boarding schools in Lamongan and Ngruki highlight the negative impact of radical thinking in the students' thinking patterns and the involvement of some alumni in acts of terrorism. This research describes the variations in educational approaches and religious views in Islamic boarding schools, reflecting the dynamics of Islam in Indonesia. With a deeper understanding of Islamic boarding school typology, this research contributes to detailing the development and role of Islamic boarding schools in shaping Islamic society in Indonesia

Anonymous Expressions Regarding the Theological Debates in the Commentary of al-Ṭabarī II: Some Controversial Issues Regarding the Acts of Human and the Hereafter Life

The first centuries of Islamic history have witnessed many theological debates. The sectarian groups of that time have used the Qur’ānic text and the traditions in order to support their ideas. Therefore the Qur’ānic text became a field of controversial debates among the theologians of Islam. Being among the forerunner savants of Islam, Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-Ṭabarī (d. 310/923), also handled the main theological debates of the first three centuries of Islam in his commentary called Jāmiʽ al-Bayān ʽan Taʼwīl Āy al-Qurʼān. al-Ṭabarī, mostly, presents the theological deba-tes among the Islamic sectarian groups without mentioning the proper names of the persons or the sects to whom the related theological views belong to. He usually uses anonymous expressi-ons such as ‘some researchers’, ‘some exegetes’, and so on instead of giving proper names of the sectarian groups or the personalities. Therefore, in this article, the proper names of personali-ties and sectarian groups alluded to by al-Ṭabarī under anonymous expressions will be brought to light relying mainly on the Islamic literature. As a common method of his commentary al-Ṭabarī, mostly transmits traditions related to the theological debates he deals with, nevertheless he sometimes does not supply any tradition regarding the disputed theological topics. In this study, only the isnāds of the traditions quoted by al-Ṭabarī will be provided, whereas every supported view will be briefly summarised. Here we will not handle all the anonymous expressions related to the theological debates, but we will sum up some controversial theological issues regarding the acts of human and the hereafter life such as beatific vision, the definition of faith, free will, the creation of human acts, and so on.

Anonymous Expressions Regarding the Theological Debates in the Commentary of al-Ṭabarī I: Attributes of God

Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-Ṭabarī (d. 310/923), in his commentary called Jāmiʽ al-Bayān ʽan Taʼwīl Āy al-Qurʼān, handles the theological debates that emerged until his time. Although he sometimes provides the proper names of the persons and sects to whom theological views belong, he nevertheless mostly does not give the related proper names. Instead of giving proper names, he uses anonymous expressions such as ‘some researchers’, ‘some exegetes’, or ‘those who believe that the acts of humans are created by themselves, not by God.’ Therefore many ideas of the sectarian groups of the first three centuries of Islam remain anonymous in his commentary. In this article, the proper names of persons and sects alluded to by al-Ṭabarī under anonymous expressions will be brought to light within the framework of Islamic literature. Depending on the theological debates he deals with, al-Ṭabarī sometimes transmits traditions related to the views discussed, but sometimes not. We will summarise the views given in the traditions which are quoted by al-Ṭabarī. Therefore, in this study, only the isnāds of the traditions referred to by al-Ṭabarī as support for the views discussed will be provided, whereas the texts of the traditions will be left out. In this study we will not present all the anonymous debates, but just those which are related to the essential (al-Ṣifā al-Dhatiyya) and the anthropomorphic attributes of God.

“Sunna” of Western Scholars on the Authenticiy of the Document of Medina: What’s So Special About it?

The aim of this article is to focus on the views of modern Western scholars regarding the authenticity of the Document of Medina and its unity in relation to its date and preservation, rather than on the debates over its content. The focus is on their rationale for defending its authenticity despite the limited number of aḥadīth they date back to the first Islamic century. Additionally, considering the fact that many other reports with the characteristics of the document are not considered authentic, the question is raised whether it is the “sunna” of their predecessors that is actually decisive, since the testimony has been considered authentic since Julies Wellhausen on the same grounds.

Contribution of middle and new age kurdish state and principalities madrasahs to kurdish language and literature

At the emergence of the religion of Islam in the seventh century AD, the Kurds and their geography were stuck between the Persian and Byzantine Empires and were an area of contention. Starting from the middle of the 7th century, the Kurds began to experience a radical social change and dynamism with their acceptance of Islam. Thanks to the energy and social mobility and change stemming from this new belief and religion, the Kurds became active and active in general against their Christian neighbors, Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians, to whom they had been mostly passive, stagnant and passive. The new spirit and activity brought about by this change are political, economic, administrative, scientific, literary, etc. in Kurdish society. breakthrough in many ways. Thus, the Kurdish population and influence increased in their geography. The Kurds began to be influential outside the geography they were in. The Kurds came to power in the form of kingdoms and principalities in places outside their own lands. So much so that shortly after the Kurds became Muslims, they established three separate states in the same century. With this political domination they established under the names Shaddadi, Hasanveyhi and Hamdani, the Kurds began to be influential from Western Iran to the Caucasus. The lands of Western Iran and the geography of Mesopotamia, which was later called the fertile crescent, thus became the domain of several independent Kurdish dynasties. The period between the 10th and 12th centuries in the political history of the central lands of Islam deserves to be called the Kurdish centuries of Islam. For it was the Kurds who defended the central lands of Islam against the Byzantines, the Russians, and finally the Crusaders. A large and extensive reconstruction and construction activity was initiated by these Kurdish administrations. Developments and experiences were gained in many fields such as administration, bureaucracy, urbanism, trade, military service, science and literature among the Kurds. During this period, Kurdish governments built many mosques, fountains, bridges, castles, observatories, inns, Turkish baths, madrasas and hospitals in the geography of Kurdistan. The madrasahs, which were established in the period of the first Kurdish authorities, which started with the adoption of the Islamic religion by the Kurds and became widespread in the Kurdish society, played an important role as the production sites of the new religion and the theoretical teaching of the Islamic civilization that developed and became widespread depending on this religion. In addition, these educational institutions played an important role in the formation of a standard written language in Kurdish and in the development of Kurdish literature. These madrasahs, which were established by the Kurdish authorities, referred to as Kurdish madrasahs and functioned as basic educational institutions, have been one of the main pillars of political, scientific and literary development and breakthrough in the Kurds. Madrasahs, which served as the basic educational institution for the Kurdish society during the Middle Ages, are at the forefront of the dynamics that ensure political power and religious, cultural and linguistic unity in Kurds. The doctrine on which these educational institutions are based played a unifying role in the denominator of Ash'ari and Shafi'i sects within the understanding of Sunni Islam as a common religious identity among the Kurds. Our aim in this study is to investigate the contribution of the madrasahs, which were built and spread in the Kurdish states and principalities established in the middle and new ages, to the Kurdish language and literature. In this context, in our study, the adventure of the emergence of Kurdish madrasahs, the stages and periods of madrasas, the influence and contribution of madrasahs to the Kurdish language and literature will be discussed in detail. Although this issue is very important in terms of Kurdish history, identity and language, it has not been adequately and deservedly researched. This makes our study even more important.

The study and analysis of Semiran City-Castle based on the results of archaeological surveys

Semiran city-castle consists of a series of monuments dated in the 10th century AD1, located on the banks of the Qezel Owzan River, in north-western Iran. On this river, Sefid-rud Dam has been built (1956-1962), behind which a lake has developed. At the time of its dewatering, it turned the Semiran landscape into a peninsula, causing significant damage to the ancient sites. The following study presents the results of an archaeological survey, made in 2016, which recorded the actual conservation state and structural features of the surviving monuments. Semiran Castle consists of the remains of a castle and of several mausoleums established on the surrounding hills (four mausoleums on the highest part of the hill), with the same design as a barbican, some scattered enclosures, as well as the domed monument of Imāmzādeh Qasem, which is later. The Sallarids dynasty who had captured the Tarom region and lasted from about 917 to the middle of the 10th century AD, built mausoleums for themselves. In the early 10th century, the Sallarids captured the mountain castle of Semiran, from where they subsequently reached Tarom. This dynasty has been called by different names such as Mosaferian, Kangriyan, Langarian, Solarian, and Sallarids. Tarom was the capital of the dynasty. The rule of its monarchs, however, in different periods went beyond the Tarom region, and included parts of Deylaman as well as Gilan. The head of the Mosaferian dynasty, Muhammad Ibn Musafer, had made this castle his base. The castle had several houses as well as summerhouses and was magnificent. As the discussed region enjoys a special crossroad position, it has always been among the most important and influential routes of cultural exchanges and developments at the regional, national, and international levels. In July 2016, a survey was conducted in the north and northwest of the city-castle site in order to identify and record possible paths and structures that remained visible. Three defensive baileys, three cemeteries, a barrel-drain ceramic path, and a round stone barbican were identified during this study. The archaeological study of this city-castle revealed its growth and development in the early Islamic centuries.