Islamic Tradition Research Articles

Islamic Classical Theism and the Prospect of Strong Artificial Intelligence

This article investigates the compatibility of strong artificial intelligence (AI) with classical theism, particularly within the Islamic tradition. By examining the functionalist view of mental states, we argue that a Muslim who accepts classical theism should be open to the possibility of AI that possesses genuine mental states. We present two arguments to support this claim: one that challenges substance dualism and another that assumes dualism. Both arguments demonstrate that mental states can arise in at least two different substances, which implies functionalism. As a result, the development of strong AI would not be surprising from an Islamic perspective, and its creation might even provide corroborative evidence for classical theism. This article thus provides a philosophical foundation for the existence of conscious and intelligent machines and their potential compatibility with Islamic beliefs.

The Role of Patience in Coping Mental Problems: A Quranic Perspective

Mental health issues have become a growing concern in today's fast-paced and challenging world. In the quest for effective coping strategies, researchers and professionals are increasingly turning to ancient wisdom and religious scriptures for insights. This article explores the role of patience, as emphasized in the Quran, in addressing mental problems and promoting emotional well-being. The study delves into the Quranic verses and teachings that emphasize patience as a virtue and its potential impact on mental health. Drawing from the rich Islamic tradition, the article examines the concept of "Sabr" (patience) and its multifaceted dimensions, including perseverance, endurance, and emotional resilience. Furthermore, it explores how these qualities can be cultivated and practiced in dealing with various mental health challenges. The method used in this research is a content analysis with data in the form of verses from the Qur’an, and some researches related to patience. The findings of this study contribute to the growing body of literature on the intersection of spirituality and mental health, showcasing how religious teachings can offer a unique and valuable perspective on coping with mental problems. Moreover, it underscores the significance of embracing patience as a holistic approach to foster emotional well-being and promote resilience in the face of life's challenges, as emphasized in the Quranic teachings. The results of this study are 1) the word patient in the Qur’an is described more than a hundred times which generally explains that patience means self-restraint, emotion, and surviving in difficult conditions; 2) mental problems that are often experienced by people are anxiety, stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and behavioral disorders; 3) patience can be one of the treatments for mental disorders through self-control, self-acceptance, and resilience. The article concludes with implications for future research and clinical practice in the realm of mental health, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive and culturally sensitive approach to address mental health issues in diverse populations.

Mut'ah Marriage in Islamic Perspective

Mut'ah marriage is a form of temporary marriage that exists in Islamic tradition. From an Islamic perspective, mut'ah marriage has a complex history and social context. This study aims to analyze the practice of mutah marriage in the perspective of Islamic law and to look at the controversies and social impacts associated with it. The public's perception of mut'ah marriage varies, depending on the individual's understanding of religious teachings. The practice of mut'ah marriage also still exists in Muslim society, with different reasons and motivations. This study used a qualitative approach using a literature review. The conclusion of this paper underscores the importance of understanding mut'ah marriage in the Islamic context in depth. The implications of this research can be a reference for a better understanding of this practice, as well as providing recommendations for further research related to social and legal issues related to mut'ah marriage.

Feminism in the Middle East: An analysis into Western, Islamic, and Secular Feminism

This article showcases the diversity of feminism in the Middle East and its effects on Middle Eastern women, particularly Muslim women. I argue that though Western feminism has provided important conceptual tools for understanding and fighting patriarchal systems, it has ultimately supported the othering of Middle Eastern women. As such, Islamic feminism and secular feminism have played an important role in discrediting Western generalizations. In this paper, I first explain how the logic of Western feminism is inherently rooted in Orientalism, promoting an inaccurate and oppressive image of the Middle East. I then illustrate how Islamic feminism has been used significantly to conceptualize feminism within Islamic traditions and religious beliefs. Lastly, I showcase the prominent discourse between Islamic and secular feminism to prove movements are important to women’s liberation and can benefit from joining forces.

Angrezi shariat: Islamic law in 20th- and 21st- century Britain and its colonial antecedents

An increasingly formalized parallel Islamic legal system has emerged in England over the past few decades, brought about by the migration of mainly South Asian Muslims to the country. Especially in matters of personal law, many of Britain’s Muslims prefer the arbitration of community courts governed according to the Islamic legal tradition, rather than official common law. In response, the English judiciary has been recently integrating these community sharia courts into its own system to gain some influence over this parallel legal structure. The cooperation and co-optation of an Islamic legal system by common law today bears a notable similarity to a similar development in British-ruled India, where Islamic law was preserved by colonial authorities for Muslim subjects yet molded by the requirements of the common law system and integrated within it.

Nationalism Education: Dialectical Relations Between Darussalam Islamic Boarding School Education and Tradition of the Manokwari Society of West Papua

Research refutes the opinion of Francis Fukuyama, in his book The End of History and the Last Man (2006) which states that nationalism is dead and does not need to be taught. This thesis was written to strengthen previous research which also questioned the existence of nationalism in the world of education such as Coulby and Zambeta (2007) which stated that the old ideology of nationalism which in certain aspects was universalistic, humanistic conceptualized by intellectuals, lost "truth" and the power to captivated many people in the west. A new concept is needed to strengthen nationalism education which strengthens 'national stability' in areas transitioning towards industrial culture. Dewey ( 2010 ) stated that nationalism education for students forms the characteristics of a democratic life that cannot be separated from learning. Maksu>d (2008) states that nationalism education is an effort to raise national personality and pride in the homeland. Efforts to strengthen these values cannot be denied through teaching at all levels of education. This research shows that (1 ) the ideology of nationalism needs to be taught in formal education because it is considered dead; (2) Nationalism education is the basis for strengthening the spirit of unity and nationality; (3) Strengthening nationalism through formal education (schools and Islamic boarding schools) is one of the effective steps to suppress national disintegration. The main sources of this thesis are various research results and documentation relating to the dynamics of the pesantren in Manokwari which are synonymous with Islamic studies and traditionalism, with a pluralistic society adhering to the majority Christian religion and the strength of the Free Papua Organization movement. the dealektics of the educational tradition of nationalism in the Darussalam Islamic Boarding School and the cultural traditions of the local community which are implemented in behavior and attitudes within the people of West Papua. To obtain these data, observations, interviews and documentation were carried out which were analyzed through qualitative research with a phenomenological approach.

Building Civilization in the Era of Science-Based Globalization & Da'wah


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 History has been a witness, that the existence and absence of knowledge became the benchmark for the glory and fall of a nation. Science is the light of man, the light of his intellect, the generator of civilization, the bringer of happiness. But science doesn't come by itself. It must be sought, studied, pursued, lived and practiced as well as accounted for truthfully. This is the basis for building civilization, namely by making science the largest part of building a civilization. The development and change of an era is a characteristic of the development of human life from one side because of science and education. However, to become a civilization, of course, ethical aspects and noble morals must be conditions that greatly affect the progress of a society. This paper was prepared by utilizing library facilities as a means for collecting primary and secondary source data. The preparation procedure goes through four stages that must be fulfilled in conducting research, namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography. The data sources used are written sources which include books, journals and internet sources. The culture of science is an initial prerequisite and an important thing for the glory of a person and a nation. An individual or a nation that has power or wealth that is not maintained let alone developed without a good culture of knowledge, then later he will depend on other people or nations who are more knowledgeable. Speaking of science, of course the concept of science in Islam is different from the concept of science understood in the Western view. So that errors in understanding the concept of science can cause differences in perception of science. The destruction of Western civilization is obviously very dangerous for human survival. Westernization or liberalization becomes a disease for civilization. So the solution to the salvation of human civilization is to jump-start Islamic civilization. A civilization built with the concept of science in Islam. Building a civilization based on science must be an Islamic intellectual tradition, in fact science is the foundation of the structure of the concept of building Islamic civilization. The continuity of this intellectual or scientific tradition cannot be separated from the contribution of scholars in the past in preserving and spreading these sciences. Their contribution to Islamic science actually began since the Prophet Muhammad SAW received a revelation, which was then conveyed to the Companions, so that the revelation conveyed contained the foundations of pure Islamic scholarship.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Transformasi Pesantren Sebagai Fasilitator Ahli Hikmah (Studi Fenomenologi Pondok Pesantren Al-Insaf, Karangasem Utara, Batang)

In the past, pesantren were the center for the ongoing transmission of traditional Islamic knowledge, as guardians and custodians of the continuity of traditional Islam, as well as centers for the reproduction of Islamic scholars. Now it has undergone a transformation in the form of solving socio-religious problems around it, such as the case of handling magic. So that the Al-Insaf Islamic Boarding School located in the Karang Widoro hamlet, North Karangasem, Batang, is here as a solution. This study uses a qualitative research method with a type of phenomenology. The purpose of this article is to reveal how the function of da'wah interaction is transformed at the al-Insaf Islamic boarding school, North Karangasem, Batang as a facilitator of wisdom. The results obtained in this study, experts of wisdom provide important information that magic can be cured as long as those affected by witchcraft try to recover, besides that interestingly, if the patient really wants to recover completely and can learn to fortify himself, he is given facilities, namely the Al-Insaf Islamic Boarding School. So, no one is afraid of disease, including magic. Meanwhile, persuasion lies in the appeal of the message brought by the wisdom expert.

Doing Piety through Care

This article takes the practice of elderly care as a starting place to discuss how Muslim men and women “do” piety when doing elderly care in their everyday lives. It introduces and analyses central passages in the Qur’an and the Hadiths that deal with birr-al- walidayn (filial piety), ‘awra (the intimate body parts that must be covered), and ‘ayb (shame/shamefulness) since they all appear as central concepts in the Islamic tradition of elderly care. With a focus on the embodied enactment of these concepts, the article turns to the analysis of two ethnographic cases to look at how Muslims “do” care for their elderly parents and at the same time strive to embody their sacred text, the Qur’an, and the Hadiths in everyday life. The article aims to show that “doing” elderly care enables a domain of pious doings that matters to how Muslim men and women perform and understand gender.

Let us March to the Bazar with Shackles in Feet

The bazar is the stage of ethical contestation, and the place of laying claim to Truth; it becomes the Holy Altar of Sacrifice. It is the place of ultimate witnessing, of shahādat, or martyrdom which is essentially the witnessing of Truth in the form of submission of the self into the Self, a sublimation of the soul into the Soul, a finding of contingent being into Absolute Being, a journey from wujūd to Wujūd. But that submission, paradoxically, must also be witnessed so that it can be known, and thus found, that is, become maujūd (existent)—there must needs be a shahāda of the shahādat, a witnessing of the Witnessing, and that witnessing must take place in the bazar, the centre of the spectacle—the jalwa, the tajallī, the spectacular Divine Deployment through Self-manifestation. For without witnessing, there’s no knowing and without knowing, no realization of Divine Self-knowledge of Absolute Being. That is why all the lovers of the Beloved, the ‘āshiqīn of al-Ḥaq̣q̣ al-Jamāl, of Truth-Beauty, must dance in the bazar, the quintessential site of the manifestation of the Beloved as Truth-Beauty, and also as Love in, and through, the lovers’ ecstatic dance. The lovers must dance in the company of the Beloved, at the sight of Her Self-disclosure, Her Unveiling, that is, in the bazar, the central square before being slaughtered on the square. They must do so, so that their shahādat of Truth in love, their intense witnessing of Truth through sacrificing of their self in love, their martyrdom that is, can be witnessed and known by other lovers and by the Beloved as a spectacular manifestation of Truth, Beauty, and Being. That is what the iconic martyr of love, shahīd-e ‘ishq, Hussain b. Mansur al-Hallaj brought upon himself, and sacrificing his self into the Self out of love—self-sacrifice being an inherent quality and condition of ‘ishq love—turned the scene of his spectacular public qattāl, his intense assassination in the bazar, the central square, into a tajallī, into Divine Self-disclosure itself. That is, in this intensified witnessing through annihilation of the self into the Self, the shāhid became shahīd, the witness became the martyr, and the lover became the Beloved, raising the spectacle of this witnessing to the level of tajallī, of Divine Deployment itself. And ever since, this tajallī has become common vocabulary in the phenomenological, metaphysical, and aesthetic tradition of Islam. In the realm of Urdu alone it has become common parlance in the popular poeticizations by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, such as in his oft-sung poem āj bāzār meñ pā-ba-jaulāñ chalo. Thus, all martyrs of love, like this ultimate martyr of love, dance in the bazar—the city square, the qalb, the heart, the pivot of inqilāb, of revolution—in the Beloved’s City and beckon others to the same fate. And they dance intoxicated and without fear—in fact, without pain or suffering, which is naught but their dam-sāz, the companion of their breath, their witness, and intimate friend—they dance instead in Joy of Divine Ecstasy. And in this state they invite more lovers, others whose hearts are afflicted with Truth to pack up their heart’s load, and yet again, go and be murdered, sacrifice themselves, and be martyred for and in Truth.

The Decline of Islamic Local Authority and the Dilemma of Islamic Aboge Community in Central Java

The Aboge Islamic community in Onje Purbalingga has been one of the most prominent Aboge communities in Central Java. Every year, this community is the subject of media attention due to its different method for determining the beginning of the months of Ramadan and Shawwal. In Onje, the Aboge used to be the majority. Everyone in the village started their fasting for Ramadan and celebrated their Eid based on the Islamic Aboge calendar. The Aboge imam previously had significant influence on religious and socio-cultural life in the community. However, this influence is waning. The Aboge are no longer the majority in the village. This paper provides an analysis on why Aboge Imams started to lose their religious authority in the community. Why did some members of the community adhere to Aboge Islamic traditions while others did not? Using an ethnographic method, this paper argues that the decline of Aboge leaders' influence is shaped not only by the challenges of modernity, but also a process of bureaucratizing sharī‘ah as well as the weak institution of the local Aboge community.

Akbar's religious world: the two reconstructions in Mobad's Dabistān

AbstractIn the early 1650s in Mughal India ‘Mobad’ (Kaikhusrau Isfandyār) wrote a remarkable work, titled Dabistān, devoted to a description of the world's major religions. He adopted an avowedly objective approach that he strives to maintain throughout. An account of the religious tendencies under Akbar is offered in a long concluding chapter, dedicated to Islam. The account is given in two nearly totally different versions. In Version A, Akbar is credited with supernatural powers, with many anecdotes offered of their exercise. In Version B, all such anecdotes have been deleted and replaced by an extensive account of inter-religious debates held under Akbar, in which Christian (and Jewish) objections to Islamic traditions figure prominently. This version also seems to have been the major source of the belief current in later times that Akbar established a sect of his own under the designation of dīn-i ilāhī. In both versions the section on Akbar closes with the insightful observation that Akbar's policy of forming a nobility composed of diverse racial and religious elements was designed to protect the monarchy from any possibility of a unified aristocratic opposition.

Changes in the Tradition of Islamic Studies at Pesantren: A Grounded Theory Approach

Pesantren has a distinctive Islamic scientific tradition, namely the kitab kuning tradition. However, now a phenomenon exists where kitab kuning is no longer used. This study aimed to explore changes in the habit of Islamic studies at Pesantren Assalaam. This research used a case study qualitative research at Pesantren Assalaam, Sukoharjo, Indonesia. There were 18 respondents consisting of 10 teachers, 4 pesantren administrators and 4 employees. Observations, interviews, and documentation are used to collect data. The main findings of this study revealed that modernization led to a change in the tradition of Islamic studies, which was marked by the absence of kitab kuning in the pesantren curriculum as a learning reference authority. The white book references were used as the typical tradition of developed Islamic studies at Pesantren Assalaam. The white book summarized several kitab kuning that can be evaluated each semester, printed on white paper.

Enculturation of Modeling Behavior to Form the Religious Attitude of Students of Pesantren Jagat Arsy Tangerang

Pesantren Jagat Arsy is one of the Islamic boarding schools in South Tangerang Regency, Banten Province that implements a religious learning system using the modeling behavior method. Students are taught how to behave in accordance with the behavior of the teacher as an educator who becomes a model figure for students or students. In this case the researchers wanted to examine how the enculturation of modeling behavior in shaping the Islamic tradition of students with religious attitudes at Pesantren Jagat Arsy. In this study, a descriptive qualitative research method, with observation and interview data collection techniques was implemented. Interviews were conducted with 4 boarding school teachers, and to determine these teachers, purposive sampling techniques were used. After the data were collected, they were then analyzed using qualitative data analysis technique suggested by Miles and Huberman. The results of the study based on the results of interviews and observations concluded that Pesantren Jagat Arsy education prioritizes moral and moral improvement with religious guidance through the modeling behavior method of the teachers. The influence of teacher figures at Pesantren Jagat Arsy is really high in shaping the religious attitudes of students related to behavior and moral values.

Testimonial Kinds: The Source Factor

Abstract In this article, I argue that the nature of testimony necessitates that we distinguish between testimonies that are based on the informant's sense perception, inference, or on a longer testimonial chain. I further argue that this distinction has epistemic significance, in that it helps us better understand how reliable certain classes of testimonies are and how reliable certain individuals are, based upon the epistemic source that their testimony is ultimately grounded in. I begin the article, in Section 1, by drawing attention to the existence of several different terms for testimony found within the Islamic philosophical tradition. In Section 2, I argue that the essential difference between these terms has to do with the epistemic source that grounds the speaker’s testimony. In Section 3, I move on to explicate how this distinction helps us better understand the reliability of testimony and how it impacts our evaluation of the reliability of different speakers in different contexts. In Section 4, I use this distinction to challenge the necessary condition of speaker competency. Finally, in Section 5, I use the distinction to undermine the belief-transmission view in the epistemology of testimony.

BETWEEN TRADITIONALIST AND MODERNIST: THE ISLAMIC REFORMATION OF HAJI ABDUL LATIF SYAKUR IN MINANGKABAU IN THE 20TH CENTURY

This paper discusses the thoughts of Haji Abdul Latif Syakur in the context of Islamic reform in Minangkabau in the twentieth century. He is a figure who cannot be associated with traditional Islam or modern Islam. Haji Abdul Latif Syakur was able to become a traditionalist and modernist Muslim at the same time. In Islamic thought, traditionalists and modernists are not contradictory to each other. This study answers the Islamic views of Haji Abdul Latif Syakur and his position on the dichotomy of traditionalist and modernist Islamic thought. This study shows that Haji Abdul Latif Syakur was involved in Islamic reform efforts in Minangkabau in the early twentieth century. His thoughts of reform went beyond modernist ideas and his Islamic view was also not the same as traditionalist. He has an independent Islamic perspective. This study concludes that apart from traditionalists and modernists, other groups have participated in shaping Islamic buildings in Minangkabau. This third group is accepted by two other groups, traditionalists and modernists. This research is qualitative research with historical and sociological approaches. The focus of the research is the work of Haji Abdul Latif Syakur which is related to the theme of the idea of ​​Islamic reform.

Alchemical tafsīr: Qur’anic Hermeneutics in the Works of the Twelfth-Century Moroccan Alchemist Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs

ABSTRACT Beside the codenames and esoteric symbols inherited from Graeco-Egyptian antiquity, the later Arabic alchemical tradition also adopted motifs drawn from the Qur’an: from the blessed olive tree of the famous Light Verse (Q 24.35) to the burning bush and Moses’ staff. This interweaving of scripture and alchemical theory is especially noticeable in one of the major works of the post-Jābirian corpus, Shudhūr al-dhahab (Shards of Gold) by the Moroccan poet Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs (fl. sixth/twelfth century), as well as in Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs’s self-penned commentary, Ḥall mushkilāt al-Shudhūr (The Solution to the Obscurities in the ‘Shards’). But was the use of such motifs simply a literary device or did Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs claim to discern a hidden alchemical meaning embedded in the qur’anic text? Focusing on this unexplored strand of the Islamic exegetical tradition, this article examines the premises put forward by Ibn Arfaʿ Raʾs in support of an alchemical reading of scripture.

Female Religious Authority in Shi'i Islam: Past and Present

Islamic religious authority is conventionally understood to be an exclusively male purview. Yet when dissected into its various manifestations – leading prayer, preaching, issuing fatwas, transmitting hadith, judging in court, teaching law, theology, and other Islamic sciences and, generally shaping the Islamic scholarly tradition – nuances emerge that hint at the presence of women in the performance of some of these functions. This collection of case studies, covering the period from classical Islam to the present, and taken from across the Twelver Shi‘i Islamic world, reflects on the roles that women have played in exercising religious authority across time and space. Comparative reflection on the case studies allows for the formulation of hypotheses regarding the conditions and developments – whether theological, jurisprudential, social, economic, or political – that enhanced or stifled the flourishing of female religious authority in Twelver Shi‘i Islam.

Shades of Structural Realism in Post-classical Islamic Thought

ABSTRACT What does Islamic theology have to say about the philosophy of science? The writings of post-classical Muslim thinkers offer a wealth of understudied material relevant to conceptualizing the ontological status, scope, and character of scientific inquiry and theorization. The Islamic tradition developed nuanced metaphysical and epistemological insights on unobservables, universals, and causality. Muslim astronomers developed sophisticated responses to perceived deficiencies in the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic model. In the contemporary debate between scientific realism and anti-realism, structural realism is a much-discussed middle ground which suggests a return to many of these insights. This challenges popular discourse on the relation between religion and science.

The Secularization of Knowledge in the Age of Reformation

This article argues that the process of secularization of knowledge is essentially related and derived in complex and unintended ways from the doctrinal disagreements of the reformation era. The doctrinal disagreements were dual, between the Christian belief systems and between the monastic, scholastic and humanist movements. These disagreements in many forms also existed in the Islamic intellectual traditions in which the period of the three movements differed from that of Christianity. Conversations between various intellectual movements shall facilitate us in understanding the character of Christendom’s vibrant, varied and sometimes contentious intellectual culture during the reformation, with its monastic, scholastic, scientific and humanistic strands. This will, in turn, enable us to see how this culture and its institutional settings were affected by the reformation. The article will also discuss the contrasting claims of Islamic knowledge tradition on the secularization of knowledge through the development of intellectual movements of scholasticism and humanism in Islam. A significant part of the argument is that the secularization of knowledge in the West was not an inevitable product of the enlightenment. It was rather more of a contingent process derived from the interaction between people, institutions, assumptions, metaphysical belief systems, the exercise of power and human desires. This work has primarily referred to the secondary literature to draw historical inferences, debates and departures in intellectual movements of reformation times, to understand the process of secularization of knowledge.