Islamic Texts Research Articles

Recodification of Gestures in Early Arabic Spoken Discourse Intralingually and Interlingually

This paper explores the symbolic values of gestures in early Arab discourse. The Prophet’s traditions are selected for analysis because they are the most canonical Islamic texts after the Qur’an. The paper analyzes the implications of the Prophet’s gestures as his traditions were related orally before they were recorded in scrolls later. Therefore, we can examine how these semiotic gestures are interpreted in the Arabic script as situated in the early oral culture and how they are codified or recodified intralingually, using corpus linguistics techniques. Findings show that the semiotic cues used by early generations should be situated in their original culture and re-codified to later generations for monolingual and cross-lingual communication. This study contributes to the understanding of the role of gestures in early Arabic discourse and provides insights into how they are recodified for different contexts and languages.

Perspectives of Islamic and Malay Education on Work Ethics in the Songket Palembang Business Case

The purpose of this study was to determine the work ethic of the Palembang songket business case from the perspective of Islamic and Malay education. This study uses a qualitative descriptive analysis method. The data collection used in this study included observation, interviews, documentation and literature studies related to the research objectives regarding the work ethic in the Palembang songket business case. There are two sources of data in this study: first, primary data is original data collected directly from respondents, entrepreneurs, collectors, and Palembang songket workers, as well as observations at the Palembang songket craft business centre. The second type of data used in this research is secondary data, which is collected from other sources such as academic journals, books, and magazines that address issues of conventional work ethics, Islamic texts, and Malay documents. Then analyzed descriptively qualitatively by categorizing, describing, synthesizing, organizing, selecting, and finally drawing conclusions to answer the research problem. Judging from the attitude of persistence, tenacity, discipline, conscientiousness, and patience, this study shows that 1) Perspective of Palembang hardworking songket craftsmen. The work ethic that is built is that work is a calling, actualization, art and worship, which views work as an order from Allah SWT, work seriously and sincerely in order to get good results in accordance with what is done, and a person's work ethic will be judged by Allah, in line with the "work ethic of Islamic education". 2) The Malay Islamic view of the work ethic of songket makers who are known to be diligent, disciplined, conscientious, and patient with a relatively meagre income, is proof that the Malay community does not have a bad or lazy work ethic.

Commemorations and outreach: Shi‘i leaders of metro Detroit take on theCOVID‐19 pandemic

AbstractOn March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus (COVID‐19) outbreak a global pandemic, spurring dramatic changes in public health policies, travel between countries, and (trans)national economies, as well as in religious and political institutions. In the United States, in particular, the pandemic provoked and revealed an increasingly fraught relationship between scientific, religious, and political sources of information and leadership—an American “crisis of authority” wherein many Americans distrusted scientific and medical establishments. This article explores how Shi‘i Muslim institutions and leaders of metro Detroit navigated these competing authorities, even as their communities faced entrenched societal inequities, including anti‐Muslim racism (Islamophobia). Through interviews with Shi‘i religious leaders in Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, and Detroit, supplemented by digital and in‐person ethnographic research at five major Shi‘i mosques, we show how major Islamic centers and leaders argued for the efficacy, safety, religious value, and legality of COVID‐19 medical guidance and led extensive community outreach initiatives to help their struggling communities. Supported by religious scholars in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, their guidance offered messages of hope and resilience, as well as an emphasis on the community preservation and selflessness (caring for others) exemplified by the Family of the Prophet. They also emphasized how religious and scientific knowledge intersect, as per the sacred texts of Islam (the Qur'an and hadiths). Their approach compels us to better understand how sources of religious authority can tether vulnerable communities to forms of (legitimate) knowledge in times of upheaval, divisive politics, and misinformation.

Islam, Muslims and 2020 #EndSARS Protests in Nigeria

The 2020 #EndSARS is a youth-enthusiastic social movement in Nigeria against brutality and inhuman excesses of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit of the Nigerian Police Force. The protest movement started on social media and transmited to spatio-temporal platforms as numerous Nigerian youths were scattered on major streets and landmarks of the country to express their dissatisfaction with the operations and methods of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The protest was held by youths across different tribes, races and religions (with Muslims inclusive.) Just as the movement continued to increase, the participation of Nigerian Muslim youths in the protest became entwined in controversies as young Nigerian Muslim intellectuals debated the permissibility and impermissibility of protest for an ideal Muslim regardless of the circumstances. Numerous studies have examined protests, rebellions, uprisings, and coup d’états amongst other political issues affecting democracy, but they hardly study protests in the light of Islam and Muslims. This paper therefore seeks to explore this gap with a qualitative research by revisiting the history of Islamic civilization in the first few decades of Islam, approaching some Sharī‘ah principles and rereading the sensitive Islamic texts on obedience to authority in the context of contemporary realities surrounding the Nigerian Muslim ’Ummah. The paper concludes that while a protest is typically detestable under Islamic polity, it may rob Islam of its essence if such an opinion is upheld for Nigerian Muslims on 2020 #EndSARS, without considering the social, political, and constitutional factors influencing the movement in Nigeria.

Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘a as the Foundation of Islamic Moderation: Theo-Philosophical Insight against Extreme Religious Ideology

The emergence of neo-Khawarij groups in the contemporary world has attracted domestic and international attention. These groups have shown a propensity for growth, as evidenced by the increasing number of terrorist attacks in the form of suicide bombings carried out in the name of Islam. Such acts of terror have led to Islam being labeled as a religion of hate, bigotry, and terrorism. Through the analysis of Maqāṣid al-sharī‘a in understanding Islamic texts, in this study, Islamic Moderation is proposed as a paradigm to reduce the penetration of radical ideology in religion. This study proposes the adoption of moderate Islam as a paradigm for countering the spread of radical ideologies within the religion. To this end, this paper begins with an overview of the references used by radical groups and the acts of terror they have committed. It then advocates for the importance of Maqāṣid al-sharī‘a in understanding Islamic texts. It offers the concept of moderate Islam as a precautionary measure for mitigating the penetration of radical ideologies.

Shaykh Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilori (1917-1992): A Muslim Reformer of 20th Century in Yorubaland, Nigeria.

The advent, consolidation and even seamless practice of Islam in different places are greatly connected to the efforts of some individuals who took drastic initiatives that brought about cohesion and compatibility between the texts (Qur’an and Hadith) of Islam and the reality of times and places. Shaykh Adam is one of those pragmatic scholars with outstanding reforming zeal for Islam in Yorubaland. He devised different means to halt the increasing waves of ignorance and nominalism among Muslims. He also unites Muslims in the region under one umbrella. His personality and the approaches he adopted in turning Yorubaland into an abode of Islam have however received less attention from scholars, especially of English background. This paper, therefore, aims at discussing his personality and assessing his approaches in the bid to make Islam a household religion in Yorubaland. The historical method is adopted to achieve the objectives of this paper. The findings revealed that Shaykh Adam remains one of the foremost and outstanding scholars in the areas of teaching, preaching and writing across Yorubaland with accomplishments that have not been equalled or surpassed by anyone. Also, it is discovered that the nerve centre of his activities is Markaz through which he dismantled the barriers of ignorance vis-à-vis Arabic language and Islamic education in Yorubaland. He also brought Yoruba Muslims under one umbrella courtesy of Rabitah. The paper, therefore, concluded that Shaykh Adam is a scholar of note with enduring landmarks across not only the Yorubaland or Nigeria but also the Muslim world.

PERANAN GURU PENDIDIKAN AGAMA ISLAM MELALUI METODE KITABAH DALAM MENINGKATKAN MINAT BACA SISWA MADRASAH IBTIDAIYAH

This study examines literacy activities in the Kitabah learning method in Islamic subjects in Madrasah Ibtidaiyah’s students. The Kitabah method is an educational method through writing and reading activities. The Kitabah method is considered an effective method in Arabic enrichment. Still, the Kitabah method is a learning strategy that relies on writing activities and the ability to describe reading comprehensively. The role of the Islamic Religious Education teacher encourages students to analyze and write the text well. This method has been used in traditional Islamic learning, effectively increasing students' interest in reading. Students of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah in Islamic subjects must direct students to read Islamic texts. This is one of the important parts of Islamic Religious Education in the form of 1) a role in increasing interest in reading, 2) socialization of classical Islamic texts to students from an early age, and 3) adding active Islamic teaching and learning activities between students and teachers. The subject of this study is Teachers and Students of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah. Research is qualitative by collecting data from literature studies of related research. This research is expected to be a source of study of Islamic Religious Education in improving literacy culture at the Ibtidaiyah Madrasah level.

Historitas Studi Islam

The purpose of this research is to find out the historical approach in Islamic studies. The research method used is a qualitative method with the type of library research or library research, namely sourced from the works of the library, whether in the form of scientific articles, books, and so on. Of course, this research is expected as education and literacy for readers. Remembering this historical approach is very important in understanding religion, because religion itself descends from concrete situations and is related to social conditions. With this approach we will be shown the actual state of an event. Someone who wants to study a deeper understanding of the Qur'an or the events that accompanied the revelation of the Qur'an needs to be equipped with a historical approach to Islamic studies. The purpose of using the historical approach is to reconstruct past events objectively and systematically, by collecting, verifying, evaluating, and synthesizing evidence to explain the facts so that strong conclusions can be obtained. The results of this literature review show that, the large number of Muslims who only know Islamic texts but do not know how it relates to history and life in society indicates the need for an approach and methodology that explores the relationship between texts and human experience and culture through a historical approach. By taking a historical approach, a reviewer will be shown the actual situation regarding an event related to Islamic studies.

When Modesty Meets Aesthetic Labor: Islamic Modesty as Antithetical to Muslimah Social Media Influencers' Aesthetic Labor

Abstract: What is the relationship between Islamic principles of modesty and practices of aesthetic labor in the industries of influencer marketing and fashion? I respond to this question by examining the aesthetic labor of self-proclaimed modest Muslim female social media influencers to show how Islamic modesty—as it is understood via patriarchal interpretations of Islamic texts, and by cultural authorities in secular circles of fashion, is deemed inherently antithetical to Muslim female aesthetic labor in the fashion and influencer marketing industries. My findings show that Muslimah influencers face a doubly burdened challenge: on the one hand, Muslim women are expected to modify their performances of modesty to align with the secular expectations of aesthetic labor in these industries, but on the other, they are expected to observe modesty according to patriarchal interpretations of Islamic texts. In either case, failure to abide by racialized and gendered expectations renders Muslim women vulnerable to critique from Muslim and non-Muslim communities. I argue that this conflict illustrates that Islamic modesty is deemed fundamental to contemporary conceptions and embodied performances of Muslim womanhood online and plays a key role in shaping racialized and gendered expectations of Muslim women held by Muslim and non-Muslim communities in the west.

Paradigm Shifts in the Interpretation of Heaven Illustration Among Indonesian Mufassir: A Comparative Analysis of As-Singkili, Hamka, and M. Quraish

This article examines the changes in the interpretation of the illustration of heaven among Indonesian mufassirin (interpreters), including As-Singkili, Hamka, and M. Quraish Shihab, using Thomas Kuhn's paradigm shift theory. The study reveals a shift in the meaning of the illustration of heaven in each generation of interpreters in Indonesia, particularly in the areas of the width of heaven, the river that flows beneath heaven, fruits in heaven, spouses and houris (heavenly virgins) in heaven, and the color green and adornment for humans in heaven. The article concludes that As-Singkili's interpretation is considered normal science as it remains literal, whereas Hamka and M. Quraish Shihab's interpretations are categorized under scientific revolution due to the rationalization and development of their interpretations still based on normal science or literal texts. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the evolution of interpretation of Islamic texts in Indonesia.

Recasting Islamic Law: Religion and the Nation State in Egyptian Constitution Making. By Rachel M. Scott

In Recasting Islamic Law, Rachel M. Scott draws from a rich body of literature, including classical Islamic texts, to show “the relationship of the religious to the political” in Egyptian constitutionalism (p. 2). Venturing into both historical and contemporary debates on sharia and its relationship to state law, the book shows how norms deriving from pre-modern Islam have been given a different form to fulfill the needs of a modern state. When it comes specifically to the Egyptian Constitution, Islamic legal norms are recast as part of national culture and identity, thus serving not only a religious purpose but also a civic one, as the glue of the national fabric. This dynamic also emerges from the case studies of women’s and non-Muslims’ constitutional rights. In the author’s view, the redefinition of sharia is common to both non-Islamist and Islamist forces, and this makes the traditional polarization between them an inadequate lens to assess the Egyptian constitution making.

Halal Tourism Based on Islamic Economy Perspective of Hadith

This research is motivated by the tendency of a literal understanding of hadith texts regarding halal tourism based on shari’a economics. This study aims to analyze and describe the hadith texts that form the basis for the concept of halal tourism. Using a literature review as the method, a qualitative approach will be employed to achieve this, with content analysis as the interpretation method utilized in this research. The study results indicate that the application of the hadith text requires contextualization to avoid limiting the concept of universal halal tourism with a shari’a label, particularly about shari’a economic imperatives. This study also shows that Indonesia is a conducive country, thanks to its moderate understanding that links Islamic texts with universal and local values, making it an ideal center for global halal tourist destinations. It is important to note that halal tourism is based on three fundamental principles: good intentions as the primary foundation, good service as a spirit, and wise spending (thrifty) as the primary value.

THE HOLY QUR'AN'S FIVE PLANTS RESEMBLE FIVE SENSORY RECEPTORS IN THE MICROSCOPIC APPEARANCE: AN ANALYSIS

In the Holy Qur’an, the religious text of Islam, the name of leeks, cucumbers, garlic, lentils and onions are mentioned together in the verse 61 of Sūrah Al-Baqarah (The Cow). This descriptive study was designed to determine the probable cause of mentioning these five plants in the Holy Qur’an. Results present interesting similarities between the microscopic view of these plants and the five sensory receptors in the peripheral nervous system. These findings are in line with the ideas of the “Doctrine of Signatures” theory. The doctrine of signatures theory believes that plants that resemble body parts have beneficial effects on those parts. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to propose another look to Quranic scientific research in order to open new windows for more research in the field of interdisciplinary topics. Undoubtedly, the continuation of these studies and scientific attention to the meaningful verses of the Holy Qur’an can be the first steps of a new path in line with the discovery of miracles and scientific statements of the Holy Qur’an.

Menyelami Kedalaman Tasawuf

The presence of Sufism in the midst of this global society is not only to provide responses and answers, not only question religious problems, but also about social, political and economic conditions of mankind. Sufism is an Islamic oasis that has a mandate in delivering necessary of human spirituality to the perfect stage. Sufism study is an Islamic study born from the womb of Sufism treasures in depth. Sufis have always rested on the dualism of truth between innate and inward, between historical and trans-historical sociology. Spiritual experimentation is not merely an individualistic idealistic experimentation, but also a social-idealistic experiment driven by a real sociological situation according civilization of the times. Then, to maximize the results of good and correct Sufism studies, it should use all existing methodologies inseparably. This is typical as a multidisciplinary approach. Use one of methodology without the other will reduce the formulation of Sufism which actually built on the spiritual experience of each individual original Sufi figure, the struggle of faith and their passion when struggling with the social reality faced and the recognition of the central text of Islam, namely Qur'an and hadith as normative foundation. Thus a brief review of discussion Sufism which provides an image complexity of approaches and instruments in reading it, with various aspects and scopes.

Transoceanic Print Histories: Twentieth-Century Swahili Muslim Networks in the Indian Ocean

Abstract At a time of sociocultural changes that started questioning established Islamic learning traditions (independence years, post-Cold War/book market liberalization), printing diasporas exerted influence on the circulation of Islamic texts in East Africa: published overseas (Cairo, Beirut, and the Indian subcontinent) and/or locally reprinted on the Swahili-speaking Islamic coast, they came to play a seminal role in negotiating Swahili Muslim literary culture. How have transoceanic religious and intellectual networks operating beyond national borders become intertwined? In this paper, the beginnings of Swahili Muslim book publishing—and the entities underpinning it, such as Nairobi’s Islamic Foundation Center, a Pakistani-oriented charitable foundation—will be outlined. I will then delve into the history of Indian-and-Swahili family-run publishers Adam Traders based in Mombasa in order to tackle hitherto neglected transoceanic connections and patterns of influence across the sea.

A Translation of the Arabic Duʿāʾ al-Saḥar (The Dawn Supplication) or Duʿāʾ al-Bahāʾ (The Supplication of Splendour) with Select Expository Scriptural Writings of the Bāb and Bahāʾu’llāh

This article provides a full English translation of the Du’ā’ al-saḥar or Dawn Supplication for the Islamic month of Ramaḍān. Attributed to certain Imams whom Twelver Shī`ī Muslims regard as the successors of the Prophet Muhammad, it is an Arabic invocatory devotional also known from around the 13th century CE after its opening words, as the Du‘ā al-Bahā (Supplication of Splendour–Glory–Light). It is commonly ascribed to the fifth Imam Muhammad al-Bāqir (d. c. 126/743) or as transmitted through his son, the sixth Imam Ja‘far al-Ṣādiq (d. c. 138/765). The former version or recension has around 22 invocations, while the sixth Imam’s recension is known as the Du‘ā’ al-mubāhalah (The Supplication for Mutual Imprecation) and is considerably longer, consisting of over 30 supplicatory lines. This latter recension had its origin at a time when Muhammad was challenged near Medina by certain Yemenite Christians of Najrān about his messianic status as a Prophet in the light of theological and Christological issues. Both Sayyid ‘Alī Muḥammad Shīrāzī, “the Bāb” (1819–1850), and Mīrzā Ḥusayn ‘Alī Nūrī, “Bahā’u’llāh” (1817–1892) gave great importance to this supplication (or these two related supplications) and were much influenced by its vocabulary and rhythmic, cascading content relating the Names of God. The Bāb interpreted it on Islamic and imamological lines in his Persian Dalā’il-i saba‘ (The Seven Proofs). He cited it often, both in early texts and within numerous later major writings, including the Kitāb al-asmā’ (The Book of Names) and the Kitāb-i panj sha’n (The Book of the Seven Modes [of Revelation]). In his Persian Bayān and other writings, he used nineteen of its invocatory divine Names to frame the structure and names of his annual calendar of nineteen months: his new, wondrous or Badī‘ calendar (“The New/Regenerative Calendar”). This calendar was furthermore adopted by Baha’u’llah in his Kitāb-i aqdas (The Most Holy Book). His own theophanic title, evolving from “Jināb-i Bahā’” (His eminence the Glory) to “Bahā’u’llāh” (the Glory of God) is closely related and is rooted in this and certain similar texts. Baha’u’llah referred to the Du‘ā’ al-saḥar as the Lawh-i baqā’ (The Scriptural Tablet of Eternity) and understood its opening lines as an allusion to his person as the embodiment of the Supreme or Greatest Name of God (al-ism al-a`ẓam). Several of the Arabic and Persian writings in which the founder of the Baha’i religion interprets the Du‘ā’ al-saḥar are translated in this current paper. Their content demonstrates the extent to which he elevated this powerful Islamic text.

Digital Feminism in Indonesia: The Counter-Narratives to Gender Inequality on Instagram

In the last few years, many people have used cyber religion to identify new forms of religious communities and rituals. It acts as the source of religious engagement that is different, new, creative, and alienated from 'conventional' religions. This article aims to reveal how Mubadalah.id as an Instagram account plays a role in providing beautification of da'wa (Islamic preaching conveyed by Islamic scholars) in countering unjust interpretations of Islamic texts toward women. In particular, it is a representation of Islamic media and women’s rights that strengthens the capacity and authority of women ulama. They are carrying on perspectives that affirm the values ​​of reciprocity, equality, cooperation, and justice in marital, familial, and social relations. Mubadalah.id is a social media campaign affiliated with the Fahmina Foundation, a notable Muslim organization that promotes gender equality in Indonesia. This article is qualitative research. Using a virtual ethnography method, this article aims to understand the strategy used by this account to counter gender inequality narratives. This article argues that Instagram can be optimized to build a moderate gender construction in countering the mainstreaming of patriarchal ideas on social media by supplying alternative interpretations served in beautified content. In addition, this account shows the representation of women's ulama in Indonesian public spaces to negotiate their identity in a Muslim-majority country.

Orientalism and Periods of Translating the Qur’an: Types and History of Oriental Translations

This study aims to build bridges of thought between the East and the West and to correct the fallacies and negative ideas claimed by the West against the Eastern thought, especially Islam, as an adversary and enemy. The West claimed it as a reactionary thought. The translation movement from Arabic into English, especially Islamic texts, faces great difficulty because English vocabulary is limited to covering Arabic vocabulary, not to mention Islamic vocabulary and expressions that have not yet been adequately translated into English, such as the terms: the unseen and the Day of Resurrection, and their names such as “al-Qāriʻah, al-ṭāmh, al-ṣākhh”. Even the word Ṣalāt ‘prayers’ is translated by most English translators barring in mind the same concept of prayer in Christianity which is not appropriate and which refers to a lack of English morphological roots. The English morphological roots are about 6000, while the Arabic roots are more than 600,000. In addition to the lack of translated references into Arabic that are related to the research subject.

Women generating, reproducing and disseminating texts in a Deobandi madrasa in South Africa

Religion moves into the realm of the rational the moment when specific and specified texts are generated, reproduced and disseminated according to Weber. As such, the capacity to generate, reproduce and disseminate concepts from texts is shown to be consequential. In Weber’s work, the presence of women is not overt. Scholarship has explored how women are positioned in religious texts, but comparatively little scholarship has engaged with how they generate, reproduce and disseminate texts. This article interrogates the position of women in relation to a religious textual generation, reproduction and dissemination within an Islamic tradition. Ethnographic data from a Deobandi-aligned education institution or madrasa was drawn on. Data were analysed with regard to how the texts used in the institution of Islamic learning are generated, reproduced and disseminated and the position of women in this regard.Contribution: Findings illustrated that women are key disseminators of particular forms of Islamic (religious) texts. As such, there are opportunities for women to generate and reproduce their own meaning of the texts. The article enhanced scholarship with regard to how women are able to maintain, extend and expand theologies. In this way, it demonstrated how women might be empowered to do so.

THE HERMENEUTICS OF KHALED M. ABOU EL-FADL AND ITS RELEVANCE WITH RELIGIOUS MODERATION IN INDONESIA

Hermeneutics is an interpretation method that develops in the study of texts. Its usage in the horizon of Islamic text study (Qur’an and Hadith) is not an exception. One figure who discusses different areas of Islamic law is Khaled M. Abou El-Fadl. Khaled has analyzed various texts in Islamic law and their relation to people's lives. This study attempts to explore the thoughts of Khaled M. Abou El-Fadl, especially regarding hermeneutics in analyzing texts and its relation with religious moderation in Indonesia. This study implements the literature review method, where the researcher reviews several works of Khaled M. Abou El-Fadl and other relevant articles. The results of this study reveal that the core problems of authoritarianism in interpretation are the methodological procedural errors of the three elements, namely: the author, text, and reader. The meaning of a text should occur from a complex, interactive, dynamic, and dialectical process between the three elements. Interpreters cannot avoid his subjectivity, therefore an interpreter should fulfill five conditions namely honesty, sincerity, thoroughness, rationality, and self-control. Khaled Abou el-Fadl's hermeneutics is very relevant as a concept of understanding religious teachings to foster and maintain religious moderation, namely mutual understanding between religions and between denominations within a religion.