DOCSLIB.ORG

Oasis 26 En.Pdf

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Oasis 26 En.Pdf A biannual journal of the Oasis International Foundation published in four editions: Italian, English, French and Arabic. YEAR 13 – No. 26 – DECEMBER 2017 Both Muslims and Christians prize their places of prayer, as oases where they meet the All Merciful God on the journey to eternal life, and where they meet their brothers and sisters in the bond of religion JOHN PAUL II Speech at Damascus in the Omayyad Mosque, 6 May 2001 oasis 26 MUSLIMS, FAITH AND FREEDOM LEADER A Quest Throughout Islamic History • Oasis 7 The Authors 10 FOCUS Jesus in the Qur’an and the Third Way between Extremism and Secularism • Mustafa Akyol 14 A great prophet in Islam, Jesus preached reform of the religious law in a non- literalist sense that can become a source of inspiration for today’s Muslims. God’s Rights vs Human Rights: Islam under Strain • Omero Marongiu-Perria 24 The medieval ulama thought of religious freedom within a hegemonic paradigm. Nowadays, they often seek to re-propose this paradigm in the positive law of Muslim states. Muslims and Free Will • Maria De Cillis 33 The nature of human actions has always been at the centre of Islamic theological reflection. Indeed, the Qur’an appears to support both God’s omnipotence and human responsibility simultaneously. MUSLIMS Intellectual Freedom and the Study of the Qur’an • Emran El-Badawi 42 For centuries, clerics have considered historical study of the sacred Text to be a form of heresy of Western derivation: that has not prevented the development of critical thought. The Paradox of Islamist Democracy • Michele Brignone 51 The Arab uprisings of 2011 brought Islamist groups to power in various Muslim countries, making the debate on the relationship between Islam and political freedom and the differences between Islamic political systems and liberal democracies both topical and concrete. Tunisia: between Freedom of Conscience and Protection of the Sacred • Mohamed-Chérif Ferjani 63 The Tunisian Constitution reflects the power relations presiding at its drafting: it guarantees the secularists freedom of conscience and accords the Islamists protection of both religion and the sacred. The Eastern Christians’ Role in the Creation of a New Social Space • Salim Daccache s.j. 71 Al-Azhar’s declaration opens the door to a new concept of citizenship that unites Christians and Muslims. A beginning, but not yet a turning point. Islamic Monotheism and the Struggle of Opposites • Muhammad Jābir al-Ansārī 79 An essential feature of Arab-Islamic civilization is its straining towards the unification of created reality and the divine. In a world that tends towards contradiction, this ideal translates into a quest for the concordance of opposites that modernity has thrown into crisis. CLASSICS When Islam Discusses Freedom • Martino Diez 88 The Caliph and the Ascetic • Hasan al-Basrī 94 Hasan al-Basrī, a spiritual master from the first century of Islam, warns the Umayyad sovereign ‘Abd al-Malik to keep to the verses of the Qur’an that describe human beings as responsible for their own deeds. oasis 26 FAITH AND FREEDOM God’s Foreknowledge Does Not Constrain Human Action • Theodore Abū Qurrah 101 Using the same methods as his Islamic contemporaries, the bishop of Harran seeks to convince an imaginary champion of predestination that it is human beings who determine their own actions. Despotism, or the Corruption of the Prophet’s Ideals • ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-Kawākibī 105 A political refugee living in Egypt, the Syrian intellectual al-Kawākibī launched a vehement appeal against tyranny. The implied target was the Ottoman sultan, Abdul Hamid II. An Islamic reformist manifesto that continues to inspire contemporary Arab thinking. REPORTAGE Tunisia: “We Want to Be Free, But Don’t Call Us an Exception” • Rolla Scolari 114 The Tunisian President wants to cut family law free from sharia and dispel the taboo regarding gender inequality in inheritance: one of the last taboos in the Arab-Muslim world. REVIEWS “Neither Liberal nor Fundamentalist” • Michele Brignone 130 Where the Islamists’ theory of political freedom comes from. The Crisis of the Sunni Compromise • Martino Diez 133 The dangerous promise of an Islam recreated from scratch. The Springs of Nonviolence • Andrea Pin 136 Why the peaceful nature of the 2011 Arab uprisings was revolutionary. Between ISIS and the Aga Khan: Islam’s Political Theology • Chiara Pellegrino 138 In Muslim history, religious doctrines and political ideologies overlap. Women Looking for Trouble (and Freedom) • Emma Neri 140 Female Arab directors tell of ideological and religious battles peeping out from personal stories and hidden tensions. Editor-in-chief Rolla Scolari Scientific Editor Martino Diez Managing Editor Michele Brignone Editorial staff Chiara Pellegrino Editorial Consultants Rifaat Bader Marco Bardazzi Bernardo Cervellera Camille Eid Rafic Greiche Claudio Lurati Graphic Design and Layout Massimiliano Frangi English translation Paola Bernardini Catharine de Rienzo OASIS is also available in Italian, French and Arabic. Cover price Italy € 15,00 [abroad € 19,00] Yearly subscription Italy € 25,00 [abroad € 35,00] Three-year subscription Italy € 65,00 [abroad € 85,00] OASIS is also available in pdf and ePub Yearly digital subscription € 14,99 [2 issues] Information on subscriptions and back issues [email protected] tel: +39 041 53.121.00 / +39 02 38.60.97.00 ©2017 by Marsilio Editori® s.p.a. in Venezia First edition: December 2017 ISBN: 978-88-317-2962-8 ISSN: 2532-8905 www.marsilioeditori.it Up to 15% of this book may be photocopied for personal use by readers provided they pay the SIAE the fee established by art. 68, clauses 4 and 5 of Law no. 633 of 22 April 1941. Photocopies for professional, economic or commercial purposes or in any way different from personal use may be made, but only after obtaining specific authorization from the Centro Licenze e Autorizzazioni per le Riproduzioni Editoriali (CLEARDI), Corso di Porta Romana 108, 20122 Milan, e-mail [email protected] and web site www.clearedi.org Printed by Mediagraf SpA, Noventa Padovana for Marsilio Editori® in Venice edition 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 © 2017 by Marsilio Editori® s.p.a. in Venezia First Digital edition: December 2017 ISBN: 978-88-317-4259-7 www.marsilioeditori.it [email protected] www.fondazioneoasis.org No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the copyright holder. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly. OASIS is a transdisciplinary journal of cultural information. The authors’ freely expressed opinions in the articles published herein do not necessarily reflect the orientation of the Oasis International Foundation, and therefore must be considered as the exclusive responsibility of each contributor. Registration Tribunal of Venice No. 1498 of 12/10/2004 This edition of Oasis was realized with the support of: www.fondazioneoasis.org Fondazione Internazionale Oasis @fondazioneoasis Leader A QUEST THROUGHOUT ISLAMIC HISTORY We will hear talk of jihadism for many years to come. However, this edition of Oasis wants to look beyond it, at a Middle East that, after decades of Is- lamist cultural hegemony, is seeking to turn the page. Even in Saudi Arabia the crown prince, Muhammad Bin Salman, has announced a new season, economically and politically but also at the cultural and religious level. The feasibility of the Saudi proclamation still needs to be proven, but it is un- likely that the religious reform invoked by so many will be truly achieved if it does not take seriously the demand that surfaced in 2011: “freedom”. After years of jihadist violence, sectarian politics and neo-authoritarian drifts, this is the only point of departure. Otherwise, there will not be any depar- ture at all and the current situation will disintegrate into total war. In reality, this demand has accompanied the last century and a half of Arab and Islamic history, beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, when reformist thought centred its reflections on how to restrain arbitrary gov- 7 ernment. The most significant text from that period was the Syrian ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-Kawākibī’s book-manifesto on despotism, an excerpt from which we are proposing in the Classics section. It was to remain a point of reference for subsequent generations and fuelled the political theory of an entire generation of Islamist ideologues and intellectuals. The antidote to tyranny that Islamists propose – a system bound to di- vine law, deemed to be the most solid guarantee to human freedom – ends up in the blind alley of theocracy, however. And so, precisely in reaction to the Islamist pressure, the reflection on freedom is seeking new pathways now- adays. One of these leads in the direction of an epistemological break with what the French Muslim intellectual Omero Marongiu-Perria calls the he- gemony paradigm: a world vision structured around dominating and dom- inated people. Developed during the Middle Ages, this paradigm still condi- tions the positive law in contemporary Islamic countries. Emran El-Badawi, executive director of IQSA (International Qur’anic Studies Association), proposes a variation of this renewal formula: an opening of Qur’anic studies (and Islamic scientific output more generally) to the modern instruments of critical enquiry that, thwarted by the official institutions, have found a channel for expression on internet and the social and satellite networks. And then there is also the “secular” solution proposed by those who do not necessarily suggest new readings of Islam but entrust the protection of civil and political liberties to the mechanisms of the modern legal tradition.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ANGELS in ISLAM a Commentary with Selected Translations of Jalāl
    ANGELS IN ISLAM A Commentary with Selected Translations of Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī’s Al-Ḥabā’ik fī akhbār al- malā’ik (The Arrangement of the Traditions about Angels) S. R. Burge Doctor of Philosophy The University of Edinburgh 2009 A loose-leaf from a MS of al-Qazwīnī’s, cAjā’ib fī makhlūqāt (British Library) Source: Du Ry, Carel J., Art of Islam (New York: Abrams, 1971), p. 188 0.1 Abstract This thesis presents a commentary with selected translations of Jalāl al-Dīn cAbd al- Raḥmān al-Suyūṭī’s Al-Ḥabā’ik fī akhbār al-malā’ik (The Arrangement of the Traditions about Angels). The work is a collection of around 750 ḥadīth about angels, followed by a postscript (khātima) that discusses theological questions regarding their status in Islam. The first section of this thesis looks at the state of the study of angels in Islam, which has tended to focus on specific issues or narratives. However, there has been little study of the angels in Islamic tradition outside studies of angels in the Qur’an and eschatological literature. This thesis hopes to present some of this more general material about angels. The following two sections of the thesis present an analysis of the whole work. The first of these two sections looks at the origin of Muslim beliefs about angels, focusing on angelic nomenclature and angelic iconography. The second attempts to understand the message of al-Suyūṭī’s collection and the work’s purpose, through a consideration of the roles of angels in everyday life and ritual.
    [Show full text]
  • An Overview of the Qur'an
    An Overview of the Qur’ān By Colin D. Smith 2 Introduction Islam is a centuries-old religion, and Muslims have been a part of Western society for nearly as long, and yet despite this, until relatively recently many have not felt the need to understand this religion and its teachings. Now it is evident that an understanding of Islam is vital not only for people to be able to relate to the growing number of Muslims in the West, but also for Christians to be able to effectively reach out both in ministry and in witness to Islam’s adherents. The first thing that needs to be understood is that Islam is not a religion based upon a person. While Mohammad is greatly revered among orthodox Muslims, and while he is considered to be a prophet chosen by Allāh to be an instrument of revelation, his role is simply that of revealer. He is an apostle, a messenger, a mortal man with a special commission. Essentially, Islam is about submission to Allāh and His commands as He has revealed Himself in the Qur’ān, the Islamic scriptures. Islamic law, society, and culture are founded upon the Qur’ān and its principles as elucidated by Mohammad and his followers. If one is, therefore, to gain an understanding of this religion and its adherents, it is vital that one understands the context and message of its scripture. The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with a grasp of the history, structure, and content of the Qur’ān. While the author is coming from a Christian perspective, the intent of this work is not one of Christian apologetic.
    [Show full text]
  • Dinbilimleri Akademik Araştırma Dergisi II (2002), Sayı: 2 55
    Dinbilimleri Akademik Araştırma Dergisi II (2002), Sayı: 2 55 YABANCI DİLDE YAYINLANAN BAZI HADÎS MAKALELERİ Yrd. Doç. Dr. Yavuz KÖKTAŞ KTÜ. Rize İlahiyat Fakültesi Günümüzde çeşitli yabancı dillerde hadîsle ilgili araştırmalar ve bunlarla ilgili bibliyografya çalışmaları yapılmaktadır. Ali Özek, Hadîs Ricali: Hadîs İlimleri ve Kaynakları (İstanbul, 1967) adlı kitabında kısa bir şekilde İngilizce, Almanca ve Fransızca hem kitap hem de makalelere ait bir liste vermiştir. Aynı şekilde Ahmed Von Donffer de Literature on Hadith in European Langauges (The Islamic Foundation, 1981) adlı makalesinde karışık bir şekilde hadîs literatürüne yer vermiştir. Yabancı dillerde hadîs literatürüyle ilgili en geniş çalışma Münevver Ahmed Enis ve Alia N. Athar tarafından yapılmıştır. Guide to Sira and Hadith Literature in Western Languages (London, 1986) adıyla hazırladıkları esere çeşitli yabancı dillerde hadîsle ilgili yapılan çalışmaların dahil edilmesinin yanısıra ayrıca siret çalışmaları da dahil edilmiştir. Bununla birlikte bu çalışma da hem kitap hem makale türü yayınları içermektedir. Bu çalışmaların tarihlerine bakıldığında en geç tarihlisinin 1986 olduğu ve dolayısıyla bu tarihe kadar yapılan hadîs çalışmalarını kapsadığı anlaşılmaktadır. Burada ise, yukarıdaki çalışmalardan istifade etmekle birlikte Islamic Studies, Journal of Islamic Studies, Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam, Hamdard Islamicus, Islamic Culture, The Muslim World, Islamic Quarterly, Iqbal Review, Intellectual Discourse, Islamic Law and Society, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Israil Oriental Studies gibi dergilerden tespit edilen ve sadece İngilizce olarak yayınlanan makale türü bazı hadîs çalışmalarını esas alarak bir bibliyografya denemesi yapılacaktır. Ayrıca bu denemenin 2000 yılına kadar yayınlanan makaleleri kapsadığını belirtmemiz gerekmektedir. İngilizce Makaleler 1- A’zami, M., “The Authenticity of The Sunnah”, Al-İttihad, XIX: 1 (1982). 2- Adams, Charles J.
    [Show full text]
  • Volume 39 No.1 Jan-June 2020
    TYN AR INS M T Y IT R U N T E E H International Centre for Research, H Interfaith Relations and Reconciliation H A bi-annual publication on religion, culture, and interfaith relations Volume 39 No.1 Jan-June 2020 EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Editor Dr. Packiam T. Samuel Dr. M. M. Abraham Associate Editor Consulting Editor Dr. S.S. Waheedulla Hussaini Multani Prof. Akhtarul Wasey Advisory Board Dr. Syed Zafar Mahmood Dr. Chilukuri Vasantha Rao Founder, Principal, Zakat Foundation of India United Theological College, New Delhi. Bangalore Prof. T. Swami Raju Prof. Girish Nath Jha Dept. of Religion and Culture Dean School of Sanskrit & Indic Studies ACTC, Hyderabad JNU, New Delhi. Prof. Syed Ali Mohammad Naqvi Prof. Jaspal Kaur Kaang Prof. Shia Theology, Dept. of Guru Nanak Sikh Studies Aligarh Muslim University Panjab University, Chandigarh Prof. Siddiqi Mohd. Mahmood Prof. Rekha Pande Dept. of Education and Training Department of History MANUU, Hyderabad HCU, Hyderabad. Prof. Syed Jahangir Prof. Shahida Murtaza Dept. of Arabic Studies Head Dept. of Women Education EFLU, Hyderabad MANUU, Hyderabad Dr. P.S. Munawar Hussain Dr. Zulfiqar Mohiuddin Siddiqi Joint Registrar, MANUU Oriental Languages Hyderabad Osmania University Dr. Victor Edwin S.J. Dr. Joshua Raja Director, VIDIS Co-Dean Oxford Center for New-Delhi Religion and Public Life, Oxford JOURNAL OF THE HENRY MARTYN INSTITUTE A bi-annual publication on religion, culture, and interfaith relations Volume 39 Number 1 Jan-June 2020 CONTENTS Editorial Packiam T. Samuel Jesuit Writings on Islam Found in the Documents of the Indian 1-23 Academy Victor Edwin SJ Early Phase of Cultural Nationalism and Hindu Radicalism 24-39 in Bengal and Maharashtra Regions Solomon Victus The Concept of Adoption (Tabannī): An Islamic Perspective 40-60 S.
    [Show full text]
  • Zh. Imanbayeva the TEACHING of KALAM in the HISTORY OF
    ISSN 2413-3558 eISSN 2521-6465 Хабаршы. Дінтану сериясы. №4 (24) 2020 https://bulletin-religious.kaznu.kz IRSTI 02.71 https://doi.org/10.26577/EJRS.2020.v24.i4.r2 Zh. Imanbayeva Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan, Almaty, е-mail: [email protected] THE TEACHING OF KALAM IN THE HISTORY OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY This article reveals the importance of Islam in the formation and development of the Arab Caliphate. The wars of conquest of the Arab state were fought under the banner of Islam. All those who converted to Islam began to be called Muslims (Muslim – devotee, obedient to God). Having emerged at the beginning of the seventh century, in Western Arabia, in Mecca, by the end of the noted century, Islam spread to the territory of Iran and Central Asia. At the initial stage of the existence of the new Muslim state, spread over such a vast territory, the primary task was to adapt the Quranic precepts to the new realities. The art of interpreting the Qur’an and collecting hadiths were cultivated. The political struggle in the Arab Caliphate was conducted in the form of philosophical and religious disputes. The debaters in discussions on theological and philosophical topics pursued completely earthly goals. Ethnic diver- sity and confessional pluralism that developed in the empire also did not help stabilize the situation. A characteristic feature of Islamic philosophy is its polemical orientation; this is the logic of its develop- ment. Dissatisfaction with the decisions of previous schools on fundamental philosophical issues gave rise to the need for the emergence of new schools and teachings.
    [Show full text]
  • Islamic Theology, Philosophy and Law
    Islamic Theology, Philosophy and Law Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 06.08.15 23:56 Studien zur Geschichte und Kultur des islamischen Orients Beihefte zur Zeitschrift „Der Islam“ Herausgegeben von Lawrence I. Conrad und Benjamin Jokisch Neue Folge Band 27 De Gruyter Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 06.08.15 23:56 Islamic Theology, Philosophy and Law Debating Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya Edited by Birgit Krawietz and Georges Tamer in collaboration with Alina Kokoschka De Gruyter Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 06.08.15 23:56 ISBN 978-3-11-028534-5 e-ISBN 978-3-11-028540-6 ISSN 1862-1295 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress. Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.dnb.de abrufbar. © 2013 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston Druck: Hubert & Co. GmbH und Co. KG, Göttingen ∞ Gedruckt auf säurefreiem Papier Printed in Germany www.degruyter.com Unangemeldet Heruntergeladen am | 06.08.15 23:56 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................... vii Alina Kokoschka and Birgit Krawietz Appropriation of Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya: Challenging Expectations of Ingenuity ........................... 1 Section 1: Human Agency M. Sait Özervarli Divine Wisdom, Human Agency and the fiṭra in Ibn Taymiyya’s Thought .................................... 37 Livnat Holtzman Debating the Doctrine of jabr (Compulsion): Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya Reads Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī .............. 61 Gino Schallenbergh Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s Manipulation of Sufi Terms: Fear and Hope ............................................... 94 Section 2: Career of Books Y.
    [Show full text]
  • An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies
    An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies Edited by Orlando O. Espín and James B. Nickoloff A Michael Glazier Book LITURGICAL PRESS Collegeville, Minnesota www.litpress.org A Michael Glazier Book published by Liturgical Press. Cover design by David Manahan, o.s.b. Cover symbol by Frank Kacmarcik, obl.s.b. © 2007 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, P.O. Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data An introductory dictionary of theology and religious studies / edited by Orlando O. Espín and James B. Nickoloff. p. cm. “A Michael Glazier book.” ISBN-13: 978-0-8146-5856-7 (alk. paper) 1. Religion—Dictionaries. 2. Religions—Dictionaries. I. Espín, Orlando O. II. Nickoloff, James B. BL31.I68 2007 200.3—dc22 2007030890 We dedicate this dictionary to Ricardo and Robert, for their constant support over many years. Contents List of Entries ix Introduction and Acknowledgments xxxi Entries 1 Contributors 1519 vii List of Entries AARON “AD LIMINA” VISITS ALBIGENSIANS ABBA ADONAI ALBRIGHT, WILLIAM FOXWELL ABBASIDS ADOPTIONISM
    [Show full text]
  • Cover Page the Handle
    Cover Page The handle http://hdl.handle.net/1887/28740 holds various files of this Leiden University dissertation. Author: Kadrouch-Outmany, Khadija Title: Islamic burials in the Netherlands and Belgium. Legal, religious and social aspects Issue Date: 2014-09-16 Islamic Burials in the Netherlands and Belgium Legal, Religious and Social Aspects Khadija Kadrouch-Outmany Islamic Burials in the Netherlands and Belgium Legal, Religious and Social Aspects Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden, op gezag van Rector Magnificus prof. mr. C.J.J.M. Stolker, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties te verdedigen op dinsdag 16 september 2014 klokke 16.15 uur door Khadija Kadrouch-Outmany geboren te ’s-Gravenhage in 1983 Copyright Khadija Kadrouch-Outmany, 2014 ISBN: 978-94-91602-24-5 Cover design: Sinds 1961 | Grafisch ontwerp Printed by: Print Service Ede Islamic Burials in the Netherlands and Belgium Legal, Religious and Social Aspects Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van Doctor aan de Universiteit Leiden, op gezag van Rector Magnificus prof. mr. C.J.J.M. Stolker, volgens besluit van het College voor Promoties te verdedigen op dinsdag 16 september 2014 klokke 16.15 uur door Khadija Kadrouch-Outmany geboren te ’s-Gravenhage in 1983 Copyright Khadija Kadrouch-Outmany, 2014 Promotiecommissie Table of Contents Promotoren: Prof. dr. W.A.R. Shadid Acknowlegdements Prof. dr. P.S. van Koningsveld 1. Introduction 9 1.1 Exploring the study of death, dying and the institutionalization of Islam in the Overige leden: Prof. dr. H.L. Beck Universiteit van Tilburg Netherlands and Belgium 10 Prof.
    [Show full text]
  • Islamic Societies
    Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program in Religious Studies World Cultures: Islamic Societies [V77.55.0502] Frank Peters Fall 2007 C.E/ 1428 A.H. Email: [email protected] M-W 11-12:15 PM 726 Broadway/Suite. 544 Rm. 101 19 West 4th St. with: Waiel Abdelwahed: [email protected]. Haytham Bahoora: [email protected] Munir Fakher El-Din: [email protected]. Susynne McElrone: [email protected] This course is an introduction to the common religious, cultural and political base of what is generally and popularly called “Islam.” There is no “thing” called “Islam,” of course, but there are assuredly Muslims, many, many of them, who share what we, and they, call Islam. For Muslims Islam is not simply a set of present day beliefs or observances but includes, as a significant part, a long and varied history, a deep-seated and pervasive culture and a remarkable civilization. The course cannot cover all those elements but will concentrate on fundamentals from the Quranic origins of the faith and the career of the Prophet Muhammad to the beliefs and observances shared by most Muslims and some of the differences among them. By the end of the semester you should be able to offer a reasonably sophisticated answer to the question “What is Islam?” SYLLABUS The following syllabus will also be found on the “Blackboard” version of the class (available to registered students), along with—and this is very important— some essential and very helpful material for this complex course. Log onto your NYU Home account and you will find Blackboard there.
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Capitalism: a Critique of Max Weber's
    Intellectual Discourse, 24:1 (2016) 35–58 Copyright © IIUM Press ISSN 0128-4878 (Print); ISSN 2289-5639 (Online) Beyond capitalism: A critique of Max Weber’s general understanding of the Islamic discourse Joseph Jon Kaminski* Abstract: This article evaluates Max Weber’s overall analysis of Islam. Despite his efforts to be objective, Weber’s analysis was entrenched within a similar Orientalist discursive framework present among other Western scholars who studied non-Western traditions during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After a review of the existing literature on Weber’s understanding of Islam and its relation to capitalism, this article critically explores other aspects of Weber’s conclusions about Islam that are equally problematic. Weber glosses over many centuries of variegated Islamic cultural history to provide a universalist account of the Islamic civilisation that reduces it to a general meta- discourse. He regularly ignores many of the more localised, regional Islamic cultural traditions altogether. As a result, Weber fails to meaningfully account for the many nuances and idiosyncrasies constitutive of the broader Islamic tradition. This article argues that Weber’s account of Islam shows a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding on his part. Keywords: Capitalism; interpretive sociology; Islamic culture; Max Weber; Orientalism. Abstrak: Artikel ini menilai Max Weber dalam analisis keseluruhannya terhadap Islam. Walaupun beliau berusaha untuk melakukan analisisnya secara objektif, namun analisis Weber tenggelam dengan corak yang sama dengan perbincangan rangka sarjana-sarjana Barat lain yang terdahulu. Sarjana-sarjana tersebut telah mengkaji tradisi-tradisi bukan Barat pada akhir abad ke-19 hingga awal abad ke-20. Setelah melakukan sorotan kajian sedia ada mengenai pemahaman Weber tentang Islam dan kaitannya * Joseph Jon Kaminski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International and Public Relations, Faculty of Business and Administration, International University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
    [Show full text]
  • Concept of Predestination in Islam and Christianity: Special Reference to Averroes and Aquinas
    CONCEPT OF PREDESTINATION IN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY: SPECIAL REFERENCE TO AVERROES AND AQUINAS by Dr. Ismail Mohamad Abstract Predestination is a doctrine believed by Muslims and Christians, but there are some problems arise in understanding of it among them. This article tries to view the problems from Islamic and Christian Weltanschauung as presented by the well-known scholars namely Averroes and Aquinas. Introduction: Preliminary Problem Predestination is a crucial problem not only in Islam but also in Christianity. There has been a long and continuing discussion by theologians on both sides. The main question in predestination in Islamic theory is whether man has power to act or free will to choose his action. If he has no power or free will, it means that his action is caused by another power. If he has the power or free will, it means that God's omnipotence is challenged. Averroes quotes many Quranic verses which show apparently whether man has power or not ih doing something. The Quranic verses which show that man has free will and acquisition (kasb) in his action are, for example, "what ever affliction may visit you is for what your own hands have earned" As for Thamud We guided them, but they preferred blindness above guidence"2, and others. The Quranic verses which show that man is compelled in his action are, for example, "Surely We have created everything in measure,3 and others. Even Averroes also refers to a tradition of the prophet Muhammad s. a.w. as he said" , Every child is born according to nature (fitrah) and his parents make him a Jew or a Christian.
    [Show full text]
  • The Qur'anic Th ... Sophy and Spirituality.Pdf
    THE QUR’ANIC THEOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY AND SPIRITUALITY Dr. Abdul Hafeez Fâzli All rights reserved in favour of the author. Title: The Qur’anic Theology, Philosophy and Spirituality Author and Publisher: Fâzli, Abdul Hafeez ([email protected]) Title designed by Mr. Siraj Ul Hassan First Published in On Demand Print Format on CreateSpace in January 2016 Second Edition on CreateSpace May 2017 CreateSpace-Assigned Title ID: 5973139 and ISBN 13: 978-1523213146 BISAC: Religion / Islam / Theology Edition 2017 Available in Digital Format on Kindle ASIN: B0195A65R2 Available at: CreateSpace, Charleston SC Amazon.com, CreateSpace.com, and other retail outlets, Kindle and other online stores ISBN: 978-969-7649-00-6 ISBN SECOND Edition: ……………………… Contents 3 CONTENTS 1. PREFACE 7 2. INTRODUCTION 9 3. FOREWORD 25 THE QUR’AN STUDIES ___________________________________ 27 4. IS ‘AL-ḤAQQ’ ONE OF AL-ASMÂ’ AL-ḤUSNÂ! 29 al-ḥaqq occurring in Simple Form for Word of the Lord (i.e., for what Allah has narrated, revealed or promised.) 32 Al-ḥaqq contained in Phrases 33 al-ḥaqq (truth or reality) as opposite to al-bâṭil (falsehood); 35 al-ḥaqq as opposite to aḍ-ḍalâl (error) 36 al-ḥaqq as opposite to ẓann (false suspicion, conjecture) 36 bil-ḥaqq: accuracy, balance, purpose, truth etc. 36 ḥaqq: True, most certainly true; purpose, claim, interest; the truth, due share, the right; 38 bi ghayr l ḥaqq / ghayr l ḥaqq: 38 Verses misinterpreted to signify ‘al-ḥaqq’ as one of al-Asmâ’ al- Ḥusnâ 39 Conclusion ___________________________________ 46 5. THE QUR’ANIC ONTOLOGY AND STATUS OF AL-ḤAQQ 49 Thesis presented in writer’s article: 50 Objections and Comments 53 Qur’anic Ontology vs un-Qur’anic Ontology 57 Consensus Is No Argument 58 Interpretation of Verse No.
    [Show full text]