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AL-ITQĀN JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC SCIENCES AND COMPARATIVE STUDIES Volume: 4 Issue No. 1 February 2020 EDITOR IN-CHIEF Dr. Wan Mohd Azam Mohd Amin MANAGING EDITOR Dr. Masitoh Ahmad EDITORIAL BOARD Dr. Syed Arabi Aidid, IIUM. Dr. Hassan Basri Mat Dahan, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan Dr. Kamaruzaman Yusuff, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Semarahan, Kucing. Dr. Kamar Oniah, IIUM. Dr. Mumtaz Ali, IIUM. Dr. Noor Amali Mohd Daud, IIUM. Dr. Adibah Abdul Rahim, IIUM. Dr. Haslina Ibrahim, IIUM. Dr. Siti Akmar, Universiti Institut Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam Dr. Thameem Ushama, IIUM. INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti, Oxford University, UK Dr. Abdullah M. al-Syarqawi, Cairo University, Egypt. Dr. Abdul Kabir Hussain Solihu, Kwara State University, Nigeria. Dr. Anis Ahmad, Riphah International University, Islamabad. Dr. ASM Shihabuddin, Uttara University, Dhakka, Bangladesh. Dr. Fatimah Abdullah, Sabahattin Zaim University,Turkey. Dr. Ibrahim M. Zein, Qatar Foundation, Qatar. Dr. Khalid Yahya, Temple University, USA. © 2017 IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia. All rights reserved. eISSN:26008432 Correspondence Managing Editor, Al-Itqān Research Management Centre, RMC International Islamic University Malaysia P.O Box 10, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: +603 6196 5558 Website: http://journals.iium.edu.my/al-itqan/index.php/alitqan/index Email: [email protected] Published by: IIUM Press, International Islamic University Malaysia P.O. Box 10, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Phone (+603) 6196-5014, Fax: (+603) 6196-6298 Website: http://iiumpress.iium.edu.my/bookshop Table of Contents Revisiting the Ancient Persian Religion of Zoroastrianism: Its Founder and Sacred Scripture 5 - 23 Fatmir Shehu Relativism and Intolerance, Two Sides of a Coin: Qur`anic Exposition 25 – 49 Che Amnah Bahari The Profundity and Dynamism of Islamic Architecture 51 – 77 Spahic Omer Universiy Core Courses (UNGS Subjects): Their Roles and Importance in Strengthening Soft Skills (Kemahiran Insaniah) Among IIUM Students Che‟Razi Jusoh 79 – 87 Aliza Elias Nurul Aminah Mat Zain Halal Quality Management System: A Comparison between Halal and Kosher Abdul Rahman Adam 89 – 115 Che Amnah Bahari Mohd Noh Abdul Jalil Qatar‘s Islamweb Fatwa on the Limits of Relationship between Muslims and Non-Muslims: An Analysis 117 – 133 Saud Mohammad Adibah Abdul Rahim The Ultimate Fate of Man in Buddhism and the Position of Islam towards It Qutub Shah 135 – 169 Amilah Awang @ Abd Rahman The impact of the doctrine of the Imamate on the al-Jarḥ wa al-Taʿdīl from the perspective of the Imāmī Shiʿī 171 – 201 Yusuf Oktan Mohammed Abullais Al-Khairabadi The Notion of ―Islamic Unity‖ in the Thought of al-Imām Muḥammad bin ʿAbd Allah al-Khalīli Mohammed Khamis Marhoun Alriyami 203 – 229 Fatmir Shehu Asma Uthman El-Muhamady Author Guidelines Manuscript article can be either in English, Malay or Arabic using software Microsoft office (Word, and Excel), Font 12 Times New Roman. Only tables, figures and appendix can be written using Font 10, Times New Roman. If there is a usage of Quranic verses or Hadith fom Prophet P.B.U.H., it only needs to be done by translation only. The manuscript should be in 1.5 single spacing and justified, with the margin of 2.5cm. Article needs to have a title and author’s name and second author’s name along with the full address (institution’s or university’s address, e-mail, handphone’s number, office’s number, fax together with the second author’s details). Every article must include an `abstract in Malay and English. The length of the abstract is no more than 150 words including 5 keywords. The length of each article must not exceed 6000 words. The Arabic words in manuscript should be in a transliterated form. Reference for each article must be written according to Chicago Manual. Notification Letter : Letter of Acceptance – editorial board will send an e-mail to the author to notify that the manuscript is received. Letter of Acceptance/Rejection for Publication – editorial board will send a letter by an e-mail to the author to notify if the manuscript judged by the panels is approved or declined to be published. Letter of Publication – editorial board will send a letter by e-mail to the author if the article has been judged, repaired, and corrected to be published in the college’s journal. Certificate of Appreciation– editorial board will send a certificate of appreciation by mail to the authors who have sent their articles. AL-ITQĀN Vol. No. 4, Issue No. 1, February, 2020, 5 - 23 Copyright © IIUM Press eISSN 2600-8432 Revisiting the Ancient Persian Religion of Zoroastrianism: Its Founder and Sacred Scripture Fatmir Shehu* Abstracts This research paper seeks to study the founder and sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism, which is the religion of the ancient Persia and the Parsees arising out of the polytheistic traditions of Iran and India. Although today its adherents are few in number, yet the study of this religion is very crucial. The objective of this paper is to revisit the ancient Persian religion in order to provide for young scholars and students of comparative religion appropriate historical facts and evidences about the founder and sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism. This study investigates: firstly, the ancient Persian beliefs before the advent of Zoroastrianism; secondly, Prophet Zarathushtra or Zoroaster, the founder of this religion, who preached monotheism – the worship of only one God, called Ahura Mazda – the Wise Lord; and lastly, the sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism, which is considered by Zoroastrians as a revelation revealed by God to their Prophet, Zoroaster. This paper focuses on the founder and sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism, and therefore, a study can be done on the main doctrines and festivals of Zoroastrianism. Descriptive and analytical methods are used in the entire study. The findings of this research paper add important information to the existing literature on Zoroastrianism. Keywords: Ahura Mazda, Avesta, Zoroaster, Zoroastrianism, Gathas. Introduction Zoroastrianism as a religion was introduced to the ancient Persians by Zoroaster the Prophet. Its growth goes back to the early times of the ancient Persians (today‘s Iranians), who had their own religion, which was considered by them as a very strong driving force in all aspects of their life. As a matter of fact, all the Iranian religions were not documented in written form during the ancient period. Rather, their religious ―literature‖ was oral, in both composition and transmission.1 A vast literature has been presented by various scholars of comparative *Currently an Assistant Professor, Department of Uṣūl al-Dīn and Comparative Religion, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia. Email: [email protected] 1 See, Encyclopædia Britannica Online. ―Ancient Iranian Religion.‖ https://www.britannica.com/topic/ancient-Iranian-religion (accessed August 23, 2019) 6 Revisiting the Ancient Persian Religion of Zoroastrianism - Fatmir Shehu religion, who have attempted through their writings to study in depth the religion of Iranians, Zoroastrianism, its founder, sacred scripture as well as its main tenets. Muslim scholars have mentioned in their writings directly or indirectly Zoroastrianism, its founder, teachings and followers. For instance, al-BÊrËnÊ in his KitÉb al-AthÉr al-BÉqiyyah views al-MajËs as the adherents of Zarathustra and his sacred book, as Zend Avesta. He observes that their laws and religious rituals are not organized. Rather, they follow confusing religious rituals, i.e., fasting is forbidden and regarded as a sinful act. Also, they marry their own daughters.1 Ibn ×azm, in his KitÉb al-FaÎlu fÊ al-Milal wa al-AhwÉ‟i wa al-NiÍal classifies al-MajËs into two groups: in the first group are the Zoroastrians themselves, and in the second group are the followers of a major sub-sect called the Manicheans – al-MÉnawiyyah that derived from the first group. Ibn ×azm considers them as Ahl KitÉb. He supports his stand by informing us that among companions of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.), like ‗Ali Ibn Abi ÙÉlib, Sa‗id Ibn al-Musayyab, Abu Qatada Ibn Da‗Émah, who reported al-MajËs as belonging to the People of the Book.2 Al-ShahristÉnÊ, another Muslim theologian, maintains in his Milal wa al-NiÍal, that Zoroastrians are the holders of sacred scrolls. However, these scrolls, under certain circumstances were lifted from their hands making them to lose them forever. He does not consider them as Ahl al-KitÉb at the same level as the Jews and Christians. Rather, he considers them as the People of Dubious Book.3 In the west, the scholarship on the study of religion in general, and the study of Zoroastrianism in particular, developed later on compared to the Muslim world. Martin Haug, a western scholar, has produced a very important work on ―Essays on the Sacred language, Writings, and Religion of the Parsis,‖ which discusses issues pertaining to the historical development of the sacred scripture of the Zoroastrians. The 1 See, Al-BÊrËnÊ, AbË RaiÍÉan MuÍammad bin ‘AÍmad, The Chronology of Ancient Nations: An English Version of the Arabic Text of al-AthÉr al-BÉqiyyah or Vestiges of the Past. Edward C. Sachau (trans. & ed.), (London: W. H. Allen & Co., 1879), pp. 17, 318. 2 See, Ibn ×azm al-DhÉhirÊ, AbË MuÍammad ÑAlÊ Ibn AÍmad, al-FaÎl fÊ al-Milal wa al-AhwÉ’ wa al-NiÍal, revised by MuÍammad IbrÉhÊm NaÎr and ÑAbd al-RaÍmÉn ÑUmayrah (Beirut: DÉr al-JÊl. vol. 1, 2001), pp. 115-118 3 See, Al-ShahristÉnÊ, Abi FatÍ MuÍammad bin ÑAbdul KarÊm, al-Milal wa al-NiÍal, AÍmad Fahmi MuÍammad (ed.) (Lebanon: DÉr al-Kutub al-ÑIlmiyyah, 8th ed., vol. 1, 2009), pp. 256-274. Al-Itqān, Volume 4, Issue No 1, February, 2020 7 content of Avesta or Zend Avesta has been discussed in depth.1 Haug did take the initiative to write about Zoroastrianism and its sacred texts in order to present all materials available ―for judging impartially of the scriptures and religion of the Parsis.‖2 Mary Boyce, another important scholar, presented to the students of comparative religion a comprehensive work on Zoroastrianism.