DOCSLIB.ORG

Biography- Prophetic Biography- Understanding the Prophet's Biography- (Lesson 06-57): the Names of the Prophet (Pbuh)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Biography- Prophetic Biography- Understanding the Prophet's Biography- (Lesson 06-57): the Names of the Prophet (Pbuh) Biography- Prophetic Biography- Understanding the Prophet's Biography- (Lesson 06-57): The Names Of The Prophet (pbuh) Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, w e know nothing but w hat You teach us. You are the All- Know er, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us w hat is good for us, and benefit us from w hat You taught us, and increase our know ledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep aw ay from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and know ledge, and from the muddy shallow s of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity. All praise to Allah the lord of all w orlds, blessing and peace be upon our master Muhammad the truthful in w hat he had promised and the trustw orthy. O Allah w e have no know ledge apart from w hat you have taught us, for you are the all know er and the all w ise, so teach us w hat is beneficial to us, and let us benefit from w hat you have taught us and increase our know ledge, and let us see truth as it is and make us comply w ith it, let us see falsehood as it is and make us avoid it, and let us be among those w ho listen to w hat had been said and follow the best of it, and let us be under your mercy w ith your righteous servant. Take us out of the darkness of ignorance and illusion to the light of know ledge, and from the mud of lusts to the gardens of obedience. Honorable brothers, w e w ill start today w ith a new lesson of the prophetic biography, w e shall move to his names (pbuh). The prophet (pbuh) has many names that scholars found and explain the meanings of them and w hat they indicate. It has been authenticated in the tw o references (of Al-bukhari & Muslim) that Mohammad Bin Jubair Bin Mat'am heard his father saying: The Prophet (pbuh) said: I have five names, I am: Mohammad, Ahmad, the terminator by w hom God terminates infidelity; am the one of whom people w ill be resurrected at his feet; I am the successor, i.e. no prophet shall come after me. In another saying in the Authentic Muslim: Abi Muosa Al Asha'ri said: The prophet (pbuh) call him self w ith many names, he said: I am Mohammad, Ahmad, Al-Muqafi, the Gatherer [of whom people shall gather around on the judgment day], the prophet of repentance and the prophet of mercy. Honorable brothers, the names of the prophet (pbuh) are of tw o kinds: one that are restricted to him only, no other prophet had shared it w ith him; such as the five names mentioned in his authentic saying. Another kind that he (pbuh) shared w ith the rest of the prophets: The Witness, the herald and the prophet of mercy. He is best know n as Muhammad (pbuh). This name [in Arabic] is derived from the w ord 'praise' w hich connotes praisew orthiness, to love him, to glorify and honor him (pbuh). He is (pbuh) praisew orthy by God and by people and even by him self; a bright person could be praisew orthy by people but he could not praisew orthy by him self. Nay! Man w ill be a w itness against himself [as body parts (skin, hands, legs, etc…) w ill speak about his deed; though he may put forth his excuses (to cover his evil deeds). Surat Al-Qiyamah Verse: 14,15 A man could be praisew orthy by God for performing w orships, and being disciplined according to the course of Allah; but also, he may not praisew orthy by people for not being merciful and not being characterized by the prophetic manners; he maybe praisew orthy by him self but not by people. Heroism in the prophet (pbuh) is that he is praisew orthy by God, by people and by him self. Therefore [in Arabic] the name Muhammad is the exaggerated form of praise w hich means the beloved, the glorified, and the esteemed; w hen such form is used [in Arabic language] this denotes the repetition of the verb on the object either for being w orthy of it, or being the object. The name Muhammad literally means the one of w hom has been praised time after time, or the one w ho is w orthy of being praised time after time, either the praise is done on his blessed self, or he is w orthy of it because he come for the benefit of mankind. By the w ay honorable brothers, I w ill give you a w onderful rule: If you w ant to know your standing according to God, then you should look in w hat He made you occupied w ith. If you w anted to know if you are dignified by God then know for certain that the highest dignity one could get to is to know Him, and the greatest dignity according to God is to be straight according to His order. Straightness is the heart of dignity, and know ing Allah is the greatest dignity for it does not need abnormalities. And [He] taught you that w hich you knew not. And Ever Great is the Grace of Allah unto you (O Muhammad pbuh). Surat Al-Nisa Verse:113 Honorable brothers, another comment that I w ould to give: It is sad thing that a Muslim has a perfect name but he is not; for instance, some called Saeed [means happy] but he is not. Heroism is that your name must match your personality. There is a rule in Arabic language that says: if you know a name [of someone] this because he is characterized by that name. For instance; Mr. so and so is Rashed [means rational], so if you say Rashed came this means that he came w ith his rational behavior, therefore it is the childrens' right that there parents call them w ith fine names, and the best names are Abed [servant of God] & Hamd [praise]. Honorable brothers, the prophet (pbuh) had been begotten by Abdullah Bin Abed Al-Muttaleb, he w as married to Aminnah Bint Wahab the son of Abed Manaf, the son of Zuhra, the son of Kilab, the details of this marriage w as not reported through correct methods, but w hat matters the most is that the prophet (pbuh) w as the fruit of the marriage of Abdullah Bin Abed Al-Mutaleb and Amina Bint Wahab [Pre Islam, old Arabs w ere concerned about the lineage of their families]. Furthermore, one may w onder: w hy w as the prophet (pbuh) an orphan, he know s his father but he had not seen him. His father died w hen he w as in Al-Madineh at his uncles' (the clan of Al-Najjar). Al-Zuhri mentioned that Abed Al-Mutaleb sent his son Abdullah to buy dates from Yuthreb [Al-Madineh Al-Munaw ara] then he died there. Aminah gave birth to the prophet (pbuh) under the care of Abed Al-Mutaleb. The Holy Qura'an mentioned that the prophet (pbuh) w as an orphan: Did he not find you (O Muhammad [pbuh]) an orphan and gave you a refuge? Surat Al-Duha Verse:6 O brothers, I heard once something that touched me deeply, I heard someone saying to his friend: if this child did not have a father then he must have the Lord, so those w ho lost their fathers they under the patronage of God: And it may be that you dislike a thing w hich is good for you and that you like a thing w hich is bad for you. Allah know s but you do not know . Surat Al-Baqarah Verse 216 He w ho loses his father may become a very distinguished person. A pow erful rich father maybe an obstacle in his son's w ay to reach the highest rank [in a certain field], for every thing is at his disposal, as for those little orphans they have nothing, so they w ork really hard. But w hat I w ould like to clarify to you is that a human being is free to choose in w hat he is assigned, he is ordered to pray so he is free to choose, he is ordered to fast, ordered to avoid looking at w omen, he is ordered to investigate w hether his earnings are legal according to Islamic jurisprudence and to spend it according to Allah's order. How ever human beings are not free to choose their gender, a male or a female, not free to choose the parents, not free to choose the city of birth and the date of it, not free to choose the look, characteristics and potentials. I know for certain that w hat you are not given to choose is the most w onderful thing. The great Imam Al-Ghazali has expressed that saying: "It is not possible to make things more w onderful than w hat they are [the w ay and the look that God -exalted He is- had created them]" What you have not been given to choose fits you the best, and then on the Day of Judgment, the secrets of fate [the unseen or unconceivable or deemed to be misfortune to one's mind] shall be revealed to know the reason w hy one w as not given the privilege to choose, therefore the relation betw een God and His servants can be summarized on the judgment day w ith one phrase: And the close of their request w ill be: ( Al-hamdu Lillah Rabb-ill-Alamin) praise is to the Lord of w orlds Surat Yunus Verse: 10 You should be satisfied w ith w hat Allah has given you.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Meccan Era in the Light of the Turkish Writings from the Prophet’S Birth Till the Rise of the Mission - I
    ISSN 2039-2117 (online) Mediterranean Journal of Vol 9 No 6 ISSN 2039-9340 (print) Social Sciences November 2018 . Research Article © 2018 Noura Ahmed Hamed Al Harthy. This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). The Meccan Era in the Light of the Turkish Writings from the Prophet’s Birth Till the Rise of the Mission - I Dr. Noura Ahmed Hamed Al Harthy Professor of Islamic History, Vice Dean of Scientific Research, University of Bishe, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Doi: 10.2478/mjss-2018-0163 Abstract The prophet’s biography had a supreme place in the Turkish writings. In this vein, the present research’s title is “The Meccan Era in the Turkish Writings from the prophet’s birth till the Prophetic Immigration to Medina”. Therefore in this research, a great amount of information about the Meccan era in the Turkish Writings from the prophet’s birth till the Prophetic Immigration to Medina was collected. It also included prophet’s life before and after the mission till the immigration to Abyssinia, the boycott, passing the second Aqaba Pledge, the Prophet's stand towards some contemporary nations and finally, the conclusion and the list of citied works and references. Before the prophet Muhammad Ibn Abd Allah's (PBUH) birth, the Arabian Peninsula lived in full darkness then it was enlightened by Islam. The prophet (PBUH) was not detached from the universal arena; rather, he was aware of the surrounding nations led by the Persians and Romans during that time.
    [Show full text]
  • Full Text (PDF)
    Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture June 2015, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 74-80 ISSN: 2333-5904 (Print), 2333-5912 (Online) Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development DOI: 10.15640/jisc.v3n1a10 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.15640/jisc.v3n1a10 The Effect of the Muhadithins’ Methodologies in Writing the Prophetic Biography (PB) Dr. Saleh Ahmed Al-Busaidi1 Introduction All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the best of His Prophets and Messengers, the Prophet Muhammad and his family and Companions and those who followed him truthfully until the Day of Judgment. Writing the prophetic biography (PB) is essentially the job of the historians as they were the first to take interest in writing the prophetic biography (PB) as an integrated work. This was done either as a dedicated work like that of Ibn Hisham, Ibn Is’haq, Al-Halabi and others; or as a part of historic encyclopedias like those of Al Tabari, Ibn Al Atheer, Ibn Kuthair, Al-Mas’udi, Al Yaqubi, and others. The Muhaddithin have left on impact on highlighting some of the chief points in the prophetic biography (PB). It is well known that the writers of the prophetic biography tended to apply the methodologies of the historians in conveying the events of the PB, however, at times, they used to adopt the methodology of the Muhaddithin in weighing between the conflicting narrations, particularly those who had a wide scope of knowledge of the Muhaddithin’s methodologies.
    [Show full text]
  • The Muḥammadan Personality Have We Neglected It? What Is Our Duty Towards It?
    The Muḥammadan Personality Have we neglected it? What is our duty towards it? By Haidar Hobbollah Translated by Shayan Shirazi and Moussa Al-Rufayie1 symbolises the greatest ﷺ The Prophet Muḥammad b. ʿAbdullāh personality in Islam, for he possesses the divine message and bears news from God, the Exalted. He is our window to the celestial realm and our path to divine revelation; the one whose Sunna is authoritative and whose conduct is an inspiration for different generations and peoples. He is one of the symbols of humanity and one of its major characters who changed, altered and transformed history. The personality of this magnificent prophet has entered the sphere of inter-faith debate and some of those who have rejected his prophethood have taken a negative stance about him on occasion. Some of them have accused him of lying, fraud and slander, while others have moderated and toned down their rhetoric by saying that he was a man who had delusions of revelation about righteousness and prosperity in his society. In recent times, these debates regarding Islam and the Prophet have increased. For example, the book “The Satanic Verses” depicted a bad At the end of 2006, caricatures were .ﷺ image of the Messenger of God drawn which were considered offensive and insulting for Islam and Muslims, and provoked tremendous outcry in different areas across the world. 1. I do not want to speak here in the language of debate and rivalry. Rather, I want to exercise self-criticism so that we do not content ourselves with directing the blame on others who we also see as deserving of blame.
    [Show full text]
  • Course Syllabus EMT 3101/6101HF Biography and Thought: the Life of Muhammad Emmanuel College Toronto School of Theology Fall 2017
    Course Syllabus EMT 3101/6101HF Biography and Thought: The Life of Muhammad Emmanuel College Toronto School of Theology Fall 2017 Instructor Information Instructor: Nevin Reda Office Location: EM 215 Telephone: Office – (416) 978-000 E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: Wednesdays, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm or by appointment Course Identification Course Number: EMT3101/6101HF Course Format: In-class Course Name: Biography and Thought: The Life of Muhammad Course Location: EM 302 Class Times: Tuesdays 14:00 pm – 16:00 pm Prerequisites: None Course Description This seminar studies the life of the Prophet Muhammad as it is presented in the earliest biographical and historical Muslim accounts. It introduces the sira and hadith literatures, in addition to classical and modern critical methods used to determine their authenticity and historical reliability. Topics include the first revelations, emigration from Mecca, the Constitution of Medina, and succession to Muhammad’s leadership. Students will learn about Muslim concepts of prophethood, the significance of the prophet in the legal-ethical and mystical traditions, and women in hadith scholarship. They will study the life of Muhammad and relate it to his spiritual as well as temporal experience to explore modern-day concerns. Class participation: 15%, Minor Research Paper: 35 %, Major research paper: 50 %. Course Resources Required Course Texts/Bibliography ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham, The life of Muhammad: a translation of Ishāq's Sīrat rasūl Allāh, with introduction and notes by A. Guillaume (London: Oxford University Press, 1955). Jonathan Brown, Hadith: Muhammad's Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World (Richmond: Oneworld, 2009).
    [Show full text]
  • Writing the Unwritten Life of the Islamic Eve: Menstruation and the Demonization of Motherhood
    Writing the Unwritten Life of the Islamic Eve: Menstruation and the Demonization of Motherhood D. A. Spellberg International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 28, No. 3. (Aug., 1996), pp. 305-324. Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0020-7438%28199608%2928%3A3%3C305%3AWTULOT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-2 International Journal of Middle East Studies is currently published by Cambridge University Press. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/about/terms.html. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/journals/cup.html. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. The JSTOR Archive is a trusted digital repository providing for long-term preservation and access to leading academic journals and scholarly literature from around the world. The Archive is supported by libraries, scholarly societies, publishers, and foundations. It is an initiative of JSTOR, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to help the scholarly community take advantage of advances in technology. For more information regarding JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • Biography- Prophetic Biography- Understanding the Prophet's Biography- (Lesson 47-57): the Treaty That the Prophet Made for Al-Madina Inhabitants
    Biography- Prophetic Biography- Understanding the Prophet's Biography- (Lesson 47-57): The Treaty that the Prophet made for Al-Madina Inhabitants Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, w e know nothing but w hat You teach us. You are the All- Know er, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us w hat is good for us, and benefit us from w hat You taught us, and increase our know ledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep aw ay from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and know ledge, and from the muddy shallow s of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity. Oh, dear brothers, in the previous lesson w e talked about the brotherliness that the prophet PBUH made betw een Al-Muhajereen ( the Immigrants) and Al-Ansar ( the Helpers).Today w e w ill move to the second stage of the administrative arrangements that the Prophet made to be as the strong base for the Islamic State. The Social Structure of Al-Madinah at the Prophet’s Arrival At the arrival of the prophet PBUH, Al-Madinah w as forming a various human mixture in terms of religion and faith, in terms of tribal belonging, and in terms of life style. There had been the Immigrants, Al-Aus and Al-Khazraj tribes, the pagans of Al-Aus and Al- Khazraj, the Jew s of Al-Aus and Al-khazraj, the three Jew ish tribes; Banu Qaynoqa’a, Banu Nazeer, Banu Quraiza, the Bedouins w ho w ere living w ith the people of Yathrib, non-Arab Muslims, the slaves and allies.
    [Show full text]
  • In Kitab Al-Aghani
    Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education Vol.12 No 13 (2021), 5053-5059 Research Article The Description of Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) in Kitab al-Aghani Ayatollah Zarmohammadi a a Department of History of Civilization of Islamic Nations, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran. Article History: Received: 5 April 2021; Accepted: 14 May 2021; Published online: 22 June 2021 Abstract: In Islamic sources, whether interpretive, narrative or historical, the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) are mostly referred to with high reverence, and graceful trait are attributed thereto. yet, their commemoration in one of the most glorious works of early Arabic literature, namely Kitab al-Aghani, is of paramount significance. Attributed to the 10th-century Arabic writer Abu al- Faraj al-Isfahani (also known as al-Isbahani), it is claimed to have taken 50 years to write the work. Considering that he is a descendant of the Marwanis, mentioning the virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) in this book further highlights their legitimacy, making everyone awe in praise. Further, the claims cited in the work have been mostly backed by referring to other Sunni and possibly Shiite sources. With a descriptive-analytical approach, the purpose of this study was to introduce the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) in the Kitab al-Aghani, while pointing out issues such as the succession of Ali (PBUH), the succession of Imam Hassan (PBUH) and Messianism of Mahdi (PBUH). Keywords: Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT), Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, Kitab al-Aghani 1. Introduction In the present age where spirituality is marginalized, the rational and spiritualistic people are on the quest for true rationality and spirituality, and seek to achieve the transcendent goal of creation, i.e., salvation, by heartfully following the prophets and their true successors to guide them with the illuminating light from darkness to light.
    [Show full text]
  • Biography- Prophetic Biography- Understanding the Prophet's Biography- (Lesson 10-57): Devine Revelation and Prophetic Missionary
    Biography- Prophetic Biography- Understanding the Prophet's Biography- (Lesson 10-57): Devine Revelation and Prophetic Missionary Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, w e know nothing but w hat You teach us. You are the All- Know er, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us w hat is good for us, and benefit us from w hat You taught us, and increase our know ledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep aw ay from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and know ledge, and from the muddy shallow s of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity. What does the age of forty years mean? Dear honorable brothers, w ith a new lesson of Fiqhsira-prophetic autobiography. The subject w e w ill be discussing today is the revelation and the prophetic missionary. The revelation started descending on Prophet Mohammad-peace be upon him-w hen he reached forty years of age. We w ill focus on the w ord “forty years” because it is the age of maturity. Allah says: "Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever w ould receive admonition, - could receive it? And the w arner came to you". [Surat Fatir, 37] Imam Al-Qurtubi said: “The Warner” is the age of forty, so w hoever reaches forty as if he is approaching the grounds of the hereafter.
    [Show full text]
  • SALAFISM in AMERICA History, Evolution, Radicalization
    SALAFISM in AMERICA History, Evolution, Radicalization ALEXANDER MELEAGROU-HITCHENS October 2018 Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... ii Glossary of Terms ..................................................................................................................... iii Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4 I. Understanding Salafism ....................................................................................................... 6 I.I What is Salafism? .............................................................................................................. 6 I.II Categorizing Salafism ..................................................................................................... 9 Quietists ................................................................................................................................... 9 Activists .................................................................................................................................. 11 Jihadis .................................................................................................................................... 14 I.III Salafism and Extremism ............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • (Lesson 50-57): the Importance of Prophetic Biography in Our Lives
    Biography-Prophetic Biography- Understanding the Prophet's Biography- (lesson 50-57): The Importance of Prophetic Biography in Our Lives Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, w e know nothing but w hat You teach us. You are the All- Know er, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us w hat is good for us, and benefit us from w hat You taught us, and increase our know ledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep aw ay from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and know ledge, and from the muddy shallow s of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity. The Sunnah of the Prophet is a full course for life: Dear respectful brothers, w e go on w ith a new lesson of the Prophet’s noble traits. As Prophet Muhammad PBUH treats "Sunnah" is his w ords, deeds, characteristics, and as long as Prophet Muhammad PBUH is infallible by his ow n, so his w ords are Sunnah, his deeds are Sunnah, his acknow ledgment is Sunnah, w hich means are method and Allah the All Mighty said: (( Neither did you (O Muhammad) read any book before it (This Quran) nor did you w rite any book (whatsoever) with your right hand. In that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood might have doubted.)) (Al-Ankabut: 48) This means every w ord said by Prophet Muhammad PBUH is a revelation; revealed to him, not his ow n, because Allah the All- mighty said: (( Nor does he speak of his (own) desire, it is only an inspiration that is inspired.)) (An-Najm: 3, 4) His w ords are legislation.
    [Show full text]
  • William A. Graham (CV)
    William A. Graham Murray A. Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies, Faculty of Arts and Sciences John Lord O’Brian Professor of Divinity and Dean, Harvard Divinity School Harvard University Office: 200 Andover Hall, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge MA 02138. Tel. (617) 495-4513; fax (617) 496-8026. Email: [email protected], [email protected] Residence: 44 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. Tel. (617) 496-2846 Education: Ph.D. (1973) Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, A.M. (1970) 1966-73: Comparative History of Religion/Islamic Studies A.B. summa cum University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1961-4, 1965-6: laude (1966) Comparative Literature (Classics, German, French) Non-degree studies Universities of London (Institute for Historical Research) and Tübingen (Orientalisches Seminar), 1971-72 Middle East Centre for Arabic Studies (British Foreign Office), Shemlan, Lebanon, 1967-68: intensive Arabic language University of Göttingen, 1964-65: German Literature Academic appointments (Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences): Professor, 1986- ; Sr. Lecturer, 1981-86; Associate Professor, 1979-81; Asst. Professor, 1974-79; Lecturer, 1973-74 Principal Related Harvard Academic and Administrative Responsibilities: Harvard China Fund, Steering Committee, 2010- The Humanities Center, Advisory Committee, 2005- University Master Planning Group for Allston Expansion, 2004-08 University Task Force on Women Faculty, 2005 Co-chair, University Allston Task Force on Undergraduate Life, 2003-05 Dean of the Faculty of Divinity, August 2002- [acting dean, January-August, 2002] Chairman, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, 1997- 2002 Master of Currier House (Harvard undergraduate residential college), 1991- 2003. Chair, Council of College Masters, 2001-2 Director, Harvard Center for Middle Eastern Studies, 1990-96; (Acting Director, 1988) Chairman, Committee on Middle Eastern Studies, 1991-96 (Acting Chair, 1988) Chairman, Committee on the Study of Religion, 1987-90; director of Ph.D.
    [Show full text]
  • Prophetic Biography: a M Odel for Pastoral Care And
    PROPHETIC BIOGRAPHY: A MODEL FOR PASTORAL CARE AND PRAXIS (TH-627) <SUMMER 2020 <MONDAY-FRIDAY, 15-19 JUNE 2020 @ 9 AM-5 PM < Hartford Seminary Bilal W.D. Ansari, D. Min. OFFICE HOURS: BY APPOINTMENT ON TUESDAY., WED., THURS. [email protected] COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is a historical exploration of selected Prophetic biographical literature. Its aim is to understand how the Prophet Muhammad’s embodiment of revelation is a guiding example to a deeper understanding of Muslim pastoral care and praxis. We will engage not only the prophetic biography (Sirah) but also complementary elements of the Qur’an, hadith, jurisprudential literature, theological works, and Sufi devotional texts. This engagement will be through the medium of theological reflection through readings, lectures, small group discussions, and role-playing exercises. Students who take this class will cultivate and nurture their own tools of theological reflection to learn ethics- based spiritual care with Prophet Muhammad as the central exemplar. COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. To cultivate and nurture theological reflection and spiritual grounding in prophetic practices. 2. To discern what historical resources best help one’s own spiritual foundations of care– and how and why. 3. To develop content knowledge of Sirah literature for leadership and care of the souls of others – including, but not limited to their social context but within contemporary institutions. 4. To learn how some contemporary scholars engage our prophetic literature as modalities of care and ethics. 5. To identify the qualities, characteristics, and virtues of the Rightly Guided as a model of prophetic pastoral care and praxis. 6. To develop theological and spiritual practice teaching skills from Sirah literature.
    [Show full text]