Journal of College of Sharia & Islamic Studies

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فهرس المحتويات

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Back Matter

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صفحة الغلاف

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Editorial

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كلمة العدد

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The Interfaith Dimension of Some Recent English Translations of the Quran: A Critical Analysis

Abdur Raheem Kidwai — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300

This paper first provides a critical, historical survey of the English translations of the Quran, namely, those by Alexander Ross (1649), George Sale (1734), J. M. Rodwell (1861), E. H. Palmer (1880), Richard Bell (1937-1939), A. J. Arberry (1955), N. J. Dawood (1956), Alan Jones (2007) and A. J. Droge (2014). This paper draws attention to the unpalatable note of polemics under the pretext of comparative religion in the Orientalists’ English translations of the Quran. Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898), however, set in motion a new trend in the field: interfaith understanding from the perspective of pluralism. This trend is reflected more sharply in the translations from Thomas Cleary (2004) and Safi Kaskas and David Hungerford (2016). Although in their fairly recent English renderings of the Quran, G. S. Reynolds (2018) and Jane McAuliffe (2017) promise to study the Quran from an interfaith dialogue perspective, they often revert to the polemical Orientalist stance of discrediting the Quran as a poor imitation of the Bible.

This paper examines the 21st century English translations of the Quran by Thomas Cleary (2004), Safi Kaskas and David Hungerford (2016), G. S. Reynolds (2018) and Jane McAuliffe in order to seek answers to the following research questions:

*Do the recent English translations mark a clean break from the polemical Orientalist variety?

*Do these works address the issue of interfaith understanding?

*How far are these works committed to the ideal of peaceful coexistence and respect for all religions?

Cryptocurrency According to the Objectives of Islamic Law: Bitcoin as a Case Study

Mohammad Motlaq Assaf — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 14:32:32 +0300

This research paper studies the religious ruling of cryptocurrency in light of the objectives of Islamic law (i.e., Maqasid al-Shariah). It describes the properties of bitcoin as a case study and then evaluates these properties with respect to the objectives of Islamic law. It concludes that it is unlawful to mine or deal with bitcoin because some of its characteristics are not aligned with the objectives of Islamic law that pertain to the preservation of wealth.

The paper also lists the most significant differences between cryptocurrency and the standard forms of currency. It concludes that cryptocurrency does not fulfill the conditions of currency according to Islamic law, namely, because bitcoin lacks public acceptance and wide distribution and because it is not generally used to evaluate goods and services. Therefore, cryptocurrency neither holds intrinsic value nor can it be utilized in deferred payments.

Fabrications Concerning the Inheritance of Males and Females: A Jurisprudential and Linguistic Study

Muhammad Said Al-Mujahed, Mohammed Nour Eddin Al-Munjed — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 00:00:00 +0300

The study responds to the call for the equal distribution of inheritance shares between male and female heirs. The paper also answers the following questions:
- What is the inheritance distribution for male and female heirs in the Holy Quran?
- What is the new vision that is being advocated regarding the equal distribution of inheritance between male and female heirs?
- Does this new vision coincide with the distribution set by the Holy Quran?
This study followed descriptive, inductive, and analytic approaches, and it reached the following conclusions:
• There is no dispute among Muslims that the male heir receives double the shares of the female heir when they both inherit simultaneously; when a female heir inherits alone, she receives half of the shares; and when two or mmore female heirs inherit and no male heir is present, they receive two thirds of the shares.
• This new vision of equal inheritance between male and female heirs applies to two scenarios: in the case of only one female heir and in the case of two female heirs; however, in other cases, the male heir’s shares are double that of a female heir.
• The application of this new vision not only causes confusion regarding the inheritance of children, but it also deprives both the parents and the spouse of the deceased of their inheritances. This new vision was not based on a clear view of reality since it does not address these other possible inheritance scenarios.

Comparing the Image of Man between the Islamic and Western Sources

Ammar Gasmi — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 22:28:13 +0300

This paper addresses the subject of “Comparing the Image of Man between the Islamic and Western Sources” by uncovering the principles that define this image in the Quran and Sunnah, namely, his thoughts, instincts, beliefs and deeds. This is because Man (according to Abdul-Hamid Ibn Badis) is composed of intellect, instincts, beliefs, and deeds, which are all placed in the physical part of the perishable body, and the remaining nontangible part is the soul. Therefore, based on these elements, Man either rises or falls.
This paper also establishes this Quranic concept of Man as a criterion for comparison and measurement while tracing the history of the concept of Man and uncovering some of the various types of distortions that have afflicted this concept. The objective is to remind humanity of the necessity of preserving what is left of the human instinct and to save the human civilization from “disorder, disaster and destruction (Nursi)”.
The paper attempts to explore the ways in which the concept of Man may be restored, as well as ways to improve this concept before its essence deteriorates irreversibly.

Towards Reviving the Authentic Concept of “Tarbiyah”

Mohamed Abubakr A Al-Musleh — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 23:18:11 +0300

This paper responds primarily to the problem of blind following and unconscious dependence, specifically in the field of education “tarbiyah”. This phenomenon prevents independent innovation and qualitative development in our Islamic nation “Ummah”. Furthermore, this phenomenon has manifested itself clearly in the concept of education “tarbiyah” because it is occupied by foreign connotations relating to philosophical and cultural foundations that differ significantly from the authentic intellectual system of the Islamic nation “Ummah”. The genuine connotations of the concept have not only been left out of our educational organizations but have also nearly been lost entirely.

The response this paper brings forth is an attempt at liberation from these foreign connotations through the pursuit of reviving the authentic concept of “tarbiyah” in light of the Qur’anic teachings. The Qur’anic teachings were chosen as the reference point because of their importance in authenticating and constructing conceptual systems within the Islamic nation “Ummah”. This was achieved first by conducting a precise semantic analysis of the word “tarbiyah” from the Arabic lexicons. This was an important process due to its significance as a methodological foundational step in the analytical authentication of the concept. This paper also aims to display the extent of the richness of the authentic connotations of the term “tarbiyah”. The term “tarbiyah” is defined in the original references that explain the meanings of Qur’anic terminology because such terminology is used in those references with rich authentic connotations. By implementing these analytical processes, the paper presents a comprehensive examination for the authentic characterization of the concept “tarbiyah” and then analyzes this definition in light of the Qur’an.

Secularization and Arab Societies An Imposed Modernization or a Strategic Choice?

Mohammed Amezzian — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 23:40:27 +0300

This research seeks to contribute to rationalizing the current debate concerning the process of secularization that has been enforced on Arab and Muslim societies in a systematic and organized manner. This paper also seeks to find convincing answers to the central question raised by the title of the paper: Was this process of secularization a strategic option that expresses a concurrence between the state and society or a decision imposed on these communities under coercion? The problem raised by this question is not related to secularism as a concept or an ideology but is rather related to secularization as a procedural process tied to social dynamics. The main hypothesis of this research argues that the phenomenon of secularization is both novel and alien to Arab societies. The presence of secularization is correlated with international compulsions that affected the Arab region during the colonization era and has continued due to the states’ dependency on the west during the postindependence phase. To avoid superficial answers to this question, this paper attempts to address this issue within its historical context by highlighting the facts, practices and rationale that have accompanied the Arab Muslim community’s transition towards secularization, especially after its defeat during the World War I. Moreover, the paper focuses on the significance of the sociological approach to understanding the manifestations of secular influences on social lifestyle and on the behavior of individuals, groups and official institutions under the rule of foreign laws, as well as their dominance over the culture of society and its core values.

Exploring the Qur’an: Context and Impact

Mohamed El-Tahir El-Mesawi — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 10:31:34 +0300

Book Review: Exploring the Qur’an: Context and Impact