This book aims at clarifying the meaning of peaceful co-existence as one of the main http://dx.doi.org/10.11136/jqh.1311.01.

09 Mosalimat Amiz Dar Islam Va Hoquq Beyn Al-Milal B By contemporary issues in the modern and post-modern worlds. Co-existence is also confined to Journal Al-BayanVol. 11 No.1 Permissions the issue & Reprints of living and communication. So, it is clear that this issue would be found in every Muhammad Mahdi Karimi-Nia, 2008, Qum: IKI Press, 384 Pp., 30000 corner of the world. IR. ISBN: 964-4-110-293 (pbk)
Abstract Azadeh Mirzaei Hamzisti ye

Assessing English Translations of the Qur'an

by Khaleel Mohammed Middle East Quarterly Spring 2005, pp. 58-71

SPRING 2005 VOLUME XII: NUMBER 2 Multiple English translations of the Qur'an, Islam's scripture, line shelves at book stores. Amazon.com sells more than a dozen. Because of the growing Muslim communities in English-speaking countries, as well as greater academic interest in Islam, there has been a blossoming in recent years of English translations. Muslims view the Qur'an as God's direct words revealed in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad (d. 632).[1] Because the Qur'an stresses its Arabic nature, Muslim scholars believe that any translation cannot be more than an approximate interpretation, intended only as a tool for the study and understanding of the original Arabic text.[2] Since fewer than 20 percent of Muslims speak Arabic, this means that most Muslims study the text only in translation. So how accurate are the Qur'an's renderings into English? The record is mixed. Some are simply poor translations. Others adopt sectarian biases, and those that are funded by Saudi Arabia often insert political annotation. Since translators seek to convey not only text but also meaning, many rely on the interpretation ( tafsir) of medieval scholars in order to conform to an "orthodox" reading.

Contextualizing the Qur'an

No serious researcher denies that Muhammad came to a milieu that was highly influenced by JudeoChristian ideas. Indeed, the Qur'an presupposes familiarity with Judeo-Christian ideas to the extent that it often does not give the full version of a narrative; there is no need to identify what is supposed to be common knowledge.[3] A typical example is in the verse that was only partially cited by Muslims commenting on news programs in the wake of the 9-11 terror attacks: "Whoever has killed a single human without just cause, it is as if he has killed the entire humankind."[4] In fact, the full verse is: "And for this reason, we ordained for the children of Israel that whoever has killed a single human without just cause, it is as if he has killed the entire humankind." Significantly, the complete verse refers to a divine edict not found in the Torah, but rather in the Mishnah, part of the Jewish oral tradition.[5] Evidence of Muhammad's familiarity with Judaism is present in the Qur'an. One verse suggests that his contemporaries accused him of having a Jewish teacher.[6] When some Arabs challenged Muhammad's claim to be a prophet based on his mortality, he suggested that they consult Jewish scholars about history.[7] Early Muslims resorted to Jewish lore so heavily that they produced a genre of literature: the Isra'iliyat, loosely translated as the Judaic traditions.[8] An oral tradition was even attributed to Muhammad wherein he supposedly said, "Relate from the people of Israel, and there is no objection,"[9] thereby enabling Islamic scholars to cite precedents from Jewish scholarship.[10] By the ninth century, this began to change. Muslim jurists, increasingly opposed to reliance upon Jewish lore, created new sayings from the Prophet and his companions that contradicted the original allowances. In one of these apocryphal traditions, Muhammad's face changes color when he sees his follower Umar reading the Torah. Muhammad declares that had Moses been their contemporary, he, too, would have followed the Muslim prophet.[11] An alternate version claims that the Prophet asked Umar, "Do you wish to rush to perdition as did the Jews and Christians? I have brought you white and clean hadiths [oral traditions]."[12] Despite the unreliability of this hadith, it has evolved into a position that any Muslim who questions it could be accused of heresy. Since Muslims could no longer seek support from Jewish sources, successive generations of scholars lost understanding of Qur'anic references.[13] From the tenth century on, the result has been that voices of the medieval scholars have trumped the vox-dei. Without a serious reexamination, it is uncertain whether Muslims will be able to get to the essence of their religion's main document. The inaccuracies and artifices of medieval biases remain, unfortunately, pervasively present in English translations by Muslim scholars.

Early Translations
The first translations to English were not undertaken by Muslims but by Christians who sought to debunk Islam and aid in the conversion of Muslims to Christianity. Alexander Ross, chaplain to Charles I (r. 162549) and the first to embark on the translation process, subtitled his 1649 work as "newly Englished for the satisfaction for all that desire to look into the Turkish vanities."[14] Interestingly, Ross did not speak Arabic and relied on secondarily translating from the French, a language in which he was not wellschooled. He, therefore, based his interpretation on a problematic rendition by Andrew Du Ryer. According to George Sale (1697-1736), "[Du Ryer's] performance is far from being a just translation; there being mistakes in every page, besides frequent transpositions, omissions and additions, faults."[15] Most eighteenth and nineteenth century translations were undertaken by authors without strong background in Islam. As they were goaded by the urge to answer Christian polemic, their forgettable works do not reflect any intellectual depth; as such, copies are extremely rare. Among the best known, albeit pejorative, English-language analyses of Islam during this time were those by Christian authors such as George Sale, John Rodwell (1808-1900), Edward Palmer (1840-1882), and Sir William Muir (1819-1905).[16] Of these, Sale was probably the most important because he wrote a detailed critique about earlier translations.[17] His work became the standard reference for all English readers until almost the end of the nineteenth century.[18] However, his work was limited by his lack of access to public libraries forcing him to rely only upon material in his personal collection.[19] While Sale gave the impression that he based his translation on the Arabic text, others have suggested that he relied on an earlier Latin translation.[20] Sale did not insert verse numbers into his work, nor did he insert footnotes or other explanations. The result, therefore, is a work that is extremely difficult to comprehend. Indian Muslims were the first from within the faith to translate the Qur'an to English according to Abdur Rahim Kidwai, professor of English at Aligarh University, India. All wrote at a time of British colonialism and intense missionary activity. Kidwai noted works by Mohammad Abdul Hakim Khan (Patiala, 1905), Mirza Hairat Dehlawi (Delhi, 1912), and Mirza Abu'l Fazl (Allahabad, 1912).[21] Dehlawi was motivated consciously by a desire to give "a complete and exhaustive reply to the manifold criticisms of the Koran by various Christian authors such as Drs. Sale, Rodwell, Palmer, and Sir W. Muir." The early twentieth century reaction spurred a lasting translation trend. There have been successive new English translations, ranging from mediocre to reservedly commendable. Western university presses have undertaken publication of renditions: Princeton has published Ahmed 'Ali's rendition, and Oxford University Press has published the work of M.A.S. Abdel-Haleem. These productions are among the most widespread translations that are analyzed below.

Twentieth Century Classics

The Holy Qur'an. By Muhammad 'Ali. In 1917, an Ahmadi[22] scholar, Muhammad 'Ali (1875-1951), who later would become the leader of the Lahori subgroup, published his translation.[23] He constantly updated his work and had published four revisions by his death in 1951. Contemporary reviewers praised Muhammad 'Ali both for his excellent English and explanatory notes.[24] Importantly, the Muhammad 'Ali translation became the version adopted by the Nation of Islam, both under the stewardship of Elijah Muhammad and current leader Louis Farrakhan. Muhammad 'Ali's biases show through, however. Consistent with his Lahori-Ahmadi creed, Muhammad 'Ali sought to eschew any reference to miracles. He sometimes departed from a faithful rendering of the original Arabic, as in the second chapter[25] in which the Qur'an replicates the Biblical story of Moses striking the rock for water,[26] and states "idrib bi asaka al-hajr," literally, "strike the rock with your staff." Muhammad 'Ali, however, changed the text to "March on to the rock with your staff," an interpretation for which the Arabic construction does not allow. Both Muhammad 'Ali's disbelief in the miraculous and his disdain for Judaism and Christianity undercut his work in other ways. The Qur'an makes frequent mention of jinn (spirits), from which the English word "genie" is derived. Muhammad 'Ali, curiously, argues that the Qur'an equates jinn with Jews and Christians.[27] While the Qur'an supports the story of Jesus' virgin birth,[28] Muhammad 'Ali denies it, providing a footnote to deny that the Qur'an was referring to anything miraculous.[29] Despite its blatant sectarian warp, Muhammad 'Ali's translationnow in its seventh edition[30]has formed the basis for many later works, even if the majority of both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims avoid directly acknowledging or using an Ahmadi translation. Nevertheless, among the Lahori Ahmadis, many of whom live in the United States, Muhammad 'Ali's work remains the definitive translation. The Meaning of the Glorious Koran. By Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall. Marmaduke Pickthall (1875-1936) was the son of an Anglican clergyman who traveled to the East and acquired fluency in Arabic, Turkish, and Urdu. He was a novelist, traveler, and educator who converted to

Islam in 1917. In 1920, he traveled to India and became a journalist for Muslim newspapers as well as headmaster of a Muslim boys' school.[31] While teaching in Hyderabad, Pickthall took a two-year sabbatical to complete his translation[32] and was aided by several notables, among them, Mustafa alMaraghi, then-rector of Al-Azhar, one of Sunni Islam's top institutions of Islamic studies, and the nizam[33] of Hyderabad to whom the work is dedicated. Pickthall was aware of the problems of the Christian missionaries' translations and sought to remedy the defects since "some of the translations include commentation offensive to Muslims, and almost all employ a style of language which Muslims at once recognize as unworthy."[34] He first endorsed the position of Muslim scholars that the Qur'an was untranslatable but maintained that the general meaning of the text could still be conveyed to English speakers. Aware that heavily annotated works detracted from focus on the actual text, Pickthall provided few explanatory notes and tried to let the text speak for itself. As much as Pickthall strove to maintain the spirit of the Qur'an, he was, nonetheless, heavily influenced by Muhammad 'Ali, whom he had met in London. He adopted Muhammad 'Ali's bias against descriptions of miracles and argued, for example, that the Qur'anic description of Muhammad's night voyage to the heavens[35] was just a vision,[36] even though most Muslim theologians argue that it should be taken literally. While Pickthall's work was popular in the first half of the twentieth century and, therefore, historically important, its current demand is limited by its archaic prose and lack of annotation. Perhaps the death knell for the Pickthall translation's use has been the Saudi government's decision to distribute other translations free of charge. The Koran Interpreted. By Arthur Arberry. The 1955 translation of Arthur Arberry (1905-69) was the first English translation by a bona fide scholar of Arabic and Islam. A Cambridge University graduate, he spent several years in the Middle East perfecting his Arabic and Persian language skills. For a short while, he served as professor of classics at Cairo University; in 1946, he was professor of Persian at University of London, and the next year transferred to Cambridge to become professor of Arabic, serving there until his death in 1969. His title, The Koran Interpreted, acknowledged the orthodox Muslim view that the Qu'ran cannot be translated, but only interpreted.[37] He rendered the Qur'an into understandable English and separated text from tradition. The translation is without prejudice and is probably the best around. The Arberry version has earned the admiration of intellectuals worldwide, and having been reprinted several times, remains the reference of choice for most academics. It seems destined to maintain that position for the foreseeable future.

Saudi-endorsed Translations
The Holy Qur'an: Translation and Commentary. By Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali. Among those Qur'an translations which found Saudi favor and, therefore, wide distribution, was the Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali (1872-1952) rendition[38] that, from its first appearance in 1934 until very recently, was the most popular English version among Muslims. While not an Islamic scholar in any formal sense, Yusuf 'Ali, an Indian civil servant, had studied classics at Cambridge University, graduated as a lawyer from Lincoln's Inn in London, and was gifted with an eloquent, vivid writing style. He sought to convey the music and richness of the Arabic with poetic English versification. While his rendering of the text is not bad, there are serious problems in his copious footnotes; in many cases, he reproduces the exegetical material from medieval texts without making any effort at contextualization. Writing at a time both of growing Arab animosity toward Zionism and in a milieu that condoned anti-Semitism, Yusuf 'Ali constructed his oeuvre as a polemic against Jews. Several Muslim scholars have built upon the Yusuf 'Ali translation.[39] In 1989, Saudi Arabia's Ar-Rajhi banking company financed the U.S.-based Amana Corporation's project to revise the translation to reflect an interpretation more in conjunction with the line of Islamic thought followed in Saudi Arabia. Ar-Rahji offered the resulting version for free to mosques, schools, and libraries throughout the world. The footnoted commentary about Jews remained so egregious that, in April 2002, the Los Angeles school district banned its use at local schools.[40] While the Yusuf 'Ali translation still remains in publication, it has lost influence because of its dated language and the appearance of more recent works whose publication and distribution the Saudi government has also sought to subsidize. The Noble Qur'an in the English Language. By Muhammad Taqi al-Din al-Hilali and Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Now the most widely disseminated Qur'an in most Islamic bookstores and Sunni mosques throughout the English-speaking world, this new translation[41] is meant to replace the Yusuf 'Ali edition and comes with a seal of approval from both the University of Medina and the Saudi Dar al-Ifta.[42]Whereas most other translators have tried to render the Qur'an applicable to a modern readership, this Saudi-financed venture tries to impose the commentaries of Tabari (d. 923 C.E.), Qurtubi (d. 1273 C.E.), and Ibn Kathir (d. 1372 C.E.), medievalists who knew nothing of modern concepts of pluralism. The numerous interpolations make this translation particularly problematic, especially for American Muslims who, in the

aftermath of 9-11, are struggling to show that Islam is a religion of tolerance. From the beginning, the Hilali and Muhsin Khan translation reads more like a supremacist Muslim, antiSemitic, anti-Christian polemic than a rendition of the Islamic scripture. In the first sura, for example, verses which are universally accepted as, "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have favored, not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray"[43]become, "Guide us to the Straight Way, the way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who have earned Your anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians)."[44] What is particularly egregious about this interpolation is that it is followed by an extremely long footnote to justify its hate based on traditions from medieval texts. Contemporary political disputes also pollute the translation, marring what should be a reflection of timeless religion. Whereas the Qur'an reports Moses's address to the Israelites as "O my people! Enter the Holy Land that God has assigned unto you,"[45] this Saudi version twists the verse with modern politics, writing, "O my people! Enter the holy land (Palestine)." The appendix includes a polemical comparison of Jesus and Muhammad, reporting that the former had no claim to divinity.[46] From a Muslim perspective, what Jesus did or did not do should be drawn from the Qur'anic text, not an appendix, and certainly not by Muslim readings of the gospels. In fact, while the Qur'an does take issue with the Christian claims of divinity for Jesus, it views him, along with his mother Mary, as being truly blessed and peaceful, much in concordance with the general Christian belief. [47] Although this Saudi-sponsored effort, undertaken before 9-11, is a serious liability for American Muslims in particular, it still remains present in Sunni mosques, probably because of its free distribution by the Saudi government.

Bucking the Saudi Orthodoxy

The Message of the Qur'an. By Muhammad Asad. Not every translation preaches the Saudi line. Muhammad Asad, for example, presents a rendering that is simple and straightforward.[48] A Jewish convert to Islam, the former Leopold Weiss (1900-1992) sought to depart from the traditional exegetic approaches and reflect independent thought. Asad, an Austrian journalist, was well-versed in the Jewish and Christian scriptures and brought this knowledge to bear in the form of erudite footnotes. Strangely, though, he chose to interpolate material in his translation of chapter 37 to show that the sacrificial son was Ishmael and not Isaac.[49] This is rather unusual, for while most contemporary Muslims opine that Ishmael was the sacrificial son, early exegetes differed on his identity, and as is well known, the Bible clearly states that it was Isaac (Genesis 22:9).[50] Indicative of the desire and drive of Saudi Arabia to impose a Salafi[51]interpretation upon the Muslim world, the kingdom has banned Muhammad's work over some creedal issues. Because the Saudi government subsidizes the publication and distribution of so many translations, the ban has in effect made Asad's translation both expensive and difficult to obtain. Nevertheless, it remains one of the best translations available, both in terms of its comprehensible English and generally knowledgeable annotations. Al-Qur'an, A Contemporary Translation. By Ahmed 'Ali. Other translations have bucked the Saudi orthodoxy. Ahmad 'Ali, noted Pakistani poet and diplomat, has put aside the sometimes archaic prose of Yusuf 'Ali and Marmaduke Pickthall in order to present the Qur'an in contemporary English.[52] While 'Ali writes that he seeks to present "a translation, not an interpretation, theological or otherwise,"[53] he, like Muhammad 'Ali, seeks to downplay any report that may seem far-fetched, and in so doing, denies certain Biblical, Midrashic, and Talmudic antecedents. In dealing, for example, with the Qur'anic version of Moses's anger at the Jews for worshipping the golden calf, he translates the 'aqtulu anfusakum[54] as "kill your pride"[55] rather than the literal "kill yourselves" which is how it also appears in Exodus 32:27. The Qur'anic retelling and reliance on the Biblical narrative to demonstrate the seriousness of idol worship is thus lost. 'Ali also seeks to downplay Christian parallels within the Qur'an. He translates Jesus's speech in 3:49 as, "I will fashion the state of destiny out of mire for you, and breathe (a new spirit) into it, and (you) will rise by the will of God." The literal translation is, "I will fashion from you, from clay, the likeness of a bird, and will breathe unto it; and by God's will it will fly." 'Ali's footnote does not acknowledge that the Qur'anic view parallels the Gospel of Thomas. These departures from the literal portrayal of events from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament are important because they might lead lay readers to miss the Qur'anic imperative to seek the history of the prophets from the earlier scriptures.[56] The influence of its flaws may be short-lived, though. Despite its accessibility to non-Muslim and academic readers due to its recent Princeton University Press publication, many Muslim scholars have criticized the translation because of the liberties it takes with the text.[57] Future editions are unlikely. The Qur'an: The First American Version. By Thomas B. Irving. Just as Ahmad 'Ali sought to produce a contemporary translation, so did Thomas Irving, an American convert to Islam who changed his name to Ta'lim 'Ali. While Irving provides a useful introduction to the

Qur'an, its language, and previous translation history, his own translation is fundamentally flawed. [58] While seeking to stick to linguistic accuracy, Irving makes some basic linguistic errors. Arabic words are built from three-letter roots to which are added prefixes, infixes, suffixes, and vowels, and their context can lead to a wide range of meanings. For example, Irving translated ahl ad-dhikr both as "people of the reminder" and "people of long memories" instead of "people of remembrance."[59] In the latter example, he misses the fact that the Qur'an is referring to Jewish scholars who, based on the Biblical command of zakhor (to remember) were at the time of Muhammad referred to as "the people of remembrance."[60] Many Muslims reject the subtitle, "The First American Version," because it sounds too much as if the Qur'an is being put into a paradigm of the various versions of the Biblean idea not welcome to Muslim scholars who feel that multiple versions lead to corruption of the text. The translation has never been in great demand, and since Irving's death in 2002, there can be no revision; so, it is likely that, without the interest and subsidy from Islamic institutions, the version will simply be another forgettable effort.

Sectarian Translations
The Holy Qur'an. By Syed V. Mir Ahmed 'Ali. While the Saudis may seek to monopolize Qur'anic interpretation among the Sunni community, many Shi'ites reject their annotation. Syed V. Mir Ahmed 'Ali, an Indian scholar of Arabic and Persian, has produced a translation that has become the standard Shi'ite translation.[61] The copious instructions on Shi'ite doctrine and ritual observances ensure that the audience remains almost exclusively Shi'ite. Mir Ahmed 'Ali's translation relies strongly on the commentary of his spiritual advisor, Ayatollah Mirza Mahdi Pooya Yazdi, an Iranian scholar noted for his focus on mysticism. While the latest 2002 version is marred by typographical errors, more serious for the general reader is its heavy sectarian bias and its disparagement of several figures that are revered by Sunni Muslims. Yazdi states in his introduction, for example, that neither of the first two caliphs was an authority on the Qur'an and that there are "authentic evidences of their ignorance of it."[62] The ayatollah also makes the dubious claim that Zaid bin Thabit, deemed by many to be Muhammad's scribe, had no "academic" qualifications for the compiling of the Quran.[63] Stylistically, too, the most recent edition is unwieldy for the general reader. The translation is published in Arabic reading style, so that the pages are arranged from right to left; the first page therefore appears as the last page. This peculiarity, combined with the ungainliness and heaviness of the large tome, makes Mir Ahmed 'Ali's work more suited for mosque ritual reading than scholarly consultation. Yet, the translation carries gravitas that the previous Shi'ite rendition[64] did not have, since it is written, as the term 'Syed' (or sayyid) indicates, by a descendant of Muhammad and because it includes commentary by one of the highest-ranking authorities in contemporary Shi'ism. A paperback edition, printed in the more conventional left-right format, is widely found in Shi'ite institutions in North America.[65] The Noble Qur'an: A New Rendering of Its Meaning in English . By Abdalhaqq Bewley and Aisha Bewley. The Shi'ites have their translation, and so, too, do the Sufis.[66] The creedal bias of the Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewleys' Sufi-inspired work is evident in the translators' preface: "Acknowledging the complete impossibility of adequately conveying the meanings of the Qur'an in English or indeed in any other language, Allah, may He be exalted, chose pure, classical Arabic as the linguistic vehicle for His final Revelation to mankind because of its unique capacity of retaining and conveying great depth of meaning in a multi-faceted way which is beyond the scope of any other language, particularly in the debased form which they have arrived in at the time in which we live."[67] This creedal statement is not supported by the Qur'an, which holds that the revelation was in Arabic simply because, had it been in another language, the Arabs would have questioned why Muhammad, who was Arab, was issuing them a revelation in a foreign tongue.[68] For all this obvious bias on the part of the translators, the work is in excellent, readable English, rendered in a manner that is neither flowery nor prosaic. The translators seem to have fulfilled their "main objective in presenting this new rendering: to allow the meaning of the original, as far as possible, to come straight through."[69] The lack of footnotes allows the reader to see the text as it is, and despite the creedal issue mentioned at the beginning of this analysis, there is little evidence of sectarian bias in the actual translation. Because of their Sufi leanings, the translators are not likely to be endorsed by the mainstream Islamic religious trusts and most definitely not by the Saudi religious foundations. The result is that an excellent work will most probably remain expensive and unavailable at most libraries and mosques.

Falling Short
An Interpretation of the Qur'an. By Majid Fakhry. Many new translations seek to improve upon past translations. Sometimes they fall short. This is the case

with Majid Fakhry's translation.[70] A professor emeritus of philosophy at the American University of Beirut, Fakhry seeks to present the Qur'an in comprehensible English, correcting "the errors or lapses" of previous translations.[71] For someone versed in Islamic philosophy, and therefore presumably aware of the focus on the linguistic uniqueness of the Qur'an, Fakhry's prosaic rendition never comes close to communicating to the reader the powerful rhetoric of Islam's main document. His inattention to verb structure results, as noted by one reviewer in an academic journal, in the "tendency to translate an active Arabic verb into an English passive and vice versa. This undercuts both theological clarity and rhetorical effectiveness."[72] While the publisher claimed that Al-Azhar University had approved the translation, the facsimile Arabic document included with the book simply notes that "there is nothing in the translation that goes counter to the Islamic Faith, and that there is no objection to its printing and distribution."[73] This is an appropriate formula for any book containing Qur'anic verse and does not confer special status. Since this work does not contribute in any specific way to what is already available in a crowded market, Fakhry's work will lack staying power. Its absence in mosques indicates its lack of status among Muslims. The unflattering academic reviews[74] also indicate that, although produced by a Western university press, it is likely to be overlooked by the academic world as well. The Qur'an, A New Translation. By M.A.S. Abdel-Haleem. The most recent mass-market attempt to publish an English translation of the Qur'an is the result of a seven-year effort by a University of London professor.[75] Consistent with his traditional Egyptian training, M.A.S. Abdel-Haleem has memorized the Qur'an. As a believer, he writes an introduction to his work that reflects the age-old Muslim tradition, and therefore, simply reports the Muslim stories without any question as to their reliability. He feels that Gabriel instructed Muhammad on how to design the final corpus and that there are indeed "records" to show that there were twenty-two scribes for writing the text of the document.[76] Considering that the translator is a professor of Islamic studies at a secular university and ought to be aware of the haziness of early Islamic history, he should have adopted a more cautious approach to presenting such information as fact. Revisionist theories advanced by John Wansbrough, Patricia Crone, Michael Cook, and others would not have commanded scholarly attention if the reports that Abdel-Haleem seeks to pass as reliable were indeed so.[77] He does provide an excellent analysis of the context of certain verses and points out a fact that is still unknown to many scholars: that the terms Islam and Muslim in the Qur'an refer not to the reified constructs of later Islam but to devotion to God, and that as such, earlier prophets are described as Muslim.[78] The translator makes it clear that he intends to "go further than previous works in accuracy, clarity, flow, and currency of language."[79] The preciseness of English is certainly commendable, but there are problems that show that Abdel-Haleem has incorporated his doctrinal bias into his translation. As Fazlur Rahman, former professor of Islamic Studies at University of Chicago, has shown, the Qur'an contains no evidence of the corpus-soul dualism of later Islam, and so the word nafs as used in the Qur'an is not representative of "soul" as understood in Greek philosophy, Christianity, or post-Biblical Judaism.[80] Yet, Abdel-Haleem translates nafs as "soul" throughout his work.[81] By comparison, the Bewleys render the word in the more linguistically correct "self."[82] Footnotes and commentary are kept to an absolute minimum, supplied only when there is absolute need. An excellent example is where in rendering the word ummi as "unlettered," Abdel-Haleem provides a note to show that it could also be translated as "gentile."[83] This allowance for difference of opinion is particularly noteworthy since most traditional Muslim approaches do not wish to consider the "gentile" interpretation, although in the context of the entire Qur'an, that certainly seems the more correct version. The Abdel-Haleem translation comes without accompanying Arabic text. This can actually be a positive factor since it allows Muslims to take this version anywhere without having to worry about ritual protections for a sacred document that the Arabic version would mandate. The lack of footnotes and commentary promote research and a reading of the actual text. Noteworthy also is the fact that throughout, the translator renders the Arabic Allah as God, an astute choice, since the question of why many Muslims refuse to use the word God as a functional translation has created the misconception for many that Muslims worship a different deity than the Judeo-Christian creator. Abdel-Haleem has done a good job. If any Qur'anic English-language translation might stand to compete with the Saudi-financed translations, this Oxford University Press version is it. Nevertheless, the field remains open for future attempts to reflect the true meaning of the Qur'an because this mandates not only translation but also a better understanding of context. The revisionist works of scholars such as John Wansbrough, Michael Cook, Patricia Crone, Christoph Luxenberg, GerdRudiger Puin, and Andrew Rippin, while opposed by many, indicate that there is much that is unclear about the early history and interpretation of the Qur'an. Their theories about such key elements as the influence of contemporary politics should be addressed in any work seeking to elucidate Islam's main document.[84]

Conclusion
Even for native Arabic speakers, the Qur'an is a difficult document. Its archaic language and verse structure are difficult hurdles to cross. Translation only accentuates the complexity. The fact that translators and theologians have, over time, lost much of the Judeo-Christian cultural references rife in the Qur'an is just one more impediment. Medieval Muslim scholars sought to abandon consideration of the Jewish and Christian testaments as sources of understanding the Qur'an; they largely succeeded. Most religious authorities in Islamic countries, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Iran, oppose any attempt to reinterpret the Qur'an without relying on medieval scholarship. For most Muslims unaware of the evolution of Islamic scholarship, the Qur'an is immutable and uncreated, even though the Qur'an never makes such a proclamation, and theologians reached such a conclusion only after much debate. Immutability means that the seventh century values of some Qur'anic verses, rather than being placed in their seventh century Arabian context, are portrayed as the eternal divine mandate, giving rise, for example, to an argument that females must inherit half as much as males. The failure of Muslim scholars to place the Qur'an into historical or spatial context has lead to generalizations that have harmed Islam, a trend accentuated by the fact that most Quranic translators are now Muslims. Such a failure facilitates the use of the Qur'an by governments that support chauvinism and incite hate and by terrorists such as those who brought down the World Trade Centers. In order to make itself acceptable to a world torn by Islamist terrorism, Islam faces more than just the hurdle of a proper English translation of its main document. Until Muslims learn to question the reliability of the Muslim oral traditions, or divorce themselves from medieval exegetical constructs, they will be living in a world much apart from the Judeo-Christian entity that has known reformation and enlightenment. Perhaps this is the reason why, for most academics, the translation of choice still seems to be that of Arthur Arberry. The urge among many translatorsespecially now that many adhere to the religion itselfis to produce a functional and relatively accurate English rendition. Many of these believers fail to take an academic approach to the history and the Judeo-Christian references in Islam's main document. Polished English prose should not substitute for poor scholarship. In addition, sectarian differences within Islam have undercut any Muslim consensus on a translated version. Increasingly, it looks like the quest for the perfect rendition will be endless. Khaleel Mohammed is an assistant professor in the Department of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. [1] This is based several verses of the Qur'an, among them, Qur. 15:9, 26:195, 97:1. [2] Mahmoud Ayoub, The Awesome News (Hiawatha, Iowa: Cedar Graphics, 1997), p. xi. [3] Bernard Lewis, The Crisis of Islam (New York: Random House, 2004), p. 5. [4] Qur. 5:33. [5] Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, 37a. [6] Qur. 16:103: "We know well that they say, 'A mortal teaches him.' But the language of the one to whom they allude is foreign, and this is the clear Arabic tongue." Abrahamian teachings could come only from Christianity or Judaism. Because the local Christian community spoke Arabic and the local Jewish community Judeo-Arabic, then contemporary context would suggest a teacher with a foreign tongue to be Jewish. [7] Qur. 16:43, 21:7; Khaleel Mohammed, "The Identity of the Qur'an's Ahl al-Dhikr," in Andrew Rippin and Khaleel Mohammed, eds., Coming to Terms with the Qur'an (Montreal: McGill University Press, forthcoming), pp. 39-54. [8] See Gordon Newby, "Tafsir Israiliyaat," Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Dec. 1980, pp. 685-97. [9] See M.J Kister, "Haddithu 'an Bani Israil wa la Haraja: A Study of an Early Tradition," Israel Oriental Studies, 2 (1972): 215-39. [10] Ibid. [11] Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 194, Alim CD, English Translation. Hadith refers to oral reports attributed to Muhammad. [12] Ignaz Goldziher, Muslim Studies (London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1971), pp. 2, 131. [13] Closing the door on Jewish sources did not prevent adaptation of Christian traditions. [14] Abdur Rahim Kidwai, "Translating the Untranslatable: A Survey of English Translations of the Qur'an," Muslim World Book Review, Summer 1987, pp. 66-71. [15] George Sale, The Koran Commonly Called the Al-Koran of Mohammed (New York: W. L. Allison Co, 1880), p. x. [16] Ibid.; John Rodwell, The KoranTranslated from the Arabic (London: J.M. Dent & Co., 1909); Edward Palmer, The Qur'an (Clarendon: Oxford Press, 1880); Sir William Muir, The Coran (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1878). [17] Sale, The Koran Commonly Called the Al-Koran of Mohammed, pp. vii-xii.

[18] Arthur Arberry, The Koran Interpreted (New York: George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1955), p. 11. [19] Sale, The Koran Commonly Called the Al-Koran of Mohammed, p. xi. [20] Thomas B. Irving, The Qur'an: First American Version (Battleboro, Vt.: Amana Books, 1985) p. xxii. [21] Kidwai, "Translating the Untranslatable," pp. 66-71. [22] A follower of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (d. 1908), who claimed to be the reviver of Islam. Mainstream Islam opposed his beliefs, and his sect bifurcated into the Qadiani and Lahori subgroups after his death. His followers are severely persecuted in Pakistan, which has declared them as non-Muslims. [23] Muhammad 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an (Columbus: Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore Inc, 1991). [24] For example, "Reviews of the English Translation of the Holy Quran with Commentary," Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore Inc. U.S.A., accessed Feb. 17, 2005. [25] Qur. 2:60. [26] Exodus 17:1-6. [27] Muhammad 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an, sura 72:1. [28] Qur. 3:46. [29] Muhammad 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an, sura 3. [30] Dublin, Ohio: Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore Inc. U.S.A., 2002, redesigned, with expanded index. [31] Encyclopedia of Islam (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1995), s.v. "Pickthall." [32] Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (Hyderabad: Hyderabad Government Press, 1930). [33] An honorific title given to the ruler of Hyderabad in British India. [34] Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, p. vii. [35] Qur. 17: 60. [36] Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, p. 208. [37] Arberry, The Koran Interpreted, p. 24. [38] Yusuf 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an: Translation and Commentary (Lahore: 1934-37). [39] A.R. Kidwai, "Abdullah Yusuf Ali's Views on the Qur'anic Eschatology," Muslim World League Journal, Feb. 1985, pp. 14-7. [40] "L.A. Schools Review Donated Korans, Citing Derogatory Commentary," Magazine of the American Library Association, Feb. 11, 2002. [41] Muhammad Taqi al-Din al-Hilali and Muhammad Muhsin Khan, The Noble Qur'an in the English Language: A Summarized Version of At-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Kathir with Comments from Sahih alBukhari (Riyadh: Darussalam Publishers, 1996). [42] Ibid., pp. 5-6; Steven Schwartz presents a scathing review, "Rewriting the Koran," Weekly Standard, Sept. 27, 2004. [43] Qur. 1: 7; Hilali and Khan, The Noble Qur'an in the English Language , p. 10. [44] Hilali and Khan, The Noble Qur'an in the English Language , p. 10. [45] Qur. 5:21. [46] Hilali and Khan, The Noble Qur'an in the English Language , p. 1181. [47] Qur. 3:42-57; 19:16-36. [48] Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Qur'an (Gibraltar: Andalus Press, 1980). [49] Qur. 37:100; Asad, The Message of the Qur'an, p. 688. [50] The change from Isaac to Ishmael was not due to Qur'anic directive but rather the efforts of later interpretations. See, Reuven Firestone, "Abraham's Son as the Intended Sacrifice: Issues in Qur'anic Exegesis," Journal of Semitic Studies, 1(1989): 95-132. [51] A term meaning "predecessors" and applied to the ideology that seeks to recreate a lifestyle and world based on the practice of the earliest Muslims. [52] Ahmed 'Ali, The Qur'an: A Contemporary Translation (Karachi: Akrash Printing, 1984). [53] Ibid, p. 8. [54] Qur. 2:54. [55] Ahmed 'Ali, The Qur'an: A Contemporary Translation, p. 17. [56] Qur. 10:94, 16:43, 21:7. [57] See, for example, Kidwai, "English Translations of the Qur'an," Anti-Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, Oct. 2000. [58] Irving, The Qur'an: The First American Version (Battleboro, Vt.: Amana Books, 1985). [59] Qur. 16:43, 21:7; ibid., pp. 140, 171. [60] Mohammed, "The Identity of the Qur'an's Ahl al-Dhikr," pp. 39-54. [61] Syed V. Mir Ahmed 'Ali, The Holy Qur'an, Arabic Text with English Translation and Commentary. Special Notes from Ayatullah Mahdi Pooya Yazdi (New York: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., 1988). [62] Ibid., p. 30a-b. [63] Ibid. [64] Muhammad Shakir, Holy Qur'an (New York: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an Inc., 1987). This translation draws heavilyand without acknowledgementon the work of Marmaduke Pickthall. [65] New York: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an Inc., 1988. [66] AbdalHaqq Bewley and Aisha Bewley, The Noble Qur'an: A New Rendering of Its Meaning in English(Norwich: Bookwork, 1999).

[67] Bewley and Bewley, The Noble Qur'an, p. v. [68] Qur. 41:44. [69] Bewley and Bewley, The Noble Qur'an, p. iii. [70] Majid Fakhry, An Interpretation of the Qur'an (New York: New York University Press, 2002). [71] Ibid., p. 4. [72] A.H. Johns, "Review of an Interpretation of the Qur'an," Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, June 2004, pp. 83-4. [73] Ibid. [74] Ibid. See also Andrew Rippin, "Review of Two Translations of the Qu'ran," H-Mideast-Medieval, Dec. 2004. [75] M.A.S. Abdel-Haleem, The Qur'an, A New Translation (New York: Oxford University Press 2004). [76] Ibid., pp. xvi-xvii. [77] John Wansbrough, The Sectarian Milieu (Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1978); Patricia Crone and Michael Cook, Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1976); Michael Cook, The Koran: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). [78] Abdel-Haleem, The Qur'an, A New Translation, p. xxiv. [79] Ibid., p. xxix. [80] Fazlur Rahman, Major Themes of the Qur'an (Minneapolis: Bibliotheca Islamica, 1994), p. 112. [81] Abdel-Haleem, The Qur'an, A New Translation, p. 50. [82] Bewley and Bewley, The Noble Qur'an, p. 68. [83] Abdel-Haleem, The Qur'an, A New Translation, p. 105, note a. [84] Christoph Luxenberg, Die Syro-aramaishe Lesart des Koran (Berlin: Das Arabische Buch, 2000); Andrew Rippin, ed. Approaches to the History of the Interpretation of the Qur'an (Oxford and New York: Clarendon and Oxford University Presses, 1988). For Puin's views and findings, see Toby Lester, "What Is Koran?" Atlantic Monthly, Jan 1999, pp. 43-56.

This book aims at clarifying the meaning of peaceful co-existence as one of the main contemporary issues in the modern and post-modern worlds. Coexistence is also confined to the issue of living and communication. So, it is clear that this issue would be found in every corner of the world. Mahdi

Karimi-Nia, 2008, Qum: IKI Press, 384 Pp., 30000 IR. ISBN: 9644-110-293 (pbk)

Ah, when to the heart of man Was it ever less than a treason To go with the drift of things, To yield with a grace to reason, And bow and accept the end Of a love or a season? [Reluctance, Robert Frost] [admin] YB Tuan Guru menerima kunjungan hormat daripada Dr Basil Abdul Jabbar Mustafa, Nelson Mandela Fellow, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, Oxford University di Pejabat beliau, Institut Pemikiran Tok Guru sebentar tadi. Semakin hari semakin banyak tanda-tanda kiamat itu semakin jelas kelihatan. Antaranya ialah bukit-bukit ditarah dan dimusnahkan. Paling nyata ialah satu bukit berhampiran Kaabah di Mekah yang dulunya wujud ketika zaman Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. kini sudah tiada. Wujudnya golongan yang kononnya bertamadun tetapi tidak menutup aurat memenuhi pasar-pasar dan merata tempat. Manusia sudah tidak malu melakukan maksiat ditempat awam dan fenomena ini sudah pun berlaku hatta di semenanjung Arab. Ramainya golongan wanita sudah bekerjaya dan mengejar glamor. Dikatakan diakhir zaman nanti golongan wanitalah yang paling banyak pergi kepada Dajjal. Hari ini golongan wanita sudah semakin ramai bekerjaya, tidak mustahil satu hari nanti akan semakin jelas wanita bekerjaya lebih ramai daripada lelaki.Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu 23rd Dhul Qa'dah 1434 (29th September 2013) Narrated Jabir (Radi-Allahu 'anhu):

Allah's Apostle (Sallallahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam) said, "When you intend going to bed at night, put out the lights, close the doors, tie the mouths of the water skins, and cover your food and drinks." Hamrnam said, "I think he (the other narrator) added, 'even with piece of wood across the utensil.'" Bukhari Vol. 8 : No. 310

Emran Arnold Maryam El-Badawi Yasin Musharraf Mol From The A Study Denial Clergy On Of The Supernatural To Sufi Celibacy: Interpretation Sorcery The Development Of In Qurn Classical And And OfThe Rahbnyyah Modern Theory Sunni Of

Between Tafsr Hermeneutic Of Sura The Qurn, Al-Falaq Hadth (113:4): And A Reflection Church Canon On Underlying Constructions
The term rahbnyyah is used differently in the Qurn than it is in the hadth and subsequent classical Islamic literature. The former discusses the term in the context of clergy and religious leadership, and the latter in the context of celibacy and marriage. This shift in meaning may be taken into account by examining Christian legal texts that were contemporaneous with the Qurn on the one hand, and the hadth on the other. These texts are the Didascalia Apostolorum and the canons of the Quinisext Council respectively. The development of rahbnyyah informs our knowledge of the early Muslim communitys evolution into an imperial power around the time of the Caliph Abd al-Mlik b. Marwn (d. 86/705). One of the main trends in Islamic modernism is the pursuit of rational exegesis of the Qurn. As a response to this trend many Sunni Islamic modernists have been labelled of being neo-Mutazilites because of their use of independent reason, the historicizing of the Qurn, the emphasis on metaphorical interpretation of verses with supernaturalistic contents, the de-emphasizing of tradition, and the use of non-Islamic sources and thought. The similarities between modernists and classical rationalistic schools are seen in their exegeses on verse 113:4 wherein the dominant traditional interpretation of supernatural sorcery is denied.
Maryam Musharraf A Study On The

Sufi Interpretation Of Qurn And The Theory Of

Hermeneutic

This paper tries to show why many forms of Islamic modernism are labelled as modern versions of Mutazilism. Sufism was emerged due to an introspective approach to religion, which sought a strong emotive impulse in the relation between God and Human Being. With such an outlook, sufis started interpreting Qurn according to their religious experience, and created a special discourse which unveiled their state of mind in their relationship with God. Called as the Language of Truth, this interpretative discourse was mainly based upon individual and subjective aspects that could even sound provocative to many of formal clerics. However, sufis peculiar subjective methods of interpreting Qurn, find compatibility with the Hermeneutic science of modern time in many ways. Discovering the liberalizing instruments of language is a common feature of great masters of old times, al-Hallaj and alTirmidhi, etc., and prominent figures of our time, Ricoeur and Husserl.

Professor Voll's research interests include Islamic movements and world history. His regional expertise is the Nile Valley. He teaches the following courses: History of Islam in Africa and History of the World I and II.
Projects 2001This project is a broadening of long-term research on movements or religious revival and renewal in the 18th century. One product will be a general book that is currently under contract. More

projects for John O Voll

Books John O. Voll. The World in the Eighteenth Century. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. John Voll and John L. Esposito. Makers of Contemporary Islam. New York City: Oxford University Press, 2001. John Voll and John L. Esposito. Islam and CDemocracy. New York City: Oxford University Press, 1996. John Voll. Islam: Continuity & Change in the Modern World. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1994. Articles in journals John Voll. "Ben Laden and the New Age of Global Terrorism." Middle East Policy 8.No. 4 (2001). Articles in books John O. Voll. "Modern Movements in Islam." Innovation in Islam: Traditions and Contributions. Ed. Mehran Kamrava. Berkeley: Unoiversity of California Press, 2011: 213-238 John Obert Voll. "The Middle East in World History." The Oxford Handbook of World History. Ed. Jerry H. Bentley. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011: 437-454 John O. Voll. "Reform and modernism in the middle twentieth century." The New Cambridge History of Islam, 6: Muslims and Modernity Culture and Society since 1800. Ed. Robert W. Hefner. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010: 148-172 John Voll. "Islam and Democracy: Is Modernization a Barrier?." Modernization, Democracy, and Islam. Ed. Shireen Hunter and Huma Malik. New York City: Praeger, 2004. John Voll. "Islamic Renewal and the Failure of the West." Decolonization: Perspectives from Now and Then. Ed. Prasenjit Duara. London: Routledge, 2004. Edited books John L. Esposito, Osman Bakar, ed. Asian Islam in the 21st Century. New York City: Oxford University Press, 2008.

Makers of Contemporary Islam

by John L. Esposito and John O. Voll New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. 257 pp. $17.95, paper.

Reviewed by Jonathan Schanzer

Middle East Quarterly Spring 2002

SPRING 2002 VOLUME IX: NUMBER 2 To their credit, Esposito and Voll conducted exhaustive research into the thought of nine modern Islamists. Unfortunately, in another attempt to prove that political Islam breeds democracy, not violence, they cast some of these characters in an undeservedly positive light.
The authors credit Sudan's Hasan at-Turabi for pragmatism but only by ignoring his friendship with Usama bin Ladin, an honored guest in Khartoum during Turabi's heyday before U.S. pressure wore bin Ladin's welcome thin. Esposito and Voll also neglect to mention that Turabi was Sudan's most influential Islamic ideologue as tens of thousands of Christians in Sudan's south were killed, enslaved, or forcibly converted to Islam. American Maryam Jameelah is a marginal and discredited voice, once hospitalized for schizophrenia. She attacks Westernization as "the most pernicious and destructive force in the Muslim world" that induces "cultural schizophrenia." Further, this convert from Judaism claims that modernization is "even a greater menace than the Zionist occupation of Palestine." That the Palestinian Ismail Ragi al-Faruqi (described by Martin Kramer as someone who "inhabited the gray zone between scholarship and political activism") was Esposito's thesis mentor at Temple University

might explain how someone who deplored the "despicable Western virus" could be presented as a visionary. The authors show better judgment in focusing on Iran's Abdolkarim Soroush (a champion of democracy and human rights), Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim (a convert from radicalization to globalization), and Indonesia's Abdurrahman Wahid (proponent of democracy and pluralism). Unfortunately, the reader must suffer through the biographies of six persons who have contributed to the problem before arriving at the stories of three who represent a possible solution.

Makers of Contemporary Islam

John L. Esposito and John Voll

Makers of Contemporary Islam [Paperback]

In this timely and important work, John Esposito and John Voll explore the development of contemporary Islamic movements and thought through the biographies of nine major activist intellectuals who represent a wide range of Muslim societies. Many Muslims have combined revivalist activism with intellectual efforts, but only a few have achieved significant international visibility and influence. By examining the lives and work of nine such internationally recognized figures, Esposito and Voll provide a new understanding of the intellectual foundations of contemporary Islamic awareness and politics. Included are profiles of: Ismail Ragi al-Faruqi (U.S./Palestine), Khurshid Ahmad (India/Pakistan), Maryam Jameelah (U.S./Pakistan), Hasan Hanafi (Sudan), Rashid Ghannoushi (Tunisia), Hasan al-Turabi (Sudan), Abdolkarim Soroush (Iran), Anwar Ibrahim (Malaysia), and Abdurrahman Wahid (Indonesia).
John L. Esposito (Author), John Voll (Author)

These thinkers contributed to some of the most significant intellectual and activist developments in the Muslim world during the 1980s and 1990s--the period during which Islamic movements became a major force in Muslim societies and international affairs. They helped to organize and lead the movements of Islamic renewal and provided the conceptual foundations for the programs those movements advocate. Together, they represent a distinctive phase in the evolution of Islamic thinking: the ongoing effort to create an effective synthesis of modernity and Islamic tradition. Their work supplies the core of the Islamic resurgence of the1990s and the foundation for what it can become in the twenty-first century. Makers of Contemporary Islam
Makers of Contemporary Islam John L. Esposito, John Voll Type: eBook Released: 2001 Page Count: 268 Format: pdf Language: English ISBN-10: 0195141288 ISBN-13: 9780195141276 Review "It would be difficult to overestimate the significance of Esposito and John O. Voll's intellectually expansive yet thoroughly accessible volume. . . . Esposito and Voll's book adds to our understanding of the intellectual and cultural foundations of the diverse religious and political movements ramifying

throughout the Islamic heartlands and far beyond."-- The Journal of Asian Studies "a major contribution to the general study of Islamic religion . While this book may serve as an overview of the intellectual foundations of contemporary Islamic politics, it is historically rich and capable of provoking many layered readings."-- The Journal of Religion About the Author John L. Esposito is University Professor and Founding Director for the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. His publications include The Oxford History of Islam (OUP, 2000), The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality (OUP, 1999), Islam: The Straight Path (OUP, 1998), The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World (OUP, 1995), and Islam and Democracy (OUP, 1996).John O. Voll is Professor of Islamic History at Georgtown University. He is the author of Islam: Continuity and CHange in the Muslim World and coauthor of Islam and Democracy (OUP, 1996). Makers of Contemporary

Islam
Format Post in Islam BY John L. Esposito, John Voll 0195141288 Shared By Guest

"It would be difficult to overestimate the significance of Esposito and John O. Voll's intellectually expansive yet thoroughly accessible volume. . . . Esposito and Voll's book adds to our understanding of the intellectual and cultural foundations of the diverse religious and political movements ramifying throughout the Islamic heartlands and far beyond."-- The Journal of Asian Studies "a major contribution to the general study of Islamic religion . While this book may serve as an overview of the intellectual foundations of contemporary Islamic politics, it is historically rich and capable of provoking many layered readings."-- The Journal of Religion

About the Author John L. Esposito is University Professor and Founding Director for the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. His publications include The Oxford History of Islam (OUP, 2000), The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality (OUP, 1999), Islam: The Straight Path (OUP, 1998), The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World (OUP, 1995), and Islam and Democracy (OUP, 1996). John O. Voll is Professor of Islamic History at Georgtown University. He is the author of Islam: Continuity and CHange in the Muslim World and coauthor of Islam and Democracy (OUP, 1996). Paperback: 272 pages Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 3, 2001) Language: English John Voll and John L. Esposito. Makers of Contemporary Islam. New York City: Oxford University Press, 2001. More publications by John O Voll The World in the 18th Century (2001-)

John O. Voll is professor of Islamic history and associate director of the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. He taught Middle Eastern, Islamic, and world history at the University of New Hampshire for thirty years before moving to Georgetown in 1995. He graduated from Dartmouth College and received his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University. He has lived in Cairo, Beirut, and Sudan and has traveled widely in the Muslim world. The second edition of his book Islam: Continuity and Change in the Modern World appeared in 1994. He is co-author, with John L. Esposito, of Islam and Democracy and Makers of Contemporary Islam and is editor, author, or co-author of six additional books. He is a past president of the Middle East Studies Association and also of the New England Historical Association. He has served on the Boards of Directors of the American Council of Learned Societies, the New Hampshire Humanities Council, the New Hampshire Council on World Affairs, and the Sudan Studies Association. He was the chair of the program committee for the 1999 annual meeting of the American Historical Association. In 1991 he received an Egyptian Presidential Medal in recognition for scholarship on Islam. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on modern Islamic and Sudanese history. Education Ph.D. (1969) Harvard University, History & Middle Eastern Studies A.M. (1960) Harvard University, Middle Eastern Studies A.B. (1958) Dartmouth College, History (Senior Fellow)

Published by Mark K. Jensen

Synopsis of John L. Esposito, Islam: The Straight Path, revised third edition updated with new epilogue (New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005; 1st ed. 1988). Discussed at Digging Deeper (www.ufppc.org) on October 30, 2006.
Esposito - Islam, the Straight Path, 3rd ed. rev. (2005) - Synopsis

Meninjau Semula Hubungan Kuasa dan Institusi Agama - II

September 29, 2013 Hazman Baharom Pluralisme Sebagai Realiti Hakikat bahawa Malaysia sudah didiami pelbagai kaum dan kepercayaan wujud sejak zaman kolonial lagi, yakni sebelum kemerdekaan, apatah lagi pembentukan Malaysia. Tambahan pula, apabila memasuki abad ke-21, identiti bangsa bukan lagi sesuatu yang bersifat tetap, ramai sahaja yang berbilang identity - multiple identity. Ahli sosiologi Anthony Giddens menyimpulkan bahawa masyarakat pasca-moden bersifat fluid, yakni identitinya fleksibel serta fragmented, yakni satu identiti tidak boleh dianggap hanya untuk satu pihak sahaja. Biarpun akar kebudayaan rantau Nusantara berpaksikan Melayu dan Islam, namun saya tidak berniat untuk menyentuh tentangnya. Di bahagian ini, saya ingin menyentuh tentang beberapa isu yang menjadi persoalan seputar tindakan institusi agama di Malaysia bersangkut kepelbagaian agama dan kepercayaan. Wacana pluralisme merupakan satu wacana yang mencapah dan luas dalam tradisi keilmuan. Namun yang menjadi masalah, apabila kebanyakan Muslim di Malaysia - terutamanya gerakan Islam - menyempitkan pluralisme kepada seputar menyamakan semua agama dan mempercayai bahawa semua agama adalah benar. Pemahaman sebegini adalah sempit sekali, malah langsung menafikan kepelbagaian jalur yang wujud dalam wacana pluralisme itu sendiri. Dalam tradisi falsafah politik, wacana pluralisme selalunya berkait dengan isu kewarganegaraan

 citizenship - dan keadilan - justice. Di sini, saya akan berhujah bahawa adaptasi pluralisme dalam amalan politik mampu menjadi penyelesaian dalam menanggapi kepelbagaian yang wujud di Malaysia. Dengan istilah pluralisme pula, saya maksudkan sebagai menerima kepelbagaian yang wujud serta memberi hak yang sama terhadap semua kepercayaan dan agama.1 Dan hal ini tidak semestinya memerlukan kita untuk percaya bahawa semua agama adalah benar. Setiap Muslim pastinya tahu bahawa Tuhan pernah mengingatkan menerusi surah Ali Imran, bahawa sesungguhnya agama yang diredai oleh Allah hanyalah Islam. Tetapi, kepercayaan bahawa keredaan Tuhan hanyalah pada Islam merupakan kepercayaan yang seharusnya bersifat peribadi dalam diri setiap Muslim, tidak boleh dipaksakan kepada orang lain. Maka, tidaklah menjadi kontradiksi untuk memberi hak yang sama kepada semua agama di peringkat politik dan prosesnya, tetapi dalam masa yang sama mempercayai bahawa Islam-lah bagi seorang Muslim sebagai satu-satunya agama yang benar.2 Wacana pluralisme dalam konteks Malaysia mula menampakkan kepentingannya apabila kita serius memikirkan soal konsep keadilan dan falsafahnya dalam masyarakat demokratik yang punya pelbagai kepercayaan dan pegangan. John Rawls, salah seorang filasuf politik terpenting abad ke-20 pernah menulis adikarya beliau mengenai konsep keadilan, A Theory of Justice. Hari ini, ramai filasuf kontemporari, termasuklah pemikir Islam seperti Prof. Jasser Auda, mengangkat karya ini sebagai antara penulisan terpenting dalam memahami serta membedah konsep keadilan. Melalui karya ini, Rawls membahagikan ide-nya kepada tiga bahagian. Bahagian terakhir dalam A Theory of Justice menyebut mengenai persoalan kestabilan masyarakat, dan bagaimana untuk memastikan masyarakat dapat menerima teori keadilan beliau dengan cara yang demokratik. Dan apabila Rawls menyebut demokrasi, maka yang beliau maksudkan ialah demokrasi liberal. Namun, setelah A Theory of Justice diterbitkan untuk rujukan dan bacaan umum, beliau mengesani masalah dalam jalur penghujahan bahagian ketiga buku tersebut. Secara mudah, masalah yang dimaksudkan ialah selepas konsep keadilan yang dibawa dalamTheory of Justice diaplikasikan dalam sebuah masyarakat yang demokratik, pada suatu titik masa yang akan datang, ada kebarangkalian untuk konsep tersebut dicabar oleh konsep yang boleh jadi lebih baik daripadanya. Maka pada masa tersebut, jika konsep yang dibawa dalam Theory of Justice mahu terus diaplikasikan, hal ini akan menuntut sebuah kerajaan yang bersifat authoritarian. Sudah tentulah Rawls amat bimbang akan perkara ini, apabila ia berpotensi untuk mencabuli prinsip asas demokrasi dan kebebasan itu sendiri. Maka kerana itu Rawls menulis satu lagi buku, Political Liberalism untuk membaiki bahagian ketiga Theory of Justice. Dalam buku ini, Rawls meletakkan teori keadilannya hanya sebagai satu doktrin komprehensif - comprehensive doctrine - bukannya konsepsi politik - political conception3. Mana-mana doktrin komprehensif tidak wajar dipaksakan sebagai konsepsi politik, atau ia akan menzalimi mereka yang tidak mempercayai doktrin komprehensif tersebut. Di sini, Rawls menegaskan akan kepentingan memberi hak yang sama kepada semua akan doktrin komprehensif, atau dalam istilah beliau: reasonable pluralism. Dalam kes Malaysia, hakikat bahawa kita merupakan masyarakat berbilang kaum, kepercayaan, dan cara hidup merupakan sesuatu yang tidak boleh disanggah oleh sesiapa. Maka, untuk menanggapi

perbezaan yang wujud ini, adalah tidak adil untuk hanya satu doktrin komprehensif diberi tempat yang istimewa - dalam kes ini, Islam - tetapi dalam masa yang sama, doktrin komprehensif yang lain menghadapi sekatan. Setiap instrumen dan radas tindakan penguasa dibiayai oleh para pembayar cukai yang tidak mengira agama dan bangsa, maka adalah tidak adil sama sekali untuk tiadanya wacana terbuka yang melibatkan wakil semua pihak untuk menggubal proses politik negara. Perlu diingat, untuk satu doktrin komprehensif diletakkan sebagai dasar negara, mestilah mendapat persetujuan secara demokratik daripada rakyat. Di sinilah kita dapat lihat sifat keadilan Rasulullah menerusi penggubalan piagam Madinah, apabila baginda menjemput wakil semua kepercayaan termasuklah Yahudi, malah wakil wanita - danhal ini sangat mengagumkan kita, kerana pada zaman tersebut wanita hanya dianggap sebagai warga kelas bawahan - untuk bersama-sama membahas kandungan piagam tersebut. Mereka semua akhirnya bersetuju untuk menerapkan perundagn Islam dalam pemerintahan Madinah. Perkara inilah yang selalu golongan Islamis terlepas pandang, apabila hanya menganggap pemilikan kuasa politik sebagai tiket untuk mereka melaksanakan syariah, sedangkan boleh jadi pelaksanaan tersebut akan berakhir dengan kezaliman ke atas rakyat pula. Pengalaman Iran dan Arab Saudi menunjukkan kepada kita, betapa pemaksaan syariah dalam perundangan negara yang mengetepikan konsep-konsep keadilan akan berakhir dengan penindasan atas nama agama. Oleh sebab itu, dalam isu Syiah yang hangat kebelakangan ini, kita wajar mempersoalkan tindakan pihak berkuasa yang bertindak menangkap para penganut Syiah dan mengharamkan pemilikan buku-buku berfahaman Syiah. Seperti yang telah saya sebut di awal makalah, saya tidak menafikan bahawa ada dikalangan ulama Sunni telah berfatwa bahawa mazhab Syiah itu tidak menepati ajaran Islam dan sebagainya, tetapi untuk menghukum seorang individu hanya kerana ia bermazhab Syiah merupakan satu kezaliman. Seseorang boleh memilih mazhabnya atau tidak mahu bermazhab sama sekali kerana ia adalah hak individu. Sesuatu kerajaan tidak ada hak dalam menetapkan kepercayaan yang di-imani oleh rakyatnya. Adalah sesuatu yang mustahil dalam dunia moden hari ini untuk menetapkan bahawa rakyat di negara ini umpamanya, hanya boleh bermazhab Sunni dan mengamalkan fiqh mazhab Syafie. Bukankah mantan Mufti Perlis sendiri pernah ditahan kerana dituduh menyebarkan ajaran Wahabi? Dengan kerana itulah, wacana pluralisme wajar diketengahkan secara serius dalam masyarakat kita. Di sinilah juga, apabila Jabatan Agama Islam menggunakan pengaruh kuasa untuk menangkap dan menghukum, ia telah menimbulkan persoalan terhadap sifat Islam itu sendiri yang sepatutnya mempromosi toleransi dan keamanan. Susah sangatkah untuk berdialog serta pertemuan diadakan untuk berbincang terlebih dahulu tanpa semberono menangkap sesiapa? Islam bukanlah agama yang monolitik dan tiada sesiapa yang boleh mandabik dada dan mengatakan yang Islam sepetimana yang ia fahami dan lazimi adalah Islam yang sebenar-benarnya, yang haq

dan tiada sebarang pertikaian tentangnya. Islam meraikan kepelbagaian. Islam tidak akan maju sekiranya tiada sebarang percanggahan pendapat. Kesimpulan Malaysia merupakan sebuah negara yang kaya dengan hasil-mahsul, termasuklah modal insan yang pelbagai. Islam, sepanjang sejarah keagungannya, merupakan agama yang menunjukkan tradisi toleransi terhadap kepercayaan serta agama yang berbeza. Contoh yang ditunjukkan oleh Rasulullah sendiri pun sudah cukup menunjukkan penerimaan baginda terhadap masyarakat bukan Islam, malah baginda tidak pernah menzalimi mereka. Maharaja Akbar semasa pemerintahan Mughal di India, sentiasa mengajak para ilmuwan dalam agama selain Islam dalam kerajaannya untuk berbincang serta berusaha memahami mereka4. Mengapa pula kita yang terlebih-lebih bertindak menanggapi mereka yang berbeza, contohnya Syiah? Makalah ini bukanlah anti-institusi agama atau bermaksud supaya institusi agama dibubarkan. Namun kita perlu sedar bahawa institutsi agama Islam di negara ini dibiayai dengan hasil cukai daripada yang bukan penganutnya. Malahan hampir 90 peratus daripada cukai pendapatan adalah daripada masyarakat Cina. Dengan itu saya mengajak kita semua, generasi masa depan Malaysia, untuk memikirkan semula hubungannya dengan pengamalan kuasa di Malaysia. Moga-moga pada masa depan, kita mampu berbahas dengan lebih terbuka supaya tiada lagi penindasan ke atas rakyat atas nama agama. Bukankah amat ironi, apabila kita mengklaim bahawa agama membawa keadilan dan keamanan, tetapi pada masa yang sama institusi agamalah yang menjadi pelopor kepada agenda penindasan dan keazaliman? ----[1] Lihat tulisan Prof. David Miller dari Universiti Oxford, Citizenship and Pluralism dan Franz von Benda-Beckmann, Legal Pluralism and Social Justice in Economic and Political Development [2] Lihat Prof. Tariq Ramadan, The Quest for Meaning: Developing a Philosophy of Pluralism [3] Doktrin komprehensif ialah satu ide yang memberi panduan untuk segenap aspek kehidupan. Menurut Rawls, idea ini boleh jadi daripada mana-mana agama, falsafah, kepercayaan atau nilai moral masyarakat. Konsep politik pula merupakan satu konsep yang dihasilkan Rawls untuk menanggapi permasalahan masyarakat yang mempunyai pelbagai doktrin komprehensif yang berbeza. [4] Lihat Amartya Sen, Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny

A New Study On Munasabat Al-Quran: From The Beauty To The Future Mohd Hisyam Abdul Rahim

Munsabt is one of the main disciplines of Qurnic Sciences which explains the coherence and correlation between the verses or sras. Through this discipline, this article aims to investigate and analyse some Qurnic verses from the arts perspective. This article also finds and discusses the possibility of future expand based on tawqifi concept of the Qurnic arrangement. One of the main ideological and intellectual issues in Islamic studies is related to the connection between the intellect, the unseen and revelation. This article aims to prove the complementary relationship between the reason, unseen and revelation because they are not different from each other. These three concepts are important and they will be discussed through three aspects: the realities of the unseen in the Quran, the relationship between the intellect and the unseen; how the intellect needs the unseen; the intellects (minds) role in understanding the unseen. Furthermore, the author is going to present the efforts Muslim scholars in this domain.
Thabet Ahmad Abdullah Abu Al-Haj An Analytical Study On The Intellect, The Unseen And Revelation In The Quran Routledge Studies in the Qurn seriesTafsr al-Tustar by Sahl b. Abd Allh al-Tustar. Great Commentaries

on the Holy Qurn Translated and annotated with an introduction by Annabel Keeler and Ali Keeler, 2011.
Wallahualam.

Meninjau Semula Hubungan Kuasa dan Institusi Agama II - Hazman Baharom Pluralisme Sebagai Realiti Hakikat bahawa Malaysia sudah didiami pelbagai kaum dan kepercayaan wujud sejak zaman kolonial lagi, yakni sebelum kemerdekaan, apatah lagi pembentukan Malaysia. Tambahan pula, apabila memasuki abad ke-21, identiti bangsa bukan lagi sesuatu yang bersifat tetap, ramai sahaja yang berbilang identity multiple identity. Ahli sosiologi Anthony Giddens menyimpulkan bahawa masyarakat pascamoden bersifat fluid, yakni identitinya fleksibel serta fragmented, yakni satu identiti tidak boleh dianggap hanya untuk satu pihak sahaja. Biarpun akar kebudayaan rantau Nusantara berpaksikan Melayu dan Islam, namun saya tidak berniat untuk menyentuh tentangnya. Di bahagian ini, saya ingin menyentuh tentang beberapa isu yang menjadi persoalan seputar tindakan institusi agama di Malaysia bersangkut kepelbagaian agama dan kepercayaan. Wacana pluralisme merupakan satu wacana yang mencapah dan luas dalam tradisi keilmuan. Namun yang menjadi masalah, apabila kebanyakan Muslim di Malaysia terutamanya gerakan Islam menyempitkan pluralisme kepada seputar menyamakan semua agama dan mempercayai bahawa semua agama adalah benar. Pemahaman sebegini adalah sempit sekali, malah langsung menafikan kepelbagaian jalur yang wujud dalam wacana pluralisme itu sendiri. Dalam tradisi falsafah politik, wacana pluralisme selalunya berkait dengan isu

kewarganegaraan citizenship dan keadilan justice. Di sini, saya akan berhujah bahawa adaptasi pluralisme dalam amalan politik mampu menjadi penyelesaian dalam menanggapi kepelbagaian yang wujud di Malaysia. Dengan istilah pluralisme pula, saya maksudkan sebagai menerima kepelbagaian yang wujud serta memberi hak yang sama terhadap semua kepercayaan dan agama.1 Dan hal ini tidak semestinya memerlukan kita untuk percaya bahawa semua agama adalah benar. Setiap Muslim pastinya tahu bahawa Tuhan pernah mengingatkan menerusi surah Ali Imran, bahawa sesungguhnya agama yang diredai oleh Allah hanyalah Islam. Tetapi, kepercayaan bahawa keredaan Tuhan hanyalah pada Islam merupakan kepercayaan yang seharusnya bersifat peribadi dalam diri setiap Muslim, tidak boleh dipaksakan kepada orang lain. Maka, tidaklah menjadi kontradiksi untuk memberi hak yang sama kepada semua agama di peringkat politik dan prosesnya, tetapi dalam masa yang sama mempercayai bahawa Islam-lah bagi seorang Muslim sebagai satu-satunya agama yang benar.2 Wacana pluralisme dalam konteks Malaysia mula menampakkan kepentingannya apabila kita serius memikirkan soal konsep keadilan dan falsafahnya dalam masyarakat demokratik yang punya pelbagai kepercayaan dan pegangan. John Rawls, salah seorang filasuf politik terpenting abad ke-20 pernah menulis adikarya beliau mengenai konsep keadilan, A Theory of Justice. Hari ini, ramai filasuf kontemporari, termasuklah pemikir Islam seperti Prof. Jasser Auda, mengangkat karya ini sebagai antara penulisan terpenting dalam memahami serta membedah konsep keadilan. Melalui karya ini, Rawls membahagikan ide-nya kepada tiga bahagian. Bahagian terakhir dalam A Theory of Justice menyebut mengenai persoalan kestabilan masyarakat, dan bagaimana untuk memastikan masyarakat dapat menerima teori keadilan beliau dengan cara yang demokratik. Dan apabila Rawls menyebut demokrasi, maka yang beliau maksudkan ialah demokrasi liberal. Namun, setelah A Theory of Justice diterbitkan untuk rujukan dan bacaan umum, beliau mengesani masalah dalam jalur penghujahan bahagian ketiga buku tersebut. Secara mudah, masalah yang dimaksudkan ialah selepas konsep keadilan yang dibawa dalam Theory of Justice diaplikasikan dalam sebuah masyarakat yang demokratik, pada suatu titik masa yang akan datang, ada kebarangkalian untuk konsep tersebut dicabar oleh konsep yang boleh jadi lebih baik daripadanya. Maka pada masa tersebut, jika konsep yang dibawa dalam Theory of Justice mahu terus diaplikasikan, hal ini akan menuntut sebuah kerajaan yang bersifat authoritarian. Sudah tentulah Rawls amat bimbang akan perkara ini, apabila ia berpotensi untuk mencabuli prinsip asas demokrasi dan kebebasan itu sendiri. Maka kerana itu Rawls menulis satu lagi buku, Political Liberalism untuk membaiki bahagian ketiga Theory of Justice. Dalam buku ini, Rawls meletakkan teori keadilannya hanya sebagai satu doktrin komprehensif comprehensive doctrine bukannya konsepsi politik - political conception3. Mana-mana doktrin komprehensif tidak wajar dipaksakan sebagai konsepsi politik, atau ia akan menzalimi mereka yang tidak mempercayai doktrin komprehensif tersebut. Di sini, Rawls menegaskan akan kepentingan memberi hak yang sama kepada semua akan doktrin komprehensif, atau dalam istilah beliau: reasonable pluralism. Dalam kes Malaysia, hakikat bahawa kita merupakan masyarakat berbilang kaum, kepercayaan, dan cara hidup merupakan sesuatu yang tidak boleh disanggah oleh

sesiapa. Maka, untuk menanggapi perbezaan yang wujud ini, adalah tidak adil untuk hanya satu doktrin komprehensif diberi tempat yang istimewa dalam kes ini, Islam tetapi dalam masa yang sama, doktrin komprehensif yang lain menghadapi sekatan. Setiap instrumen dan radas tindakan penguasa dibiayai oleh para pembayar cukai yang tidak mengira agama dan bangsa, maka adalah tidak adil sama sekali untuk tiadanya wacana terbuka yang melibatkan wakil semua pihak untuk menggubal proses politik negara. Perlu diingat, untuk satu doktrin komprehensif diletakkan sebagai dasar negara, mestilah mendapat persetujuan secara demokratik daripada rakyat. Di sinilah kita dapat lihat sifat keadilan Rasulullah menerusi penggubalan piagam Madinah, apabila baginda menjemput wakil semua kepercayaan termasuklah Yahudi, malah wakil wanita danhal ini sangat mengagumkan kita, kerana pada zaman tersebut wanita hanya dianggap sebagai warga kelas bawahan untuk bersamasama membahas kandungan piagam tersebut. Mereka semua akhirnya bersetuju untuk menerapkan perundagn Islam dalam pemerintahan Madinah. Perkara inilah yang selalu golongan Islamis terlepas pandang, apabila hanya menganggap pemilikan kuasa politik sebagai tiket untuk mereka melaksanakan syariah, sedangkan boleh jadi pelaksanaan tersebut akan berakhir dengan kezaliman ke atas rakyat pula. Pengalaman Iran dan Arab Saudi menunjukkan kepada kita, betapa pemaksaan syariah dalam perundangan negara yang mengetepikan konsep-konsep keadilan akan berakhir dengan penindasan atas nama agama. Oleh sebab itu, dalam isu Syiah yang hangat kebelakangan ini, kita wajar mempersoalkan tindakan pihak berkuasa yang bertindak menangkap para penganut Syiah dan mengharamkan pemilikan buku-buku berfahaman Syiah. Seperti yang telah saya sebut di awal makalah, saya tidak menafikan bahawa ada dikalangan ulama Sunni telah berfatwa bahawa mazhab Syiah itu tidak menepati ajaran Islam dan sebagainya, tetapi untuk menghukum seorang individu hanya kerana ia bermazhab Syiah merupakan satu kezaliman. Seseorang boleh memilih mazhabnya atau tidak mahu bermazhab sama sekali kerana ia adalah hak individu. Sesuatu kerajaan tidak ada hak dalam menetapkan kepercayaan yang di-imani oleh rakyatnya. Adalah sesuatu yang mustahil dalam dunia moden hari ini untuk menetapkan bahawa rakyat di negara ini umpamanya, hanya boleh bermazhab Sunni dan mengamalkan fiqh mazhab Syafie. Bukankah mantan Mufti Perlis sendiri pernah ditahan kerana dituduh menyebarkan ajaran Wahabi? Dengan kerana itulah, wacana pluralisme wajar diketengahkan secara serius dalam masyarakat kita. Di sinilah juga, apabila Jabatan Agama Islam menggunakan pengaruh kuasa untuk menangkap dan menghukum, ia telah menimbulkan persoalan terhadap sifat Islam itu sendiri yang sepatutnya mempromosi toleransi dan keamanan. Susah sangatkah

untuk berdialog serta pertemuan diadakan untuk berbincang terlebih dahulu tanpa semberono menangkap sesiapa? Islam bukanlah agama yang monolitik dan tiada sesiapa yang boleh mandabik dada dan mengatakan yang Islam sepetimana yang ia fahami dan lazimi adalah Islam yang sebenar-benarnya, yang haq dan tiada sebarang pertikaian tentangnya. Islam meraikan kepelbagaian. Islam tidak akan maju sekiranya tiada sebarang percanggahan pendapat. Kesimpulan Malaysia merupakan sebuah negara yang kaya dengan hasil-mahsul, termasuklah modal insan yang pelbagai. Islam, sepanjang sejarah keagungannya, merupakan agama yang menunjukkan tradisi toleransi terhadap kepercayaan serta agama yang berbeza. Contoh yang ditunjukkan oleh Rasulullah sendiri pun sudah cukup menunjukkan penerimaan baginda terhadap masyarakat bukan Islam, malah baginda tidak pernah menzalimi mereka. Maharaja Akbar semasa pemerintahan Mughal di India, sentiasa mengajak para ilmuwan dalam agama selain Islam dalam kerajaannya untuk berbincang serta berusaha memahami mereka4. Mengapa pula kita yang terlebihlebih bertindak menanggapi mereka yang berbeza, contohnya Syiah? Makalah ini bukanlah anti-institusi agama atau bermaksud supaya institusi agama dibubarkan. Namun kita perlu sedar bahawa institutsi agama Islam di negara ini dibiayai dengan hasil cukai daripada yang bukan penganutnya. Malahan hampir 90 peratus daripada cukai pendapatan adalah daripada masyarakat Cina. Dengan itu saya mengajak kita semua, generasi masa depan Malaysia, untuk memikirkan semula hubungannya dengan pengamalan kuasa di Malaysia. Mogamoga pada masa depan, kita mampu berbahas dengan lebih terbuka supaya tiada lagi penindasan ke atas rakyat atas nama agama. Bukankah amat ironi, apabila kita mengklaim bahawa agama membawa keadilan dan keamanan, tetapi pada masa yang sama institusi agamalah yang menjadi pelopor kepada agenda penindasan dan keazaliman?

[1] Lihat tulisan Prof. David Miller dari Universiti Oxford, Citizenship and Pluralism dan Franz von Benda-Beckmann, Legal Pluralism and Social Justice in Economic and Political Development [2] Lihat Prof. Tariq Ramadan, The Quest for Meaning: Developing a Philosophy of Pluralism [3] Doktrin komprehensif ialah satu ide yang memberi panduan untuk segenap aspek kehidupan. Menurut Rawls, idea ini boleh jadi daripada mana-mana agama, falsafah, kepercayaan atau nilai moral masyarakat. Konsep politik pula merupakan satu konsep yang dihasilkan Rawls untuk menanggapi permasalahan masyarakat yang mempunyai pelbagai doktrin komprehensif yang berbeza.

[4] Lihat Amartya Sen, Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny
University of Edinburgh, Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies, Faculty Member

Andreas Goern Jonathan Brown, Hadith: Muhammads Legacy in the

Medieval and Modern World, Oxford, 2009, in: Bulletin of the School of

Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies

Oriental and African Studies 73 (2010). Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies / Volume 73 / Issue 03 /October 2010, pp 534-536
Copyright School of Oriental and African Studies 2010

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X10000467 (About DOI), Published online: 29 October 2010

JONATHAN A.C. BROWN Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding Georgetown University 3700 O Street, NW ICC Suite 260 Washington, D.C. 20057 Email: brownj2@georgetown.edu Phone: 202-687-0293 EDUCATION: UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, Chicago, Illinois Ph.D. in Islamic Thought, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, 2001-August 2006 with honors Minor: Modern Middle East History CENTER FOR ARABIC STUDY ABROAD (CASA), Cairo, Egypt Certificate in Arabic language, June 2000-June 2001 GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, Washington, DC Bachelor of Arts in History, magna cum laude, May 2000 Minor in Russian Language Phi Beta Kappa awarded junior year (May 1999) Completed Certificate in Islam and Muslim-Christian Understanding LANGUAGES: Arabic Persian Urdu (basic) Latin Epigraphic South Arabian (reading knowledge of Mainian, Sabaic and other dialects of ancient South Arabian) French German (reading knowledge) EMPLOYMENT ACADEMIC: 2010 GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, Washington DC Assistant Professor of Islam and Muslim Christian Understanding, School of Foreign Service 2006-10 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON, Seattle, Washington Assistant Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization EMPLOYMENT EXTRA CURRICULAR: 2009 OXFORD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ISLAMIC LAW

Editor in Chief 2008-09 OXFORD ONLINE ISLAMIC STUDIES BIBLIOGRAPHY Advisory Editor 2005-08 OXFORD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD Advisory Editor PUBLICATIONS: MONOGRAPHS: Misquoting Muhammad. Oxford: Oneworld, forthcoming. Very Short Introduction: Muhammad. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011 (Very Short Introductions series). Hadith: Muhammads Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World. Oxford: Oneworld, 2009 (Foundations of Islam series). The Canonization of al-Bukhari and Muslim: the Formation and Function of the Sunni Hadith Canon. Leiden: Brill, 2007. PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES & BOOK CHAPTERS: Scripture in Modern Islam, in Islam in the Modern World, ed. Jeff Kenney and Ebrahim Moosa. Routledge, forthcoming.

The Canonization of Ibn Majah: Authenticity vs. Utility in the Formation of the Sunni Hadith Canon,
Revue des mondes musulmans et de la Mditerrane, special issue on criture de lhistoire et processus de canonisation dans le monde musulman des premiers sicles de lislam. Hommage Alfred-Louis de Prmare, forthcoming.

Is the Devil in the Details?: Tension between Comprehensiveness and Minimalism in the Shariah,
Journal of Religious Ethics 39, no. 3 (2011), forthcoming.

Even if its not True its True: Using Unreliable Hadiths in Sunni Islam, Islamic Law and Society 18
(2011): 1-52.

Did the Prophet Say It or Not?: the Literal, Historical and Effective Truth of Hadiths in Sunni Islam,
Journal of the American Oriental Society, 129, no. 2 (2009): 1-27.

How We Know early Hadith Critics Did Matn Criticism and Why Its So Hard to Find, Islamic Law and
Society 15 (2008): 143-84.

New Data on the Delateralization of Dd and its Merger with Z in Classical Arabic: Contributions from
Old South Arabian and the Earliest Islamic Texts on Dad / Za Minimal Pairs, Journal of Semitic Studies 52, no. 2 (2007): 335-368.

Critical Rigor vs. Juridical Pragmatism: How Legal Theorists and Hadith Scholars Approached the
Backgrowth of Isnads, Islamic Law and Society 14, no.1 (2007): 1-41.

The Last Days of al-Ghazzali and the Tripartite Division of Sufi World: Abu Hamid al-Ghazzalis Letter
to the Seljuq Vizier and Commentary. The Muslim World 96, no. 1 (2006): 89-113.

Criticism of the Proto-Hadith Canon: al-Daraqutnis Adjustment of al-Bukhari and Muslims Sahihs.
Oxford Journal of Islamic Studies 15/1 (2004): 1-37.

The Social Context of Pre-Islamic Poetry: Poetic Imagery and Social Reality in the Mucallaqat. Arab
Studies Quarterly 25/3 (2003): 29-50. NON-PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES & BOOK CHAPTERS

Crossing Sectarian Boundaries in the 4th/10th Century: Ibn Uqda, a Man for All Seasons, al-Usur alWusta 20, no. 2 (2008): 55-58.

Between Faith and Reason in Our Western/Muslim Reading of the Past, in Faith and Reason: Islamic
Perspectives (forthcoming). BOOK REVIEWS Review of The Encyclopedia of Canonical Hadith, Journal of Islamic Studies 19, n. 3 (2008): 391-97. FELLOWSHIPS: 2010 University of Washington Royalties Research Fellowship, Marketing Links to the Past: A Case Study of Modern Islamic Educational Institutions in Modern Malaysia. 2009 American Academy of Religion Collective Research Grant (with Ebrahim Moosa, Duke U.), awarded to organize conference on Contours of Late Sunni Traditionalism, Duke U. April 2010. 2007 Simpson Center for Humanities (University of Washington) Society of Scholars Fellowship: awarded for research and discourse on monograph project Lying about the Prophet of God: Forgery, its Manipulation and Unmasking in Islamic Civilization. 2007 American Institute for Yemeni Studies Research Grant: awarded for manuscript research in Sana, summer 2007 for project Exploring the Horizons of Sunni Thought in the 18th Century: The Innovative Scholarship of Muhammad b. Ismail al-Sanani 2006 CASA II (Center for Arabic Study Abroad) Fellowship (awarded for Spring 2006) 2005 Mellon Foundation Dissertation Fellowship (May, 2005) 2005 Council for American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) Multi-Country Grant (March, 2005) Awarded for manuscript research in Morocco, Syria and Turkey, July-September 2005. 2003 American Institute for Iranian Studies Persian Language Grant: Awarded March, 2003 for summer language study at the Dekhoda Institute in Tehran, Iran. ACADEMIC PAPERS AND INVITED LECTURES 2011 Utility vs. Authenticity in the Legal Canon: The Peculiar Case of the Sunan of Ibn Majah, University of Pennsylvania, 3/22/11. 2011 Muslim, Jews and Modernity, Inaugural Noel King Memorial Lecture, University of California at Santa Cruz, 3/8/11. 2011 Abiding Stereotypes about the Prophet Muhammad in the Medieval and Modern West, George Mason University, Fairfax VA 2/15/11 2011 The Shariah and its Sources, Foreign Service Institute, US Dept. of State, 1/25/11 2011 Critical Methods of Muslim Historians, Faculty Seminar, US Naval Academy, 1/24/11

2011 What Really Happened?: The Complex Question of Historical Criticism in the Islamic Tradition, York University, Toronto, 1/17/11 2010 Workshop and Islam and Judaism in America, Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York 10/27-8/10 2010 Conference on Rethinking the Shariah: Who Speaks for Islamic Law?, organizer, Georgetown University, 10/7/2010 2010 Conference on The Contours of Late Sunni Traditionalism, co-organizer, Duke University, 4/28/10 2010 Images of Muhammad, Willamette University, Salem OR 3/30/10. 2010 Even if Its not True Its True: the Role of Forged Material in the Islamic Tradition, University of Chicago, 2/2/10 2010 Tradition Trumping Text in Christianity and Islam: Eusebius, al-Tirmidhi and Shaykh Ali Gomaa, Georgetown University, 1/21/10 2009 Lying about the Prophet of God: Forgery and its Manipulation in the Islamic Tradition, Princeton University, 10/12/09 2009 Female Circumcision and the Shariah in the Egyptian High Administrative Court, invited presentation at workshop on Islamic Law in the Courts: Judicial Interpretations of Shariah in Modern Muslim States, University of Washington, 6/5-6/09 2009 Consensus and the Amman Declaration, invited presentation at workshop on Islam and International Humanitarian Law, Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism, Syracuse University, 4/17/09 2009 A Man for All Seasons: Ibn Uqda and Bridging the Sunni/Shiite Divide in the Tenth Century, American Oriental Society Annual Conference 3/14/09 2009 Scholars and Charlatans on the Baghdad-Khurasan Circuit from the Ninth to the Eleventh Centuries, American Historical Association, 1/3/09 2008 Islam and Sexuality: Beyond the Headlines, Centennial Lecture Series for University of Washington Alumni Association, 11/5/08 2008- The Hadith Master of Our Age: Ahmad al-Ghumari (d. 1960), the Influential Salafi, Shiite, Sufi, Sunni Muslim, panel on Makers of Traditional Islam: Identifying a Phenomenon through its Architects, American Academy of Religion Annual Conference, 11/3/08 (panel organizer) 2008 Is the Devil in the Details?: Tension between Minimalism and Comprehensiveness in Islamic Law, panel on A Disobedient Prophet?: Tensions between the Quran and Prophetic Precedent in Islam, American Academy of Religion Annual Conference, 11/1/08 2008 When Shariah Meets Reality: Give Fatwas in Egypt Today, invited paper at conference Is There a Role for Shariah in Modern States, Georgetown University, 10/23/08 2008 Spokesmen of the Shariah: Working as a Mufti in Egypt Today, University of Arizona, 10/20/08 2008 Plus a change: The New Old Debate on Science and Hadith, Critical Islamic Reflections Conference, Yale University 4/12/08 2008 Critical Rigor vs. Juridical Pragmatism, Joseph Schacht Revisited Workshop, Harvard University, 4/4-5/08 2008 Martyrdom in Islam, Annual Eid Speech at the University of Chicago, 2/1/08 2008 Muhammad and the Origins of Islam in the West, lecture at Eastern Washington University, Spokane WA, 1/08.

2008 The Roles of Muhammad in Islamic Civilization, lecture at Eastern Washington University, Spokane, WA, 1/08 2008 Lying for the Prophet of God: Questions of Forgery in the Islamic Tradition, lecture at Duke University, 1/08 2007 Respondent, for panel What do Hadith Do?: the Functions of Hadith in Islamic Civilization, American Academy of Religion Annual Conference, 11/07 2007 Even If Its Not True Its True: Historical Truth in the Western and Islamic Traditions, lecture at the University of British Columbia 11/26/07 2007 Tear Down Those Quotation Marks: Canons in the Islamic Tradition, lecture at the University of British Columbia, 11/25/07 2007 Early Matn Criticism, invited paper at Conference on Religious Texts in Islam: Authority, Reception and Use, Martin Luther University , Halle, Germany 6/8-9/07 2007 Central Asian Contributions to Hadith Scholarship in the Classical and Early Modern Periods, 2nd International Conference on Issues of Comparative Religious Studies in Central Asia, University of Washington 4/15/07 2007 Islamic Scholarship Defined by Islamic Disciplines: Fiqh and Hadith, panel on The Muslim World on the Eve of the Modern Era: Reframing Islamic History, American Historical Association, 1/6/07 2006 The Tarikh Baghdad in the History of Sunni Hadith Criticism, or, Did Al-Khatib Not Like Al-Hakim Al-Naysaburi? panel on Tarikh Baghdad and the Formation of the Islamic Intellectual Traditions, Middle East Studies Association Annual Conference 11/19/06 2006 Gathering the Threads: An Excursion into the History of the Hadith Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 11/18/06 2006 How We Know Early Hadith Critics Did Matn Criticism, Georgetown University 10/06. 2006 A New Look at the Hadith Criticism of Muhammad b. Ismail al-Bukhari, Issues of Comparative Religious Studies in Central Asia, Tashkent, Uzbekistan 2005 Iconoclasm and Institutional Security: Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani and Criticism of the Canonical Hadith Collections, on Critical Approaches to Salafi Islam Panel, American Academy of Religions, 11/21/05 2005 Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni: Unsung Architect of the Shafii/Ashari Tradition, presented at the 2nd Early Islamic Historical Traditions Conference, Chicago, IL, 11/13/05 2005 The Canonization of al-Bukhari and Muslim, Bilim va Sanat Wakf, Istanbul, 9/13/2005 2005 The Hadith Tradition in the Abbasid Period: a Cult of Authenticity, presented at the Early Islamic Historical Traditions Conference, Chicago IL, 4/9-10/2005 2004 The Development of Hadith and Islamic Law, lecture at American University in Cairo, Cairo 4/28/2004 MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 2005-present American Academy of Religion 2006-present Middle East Studies Association 2006-present American Historical Association 2008- present American Oriental Society COMMUNITY OUTREACH

2011 The Radical Islam Hearings, guest on The Platform, Voice of America Urdu Service, 3/14/11 2011 A Brief History of Hadith Collection and Criticism, MCA Islamic Center, San Jose CA 1/29/11 2011 Islam in the West, MCA Islamic Center, San Jose CA 1/28/11 2010 Modern Perspectives on the Shariah, at Workshop on the Shariah for Secondary School Teachers, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University, 10/29/10 2010 Interview on al-Arabiyya program Akher al-usbu on Quran Burning, 9/9/10 2010 Panel Faithful to the Earth: An Interfaith Dialogue on Sustainability, Seattle University, 4/21/10 2010 Images of the Prophet in the West, Meridian Foundation, Istanbul 4/10-11/10 2010 Introduction to the Shariah, Seattle University, Seattle 1/27/10. 2008 Taught 2-day course on Hadith and the Development of the Western Historical Critical Method, Maghrib Institute, Houston 8/13-14/08. 2008 Navigating the Debates over Hadith in the Modern World, ALIM Program, Detroit 7/31/08. 2008 Taught 12-hour course of the Islamic Hadith tradition, ALIM Program, Detroit 7/30-31/08. 2008 The Importance of Knowledge in Islam, Islamic Center of Greater Detroit, 5/3/08. 2007 Faces of Islam: Sunni and Shiite Islam, World Affairs Council lecture, 5/30/07. 2007 Differences between Shiites and Sunni KBCS Radio 2/22/07 http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/kbcs/downloads/One_World_Report/OWR_20070222/OWR_20070222_ Shia_Sunni_JD.mp3 2004 De-Mystifying the Middle East, lecture at Moraine Valley School, Chicago IL. 10/29/2004. 2004 The Religion of Islam, lecture at St. Xavier College, Chicago IL. 5/27/2004. 2002 Islam and 9/11, lecture at St. Albans School, Washington DC 9/11/2002.

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MACALIM AL-QURAN WA AL-SUNNAH VOL.2 (JURNAL) YUSSUF AL-QARADAWI DAN PENGARUHNYA DALAM MASYARAKAT ISLAM DI MALAYSIA
Penulis : MOHD RUMAIZUDDIN GHAZALI Terbitan : 2012 Jum. Halaman : 273 m/s Buku ini membicarakan biografi tokoh ulama pada zaman ini ; Yusuf Abdullah al- Qaradawi. Penulis membicarakan pemikiran al-Qaradawi dalam bidang dakwah dan pengaruhnya kepada masyarakat Islam. Di samping itu, menyorot pandangannya dalam maqasid Syariat, asas dan prinsip ekonomi dan fiqah. Buku ini amat sesuai dengan semua lapisan masyarakat untuk mengetahui keperibadian tokoh tersebut sehingga menjadi ulama tersohor dan tempat rujukan umat Islam pada zaman ini.

Encyclopedia of Canonical adth

G.H.A. Juynboll

This encyclopedic work on Islam comprises English translations of all canonical adths, complete with their respective chains of transmission (isnds). By conflating the variant versions of the same adth, the repetitiveness of its literature has been kept wherever possible to a minimum. The latest methods of isnd analysis, described in the general introduction, have been employed in an attempt to identify the person(s) responsible for each adth. The book is organized in the alphabetical order of those persons. These are the so-called common links. Each of them is listed with the tradition(s) for the wording of which he can be held accountable, or with which he can at least be associated. Within each article, the traditions are referred to in bold figures in the numerical order as they were distilled from the more than 19,000 isnds listed in Tufat al-ashrf bi marifat al-arf by the Syrian adth scholar Yusuf b. Abd ar-Ramn al-Mizz (d. 742/1341). Medieval commentaries as well as assorted biographical lexicons were drawn upon to illustrate the text of each tradition in all theological, social, legal and other noteworthy aspects discernible in it. Thus no details of eschatology, superstitions, miraculous phenomena, Jahili practices etc. were left without the clarifying comments of contemporary and later theologians, historians and adth experts culled from such works as the Fat al-br, a major commentary of Bukhrs a by Ibn ajar al-Asqaln (d. 852/1448) or the commentary by Yaya b. Sharaf an-Nawaw (d. 676/1277) of the a of Muslim b. al-ajjj. The encyclopedia concludes with an exhaustive index and glossary of names and concepts, which functions at the same time as a concordance. In short, this work presents an indispensable sourcebook of the development of Islam in all its facets during the first three centuries since its foundation as reflected in canonical adth.

New Perspectives on the Qur'an

The Qur'an in its Historical Context 2
Edited by Gabriel Reynolds Routledge 2011 538 pages Series: Routledge Studies in the Qur'an This book continues the work of The Quran in its Historical Context, in which an international group of scholars address an expanded range of topics on the Quran and its origins, looking beyond medieval Islamic traditions to present the Qurans own conversation with the religions and literatures of its day. Particular attention is paid to recent debates and controversies in the field, and to uncovering the Qurans relationship with Judaism and Christianity. After a foreword by Abdolkarim Soroush, chapters by renowned experts cover: method in Qur'anic Studies analysis of material evidence, including inscriptions and ancient manuscripts, for what they show of the Qur'ans origins the language of the Qur'an and proposed ways to emend our reading of the Qur'an how our knowledge of the religious groups at the time of the Qur'ans emergence might contribute to a better understanding of the text

 the Qur'ans conversation with Biblical literature and traditions that challenge the standard understanding of the holy book. This debate of recent controversial proposals for new interpretations of the Qur'an will shed new light on the Quranic passages that have been shrouded in mystery and debate. As such, it will be a valuable reference for scholars of Islam, the Quran, Christian-Muslim relations and the Middle East.
Foreword Abdul Karim Soroush Introduction Gabriel Said Reynolds Part 1: Method in Qurnic Studies 1. The Historian, The Believer, and the Qur'n Fred Donner 2. Studies in Qur'nic Vocabulary: The Problem of the Dictionary Andrew Rippin 3. Towards Understanding the Qurns Worldview: An Autobiographical Reflection Nasr Abu Zayd Part 2: The Qurn and Material Evidence 4. The Jews of the Hijaz in the Qur'n and in Their Inscriptions Robert Hoyland 5. The Usage of Ancient South Arabian and other Arabian Languages as an Etymological Source for Qur'nic Vocabulary Hani Hayajneh 6. Vowel Letters and Ortho-epic Writing in the Qur'n Gerd-R. Puin Part 3: Qurnic Vocabulary 7. Hapaxes in the Qur'n: Identifying and Cataloguing Lone Words (and Loan Words) Shawkat M. Toorawa 8. Tripartite, but Anti-Trinitarian Formulas in the Qur'nic Corpus, Possibly Pre-Qur'nic Manfred Kropp 9. Angels, Stars, Death, the Soul, Horses, Bows - or Women? The Opening Verses of Qur'n 79 Munther Younes 10. Al-Najm (Q 53), Chapter of the Star: A New Syro-Aramaic Reading of Verses 1-5 Christoph Luxenberg Part 4: The Qurn and Its Religious Context 11. Al-Nasr in the Qur'n: A Hermeneutical Reflection Sidney Griffith 12. The Mysterious Letters and Other Formal Features of the Qur'n in Light of Greek and Babylonian Oracular Texts Devin Stewart13. Does the Qur'n Deny or Assert Jesus Crucifixion and Death? Suleiman Mourad 14. Early Christian Arabic Texts: Evidence for non-Uthmnic Qurn Codices, or Early Approaches to the Qurn? Clare Wilde 15. Has God Sent a Mortal as a Messenger?" (Q 17:95). Messengers and Angels in the Qur'n Gerald Hawting Part 5: The Qurn and Biblical Literature 16. Is There a Notion of "Divine Election" in the Qur'n? Reuven Firestone 17. Lots Daughters in the Qur'n: an Investigation Through the Lens of Intertextuality Waleed Ahmed 18. Joseph among the Ishmaelites: Q 12 in Light of Syriac Sources Joseph Witztum 19. Condemnation in the Qur'n and the Syriac Gospel of Matthew Emran El-Badawi 20. The Qur'nic Pharaoh Adam Silverstein

Gabriel Said Reynolds is Associate Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology at the University of Notre Dame (USA). He is the author of The Quran and Its Biblical Subtext(Routledge 2010), the editor of The Quran in Its Historical Context (Routledge 2008), and the translator of Abd al-Jabbars A Critique of Christian Origins (BYU 2010). Sulaymn b. Abd Allh al-Khursh (alive 610/1214): Kitb al-Tafl lijumal al-Tal. Facsimile Edition of MS Glaser no. 51, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
Location: Tehran More Info: With Introductions and Indices by Hassan Ansari & Jan Thiele Publisher: Mrth-e maktb & Freie Universitt Berlin Publication Date: 2013 Publication Name: Classical Muslim Heritage Series; 3

Kausalitt in der mutazilitischen Kosmologie. Das Kitb al-Muairt wa-mift al-mukilt des Zayditen al-asan ar-Ra (st. 584/1188)
"The importance of Zayd sources for historical research on Mutazil theology is generally acknowledged since the spectacular discoveries of unique manuscripts in Yemen in the 1950s. Yet the knowledge transfer and adoption of Mutazil thought by the Yemeni Zaydiyya still remain an understudied field. Alasan ar-Ra (d. 1188) was one of the main promoters of Mutazilism in 6th/12th century Yemen. His works mainly focus on natural philosophy and include a systematic treatise on causality which is

comprehensively examined and critically edited in this volume. The present study gives insight into a fascinating chapter of Islamic intellectual history and offers the first analysis of a Mutazil theory of causality. Die Bedeutung zayditischer Quellen fr die Erforschung mutazilitischer Theologie ist sptestens seit der spektakulren Wiederentdeckung einzigartiger Handschriften im Jemen der 1950er Jahre allgemein anerkannt. Dennoch sind der Wissenstransfer und die Adaption mutazilitischen Denkens durch die jemenitische Zaydiyya bislang kaum erforscht. Al-asan ar-Ra (st. 1188) war einer der wichtigsten Protagonisten dieses Prozesses im Jemen des 6./12. Jahrhunderts. Unter seinen zahlreichen Schriften zu naturphilosophischen Fragen findet sich auch ein systematisches Traktat zur Kausalitt, welches im vorliegenden Buch umfassend untersucht und kritisch ediert wird. Die Studie gewhrt Einblick in ein faszinierendes Kapitel islamischer Geistesgeschichte und analysiert erstmals eine mutazilitische Systematik zur Kausalitt." Location: Leiden Publisher: Brill Publication Date: 2011 Publication Name: Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science; 84 Research Interests:

Islamic Studies, Yemen, Zaydiyya, Mutazila, al-asan al-Ra, and Kalam (Islamic Theology) [forthcoming] Ab Hshim al-Jubbs (d. 321/933) theory of the states (awl) and its adaption by Asharite theologians
"This article discusses the notion of states (awl) in Mutazilite and Asharite theology. The concept was borrowed from linguistics by the Mutazilite theologian Ab Hshim al-Jubb (d. 321/933). It helped him to explain the nature of Gods attributes without asserting the existence of co-eternal beings in God. The conception of attributes as states became a central doctrine among Ab Hshims followers, the socalled Bahshamiyya school. The theory of awl was first rejected by Asharite theologians. With Ab Bakr al-Bqilln (d. 403/1013), however, an important representative of the school eventually came to use the term within the framework of his theory of attributes. Later, Abu l-Mal al-Juwayn (d. 478/10856) also followed al-Bqilln in adopting the notion of l." Location: Oxford Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication Name: The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology. Ed. Sabine Schmidtke

[forthcoming] Theological Compendia in Late 6th/12th and Early 7th/13th Century Zaydism: al-asan al-Ras K. al-Tal and Its Commentaries
Al-asan al-Ra (d. 584/1188), a prominent Zayd scholar who lived in 6th/12th century Yemen, left a rather short theological compendium, entitled Kitb al-Tal f l-tawd wa-l-tadl. This text was particularly popular among scholars of the generations following al-Ras death. Three commentaries on the K. al-Tal were composed between his death and the year 620/1223. This paper presents alRas text and its reception, and furthermore discusses the identity of an extensive, but only partially extant, commentary on al-Tal. In addition, I will address the question to what extent these texts reflect specific intellectual trends in Zayd scholarship. Location: Leuven Publisher: Peeters Publication Name: Theological Rationalism in Medieval Islam: New Sources and Perspectives. Eds. Lukas Mhlethaler and Gregor Schwarb

Propagating Mutazilism in the VIth/XIIth century Zaydiyya: The Role of al-asan al-Ra
While Mutazilism had become marginalized in Sunni Islam by the VIth/XIIth century, the reception of Basran Mutazil thought experienced a sudden rise among the Zayds of Yemen. Their Imams began officially supporting the transfer of Basran Mutazil texts and doctrines to Yemen. As a result, an

indigenous Basran Mutazil school emerged and preserved numerous Mutazil theological sources, which would otherwise have been lost. One of the most important representatives of this school was al-asan alRa (d. 584/1188). This article provides an outline of al-Ra' biography and of his extensive body of works in order to show his importance for the spread of Basran Mutazil thought among the Zayd community. Location: Leiden More Info: pp. 536558 Publisher: Brill Journal Name: Arabica 57 v-vi Publication Date: 2010

La causalit selon al-kim al-ium

""Al-kim al-ium, auteur bahamite et zaydite, principalement connu pour son uvre exgtique, a compos dimportants textes thologiques. Parmi ces textes se trouve une somme de thologie intitule K. al- Tar wa-l-muair f ilm al-kalm. Cette somme nous est parvenue grce un manuscrit unique conserv au Ymen. La premire partie de ce livre aborde le sujet de la causalit daprs lapproche mutazilite, et examine les diverses notions et catgories des causes. Prsent par son auteur comme une synthse des ides des grands matres Ab Al al-ubb, Ab Him al-ubb, Ab Abd Allh al-Bar et Abd al-abbr, ce texte semble tre le plus ancien expos systmatique crit par un mutazilite qui nous soit parvenu dans ce domaine. Al-kim al-ium, a Baham and Zayd author who is primarily known for his exegetical work, composed a number of important theological texts. Among these we find a theological summa entitled K. al-Tar wa-l-muair f ilm al-kalm, which has been preserved in a unique manuscript in Yemen. The first part of the book deals with the issue of causality according to the Mutazil approach and examines various notions and categories of causes. The author presents his work as a synthesis of ideas of the outstanding masters Ab Al al-ubb, Ab Him al-ubb, Ab Abd Allh al-Bar and Abd alabbr. The text appears to be the oldest extant systematic treatise by a Mutazil written on this subject."" Location: Leiden More Info: pp. 291-318 Publisher: Brill Journal Name: Arabica 59iii-iv Publication Date: 2012 Research Interests:

Islamic Studies, Zaydism, al-kim al-Jishum, Islamic Philosophy, Kalam (Islamic Theology), and 3 more Propagating Mutazilism in the VIth/XIIth century Zaydiyya: The Role of al-asan al-Ra [Errata]
Location: Leiden More Info: p. 165 Publisher: Brill Journal Name: Arabica 58 i-ii Publication Date: 2011 Research Interests:

Yemen, Zaydism, al-asan al-Ra, and Mutazila Propagating Mutazilism in the VIth/XIIth century Zaydiyya: The Role of al-asan al-Ra
While Mutazilism had become marginalized in Sunni Islam by the VIth/XIIth century, the reception of Basran Mutazil thought experienced a sudden rise among the Zayds of Yemen. Their Imams began officially supporting the transfer of Basran Mutazil texts and doctrines to Yemen. As a result, an indigenous Basran Mutazil school emerged and preserved numerous Mutazil theological sources, which would otherwise have been lost. One of the most important representatives of this school was al-asan alRa (d. 584/1188). This article provides an outline of al-Ra' biography and of his extensive body of

works in order to show his importance for the spread of Basran Mutazil thought among the Zayd community. Location: Leiden More Info: pp. 536558 Publisher: Brill Journal Name: Arabica 57 v-vi Publication Date: 2010 Research Interests:

Islamic Studies, al-asan al-Ra, Zaydiyya, Mutazila, Kalam (Islamic Theology), and Zaydism On the translatability of kalm terminology: Examples from Zayd theological texts
Location: Freie Universitt Berlin Event Date: Jun 30, 2012 Organization: Workshop "Linking Multiple Perspectives: Textual Approaches to the Intellectual History of the Islamic World" Conference End Date: Jul 1, 2012 Conference Start Date: Jun 30, 2012

Reconstructing Abd al-Jabbrs K. al-Jumal wa-l-uqd from Jewish and Muslim sources
Location: Swedish Research Institute, Istanbul Event Date: May 25, 2013 Organization: Conference "Jewish and Christian Reception(s) of Muslim Theology" Research Interests:

Zaydism, Firkovitch collection, Cairo Genizah, Rare Books and Manuscripts,Karaism, and 4 more al-Daylam, Muammad b. al-asan
Location: Leiden Publisher: Brill Publication Date: 2013 Publication Name: Encyclopedia of Islam. Three. 2013-2 Research Interests:

Yemen, Sufism, and Zaydism

A Muslim Theologian in the Sectarian Milieu: Abd' al-Jabbar and the Critique of Christian Origins
Dublin Core Title A Muslim Theologian in the Sectarian Milieu: Abd' al-Jabbar and the Critique of Christian Origins Subject Comparative Religion Description The present work discusses the work of the medieval Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar who reinterpreted the Bible, Church history (especially the lives of Paul and Constantine) and Christian practice to argue that Christians changed the Islamic religion of Jesus. The author argues that 'Abd al-Jabbar's polemic is better understood as a response to his particular milieu and the on-going inter-religious debates of the medieval Islamic world.

Creator Gabriel Said Reynolds Publisher Brill Academic Pub Date 2004 Format PDF Language EN Files Gabriel Said Reynolds - A Muslim Theologian in the Sectarian Milieu. Abd al-Jabbar and the Critique of Christian Origins.pdf Collection Books Citation Gabriel Said Reynolds, A Muslim Theologian in the Sectarian Milieu: Abd' al-Jabbar and the Critique of Christian Origins, Near Eastern and Semitic Studies Information Archive, accessed September 29, 2013, http://nessia.org/items/show/15. "The Mahd and the Treasures of al-laqn," Arabica 59.5 (2012): 459-483.
by Sean Anthony
This study highlights a hitherto neglected trope of Muslim apocalyptic literaturenamely, that there awaits the future Mahd in a region known as al-laqn a great treasure that will gain him a mighty army to aid him to triumph in the final battle against evil. Tracing the tropes origin in Zoroastrian apocalypticism and its subsequent dissemination in a wide array of Muslim apocalyptic traditions, this paper argues that this apocalyptic trope ultimately entered into Muslim apocalypticismin particular ite apocalypticismduring a Zayd revolt against the Abbasids led by the asanid Yay b. Abdallh in the year 176/792. The paper then explores how the revolt of Yay b. Abdallh shaped the function of the treasures of al-laqn trope in Muslim apocalypticism and how Yays personality and the revolt he inspired continued to leave an indelible imprint on Imm apocalypticism thereafter.

Sufyns Hybrid War: Tribal Politics during the th Conflict

by Marieke Brandt
"The Hth conflict, which erupted in 2004, produced profound changes in the power structures of Yemens northernmost regions. A central, yet little-studied feature of the Hth conflict is the progressive involvement of the local tribes. The study retraces how the tribal momentum of the conflict developed, using the empirical example of Sufyn, a Bakl tribe which controls a strategically important territory in the northern Amrn governorate. In reviewing the battle for Sufyn, it is evident that incitement and exploitation of tribal blood feud by the warring parties was a striking feature of the late phase of the Hth conflict. Through a specific confluence of features this conflict became a kind of hybrid war, containing tribal, military-governmental, denominational, and personal (big man) elements and motivations that contributed to regional destabilisation and also had violent repercussions on the Arab Spring movement in Yemen." Journal Name: Journal of Arabian Studies 3.1 (June 2013), pp. 120 138 Research Interests:

Middle East, Tribal studies, Arabian Peninsula C19/C20/C21, Feuding, Tribalism in the Modern Middle East, and 13 more Iranian Zaydism during the 7th/13th century: Ab l-Fal b. Shahrdawr al-Daylam al-Jln and his commentary on the Qurn
by Sabine Schmidtke
"From the 3rd/9th through the late 6th/12th century, the leading intellectual centres of Zaydism were located in Northern Iran, namely in abaristn, Daylamn and Gln in the Caspian region, as well as in Rayy during and after the Buwayhid age and in Bayhaq in Khursn. Gradually, the Zayd communities in

Iran experienced a decline and most of their literary legacy was no longer transmitted. Had it not been for the massive transfer of Zayd religious literature from Iran to Yemen following the political unification of the Caspian and Yemeni Zayds that began by the end of the 5th/11th century, most of the Iranian Zayd literary heritage would have been lost. Following the death in 614/1217 of the Yemenite Imam al-Manr bi-llh, during whose reign the cultural transfer from Iran to Yemen reached its peak, relations between the Iranian and Yemenite Zayd communities became more tenuous and the transfer of literary sources from Iran to Yemen which had by now replaced Northern Iran as the intellectual centre of Zaydism had mostly ceased. That the tradition of Zayd learning continued in Iran at least until the 10th/16th century is confirmed by scattered documents attesting the scholarly tradition of Zaydism of the 9th/15th and 10th/16th centuries, as well as by a number of manuscripts transcribed in the Caspian Zayd community between the 7th/13th and the 10th/16th centuries. ... Iranian libraries also hold copies of Zayd manuscripts dating from the 8th/14th century. Among these manuscripts are several partial copies of the comprehensive commentary on the Qurn by Ab l-Fal b. Shahrdawr b. Ysuf b. Ab l-asan al-Daylam al-Jln al-Mirkl, one of the most impressive testimonies to Zayd learning in 7th/13th century Iran. ... Two of these volumes that together cover the tafsr in its entirety are now available in facsimile publication ..." More Info: "co-authored with Hassan Ansari Journal Asiatique 299 i (2011), pp. 205-11" Research Interests:

Islamic Studies, Iranian Studies, Zaydism, and Manuscripts Iran The literary-religious tradition among 7th/13th century Yemen Zayds: The formation of the Imm al-Mahd li-Dn Allh Amad b. al-usayn b. al-Qsim (d. 656/1258)
by Sabine Schmidtke
"Abstract: The rich sra literature relating to the careers of imms is a genre characteristic for the Zayd communities in Yemen and in Iran. These documents were composed by close companions, secretaries or other personnel in their vicinity, often inspired in structure and terminology by the sra of the Prophet Muammad. Their primary function was to legitimize the imms, and describing their merits therefore formed an important element of such documents. The sra of the Imm al-Mahd li-Dn Allh Ab ayr Amad b. al-usayn (d. 656/1258) was composed by Sharaf al-Dn Yay b. al-Qsim al-amz (d. 677/1278-9). The primary significance of the section of the sra that is devoted to Amad b. al-usayns formation, which is edited and analysed in the article, is that it provides a detailed picture of the intellectual scene in Yemen during the 7th/13th century and informs us about the characteristics of the formation of scholars during this period. Moreover, the document informs us about the works that were part of the transfer of knowledge from Iran to Yemen that began with the unification of the Caspian Zaydiyya and the Zayds in Yemen during the imamate of Ab lib al-akhr (d. 520/1126) and gradually increased throughout the 6th/12th century until the death of the Imm al-Manr bi-llh in 614/1217.

The Qur'an: A Modern English Version [Paperback]

To followers of Islam, the Qur'an is the literal word of God, revealed through Muhammad, the last of the line of prophets. It is the expression of the will of God and contains all that is necessary to lead a life of righteousness. This message is expressed in the Arabic language with such formidable force that over the last fourteen centuries it has been revered by Muslims all over the world. Islam has a billion followers in forty-eight countries and has become a significant force in the world today; a better understanding of the Qur'an will explain why. This comprehensive and accurate rendering of
Majid Fakhry (Translator)

the Qur'an into modern English will introduce this important book to a much wider audience than ever before. The clear, rigorous translation makes it accessible, often for the first time, to students, teachers of religious studies, non-Arab Muslims and all who are interested in Islam. Paperback: 446 pages Publisher: Ithaca Press; 1st edition (January 1, 1997) Language: English ISBN-10: 1859640869
This is by far the clearest and most faithful rendering of the Qur'an into English. I would recommend this translation for anyone who actually wants to understand precisely what the Qur'an is saying, without the old fashioned fuzzy imprecision of translations such as Arberry's. I used to recommend Pickthall's version to students; this one is vastly superior. It is also one of the few translations with a decent (albeit minimal) scholarly apparatus.In short, it promises to remain the best and most accurate English version of the Qur'an for some time to come.
The Quran a modern English translation. Here is a new translation of the Quran by Talal Itani, who kindly offered Holybooks.com to post it as an ebook. Talal Itani first read the Quran 1992, in order to discredit it. Since then, Talal has been studying the Quran, researching it, and teaching it to others. Talal decided to translate the Quran when he gave up all hope of finding an English Translation that is at the same time highly accurate, and very easy to read, this is the result. We have several other translations of theQuran, this one is recommended though for new readers. Download the newly translated Quran here: The title of Rumis masterwork Masnavi-I Manavi means Rhyming Couplets of Profound Spiritual Meaning. Rumi himself referred to the Masnavi as the roots of the roots of the roots of the Islamic Religion. The Masnavi is a poetic collection of rambling anecdotes and stories derived from the Quran, hadithsources, and everyday tales. Stories are told to illustrate a point and each moral is discussed in detail. Download Rumis Masnavi-I Manavi unabridged ebook here: (483 pages) : Jelal-ed-din Rumi was born at Balkh, Persia, in 1207, and died at Konya, Turkey, in 1273. He founded the order of Mevlevi or whirling dervishes, and his chief work is the Mathnawi, an epic poem which expresses their mystical path. It was translated into English by Reynold Nicholson (6 volumes, London, 1926). This booklet is a selection from The Lives of the Gnostics by Aflaki, disciple of the poets grandson, written between 1318 and 1335. It was translated into French by C. Huart under the title Les Saints des Derviches Tourneurs (Paris 1918-22). Download the free ebook here: History of Mysticism The Unchanging Testament by Swami Abhayananda is an authoritative history book on mysticial experiences. Other books and articles by Swami Abhayananda may be read and freely downloaded on his website at: www.themysticsvision.weebly.com, he has graciously allowed us to offer them here as well. Throughout succeeding ages mystical expericences were echoed by others who had experienced the same realization: I am the Truth! exclaimed the Muslim, al-Hallaj; My Me is God, nor do I recognize any other Me except my God Himself, said the Christian saint, Catherine of Genoa. And Rumi, Jnaneshvar, Milarepa, Kabir and Basho from the East, and Eckhart, Boehme and Emerson from the West, said the same. These assertions by the great mystics of the world were not made as mere philosophical speculations; they were based on experience so real, that all those to whom it has occurred testify unanimously that it is the unmistakable realization of the ultimate Truth of existence. In this experience, called samadhi by the Hindus, nirvana by the Buddhists, fana by the Muslims, and the mystic union by Christians, the consciousness of the individual suddenly becomes the consciousness of the entire vast universe. All previous sense of duality is swallowed up in an awareness of indivisible unity. Read the comparative history of mysticism here (454 pages):

al-Daylam, Muammad b. al-asan

by Jan Thiele
Location: Leiden Publisher: Brill Publication Date: 2013 Publication Name: Encyclopedia of Islam. Three. 2013-2 Research Interests:

Yemen, Sufism, and Zaydism

Zayd Scholarship as reflected in manuscript glosses

Location: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin Event Date: May 9, 2012 Organization: International workshop of the Yemeni Manuscript Digitization Initiative (YMDI) Conference End Date: May 10, 2012 Conference Start Date: May 9, 2012

The Yemen Manuscript Digitization Project

Location: Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, Doha Event Date: Apr 8, 2012

Nr al-Dn Sulaymn b. Abdallh al-Khursh (d. 7th/13th century) and his K. al-Tafl li-jumal al-Tal
Location: Deutsches Archologisches Institut, Sanaa Event Date: Apr 15, 2010

The Commentary Literature on al-asan al-Ra K. al-Tal

Location: Orient-Institut, Istanbul Event Date: Jun 6, 2010 Organization: Theological Rationalism in Medieval Islam: New Sources and Perspectives Conference End Date: Jun 6, 2010 Conference Start Date: Jun 4, 2010

Zayd Adoptions of Bahsham Thought: The Theology of al-asan alRa (d. 584/1188)
Location: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Institute of Advanced Studies Event Date: Jul 13, 2009 Organization: Reunion Conference on Mutazilism in Islam and Judaism Conference End Date: Jul 13, 2009 Conference Start Date: Jul 12, 2009

Glnda Son Zeyd Ynetim (l-i Krkiy) = The Last Zayd Dynasty in Gln
by Adem ARIKAN
"The Last Zayd Dynasty in Gln The dynasty of l-i Krkiy (760-998/1359-1590) reigned in the region of Biyapish in Gilan which is located at northwest of Caspian Sea. In the beginning, the governors of this dynasty that belong to the governers of Alis descent were members of Zaydiyya sect. Shah Ismail, the founder of Safavids was protected by them indeed. It is written in some sources that l-i Krkiys governors accepted Ithn Ashariyya sect under the influence of Safavids. In some Ottoman sources they are called as Sunn/Shfi. In this article, the various ideas on this dynasty were studied on the light of political concers of the period. " More Info: http://isamveri.org/pdfdrg/D02370/2009_20/2009_20_ARIKANA.pdf Publication Date: Jan 1, 2009 Publication Name: stanbul niversitesi lahiyat Fakltesi Dergisi Research Interests:

Alid coinage of Gilan, Jibal and Khurasan, Zaydites, Z

Reconstructing Abd al-Jabbrs K. al-Jumal wal-uqd from Jewish and Muslim sources
by Jan Thiele

Location: Swedish Research Institute, Istanbul Event Date: May 25, 2013

Organization: Conference "Jewish and Christian Reception(s) of Muslim Theology"Distinct Perceptions of Turkish-ness: A Comparison of Different Versions of Turkish-ness in Recent Europe-based Films
by Zeynep Elbasan
Location: Bloomington, IN Event Date: 2010 Organization: Association of Central Eurasian Students (ACES)

An

Analysis of the Legendary Figure Sar Saltuk in Evliya elebis and Ibn Battutas travel accounts
by Zeynep Elbasan
Location: Bloomington, IN Event Date: 2010 Organization: The Turks and Islam International Conference

Locating

the Concept of World Literature: Orhan Pamuk and His City Istanbul as a Case Study
by Zeynep Elbasan
Location: Bloomington, IN Event Date: 2011 Organization: Association of Central Eurasian Students (ACES)

An

Orthodox Christian Bridging the Boundaries of Mavlanas Thought: Yaman Dedes Middle Path between Christianity and Islam
by Zeynep Elbasan
Location: Bloomington, IN Event Date: 2012 Organization: Central Eurasian Studies Society (CESS)