The Missing Body

This chapter considers the presumed absence of figurative representations in Islamic art, which to some is yet another indication of Islam’s inability to face and represent reality (accept modernity) – as opposed to the body-centric aesthetics of the Renaissance. It is discovered that Islamic history in fact overflows with examples of representations of sentient life. The contrast between Islam’s figurative art (as secular) and abstract and geometric art (as sacred) should not be seen as contradictory, but as a case of cultural simultaneity, which reflects an Islamicate daily life that has always been both religious and secular at the same time.

Moral Visions in Medieval Muslim Interpretations of Sūra 102 Al-Takāthur: Warnings against Pride, Wealth, or Pleasure?

This article focuses on sūra 102 al-Takāthur of the Qur’ān which addresses those preoccupied with al-takāthur (competition for superiority in number, or accumulation of wealth), warning them of the punishment of Hell in the Hereafter and of their interrogation about al-na‘īm (the worldly pleasures) on the Day of Judgement. The grave eschatological implications of engaging in al-takāthur and al-na‘īm, conveyed in this sūra, have triggered attempts by Muslim scholars to determine the intended meanings of these notions and the scope of their reference. This article examines the interpretations of al-takāthur and al-na‘īm in medieval commentaries on sūra al-Takāthur with the aim of identifying and analysing various interpretative trends regarding these two notions and exploring their connection with the moral orientations among Muslims in the medieval period of Islamic history.

خیبرپختونخوا میں سکھوں کے معاشرتی مسائل کا شرعی جائزہ اور ان کا حل

The study is conducted with a view to analyze the social problems of the Sikh community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan in light of the Islamic Sharia. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was reservation for various religions from ancient times and Sikh creed is one of them. Guru Nanak is its founder and its successor Ranjit Singh has ruled this province for some time i-e (1834-1849) but later on unable to maintain its kingdom and supremacy. The author has collected the major social problems from the social, political, business men and other influential people of various districts through face to face interviews and other print and electronic media. The study find these major problems: registration of marriage act, building of shamshanghaat, educational curriculum and minority seats in educational institutions, census problems, free celebration of cultural and religious festivals, pending of social and religious cases in courts and teasing of the children in schools by saying kafir kafir etc. The study concluded that, the Islamic Sharia allows them full social freedom under certain conditions and keeping in view the sentiments of the Muslims which is an important part of the Islamic history.

Contemporary Western Scholarship on Islam: An Appraisal of Selected ‘Introductory’ Reference Works on Islamic History

Writing on Islamand things Islamic has a long history in the West, but has seen a growth in 20thcentury and an unprecedented surgeafter the events of 9/11 (2001)—both because of Islam’s ‘global’ spread and ‘growing global impact’ as well as its diverse interpretations and explanations. Among this plethora of literature, a major portion is devoted to the Islamic historyand its inter-related aspects, in the form of ‘introductory’ reference books.These are primarily targeted for (under) graduate student community as well as for the general people interested in knowing about the faith and beliefs of 1.6 billion Muslims, living globally. This study, in this context, attempts to present an evaluation and brief content-analysis of four (4) latest works by the Western academics (mostly ‘Islamicists’) on Islamic history, published in between 2009 and 2016 (and referring to their latest editions as well). Theoretical in nature, following both descriptive and comparative methodological approaches, this study attempts to (i) get clues of the recent trends, tendencies and tenors in the English (predominantly American) scholarship on Islamic history; and (ii) identify the main topics, themes and issues covered under the broader rubric ofIslamic history/ civilization in these works. The study agrues that such mins of appraisal and evaluation helps in understanding the main themes/ topics discussed under the broader rubric ofIslamic historyas well as helps in knowing and understanding the diverse scholarly approaches adopted in studying different aspects of Islamic history—from classical to contemporary eras.

سلطان باہوؒ کی پنجابی شاعری پر حدیث نبوی کا اثر

The study is conducted with a view to analyze the social problems of the Sikh community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan in light of the Islamic Sharia. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was reservation for various religions from ancient times and Sikh creed is one of them. Guru Nanak is its founder and its successor Ranjit Singh has ruled this province for some time i-e (1834-1849) but later on unable to maintain its kingdom and supremacy. The author has collected the major social problems from the social, political, business men and other influential people of various districts through face to face interviews and other print and electronic media. The study find these major problems: registration of marriage act, building of shamshanghaat, educational curriculum and minority seats in educational institutions, census problems, free celebration of cultural and religious festivals, pending of social and religious cases in courts and teasing of the children in schools by saying kafir kafir etc. The study concluded that, the Islamic Sharia allows them full social freedom under certain conditions and keeping in view the sentiments of the Muslims which is an important part of the Islamic history.

Reflections on Certain Principles That May Guide a New Commentary (Tafsir) of the Qur’an

The author starts from his experience as a translator of the Qur’an to argue on the need for a new commentary. The aim of such a new approach would be to convey a vision of Islam more in tune with Islamic history. Further, this is also needed in relation to the substantial Muslim communities living outside of the Muslim world. Antecedents are important in this and especially those coming from the so-called literary moment in the 20th-century Qur’an commentary tradition. A new commentary should be conducted by a committee. Additionally, the second part of the paper explores this possibility and what this committee should take care of in this direction, such as gender-consciousness or environment questions.

GENDER AND SEXUAL RIGHTS IN EARLY ISLAM

When early Islamic jurists outlined the marriage law, they codified a gendered model of conjugal rights and duties that privileged men over women. A similar development also took place regarding sexual rights as women’s pleasure and sexual gratification became secondary to those of men. Specialists in this period of Islamic history have argued that the gender ideologies prevalent in the early Abbasid society, which enabled an androcentric definition of Islam, should be seen as the primary cause for the inequality within the Islamic marriage system. This paper aims to show that Abbasid gender ideologies, contrary to popular descriptions, were not homogenous. Two major trends in understanding female sexuality during the early Abbasid period will be discussed. The first, androcentric trend that focused primarily on male sexual gratification was in conflict with a more women-friendly attitude; the latter was advocated in a number of literary genres, including medical handbooks, popular stories, educational and ethics literature. These works accentuated the importance of female sexual health and favoured female pleasure as a necessary element for mutual sexual satisfaction and marital happiness. The paper illustrates that some aspects from this more women-friendly approach to sexuality were adopted in later legal opinions that sought to correct the most visible cases of inequality in the social institution of marriage.

With Ibn Ḫaldūn in His Workshop: What He Read in Ibn al-ʿAmīd, What He Retained, and Why

Ibn Ḫaldūn spent the last 24 years of his life in Egypt. There he enlarged the scope of his history, venturing beyond the boundaries of his own civilization. In this process, three authors played a crucial role: the Copto-Arabic historian Ibn al-ʿAmīd al-Makīn, the Josippon, and the Arabic translation of Orosius. Adopting a “coring method”, and based on Ibn al-ʿAmīd’s forthcoming edition, this article studies the use of the Coptic historian in a very limited, but significant, sample of Ibn Ḫaldūn’s history, i.e., the passage devoted to the Achaemenids. The comparison between the two texts allows to draw some conclusions regarding the process of transmission of historical materials from late antiquity to Islam. First, historiography was perceived by Ibn Ḫaldūn and several other Muslim authors as a discipline in which non-Muslims could participate, and the Bible was generally considered as a reliable source of information. Second, the accounts on pre-Islamic history which were more likely to be preserved shared three traits: they were mostly understandable, relevant to the readers, and non-controversial.