This thesis deals with Shafi’i's theories on the role in usul al-fiqh of the Qur’an and the hadith. By detailed reference to Shifi’i’s writings, it becomes clear that his chief concern was with the role of the sunna of the Prophet, Islamic scholars in previous generations had referred to a number of sources in defence of regional attitudes. Their failure to produce a theory of sources enabled Shaf’i to charge them with inconsistency. Certain scholars of his own generation were apparently alleging the sufficiency of the Qur’an source. Inter-school squabbles involving the first group of scholars represented in Shafi’i’s view as great a threat to the overriding importance which the party known as ahl al-hadith desired to secure for the hadith of the Prophet as did the more direct assault of the second group's insistence upon the primary significance of the Qur’an source. An attempt is made to show that Shaf’i’s source theories were constructed in response to the arguments of both groups and were directed to the creation of a unifying principle which would solve the problem of ikhtilaf al-muslimin while simultaneously guaranteeing minimum disruption for the fiqh conclusions which Shafi’i’ had espoused. Since he proposed to document these conclusions on the basis of the sunna, Shafi’i’s theories were designed to place the sunna beyond further scholarly attack. The study consists of nine chapters. Chapter one examines Shafi’ i's intellectual life, his acquaintance with scholars from different regions and of different schools. Chapter two deals with the materials employed by his predecessors to document their legal doctrines, and Shafi’i’s handling of these materials in his efforts to systematize the sunni fiqh. Chapters three, four and five deal with his endeavour to establish the overriding importance for the sunni fiqh, of the sunna embodied in the hadith of the Prophet. Chapter nine discusses his views on the isnad. Chapters six and seven examine his endeavour to establish a necessary connection between the Qur’an and the sunna, and the resultant subjection of the qur’an to the sunna by means of the Shafi’i theory of bayan and exclusion (takhsis). Chapter eight deals with his views on qiyas, the only form of legal reasoning of which he approved, and the resultant curtailing of independent legal reasoning and, thereby, of the development of the fiqh.

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This dissertation examines the attitudes towards the use of medicine in Jewish traditions of the third and second centuries BCE. More specifically, I examine the references to medicine and healing found in the books of 1 Enoch (particularly in the Book of Watchers and the Epistle of Enoch), Tobit, Ben Sira and Jubilees. These texts participate in a debate about the appropriateness of medicine on the one hand, and on the consultation of physicians, on the other. By means of an examination of the multiple manuscript evidence for these texts, I aim to throw light on the earliest strata of the textual tradition. Furthermore, through a discussion on the picture of medicine as presented in Assyria-Babylon, Egypt and Greece—nations alongside which ancient Israel has lived for centuries—I attempt to explore the historico-cultural milieu that lies behind these texts, to offer some fresh insights and to account for the attitudes towards the use of medicine these present. My thesis is that there was no unified approach towards the use of medicine in the Jewish circles of the third and second centuries BCE; the authors of these literary compositions, each in his own unique way, ventured to create afresh medical awareness to his fellow Jews. The existence of opposing views towards medical practice should be understood as different ways to comprehend the multifarious Jewish identity of the Second Temple period. Finally, I suggest that the medical and healing material of the aforementioned writings may be considered as further literary evidence that can contribute to the broader understanding of the manifold medical situations in Hellenistic times.

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The presence of some ambiguity about the two terms of soul and spirit, which up until now has not been considered, has been investigated in this research. This ambiguity has created problems in different fields of study such as philosophy, psychology and commentaries of religious texts. This is because the two words are usually used synonymously. The main aim of this research is to investigate whether the human being has an independent spirit in addition to the body and the soul or not. In other words it is attempting to establish if man is a tripartite existence made of body, soul and spirit. In order to attain this aim the ideas of various philosophers are discussed on different subjects regarding the soul with particular attention to the philosophical system introduced in the seventeenth century AD by the Muslim philosopher, Sadr al-din Shirazi. This consisted of two other philosophical systems in Islamic philosophy, peripatetic (mashā‟) and illuminative („ishrāq) combined with mystical and religious teachings. His idea about the soul was set as the basis for the arguments regarding the soul and the ideas of other philosophers were compared to it. This research explores the principles that form Sadra‟s beliefs about the soul. One of Sadra‟s principles, the fundamentality of existence, is explained. This principle aims to prove the reality of the external world and the soul as one of these realities. The topics of motion and time and the views of philosophers about these are cited. In addition, another Sadra‟s important principles, trans-substantial motion, is mentioned and explained and it is suggested that the difference between Sadra‟s and other philosophers‟ ideas about the soul lies in accepting or rejecting motion in substance. According to Sadra, the soul which is material at the beginning of its creation moves towards immateriality by trans-substantial motion. Then philosophers‟ ideas about the soul are mentioned as well as their disagreements regarding different issues such as immateriality, motion, origination of the soul etc. In addition, the problem that Sadra‟s philosophical system faces in regard to the soul is discussed in particular since it is the main aim of this research. It is concluded that Sadra‟s idea is more complete than the other ideas regarding the soul. The existence of the soul found a better justification in this idea. The problem of dualism of the soul and body with which other philosophers were faced has been resolved. Meanwhile the problem of this philosophical idea which sees the soul to be the same as the spirit was investigated and it was stated that this problem has caused many diversities of opinion between philosophers in subjects related to the soul. The propounded solution for all the cases was to accept the dichotomy of the soul and spirit. Religious texts have been classified, analysed and used to support this idea and by using different evidences it was confirmed that the soul and the spirit are two independent substances and that the human being is a tripartite existence.

The tremendous growth and widespread expansion of Islamic banking industry in the financial markets of the world has made this newly born industry a ground reality. More than 400 banks are operating in over 75 countries of the world. The assets of Islamic banking industry around the world are over $1.1 trillion in 2012. Another factor of the attraction of Islamic banking industry is the resilience which Islamic banks have shown in the current global financial crisis. The UK, because of its legal and financial environment has become a centre of Islamic banking and finance in the west and stands as number 8 in world ranking. The presence and ever growing considerable segment of Muslim population in the UK and their social, cultural and religious identity require a faith based banking system which is compatible with their beliefs and values. The demographics of the Muslim population and the ideological differences supported the argument that the Islamic banks can produce significant socio-economic impact. The social aspect of banking institutions is a new development in the discipline. The dissertation explores the attitudes of Muslims in the North West of England towards Islamic banking and finance and what is the potential of Islamic banking and finance from socioeconomic perspective in the region.

The present thesis is a synchronic investigation of the ceremony of the Red Heifer of Num 19, which describes a purificatory ritual that cleanses persons who have become defiled through contact with the dead. In seeking the authorial intent and meaning behind the elusive symbolism of the rite, two avenues are pursued: 1) an investigation of the rite’s relationship to the חטאת complex of sacrifices; 2) an analysis of the text of Num 19 from within, and in relationship to, its narrative framework in Numbers and the Torah. Comparative study with other חטאת reveals that the Red Heifer is best understood as a rite de passage which effects separation and transfer from a state of impurity. In narrative context, this rite of separation entails a spatial transfer—separation from the domain of death typified by the wilderness and reintegration into the camp of Israel gathered around the holy Sanctuary. Narrative context supplies much of the symbolic import of the law. By means of its placement in Numbers, juxtaposition with narrative, and employment of allusive keywords, the prescriptions of the ritual text are endowed with symbolic meaning. The Red Heifer thematises Israel’s transit through the wilderness, the death of the old generation and the birth of the new. Its textual location contributes to Numbers’ rhetorical concern for high-priestly succession. Lastly, the primeval narratives of Creation and Flood, the story of Israel’s passage through the Red Sea, and the drama of man’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden, all provide cosmological and foundational motifs with which the symbolism of the ceremony of the Red Heifer interacts.

If one reads the Moses and Elijah narratives in their canonical order and arrangement, the typical reader's response, since rabbinic times, is to note the manifold parallels between them. These parallels appear at all the various levels of any discourse: they may be found at the verbal level, recognizable in significant words and phrases; at the level of story, they emerge in the framework of the narrative, in the progression of the plot and in characterisation; most significantly, the parallels colour the conceptual level, in terms of both significant motifs and overarching themes. This cumulative resonance peaks at I Kgs 19 and 2 Kgs 2, two critical components of the Elijah cycle, compelling an appraisal of the character Elijah against the character Moses. Such a comparison becomes a legitimate exercise considering the promise in Deut. 18:18 of another like Moses. With Moses established as Israel's prophet par excellence, the debate often turns on deciding whether Elijah follows the paradigm or falls short of it. Thus, 1 Kgs 19, which relates Elijah's experiences at Horeb, is regularly read as Elijah's critical failure as a Mosaic prophet; he indicts Israel rather than intercedes for them. This thesis argues that such a reading dislocates the parallels the narrative carefully builds up between 1 Kgs 19 and Exod. 32-34; further, this negative portrayal of Elijah makes it difficult to reconcile 1 Kgs 19 with the remainder of the Elijah narratives, notably, with 2 Kgs 2， where Elijah is accorded an exit that indubitably affirms his service as prophet. An alternative reading is offered which is particularly sensitive to any inner-biblical exegesis as may be mediated by the Mosaic resonance. This reading identifies the theological thrust, and the implications for the larger narrative of the "primary history" of Israel, of Elijah being read (and perhaps, presented by the narrator), as a prophet like Moses.

This thesis argues that the “ethical triangle” model of C. J. H. Wright’s OT ethics, slightly adjusted, offers a convincing account of the Jubilee, which is here analysed from the perspective of each of the triangle’s vertices: theological, social, and economic. The meaning and paradigmatic value of the Jubilee is assessed before its correlation to the NT is sought. Wright’s model requires three adjustments. First, an OT topic’s essential thematic components need to be analysed by extremely close readings guided by the priority of the theological angle. Second, the relevant topic and its components must be traced through the OT to demonstrate how changing contexts affect the said topic’s inclusion into larger biblical-theological themes. Finally, each topic must come into conversation with Jesus’ claim of fulfilment, therefore, the last question to ask is how the new covenant, as the ultimate context change, affects the topic. This methodology was explored with the Year of Jubilee as a test case. A close “triangle” reading determined that the legislation was highly theological with economic expression—the opposite of the stereotype current in modern scholarship. The Jubilee was applicable only to the Israelites in the covenant community who were to provide mutual care for their “brothers.” Correlating the Jubilee to the restorative events of the entry into the land and to the Exodus highlights the Edenic motifs within the legislation and show it to be a cyclical re-creation of the original state, arrived at by the power of a redemptive covenant. These themes, and others, are traced through the OT and into the NT, predominantly focusing upon the Lucan corpus.