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The purpose of this study is to analyse the modern trends among the Muslims concerning the problem of sovereignty. The question of sovereignty, which basically deals with political power, has become a matter of great concern to the Muslims since the nineteenth century especially those who are interested in the real principles of Islamic statehood as opposed to the western political concepts. There have been remarkable attempts by modern Muslim scholars to reconstruct early Islamic theories of rulership in cirumstances which have been entirely different to those in which the theories were born, chiefly due to the encounter between Islam and the West. These scholars have attempted to express these theories in modern terms amongst which the word sovereignty is in common use. Owing to the great impact of the Western notions of sovereignty, we shall also consider to what extent they have influenced the emergence of the new Muslim attitudes. It is advisable, therefore, to start the study with an examination of the origins of the Western theories in order to understand the Islamic concept of sovereignty as conceived by the modern Muslims. In Europe, sovereignty emerged as an important political concept after the religious wars of the sixteenth century and as a result of the creation of the territorial nation state. Though, it is generally an accepted working assumption up to the present time, yet it is an ambiguous term and lends itself to different interpretaions. In fact, it has been given a variety of forms in a number of theories which are all surrounded with much controversy. Nonetheless, all states of the modern world, including the Muslim countries, have been founded on the basis of these Western theories. After the Western sources the study looks into the early Islamic ideas of rulership from which the Muslims derive their inspirations. The survey of the modem Muslim views that follows covers the political thought of the Ottomans, the Arabs and the Muslims of the Indian sub-continent since the ninteenth century.

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The relationship of the Hodayot collection (1QH) to the Teacher of Righteousness has been of considerable interest ever since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Using form-critical and linguistic analyses, a few German scholars, among whom Jeremias and Stegemann may be mentioned, have attributed a subset of the Hodayot to the Teacher. All "Teacher Hymns" identified by various scholars surprisingly fall within 1QH 10-17:36. This dissertation makes use of a different literary approach and attempts to determine whether the hymns in 1QH 10-17:36 might have come from one author or several, whether literary sources have been used, and whether one of the authors was the Teacher of Righteousness. An overview of the criteria previous scholarship has used to isolate the "Teacher Hymns" from the "Community Hymns" is presented. The interrelationship of the "Teacher Hymns" and their relationships to the "Community Hymns" are analysed. Two groups of Hodayot in the "Teacher Hymns" are identified, each with its distinctive traits of style, content, and vocabulary, and two of the hymns have the greatest possibility of having been authored by the Teacher of Righteousness. The redactional shape of 1QH 10-17:36 is also explored.

This thesis presents a study of Bardism, a genre of performance (of poetry, story, music, and song) found in contemporary Pagan movements. This research is informed by three principal theoretical positions: neo-tribal theory, performance theory, and postmodem critiques of methodologies of participant-observation (the position adopted here being one of reflexive ethnography). Research was undertaken within two study groups, contemporary Druidry and EcoPaganism. Overviews of belief and practice within these groups are presented. The processes by which individuals within these groups come to be identified as Bards are analysed. Bards must meet the neo-tribal expectations of performance: they acquire their skills by trial and error. The function of Bardic performance is analysed: Bards contribute to the invention and maintenance of tradition, and hence to the maintenance of neo-tribal identities. Identities are articulated and performed with reference to an imagined past. The contexts in which performance occurs, and staging arrangements are discussed. Performance typically occurs at events, festivals and camps, which disrupt the quotidian: they are camivalesque moments. Staging, within these moments, requires compliance with tacit codes of behaviour. The meanings signified by Bardic music, and Bardic choice of instruments, are discussed. Particular emphasis is given to the sound of the music. Finally an ethnography of practitioners' experiences of 'inspiration' or 'awen' is presented. The way in which non-ordinary experiences such as inspiration are legitimated is analysed. This work describes a previously unstudied aspect of Paganism. Further it contributes to the 'detraditionalisation' debate, by providing evidence for the emergence of new traditions, identities, and structurating forces within the neo-tribe.

This thesis investigates the problems of discourse in translating the Qu'ran into English. More specifically, it focuses on the discovery and analysis of problems relating to the macro-textual level and occurring in both stages of the translation process i.e. source-text analysis and transfer. Source-text analysis problems encountered by the Qu'ran translator are extracted from the processing of the source-text. Transfer problems, on the other hand, are isolated via (a) the comparison of eight English translations with the original text; (b) the identification and analysis of 'shifts of translation' displayed in the target text(s); (c) the isolation of the transfer problems per se from the shifts. Proceeding on these bases, the research examines the discourse problems: 1. problems caused by the structure (or internal organization) of the Qu'ranic text; 2. problems relating to texture in the text of the Qu'ran and considered firstly in terms of cohesion and, secondly, coherence. Cohesion problems are investigated at the level of the two cohesive relations: inter-sentential connection and pronominal reference. Coherence problems focus on the problem relating to the use of implicit information in the text of the Qu'ran. The problems confronted by the Qu'ran translator at the level of discourse have received little attention from researchers in the field. The present research attempts to remedy this neglect and to pave the way for adequate strategies to deal with such problems.

This thesis concerns the economic policies of the Prophet - with special reference to the alleviation of poverty. In Chapter 1, there is an examination of the principal terms in the Qur'=an: <i>faq=ir, misk=in, da'if, mustad'if</i> and <i>ibn al-sabil</i>. Chapter 2 investigates the problem of poverty in Mecca before the emigration. In Chapter 3 the Prophet's economic policies and their relation to the alleviation of poverty are examined. In the course of this Chapter the economic consequences of the raids made by the Prophet are discussed. Particular attention is given to <i>khums, fay'</i> and the prohibition of <i>rib=a</i>. There are special Chapters on <i>zak=ah</i> and <i>jizyah</i> and how these two forms of taxations came to be introduced. In an appendix there are several maps of Arabia and Medina to illustrate the Prophet's actions.

This dissertation examines the life and legacy of Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, the last living Davidic king during the Babylonian captivity. It investigates the names in the Septuagint, Intertestamental literature, and the New Testament. Extra-biblical inscriptions contribute to the account of this king. The Babylonian Chronicle established that Nebuchadrezzar marched to Palestine in 598 BC, besieged and captured Jerusalem, and exiled Jeconiah (<i>Yaukin</i>) with thousands of captives. The Weidner Tablets stipulate that Nebuchadrezzar provided Jeconiah and five sons with supplies of oil and barley. Judean seals inscribed “to Eliakim servant of Yaukin” point to the king who at the time was in prison in Babylon. The organizing motif of the dissertation is the thirty-two occurrences of the name Jeconiah (and by-forms Coniah and Jehoiachin). For each periscope, the study sets forth 1) a reconstruction of the proposed Hebrew text and translation; 2) observations of linguistic, grammatical and structural details; and 3) exegesis and analysis of the texts read in light of the current literature. The periscopes build composite portraits of this king whose story merits close investigation. This study is an optimistic portrayal of Jeconiah. Despite his ignominious exile as the cast-out signet of Yahweh, he served as a source for intense commentary by later communities. Although Jeconiah was rejected as the last Davidic king, his grandson Zerubbabel rebuilt the temple and restored a semblance of the glory of the past and pointed forward to an expected Davidic Messiah.

This thesis starts with an introduction which contains Mujahid's life, sources for his Tafsir and background to the writing of Tafsir. It also examines the authorities for Mujahid's interpretations and gives the background of their lives and an estimate of their reliability. Chapter One highlights Mujahid's view of the role of the exegete, with special reference to the notion of whether those who are rooted in knowledge/(rasikhun fi al-'ilm) are able to understand the mutash=abihat of the Qur'an or not. Mujahid is shown to have held the view that they are. The Abbreviated Letters a(al-huruf al-muqatta'ah) are given as an example of the mutashabihat which is treated in Chapter Two. Chapter Three examines the theological issue of whether God can or cannot be seen in the Hereafter. Here Mujahid is shown to have held the view that God could be seen in the Hereafter. Chapter Four deals with the interpretation of the expression maqaman mahmuda mentioned in verse 17:79. It shows the rationalism of Mujahid's interpretation. Chapter Five discusses the way into which the Sabbatarians were transformed and Mujahid's unique view that this must be interpreted metaphorically. Chapters Six and Seven are devoted to juristic problems. The former investigates the interpretation of fahishah mentioned in verses 4:15-16, in addition to the interpretation of verse 24:2. In one opinion widely attributed to Mujahid as regards the interpretation of fahishah, he held that this referred to lesbianism and sodomy. The latter chapter (Seven) fully examines the different kinds of 'iddah and in particular Mujahid's view of the widow's 'iddah. The Last Chapter (Eight) treats linguistic aspects where the interpretations of different Qur'anic verses are discussed and Mujahid puts forward some original interpretations. The conclusion estimates Mujahid as an exegete.

Like many new religious movements, contemporary shamanism is a religious phenomenon with ancient roots and modern forms. It is not included or acknowledged as a world religion; in fact, scholars debate whether it even qualifies as a religion. Regardless, over recent centuries most indigenous systems of shamanism have fragmented under many of the same pressures that have threatened organized, institutional religions. That fragmentation, the unexpected survival of various traditional shamanic cultures, and the emergence of the neo-shamanic movement all parallel the survival of a number of new religious and spiritual phenomena from within many organized, institutional religions. However, like shamanism, many of these new phenomena remain unknown, ignored, or discredited without proper study, because some of the analytical models, definitions, and methodologies available often reflect world views that have not adapted to accommodate a more contemporary understanding of pluralism, diversity, religion, spirituality, moral decision-making, faith development, and the importance of balancing an insider perspective with the subjective role of an observer when conducting ethnographic and phenomenological research. This thesis set out to study a limited number of shamanic practitioners and their communities in Scotland; to determine a possible correlation between their shamanic work and seven basic elements of cross-cultural shamanism; to discover whether their shamanic practice corresponds to key components in French sociologist of religion Daniele Hervieu-L6ger's definition of 'religion as a chain of memory'; and to identify the influence of critical factors effecting a transformation in religion and culture. Research results show that three sets of contemporary shamanic practitioners and their communities in Scotland do reflect core elements found in the shamanic model. However, though they closely resemble the model of religion, they actually access a core lineage of spirituality, not religion. Their spirituality is global, and they reflect all the factors contributing to the transformation of religion.