No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The Mijikenda peoples of the Kenya coast have been in contact with Muslims at least since the 17th century. The first Mijikenda conversions to Islam occurred in the 18th century through the influence of neighbouring Swahili peoples. Early Mijikenda converts migrated to Swahili towns, thereby establishing a pattern of urban islamization that kept Islam from spreading among the Mijikenda. Beginning in the 1830s, the East African economy expanded, and Muslim commercial activity in the coastal hinterland increased. The migration of Muslims to settle near Mijikenda villages led to closer relations between Muslims and Mijikenda. By the middle of the 19th century, the cultural influence of Islam was evident among the Mijikenda, but few Mijikenda had become Muslim. This was due as much to an absence of proselytising by Muslims as to the strength and integrity of Mijikenda society. Differing Mijikenda settlement patterns north and south of Mombasa influenced the way Islam spread. North of Mombasa, Mijikenda Muslim converts continued to immigrate to towns and or to separate Mijikenda Muslim villages. South of Mombasa, beginning in the 1850s, Digo Mijikenda converts remained resident in their home villages, while centring their social and religious life as Muslims in town. Under the continuing influence of Swahili and other Muslims, including immigrants to Digo villages, Islam slowly gathered strength among the Digo. By the end of the 19th century, the Digo had already built several mosques, and educated Digo Muslims were teaching and actively proselytising among their fellow Digo. Colonial rule brought changes that affected the growth of Islam among the Mijikenda. Legal rulings in favour of Islamic law strengthened Islam, which eventually emerged as the majority religion among the Digo south of Mombasa. The economic decline of Muslim towns and villages weakened Islam north of Mombasa, where only a minority of Mijikenda became Muslim. -

M. b. Yüsuf as-Sanusi (d. 895/ 1490) is one of the most important representatives of late kalam, and from his own lifetime his works became the most commonly taught manuals on this subject in African Islam. This thesis (viii and 286 pp., and 27 pp. of Arabic text) has three chapters. The first contains a detailed study of his life and times and an analytical list of his works. The second chapter is an edition and translation of al-`Agida al-wusta, exclusive of the commentary, based on 24 manuscripts selected from 58, which amount to three roughly distinguishable main traditions. The author maintains that al-`Agida al-wustä with its commentary represents as-Sanüsi's most original and synthetic indepth presentation of Muslim theology. The third chapter is a resume of the commentary with reference numbers on the top of each page to the corresponding section of the text in Chapter I. Included with the resume is anything additional or -corrective found in as-Sanusi's other works, so as to present his complete theological thought and its `development of position on. various questions, .

This thesis is devoted to the study of the doctrine of the imamate according to Im9m al-Haramayn Abi al- Ma°gli ý-Abd al-Malik bin -Abdullah al-Juwayni. The thesis consists of eight chapters. It begins with a brief introduction to the life of al-Juwayni and the historical background to his doctrine of the imamate. The first chapter deals with al-Juwayni's concept of the imamate and its establishment. The second chapter deals with the qualifications required for the imam. The third chapter deals with the disqualification and dismissal of the imam. This comprises three separate sections i. e. the circumstances which require disqualification, the circumstances which require dismissal and the rules pertaining the dismissal. Chapter four deals with the duties of the imam. Chapter five deals with the assistants and equipment required by the imam. Chapter six and seven deal with the legitimacy of the imamate of the four Guided Caliphs and the legitimacy of the de facto imamate of Ni; gm al-Mulk, respectively. In analyzing al-Juwayni's doctrine -of the imamate, an attempt is made in chapter eight to show the chain of thought among the traditional scholars prior to and after him, and to show the contribution made by al-Juwayni in the formulation of the doctrine of the im9mate in Islam. The conclusion, presents the result of the analysis of his writing on the doctrine of the im9mate, its origin and influence.

Sources of the research: The Mandaean holy books and scriptures in addition to old Moslem writers and contemporary western scholars' works. The purpose of the research: The research aims to translate the Mandaean Story of Creation, directly from the Mandaean manuscript. Four other Ginza manuscripts from the Oriental and India office at the British Library in London were used to compile a critical apparatus of variants. Book three, or the Book of Creation, is the largest tractate of the Mandaeans' holy book the "Ginza Rba". The Ginza names this tractate as raza usidra qadmaia d-Suta haita qadmaita "The Mystery and the First Book of the First Living Doctrine". This tractate includes the cosmogony the origin of the World of Light and the World of Darkness, the rise of the First Great Life, the Second Life (Yosamin), the Third Life (Abatur) and the Fourth Life (Ptahil) the Demiurge who created the cosmos and Tibil (the earthly world). It also narrates the creation of the Mandaean redeemer Manda d-Hiia ("Gnosis of Life") and his descent to the Underworld and his triumph against the forces of darkness. It narrates the creation of Adam and Eve and the descent of the niSimta (soul) into the 'tfona (the human body). Tractate three also includes an elaborate description of the demonic Ruha and her planetary sons and her attempts to seduce Adam in order to entrap him in the world. The research consists of three parts: (1) The introduction: The Mandaeans and the Question of Their Origin, The Mandaean system, The Main Characteristic Rituals of the Mandaeans, The Mandaean manuscripts. (2) Analysis of the narrative: The First Account of the Story of Creation, The Second Account of the Story of Creation, The Third account of the Story of Creation. (3) The Transcription and Translation of the Manuscript.

No description available.

In Muslim countries, shrines of Sufi saints serve as sources of healing. Why people decide to seek healing at shrines and their experience whilst there remains largely un-researched. The aims of this study were to: investigate the explanatory models of sickness among attendees at a Muslim shrine particularly in relation to this choice of help-seeking; explore individuals' perceptions and experiences regarding the role of the shrine; and propose a theory explaining the meaning of attendees' problems, their choice of healing resource and the role it played. An ethnographic approach was used to allow exploration of the topic from the perspectives of those seeking help at the Shrine. Semi-structured interview, incorporating the Explanatory Model (EM) of sickness (Kleinman, 1980), and participant observation were used to collect data over a period of three months. This study was conducted at a Muslim shrine in Pakistan. Twenty six attendees participated, including those seeking healing, carers, and a Shrine caretaker. The results highlighted magic and possession as the main explanations of the problem that brought them to the Shrine. Participants' experiences of everyday oppression, and adverse social factors, such as poverty, poor quality of medical care, and domestic violence seemed to play a significant role in the development of their problem. The Shrine served as a therapeutic landscape, the prevailing social conditions, built environment and perceptions of attendees combined to produce a place 'conducive to healing' (Gesler, 1992), that allowed healing to take place. Possession acted as a vehicle for a subtle change in the family dynamics in which family members appeared complicit. The movement and changes in power, the positive reframing of symptoms/problems and the renegotiation of identity essentially transformed the individual and made the experience therapeutic. The results generate a unique set of knowledge in regard to the role of shrines in Pakistan as culturally sanctioned places allowing therapeutic change and healing.

No description available.