The operative term in the title is "Wakuff'. It is an Arabic term, commonly used in the Muslim World, with pious implications deep-rooted in the sacred texts. (The Holy Qur'an and the Hadith). A Wakuff is an endowment in perpetuity. The Hajee Ahmed Mahomed Lockhat Wakuff was created in 1933 (in Durban, South Africa). The objective of the Wakuff, as stated by the founder, the late Hajee Ahmed Mahomed Lockhat, was to "Create a fund for charitable, educational and religious purposes in the Union of South Africa....." The purpose of this thesis is to examine the role of the Hajee Ahmed Mahomed Lockhat Wakuff in the promotion of Arabic / Islamic Studies. Thus the various learning institutions funded by the Wakuff are identified as well as those institutions that have received assistance directly from the Wakuff, or under the auspices of Islamic Educational Organisation of Southern Africa (IEOSA), the "nerve-centre" of the Islamic educational activities of the Wakuff. In the discussion, the involvement of the Wakuff in the promotion of Arabic / Islamic Studies at the international level is also examined. The South African Muslim community has its own unique social, economic and cultural milieu and the objectives of the Hajee Ahmed Mahomed Lockhat Wakuff have ensured that its' activities are interwoven with the entire religious life and the social economy of Muslims. / Thesis (M.A) - University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

Islamic Tradition is the record safeguarded by the Islamic community which claims to preserve the very words and deeds of Muhammad as well as those of many of his companions. In the West major work on Tradition was undertaken first by Ignaz Goldziher in his Muhammedanische Studien (1888). His investigation into Umayyad history convinced him the period allowed the influx of numerous forgeries. These Traditionserdichtungen so overcame Tradition that no attempt in the Abbasid era could ever repair the damage. The second major scholar of Tradition was Joseph Schacht. Though his book The Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence (1950), treated the legal work of al-Shafi'i in particular, his evaluation of al-Shafi'i's fight for the position of Tradition in law led Professor Schacht to make numerous conclusions about the authenticity and growth of traditions. Most recently Nabia Abbott in her Qur'anic Commentary and Tradition (1967) has taken a fresh look at Tradition. With the aid of early papyri fragments and an intensive combing of the sources on the scholarly practices of early traditionists, Miss Abbott was able to identify certain types of traditions as authentic and to show the genesis of scholarly interest in traditions from the time of the prophet himself. These three represent the best scholarship on Tradition available. They represent too varying approaches and evaluations. In short, their work points to more fruitful scholarship.

No description available.

As a teacher-researcher, I have endeavoured to evaluate and reflect on the teaching of Islamic Studies at Form V level. This Action Research investigated the effectiveness of using Remedial Strategies as instructional methods to increase class participation in Islamic Studies classes at Form V level, in a Private Secondary School, The Islamic Cultural College, Port-Louis; in a State Secondary School, Port-Louis State Secondary School, Colline Monneron, Port-Louis; and in a Profit-Making Institution, The Doha Academy, Eau-Coulee, Curepipe. Data was collected mainly from questionnaires sent to the students and analyzed. The study also covers the findings and analysis from the questionnaires and some recommendations to improve classroom practices to promote students’ participation in Islamic Studies classes have been proposed. Overall, this research aims at contributing to an enhanced learning experience for the students of Islamic Studies and for me as a teacher-practitioner. The Remedial Strategies imply a shift of onus from the teacher to the student. This transfer is what is envisaged most by all contemporary thinkers in education because this is what guarantees concrete and productive learning in the classroom. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M. A. (Islamic Studies)

The role of divine Revelation in the process of construction of normative judgments has long occupied scholars of religion in general, and Islam in particular. In the area of Islamic studies, numerous works were dedicated to the elucidation of various trends of thought on the question of the methods of formulation of norms and values. Many of those studies suppose a distinction between textualist and rationalist theories, and use this framework to explain the most influential Muslim views on this issue. In contemporary philosophical theology and the philosophy of religion, theorists of religious meta-ethics draw upon the medieval and early modern Christian debates almost exclusively. Reconstructing the philosophical foundations of classical Islamic models of norm-construction, which arise within both theological and jurisprudential works, has not received sufficient attention in either discipline. In this study, I explore eleventh century debates on the place of divine Revelation in the formulation of normative judgments in Islamic theology and jurisprudence, and bring this analysis in dialogue with current questions in philosophical theology. By reconstructing the epistemological, metaphysical and semantic foundations of those debates, I show that two general trends emerge on the question of the depth with which Revelation interferes in human moral reasoning, which generally correspond to recent debates between natural reason and divine command theorists in contemporary philosophical theology. I argue that those tensions were the result of a number of philosophical disagreements, not mere reflections of a commitment to “rationalism” or “textualism.” This study is based on an analysis of texts attributed to prominent eleventh century jurist-theologians, including Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī (d.1013), Imām al-Ḥaramayn al-Juwaynī (d. 1085), al-Qāḍī ʿAbd al-Jabbār (d. 1024) and Abū l-Ḥusayn al-Bāṣrī (d. 1044). I maintain that abstract normative considerations animating those theories are of trans-historical philosophical value, and can be “appropriated” to provide new insights when introduced into current debates in religious ethics. Whereas, following post-colonial studies that held the inadequacy of treating non-Western thought through the lens of modern Western theories, many recent works emphasized the historicity of Islamic thought, I consider the abstract claims in both Islamic and modern thought in order to generate a philosophical dialogue across traditions. In conclusion, I argue that disagreements between prominent eleventh century Muslim jurist-theologians on the place of Revelation in the formulation of normative judgments is best understood as part of broader debates on theology, metaphysics and epistemology. To do that, we must treat theology and jurisprudence as an integrated meta-ethical project that inserts itself between the text of Revelation and the process of norm-production. Reconstructing those theories of divine speech and command shows us that the Muʿtazilīs combined a naturalist view of ethics with a dualistic metaphysic to hold that Revelation is a sufficient but not necessary condition for moral knowledge. Ashʿarīs, by contrast, insisted on the indispensability of Revelation on the basis of a combination of epistemological skepticism with a metaphysic that prioritized skeptical theism.

This thesis is a study of Wilfred Cantwell Smith's contribution to the field of religious studies, with special reference to his study of Islam. Smith's views as a historian of religion, as an Islamicist and as the pioneer of a new approach to the study of other men's faith are of great significance. / This thesis studies his work on Islam in the light of the development of his ideas with regard to the concept of religion and the approaches to studying it. The evolution of Smith's understanding of Islam is classified here into three phases. During the first phase, Smith's approach was socialistic; he was essentially concerned with the social role of religion, in this case Islam, in modern society. In the second phase of his work as an Islamicist, it was the concern to acquire a more adequate knowledge of Islam and to create a sympathetic understanding of the Muslim culture and religion. / The third phase was marked by the publication of his seminal work, The Meaning and End of Religion (1962). His work on Islam in this phase is in the nature of explorations into his own theories regarding the study of religion in general. During this phase, Smith devoted much attention to such concepts as "religion", "faith", and "cumulative tradition", as well as to a new approach in the comparative history of religion. This indicates that Smith in this phase was not only a specialist of Islam, but a historian of religion and a comparative religionist.

As a teacher-researcher, I have endeavoured to evaluate and reflect on the teaching of Islamic Studies at Form V level. This Action Research investigated the effectiveness of using Remedial Strategies as instructional methods to increase class participation in Islamic Studies classes at Form V level, in a Private Secondary School, The Islamic Cultural College, Port-Louis; in a State Secondary School, Port-Louis State Secondary School, Colline Monneron, Port-Louis; and in a Profit-Making Institution, The Doha Academy, Eau-Coulee, Curepipe. Data was collected mainly from questionnaires sent to the students and analyzed. The study also covers the findings and analysis from the questionnaires and some recommendations to improve classroom practices to promote students’ participation in Islamic Studies classes have been proposed. Overall, this research aims at contributing to an enhanced learning experience for the students of Islamic Studies and for me as a teacher-practitioner. The Remedial Strategies imply a shift of onus from the teacher to the student. This transfer is what is envisaged most by all contemporary thinkers in education because this is what guarantees concrete and productive learning in the classroom. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M. A. (Islamic Studies)

No description available.

The application of Qur'ān and Hadith in the teaching of life skills in Muslim schools in South Africa. This study explores the application of Qur‟ān and Hadith in the teaching of life skills, as part of the Islamic Studies curriculum, at Muslim schools. The study further discusses the need to equip learners at Muslim schools with the necessary skills, values, attitudes and orientations that are conducive to greater participation in adulthood. The study is aimed at examining the potential of an Islamic perspective to meet these needs. The discussion focuses on five areas: health development, personal development, social development, physical development and orientation to the world of work. The research reveals that the Islamic Studies curriculum can be holistically integrated with life skills development, and the Qur‟ān and Hadith can make a significant contribution for the optimal implementation of this learning area. Muslim schools are urged to implement the recommendations made in this study. The sustained training of educators and the continuous development of learning support materials is needed to ensure that this learning area achieves its objectives. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Islamic Studies)

The application of Qur'ān and Hadith in the teaching of life skills in Muslim schools in South Africa. This study explores the application of Qur‟ān and Hadith in the teaching of life skills, as part of the Islamic Studies curriculum, at Muslim schools. The study further discusses the need to equip learners at Muslim schools with the necessary skills, values, attitudes and orientations that are conducive to greater participation in adulthood. The study is aimed at examining the potential of an Islamic perspective to meet these needs. The discussion focuses on five areas: health development, personal development, social development, physical development and orientation to the world of work. The research reveals that the Islamic Studies curriculum can be holistically integrated with life skills development, and the Qur‟ān and Hadith can make a significant contribution for the optimal implementation of this learning area. Muslim schools are urged to implement the recommendations made in this study. The sustained training of educators and the continuous development of learning support materials is needed to ensure that this learning area achieves its objectives. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Islamic Studies)