This thesis is an examination of the extant psychological treatises of Abu Yusuf Ya'qub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi, the ninth century A.D. Arab scholar who was among the first of his race to interest himself in strictly philosophical questions. Al-Kindi's writings were among the first fruits of the translation of Greek philosophical and scientific works into Arabic. It is under that aspect that this thesis approaches his views on soul and intellect - as an instance of the passage of Greek philosophical ideas to the Muslim Arabs. [...]

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 Goldziber 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 'Abbisid 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. [...]

Rules of engagement, ethics of war, and codes of chivalry are all phrases which remind one of human attempts to rein in and regulate what is perhaps the most anarchic and illogical of all human activities: organized war. The role of the great religions of the world both in propagating war through crusades and jihads as well as their attempts at transcending its savagery through images of miles Christianus or the pious ghazi has also been much discussed. The aim of this thesis is to study the ethics of war in the context of Islamic societies in the Early Middle Ages from several complementary perspectives. Our sources for the period vary greatly from decade to decade and from region to region. This has often led historians of ideas and mentalities to concentrate on one aspect to the exclusion of others. [...] / Les règles du combat, l'éthique de la guerre, les codes chevaleresques - autant d'expressions révélatrices des efforts de l'Homme pour maîtriser et réglementer celle qui, de toutes ses actions, est sans doute la plus anarchique et la plus illogique: la guerre organisée. On a ainsi pu démontrer le rôle des grandes religions du monde dans la propagation de la guerre par le biais des croisades ou jihads s'efforçant de sublimer la sauvagerie de la guerre par la création d'images telle que celle du miles Christianus ou encore celle du ghazi pieux. Le but de notre propos est d'examiner l'éthique de la guerre replacée dans le contexte des sociétés islamiques du début du Moyen Age, en adoptant diverses approches qui se complètent les unes les autres. Les sources dont nous disposons pour cette période varient considérablement d'une décennie et d'une région à l'autre. Ces variations ont souvent amené les historiens des idées et des mentalités à se concentrer sur un seul aspect, à l'exclusion de tous les autres. [...]

This survey investigates the origin and growth of the mosque in pre-colonial West Africa emphasizing both the traditional and Islamic context. Initially the traditional West African society is observed with special emphasis on those features which were to affect the mosque. The origin of Muslim places of worship is examined, indicating the types of people and places involved. The various activities performed in the mosque and the role of the mosque personnel are seen to cover every aspect of Muslim life and to be similar to what obtained in other Muslim lands.

The question of the important role played by Abraham in the Qur'an has raised many controversies between the Orientalists. For some of them, such as Snouck-Hurgronje, Abraham holds in the Qur'an a quasi-political role which gives some independance and some authenticity to Mohammed's Mission. For others, such as youakim Mubarak, Muhammad followed Abraham because he saw him as the perfect religious pattern, responding to his own ideal. As for us, our opinion is that Abraham is the "universal Father of all the Believers" (Qur'an II, 118). He is consequently a personage with a universalist character. [...] / La question du rôle important que joue Abraham dans le Coran a soulevé plusieurs controverses entre les Orientalistes. Pour certains, tel Snouck-Hurgronje, Abraham tient dans le Coran un rôle quasi-politique, donnant une certaine indépendance et une certaine authenticité à la Mission de Mohammed. Pour d'autres, tel Yuakim Muhàrak, Mohammed s'est attaché à Abraham parce qu'il voyait en lui le type, religieux parfait qui répondait à son idéal. Mais pour nous, notre thèse est celle-ci: Abraham est le "Père universel de tous les croyants" (Coran II, 118). C'est donc un personnage à caractre universaliste. [...]

Islamic Law in Canada: Marriage and Divorce provides an analysis of how Canadian society and the Canadian judicial system have responded to the use of the Shari'a to resolve issues relating to Islamic marriage and divorce in Canada. This dissertation explores two instances where Canadian society has been forced to address the role of the Shari'a in Canada and its interaction with Canadian laws and values. The first involves the debate that took place in Ontario over the last decade concerning the use of Islamic arbitration in family matters. This public debate ultimately led to the rejection of faith-based arbitration in that province, a decision apparently consistent with traditional Canadian attitudes towards multiculturalism. The second area of interaction between Canadian and Islamic law is within the Canadian court system itself. [...] / La loi islamique au Canada: du mariage et du divorce analyse la façon dont la société canadienne et le système juridique ont réagi face à l'application de la shari'a au Canada, ce dans le but de résoudre certains litiges reliés aux mariages et aux divorces musulmans. Cette dissertation examine deux instances particulières où la société canadienne se vu forcée de se questionner sur le rôle de la shari'a au Canada, et ce, tant face aux lois canadiennes qu'avec les valeurs du pays. Le premier incident eu lieu en Ontario au cours des deniers années alors qu'il fut question d'utiliser l'arbitration islamique dans les litiges impliquant la famille. Un débat en découla, ultimement optant contre l'implication de la religion lors des cas d' arbitration dans cette province. Cette décision représentait en effet les attitudes canadiennes quelque peu conservatrices face à l'approche multiculturaliste. Le second cas où la shari'a et le droit canadien ont interagit ensemble est au sein même du système judiciaire canadien. [...]

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Through the evidence of the court records (sijills), this dissertation examines the interplay between Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), codified sultanic law (qanun) and customary law in the shari'a courts of Ottoman-Cairo in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The thesis forwarded suggests that custom was a declining source of law in these centuries as a result of two factors: the imposition of a codified qanun, and a redacted fiqh. / En se basant sur des procès-verbaux authentiques provenant des tribunaux (sijills), cette thèse examine l'interaction entre la jurisprudence islamique (fiqh), la loi sultanique codifiée (qanun) et la loi coutumière des shari'a des cours de justice d'Ottoman-Caire aux seizième et dix-septième siècles. La théorie développée ici suggère que cette coutume fut une source de loi en déclin durant ces siècles à cause de deux éléments: l'abus d'un qanun codifié, et un fiqh rédigé.

The contribution of this thesis to knowledge is that it is a test case of the lndian ideal 'unity in diversity' as proposed by an Indian Muslim, Humayun Kabir, to solve the problem of cultural identity of Indian Muslims in a secular democratic state. This study of Kabir's proposal suggests that the ideal is neither an actuality nor a possibility. It is not an actuality because Kabir consistently in his historical, philosophical, educational and political essays fails to attain the ideal. It is not a possibility because Kabir's proposal underestimates the importance and power of traditional religion inherent in the cultural identity of Indians, Muslim and Hindu and overestimates the appeal of a rational religion to command either audience or credence let alone stimulus for integration among most Indians, Muslim and Hindu. In other words, Kabir's proposaI is a rational secular solution to an emotional religious problem.

This thesis is intended to describe the evolution of Indonesian Islam and the complex role played by the 'ulama' in the modern history of Indonesia and particularly during the Japanese occupation. In contrast to Dutch policy, the Japanese chose the 'ulama' to participate in their administration. The 'ulama ' seized this fortuitous opportunity to prepare the Indonesians for the achievement of their freedom. On the other hand, the Japanese also,attempted to Nipponize Indonesian Islàm, but this attempt failed because the 'ulama' resisted it. / Cette thèse se propose de décrire l'évolution de l'Islam indonésien et le rôle complexe qu'ont joué les 'ulamà' dans l'histoire moderne de l'Indonésie, et plus particuliérement pendant la période de l'occupation japonaise. Par opposition à la politique hollandaise, les japonais , quant à eux, choisirent les 'ulama' afin que ces derniers participent à leur administration gouvernementale. Les 'ulama' saisirent cette occasion imprèvue pour préparer les indonésiens à obtenir leur indépendance. D'autre part, les japonais essayérent de "nipponiser" l'Islam indonésien mais cet éffort echoua car les 'ulama' les resistérent.