Need for Study.--A predominant majority of the population of Pakistan is Muslim, that is, it comprises those who call themselves Muslims, and profess Islam as their religion. There is, however, no single interpretation of Islam that is universally followed throughout Pakistan, or, for that matter, throughout the Muslim world. The Muslims in Pakistan are subdivided into several groups, but no survey, official or unofficial, seems ever to have been made to assess or estimate the numerical strength of the different religious sects.

"For some time you will have observed that in religious newspapers and magazines in Pakistan a recognition has been growing that a great mischief is arising which must be crushed." This quotation is taken from the journal published by the supporters of Parwêz, but it is a reference to the point of view of his opponents. The statement represents an attitude that is meaningful both to the supporters, and to the opponents of Parwêz. The term I have translated as 'mischief', fitnah, has connotations of fatal attractiveness, of seduction, and of sedition.

When the period of decline had set in the 17th century Ottoman Empire, at least three interpretations were given for such decline: the first drew its inspiration from Ibn Khaldün's Muggadima and remarked that the Empire had passed its zenith and was preparing to die; another pointed out that disintegration occurred when the Rule diverted from the injunctions of the Sharia; the third, which had been attracted to the changes that took place in neighbouring Europe, considered that the Empire ought to borrow from the European such techniques that would cause the process of disintegration to stop and the Empire to regain its lost strength.

Before studying the question of relations between the Indian Muslims and the British in India in the early 19th century, it would be helpful if we knew what the Muslims of that period were thinking about the political situation of the country. Here we will not go into detail about the political situation, because any book of political history can serve this purpose. Since we have to see the relations between these two groups during the time of Shâh 'Abdul 'Aziz, we will limit ourselves to him and his opinion about the political situation. Till the end of the 18th century, as we know, the Marhattas were one of the strongest powers. They raided north India almost every year and upset the life of the people.

This thesis is an examination of the text of the ta' ziyah - a dramatic stage-presentation in commemoration of the martyrdom of Husayn, as found in the Pelly edition. The major theories as to the significance of the ta'ziyah are discussed, such as those of racial-political motivation, of parallels with the ancient near-eastern Adonis-Tammuz festival, and of parallels with Christian Passion play. It is argued that the ta'ziyah is best understood as an expression of soteriological themes, but that these are derived from experiences within the internal developments of Islam. The Islamic origin of these themes is found in the concept of martyrdom in Hadith literature and in a more developed form in recognized Shi'i creedal statements. [...]

A student of the history of Islam in India is soon confronted with the name of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi (1563/4-1624). He was a contemporary of the emperors Akbar and Jahangir, was given by his disciples the honorific title of the Renewer of the Second Millennium (mujaddid-i alf-i thani) and is the author of a celebrated collection of letters that came to be known as Maktubat-i Imam-i Rabbani. [...]

This dissertation is a report on a Movement--the Ahl-i-Qur'an, and analysis of an adherent of the Movement-Ghulam Jilani Barq. In fact, it focuses more on the latter. It tries to examine Barq's early life, the environment in which he studied and worked, his experiences in exploring the "true" religion, his fears, his frustrations, and, ultimately, his achievements. [...]

This thesis attempts to show that the freedom-determinism controversy in classical Islamic theology manifested itself through radical determinism, indeterminism and attempts to make compatible Divine Omnipotence and human responsibility. The first two approaches (represented by the Hadïth material of Bukhari and Muslim, and the treatise of al-Hasan al-Basrï) were closely connected to the first century political-religious upheavals, but the formulations of these two approaches were based upon two different interpretations of the Qur'an. The third approach (represented by al-Ash'arï and Ibn Hazm, among others) sought to preserve Divine Omnipotence while at the same time allowing for some notion of human responsibility so that taklïf would remain a meaningful concept.

This thesis attempts ta trace the intellectual and spiritual development in Yunus Emre's thought. Man seeks meaning for his life. He constantly tries to affirm his existence which is threatened by death. The resultant anxiety is overcome when man realizes the potentiality of union between his self and the Reality (God). Man is then enabled to eliminate his mundane desires and his fear of death. But the realization also brings about another anxiety in that the potentiality of union makes man aware of the actual separation from God. [...]

The problem of Divine Attributes had been one of the most central issues in the theological discussions of the Muslims over which (along with other issues) the world of Islam was divided into numerous sects. In the present study we have tried to look at the problem through the discussions of al-Ghazali who is the most representative of orthodox Islam. Indeed, until the coming of al-Ghazali in the 11th and 12th centuries no serious thinker after al-Ash'ari was able to challenge the Mu'tazilah sect over the matters of creed. The core of this thesis is the translation of the part pertinent to the problems of Divine Attributes in his book Al-I qtisad fil I'tiqad which he himself considered the most authoritative statement on the creed. [...]