Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University.

In the past century a new school of Islamic scholarship has emerged and evolved which this thesis refers to as the Farāhī school of thought, henceforth written as the Farāhīs. Research carried out studying the Farāhīs has been very limited in the sense that it has been heavily focused on differences in conclusions, rather than approaches. Where approaches were discussed, only the main premises, as published by the scholars of the Farāhīs themselves, were covered. This thesis delves deeper, to explore the detailed methodological features of the Farāhīs’ approach that result from such premises. This is done through four case studies: stoning, apostasy, ḥijāb, and the return of Jesus. In each case study, after exploring contested areas, the Farāhīs’ approach to the subject is compared with the shī‘ah and sunnī approaches. Interviews with the current leading figure of the Farāhīs are carried out and reported to provide further insights into their approach. Where applicable, points of disagreement among the scholars of the Farāhīs are also discussed. On the subject of stoning, the Farāhīs highlight their method of deriving principles from the Qur’ān alone; they conclude that the law of stoning is associated with the concept of creating anarchy in the land and not adultery per se. On the subject of apostasy, the Farāhīs use the principle of itmām al-ḥujjah to conclude that the punishment for apostasy was related to the sunnah of God at the time of the messengers only. On the subject of ḥijāb, the Farāhīs attempt to remain loyal to the literal meaning of the Qurānīc words, while also noting the context. They conclude that covering the hair is not an obligation, unless it is embellished. On ‘the return of Jesus’, through literary analysis, they conclude that this belief is not fully in line with the Qur’ān. The findings from these four case studies lead to the identification of a number of methodological features in the approach of the Farāhīs, which are further substantiated by tracing them in other documentations of the Farāhīs. The strengths and challenges that these methodological features can bring to the Farāhīs are discussed. At the end of the thesis the Farāhī school of thought is also compared and positioned with regard to the other contemporary approaches.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the feasibility of translating the Arabic Qur’an into isiXhosa. The Qur’an has not yet been translated into isiXhosa and Xhosa-speaking Muslims who are unable to read and understand Arabic are facing a void in practising their faith. Xhosa-speaking Muslims also pray in a language that they do not understand and this robs them of close contact with the Almighty and as a result, the number of Muslims who speak isiXhosa does not increase. Through literature reviews and interviews it has been found that there is a great need for Muslims, who are target language speakers, to be able to communicate with Allah in their mother tongue, isiXhosa. Furthermore the study indicated that isiXhosa-speaking Muslims who, years ago, have converted to Islam are still struggling with the Arabic language. This study also investigates the view that the Arabic Qur’an cannot be translated into other languages because the Qur’an is the word of God delivered in Arabic to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This view is not based upon the assumption that an Arabic Qur’an is untranslatable, but rather on the views of some Arabic scholars. There are also fears that meaning will be lost when the Qur’an is translated. However, the study showed that when translating the Qur’an, one is not seeking to translate only the meaning but also the message of the Qur’an. A conclusion was reached that all human beings, thus all nations and languages, are created by Allah. Therefore, it is acceptable for human beings to communicate and listen to Allah’s message in their own language. This study suggests that culture and language are inseparable and that both must be taken into consideration when translating. The Qur’an has already been translated into other languages and the translations are used without any problems, for example into English and KiSwahili. The Qur’an is available in other African languages as well. Therefore, this study suggests that the Qur’an can be translated into isiXhosa. The linguistic challenges can be addressed in the target language by a body consisting of translators of laypersons, translation experts and linguists specialising in both Xhosa and Arabic. However, the study shows that the title of the Xhosa Qur’an should indicate that the Qur’an is a translated text. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie ondersoek die vertaling van die Arabiese Koran na Xhosa. Die Koran is nie tans in Xhosa beskikbaar nie en Xhosa-sprekende Moslems wat nie Arabies magtig is nie, ervaar dit as ’n struikelblok in die beoefening van hul geloof. Xhosa-sprekende Moslems bid ook in Arabies, selfs al verstaan hulle nie die taal nie. Dit beroof hulle van noue kontak met die Almagtige en veroorsaak dat die Moslem-geloof nie by Xhosa-sprekers in townships inslag vind nie. Aan die hand van ’n literatuurstudie en onderhoude is bevind dat daar ’n groot behoefte onder Xhosa-sprekende Moslems is om in hul moedertaal met Allah te kommunikeer. Die studie het ook getoon dat Xhosa-sprekende Moslems wat hulle reeds jare gelede tot die Islam bekeer het, steeds met die Arabiese taal worstel. Die studie ondersoek ook die siening dat die Koran nie vertaal mag word nie, omdat die Woord van God in Arabies aan die profeet Mohammed (mag vrede oor hom heers) geopenbaar is. Dié siening berus nie op die aanname dat die Koran onvertaalbaar is nie, maar eerder op die uitsprake van Arabiese geleerdes. Daar word ook gevrees dat die Koran se betekenis verlore sal gaan tydens die vertaalproses. Die studie toon egter dat die vertaling van die Koran sal fokus op die oordrag van die boodskap en nie net die betekenis van woorde nie. Die gevolgtrekking van die ondersoek is dat alle mense, en dus alle volke en tale, deur Allah geskep is. Dit is dus aanvaarbaar vir mense om Allah se boodskap in hul eie taal te kommunikeer en aan te hoor. Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat taal en kultuur onskeidbaar is en dat albei in ag geneem moet word tydens die vertaalproses. Die Koran is reeds in ander tale vertaal en word sonder enige probleme gebruik, byvoorbeeld in Engels en Swahili. Die Koran is ook in ander Afrika-tale beskikbaar. Die studie bevind dus dat die Koran ook in Xhosa vertaal kan word. Die taalkundige uitdagings kan in die doeltaal hanteer word deur ’n vertaalspan wat bestaan uit leke, opgeleide vertalers en taalkundiges wat spesialiseer in Xhosa en Arabies. Die studie toon egter dat die titel van die Xhosa Koran moet aandui dat dit ’n vertaalde teks is. / I-ABSTRAKTHI: Olu phando luphande ukuba nako kokuguqulelwa esiXhoseni kweKurani yesi-Arabhu. Uphando lubangelwe kukuba kungekho Kurani iguqulelwe esiXhoseni okwangoku kwaye kuqwalaseleke ukuba aMaslamsi athetha isiXhosa, angayiqondiyo nangaluvayo ulwimi lwesi-Arabhu, nokuba afundile okanye awafundanga, ajongene nomngeni wokuba nokungoneliseki kwinkolo yabo. Inyaniso yokuba kufuneka athandaze ngolwimi angaluqondiyo, ibenza bangakwazi ukufikelela kuQamata kwaye ngenxa yoko, inani laMaslamsi alandi kwiilokishi apho aMaslamsi athetha isiXhosa. Uphando, ngokuphonononga iincwadi nangokubamba udliwano-ndlebe, lufumanise ukuba kukhona isikhalo esikhulu esisuka kuMaslamsi athetha ulwimi okujoliswe kulo ukuze akwazi ukunxibelelana noQamata ngolwimi aluqonda ngcono, olusisiXhosa. Uphando lubonise ukuba aMaslamsi athetha isiXhosa awaguqukelanga kwinkolo ye-Islamu kutsha nje kwaye umzabalazo wolwimi kudala uqhubeka. Uphando luxoxe ngoluvo lokuba iKurani yolwimi lwesi-Arabhu ayinakuze iguqulelwe kwezinye iilwimi njengoko iKurani ililizwi likaQamata eladluliswa ngolwimi lwesi-Arabhu kuMprofeti uMuhammada (uxolo malube naye). Uphando lungqine ukuba uluvo lokuba iKurani yolwimi lwesi-Arabhu ayinakuguqulelwa kwezinye iilwimi alusekelwanga ekungaguqulweni kombhalo kodwa kwizimvo zezifundiswa zama-Arabhu. Uphando kananjalo luxoxe ngomba wokuba uloyiko lokuguqulela iKurani yolwimi lwesi-Arabhu kwezinye iilwimi lubangelwa yinyaniso yokuba xa kuguqulelwa, kuye kubekho ukulahleka nokulahlekwa kwentsingiselo pha naphaya. Uphando slubonise ukuba xa kuguqulelwa iKurani, ubani akasobe efuna ukuguqulela intsingiselo kodwa umyalezo weKurani. Uphando lufikelele kwisigqibo sokuba abantu bazizidalwa zikaQamata kwaye badalwe bazizizwe ngezizwe nokuba bathethe iilwimi ngeelwimi. Ngoko ke, kwamkelekile ukuba abantu banxibelelane ze bamamele umyalelo kaQamata kulwimi olulolwabo. Uphando lufikelela esigqibeni sokuba inkcubeko nolwimi azohlukani kwaye ngexesha lokuguqulela, zombini (inkcubeko nolwimi) kufuneka zibe ziyaqwalaselwa. Uphando lubonise ukuba iKurani yaguqulelwa kwezinye iilwimi kwaye iinguqulelo zisetyenziswa ngaphandle kwengxaki. Imizekelo yeenguqulelo ziiKurani kwisiNgesi nakwisiSwahili. Uphando lubonise kananjalo ukuba zikhona ezinye iinguqulelo zeKurani kwiilwimi zase-Afrika. Ngoko ke, uphando lufikelele kwisigqibo sokuba iKurani ingaguqulelwa kulwmi lwesiXhosa kwaye nayiphina imingeni yenzululwazi yolwimi engathi ivele ingasonjululwa kulwimi ekujoliswe kulo luphando, ukuba kunokuthi umntu ongathi aguqulele ingabi nguye nawuphi na umntu ontetho isisiXhosa owazi ulwimi lwesi-Arabhu kwaye eliSlamsi, koko ibe yibhodi yokuguqulela eya kuthi ibe nabantu abohlukeneyo ngokwamanqanaba abo, ukusuka kulowo ungafundanga, iincutshe zokuguqulela, iingcali zolwimi kwiilwimi zombini. Nangona kunjalo, kuphando kuye kwaqwalaselwa ukuba iKurani eguqulelweyo ayinakubizwa ngokuba yiKurani kodwa mayibizwe ngegama elibonisa nelicebisa ukuba umbhalo lowo yinguqulelo.

The Female Voices of Islam is arguing for feminism to be regarded as a theory instead of an ideology so that the voices of contemporary female Muslims can be heard. This paper reviews the arguments of four such women: Amina Wadud, Fatima Mernissi, Asra Q. Nomani, and finally Zainab al-Ghazali. Collectively their discourses support equality for men and women within the Islamic tradition, while their individual ways of approaching the subject differ dramatically. Wadud and Nomani support the theory that an egalitarian ethic can be found in the roots of the Islamic tradition, in both text and ritual. Mernissi investigates how economic evolution of Islamic society stimulates a shift in spatial boundaries for Muslim women. Al-Ghazali does not address female inequality within the tradition, but advocates an egalitarian ethic through the example she sets in Egyptian society. She is concerned with a world wide observance of “true” Islam.

On August 15, 2021, the Taliban entered the Afghan capital, Kabul, and a new period in Afghanhistory began. Fear of return to the former Taliban regime in the 1990s spread. However, the Taliban promised that women's rights would be respected. Their rights would be respected within the framework of the Islamic Sharia law. Women would have a place in society and access to work and education. Despite their promises, the Taliban soon began restricting women's rights.The purpose of this essay is to examine the Taliban's understanding of Sharia and see what view of women it results in. The essay also intends to clarify whether this view includes rights for women. The Taliban's understanding is examined from a rights perspective and through a critical perspective. A qualitative hermeneutic methodology is the basis for the thesis method, this method refers to understandings and interpretations. Additionally, 3 deep structured interviews were conducted and constitutes an important part of the essay.The study shows that the Taliban's understandings are strongly rooted in local traditions of Pashtun communities. Much of The Taliban's view of women comes from traditional Pashtun societies, and a lot of what they call Sharia is in fact taken from the Pashtun code of honour, Pashtunwali. The Taliban declare that they endorse Human Rights and believe that both men and women have rights, but that the rights appear different

La tesi ha come oggetto la questione dei profeti e della loro lingua nel testo coranico, conducendo un esame sistematico delle narrazioni e dei discorsi profetici, durante tutto il corso della storia, a partire da Adamo, con l’intento di introdurre una lettura simmetrica delle storie tra episodi e lingua usata. L’accento è stato posto sugli aspetti filologici, concentrando l’analisi sulla versione araba del Corano, al fine di cercare di delineare profili personali e allo stesso tempo tentare di contrastare un approccio che sostiene che tutti gli inviati coranici abbiano solo una funzione strumentale alla missione di Muhammad. / The object of the dissertation is the study of the prophets and their language in the Qur’anic text, by carrying out a systematic examination of the Qur’anic narratives of the prophets and their speeches, throughout the whole course of history, starting from Adam, with the intent to introduce a symmetrical reading of the stories between incidents and the specific language. Emphasis has been put on the philological aspects, by concentrating the analysis on the Arabic version of the Qur’an, in order to try to design personal profiles and, at the same time, to attempt to counter an approach that claims to see all the Qur’anic envoys only in their instrumental function in the mission of Muhammad.

The aim of this essay is to examine the interpretation of the qur’anic word ummi by analysing how the term was interpreted by medieval muslim scholars in juxtaposition to the interpretation of the contemporary shiite muslim scholar Husayn Tabataba’i. The essay utilises a method of close-reading based on the given definition of the method by Grenholm and focuses on the medieval interpretation of the word ummi as researched in Sebastian Günthers academic article Muḥammad, the Illiterate Prophet as well as the given interpretation of Tabataba’i in Tafsir al-Mizan. The prophet Muhammed is described in the Qur’an as al-nabi al-ummi, an epithet often understood as ”the illiterate prophet”. By analysing the various exegetical interpretations of term ummi, the thesis hopes to reach a conclusion regarding the literacy or illiteracy of the islamic prophet in addition to elucidate what the meaning of ummi might be on a general level. The essay departs from the theoretical understanding of prophethood and the Qur’an as describe in shiite tradition, thus regarding the doctrinal affinity of  Tabataba’i in examining his interpretation.  The essay concludes that the perception of the prophet Muhammed being illiterate is a rather contemporary notion not shared by medieval muslim exegetical scholars. Husayn Tabataba’is exegesis in Tafsir al-Mizan suggest a different interpretation of the word ummi providing clarification and coherent explanation in his reading of the term.

Notre recherche se concentre sur les possibilités de renouveler, par la rencontre avec la philosophie des sciences et de la complexité, le champ philosophique de l’islam contemporain. En pratiquant une certaine circulation d’idées, de disciplines, d’espaces et moments distincts, nous scrutons les conditions de création d’un espace métaphysique susceptible d’opérer une contamination cognitive, en générant des effets de transversalité interdisciplinaire, des éclairages obliques qui feraient autant de captures instantanées d’une phénoménologie théologico-politique dont nous entendons également au préalable faire une lecture critique. La philosophie des sciences contemporaines intervient comme une manière de réhumaniser la raison religieuse en islam, qui – c’est là une de nos hypothèses de travail – semble n’être plus que réductionniste, matérialiste, dogmatique. Scientificité et positivisme sont du côté de ce fondamentalisme religieux qui, selon notre définition, « essentialise l’accessoire et accessoirise l’essentiel ». Notre recherche explore de nouveaux champs de circulation d’idées ; entre l’idéal bachelardien de complexité et une raison élargie post-occidentale plus accueillante ; entre une raison coranique dont nous entendrons montrer sa texture complexe et la monadologie leibnizienne qui reste l’expression harmonique la plus achevée qui soit, entre le fragment signifiant et le tout incommensurable. Cette vaste circulation d’idées contribue selon nous à élargir les perspectives philosophiques de l’islam contemporain à un moment où il entame, sur le sol européen et après les révolutions sociales arabes, une nouvelle phase de son devenir. / Our research focuses on the conceptual potential of renewing the philosophical field of contemporary Islam – thanks to the encounter with the philosophy of science and complexity. By undertaking a certain circulation of ideas between different disciplines, spaces and times, we explore the opportunities of creating a metaphysical space capable of operating a kind of cognitive contamination, by generating some effects of transversality and interdisciplinarity , as well as, oblique insights into a theological-political phenomenology which we also intend to analyze. The philosophy of science interferes as a way to re-humanize the religious rationality in Islam, which – and this is one of our main assumptions – seems to be more and more reductionist, materialistic, dogmatic. Positivism and scientificity are on the side of a religious fundamentalism that according to our definition "essentializes what is accessory and accessorizes what is essential". Our research explores new areas of circulation of ideas ; between the Bachelardian "ideal of complexity" and a more welcoming extended and post-Western rationality; between a Qur'anic reason for which we intend to show its complex texture and Leibniz’s Monadology which remains the most complete harmonic expression of what exists, between the significant fragment and the immeasurable whole. This vast flow of ideas helps us to enlarge the philosophical horizons of contemporary Islam at a time when it initiates, particularly on the European soil and after the Arab social revolutions, a new phase of its development.

The rise of digital technology has transformed nearly every part of our daily lives, including the way we learn and memorize. Such transformations raise interesting questions for one of the most long-standing and demanding memorization tasks in the world: the memorization of the Islamic holy book, The Qur’an. For Muslims, The Qur’an is a timeless, sacred text, cradling within its covers many profound images, stories, and parables. Despite rigorous research in the fields of game design and memorization techniques, very little work has been done in combining these two areas of research to create a game-based memorization experience of The Quran. This thesis synthesizes game design elements with existing memorization techniques to foster a more engaging, enriching, and inspiring Qur’an memorization experience.

To many, marriage is a fundamental part of life. The union of two individuals, often in the presence of those most dear, they vow stay loyal and support each other throughout their daily lives. Often, the marriage is fulfilled in the context of religion. To Islam, marriage is a sacred union assisting the couple on their spiritual journey in life. It is said that the Prophet Muhammad expressed “One who marries has already guarded half of his religion, therefore he should fear Allah for the other half”. This paper aims to analyse two different interreligious perspectives on marriage, and the existing view on sex and gender within the concept of marriage. To achieve this, a descriptive onset to idea analysis is used as a method. This analysis of this paper is based on four different analytical categories, or questions, which aims to display the existing concept of marriage of two books: Believing Women in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur’an, by Asma Barlas, and Marriage and Morals in Islam, by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi. The analysis shows that both accounts present an institutional view on marriage, with distinctly expressed terms or ideals on marriage - although Barlas creates more space for contractual dimensions to exist within the institutional view. As to gender and sex, this paper concludes that the views are based on the idea of essential biological differences between men and women. The duties and ideals of marriage is based on those differences, but Barlas stresses that this does not show that the Qur’an supports inequality or a sexual bias. As to Rizvi, it is more difficult to conclude whether his view on sex differences supports equality of the sexes, or a hierarchal outlook where the male is privileged or superior in comparison to women.