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The purpose of this thesis is to examine a major segment of Islamic international relations theory as expounded by Sunni jurists of the classical period of the Islamic Fiqh (661-1258 AD). It consists of that portion which is concerned with peaceful relations as distinct from that other major segment which is about Jihad or Islamic warfare. The thought of Muslim scholars on this topic provides a major part of an ideal model for political life under Islam, and its appeal has continued to exert a strong influence on the lives and thoughts of all Muslims throughout the centuries. Within this segment of Islamic international relations theory attention is focused on the key concepts of treaties, including alliance, and neutral status. One part of this is, however, omitted. It is what in Western political philosophy would be called private (not public) relations, and which in an Islamic classical Fiqh context - where the private/public distinction, it will be argued, is absent - can be termed social relations. The argument put forward will be that Islamic international relations are the totality of relations between Muslims and non-Muslims, and never relations between Muslims. Islamic law, it will be argued, governs this relationship, ensuring Islamic international relations theory is essentially normative. The thesis will further suggest that Muslim relations with non-Muslims are fundamentally pacific, not hostile, if the legitimate purposes of Jihad are properly assessed. The thesis will also be concerned to assess the extent to which peaceable Muslim relations with non-Muslims can be organised through the different forms of treaty which are recognised in classical Sunni Fiqh. It will be argued that the anti-Iraq coalition alliance of 1990-91 fulfilled the conditions of a genuine Islamic alliance treaty, contrary to the view of numerous contemporary Muslim scholars and publicists. Finally, it will be argued that neutrality, as well as neutralisation, were possible during the period of classical Sunni Fiqh.

This thesis is a comparative study of three spiritual female models recognized in the Islamic tradition: Maryam, the mother of `Isa, Khadija, the Prophet Muh&dotbelow;ammad's first wife, and Fat&dotbelow;ima, the Prophet's daughter. Although comparisons between these three women occur frequently in the Islamic literature of different periods, this research focuses on two works of the famous exegete and historian Abu Ja`far al-T&dotbelow;abari (d. 310/923), i.e., Jami` al-Bayan `an Ta'wil al-Qur'an and Ta'rikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk . In the light of textual analysis of al-T&dotbelow;abari's depiction of these three women, it appears that their images contribute towards the formation of an ideal type of the believing Muslim woman. Maryam, Khadija and Fat&dotbelow;ima are consistently characterized by their obedience, motherhood and purity. This thesis analyzes al-T&dotbelow;abari's comments on, and understanding of, each of these virtues. It also argues that the comparison between these three women, as found in al-T&dotbelow;abari's works, serves a wider religious purpose. Paradoxically, Khadija's and Fat&dotbelow;ima's comparison with Maryam allowed the early exegetes to establish Islam's continuity with respect to the existing monotheistic religions and, at the same time, to affirm its superiority over them.

This thesis deals with the problem of evil in Islamic theology, and, in particular, tries to examine the concept of al-qabih in al-Qadi 'Abd al-Jabbar al-Hamadhanis thought. This study is based on the fact that Islam, like other monotheist religions, considers the presence of evil in the world as a grave difficulty, a situation which has resulted in much dispute among the mutakallimin. For 'Abd al-Jabbar, the problem of evil is discussed in the framework of the concept of divine justice. According to this formulation, God does nothing except the good, as he must do the obligatory (al-wajib), will not devote himself to anything except for the sake of goodness, and never desires to do anything repulsive but only chooses wisdom and righteousness. Thus, 'Abd al-Jabbar's discussion of the problem of evil is an effort aimed at defending God's justice and omnipotence in a world marred by the presence of evil. This is significant, since divine justice (al-'adl), together with divine unity (al-tawhid), constitutes the most important characteristic of Mu'tazilism, a characteristic by virtue of which the Mu'tazilites claimed for themselves the title of ahl al-'adi wa al-tawhid, the adherents of divine justice and unity.

The ancient Arabs used poetry not only to entertain themselves in the midst of their harsh life in the Arabian desert, but also to proclaim their cultural values, which were the moral-spiritual and material basis of their nomad society. Composing poetry therefore was almost a sacred rite for them. Its recitation in particular, was a main feature of certain ritual customs held annually during the aswaq (sg. suq , festival) season. The most common themes touched upon were the attributes of which a tribe may have been particularly proud, such as its victories and generosity to the vanquished, the bravery of its heroes in battle and on hard journeys, the beauty of its women and of nature, the genealogy of the tribe, and prayers to the Almighty. / Through verse the ancient Arabs expressed how they conceived of their deities, whether, idols representing various gods and goddesses, or Allah. These verses make it clear that Allah alone was not represented by any idol, allowing us to infer that He was regarded as superior to other deities. This thesis, therefore, attempts to show how the ancient Arabs expressed through poetry their belief in Allah as the Lord of Gods, which was the true nature of their ancestral belief, the h&dotbelow;anifiyya, the religion of their forefathers Abraham and Ishmael.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Northwest Baptist Theological Seminary, 1988. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [183-189]).