This study focuses on orthodoxy and mysticism in the religious thought of Shaikh Mul,tammad ibn Tahir al-Fattani (914/1508-986/1578), a sixteenth century Sunui Rohra scholar. Islam had persistently presented two faces: one that was shari ah­ minded and concerned with the outward, socially cognizable behaviour and anothE'r mystkal-minded, concerned with the inward, personal life of the individual. The former was the domain of the "ulama", whereas the Sufi pirs accepted the care of the latter. While there were always those who accepted the one face of Islam as genuine and mistrusted the other or even regarded it as spurious, Shaikh al-Fattani succeecded in marrying the two. He was at once both a mystic pir and an orthodox religious scholar. A biography of Mul}ammad ibn Tahir al-Fattani based on the previous works is attempted with the aim being to collect the factual information pertaining directly to the details of his life. The last years of Shaikh al-F'attani's life were devoted to his reform involvement in his community and particularly to the removal of the Mahdawiyyah thoughts of Sayyid Muhammad Jawnpuri)who had declared himself the promised Mahdi. Against this backdrop of the life account of al-Fattani elements of orthodoxy and mysticism are identified in his scholarly works. Best known for his work Majma bihar al-anwar fi gharaib al-tanzil wa lataif al-akhbir, all the extant works of the Shaikh are discussed. To understand tbe subject within the context of his ethnic identity, aspects of the Bohra community are studied . lt is shown that their occupation as merchants and a history that emphasised their ancient link to the faith of Islam were some of the factors that shaped their group identity. Religious affiliation of the Bohras is explored in detail and after examining the various religious groupings it is evident that the principal communities amongst them differ substantially in their belief systems. Muslims of Sunni Bohra descent are to be found in South Africa. The Sunni Bohra community in general and their ulama in particular are today constantly challenged to not only be devoted to orthodoxy but to sufi doctrine and discipline as well. / Religious studies / D.Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

By the dawn of the fifth/eleventh century, al-Bukhārī (d. 256/870) was recognized as the most highly regarded hadith scholar and his Ṣaḥīḥ as the most authoritative book, after the Qur'an. This canonical status promoted a romanticized version of al-Bukhārī that does not reflect the reality that his pre-canonical historical record presents. This study recovers the reality of al-Bukhārī and provides a critical biography of him, tracing the progress of his career and detailing the objectives of his work. It provides a re-assessment of al-Bukhārī's own juridical, theological, and hadith-criticism principles based on an analysis of his own works, arguing that al-Bukhārī was shaped by the split between hadith and ra'y. It distinguishes three stages in his career: early education under ra'y authorities, conversion to hadith-based school, and his critique of the ra'y-based scholars in Transoxania. Al-Bukhārī was a significant contender of theology and law in his own day and certainly promoted a moderate position in theology and law that proved crucial to his future renown. He appears to have been Medinese in law and Iraqi in hadith criticism. His legal theory adopts some of Mālik ibn Anas' (d. 179/795) views and al-Shāfi'ī's (d. 204/820) hermeneutical concepts. His legal method and positive law appear to be systematically anti-ra'y and exhibit a virulent disparage of Abū Ḥanīfa (d. 150/767) and al-Shaybānī (d. 192/804-5). It appears that al-Bukhārī composed the Ṣaḥīḥ over a long period, at least a decade, as the Ṣaḥīḥ itself tends to confirm a chronological progress. This progress, the author contends, was the outcome of al-Bukhārī's long project in Transoxania, combating ra'y and promoting hadith. Al-Bukhārī achieved prominence within hadith-based circles for his unique transmitter-criticism (rijāl) works, particularly al-Tārīkh, but when he conceded that one's utterance (lafẓ) of the Qur'an is created, he was immediately denounced by the hadith-based school. This controversy caused the collapse of al-Bukhārī's career, leading to his demise in Khartank near Samarqand in 256/870.

Gay sexuality is seen as a great sin and consequently punishable in several countries in parts of the Muslim community’s. Homosexual persons are being subjected to related violence and dignity because of the expression of their gender, sexuality or honorary norms. The purpose of this paper is to find out how homosexual Muslims living in the city of Umeå unite their sexual orientation with their beliefs and see if they believe Islam as a religious obstacle   or if there are other cultural phenomena that prevent them from ”coming out”   The result of this study shows that the majority of the interviewed people do not see religion as an obstacle to their sexual orientation, by questioning the hadith statements of trust. Respondents argue that Hadith literature came a long way after the death of Prophet Muhammad. The majority of the interviewed claims that the Hadith literature is human constructions that were written down long after the death of Prophet Muhammad.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The aim of this study is to investigate ·and outline the importance and significance of Arabic in the South African context. The study investigates inter alia the part played by the early Muslim settlers, political exiles and the pioneers who made possible the preservation of Islamic faith and culture. This study demonstrates that the period from 1652 to date had been a period of considerable development, expansion and _enlightenment of Arabic. The study revealed inter alia that only Indian schools under the Department of Indian Affairs (now Department of Education and Culture) offered Arabic which fully satisfied the Muslim Community's demands. 1975 marks the beginning of Arabic as a language in Indian secondary schools. The Muslim pupil is given the basic grounding in the understanding of both the Quran and the Hadith. Some suggestions regarding aspects of an effective didactic approach concludes this presentation.

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In the development of Islam in India in the nineteenth century, the impact of the interaction between modernist Muslims and Christian administrators and missionaries can be seen in the writings of three Evangelical Christians on the role of the H&dotbelow;adith and the responses of Indian Muslims. The writings of Sir William Muir, an administrator in the Indian Civil Service, were characterized by European Orientalist methods of textual criticism coupled with the Evangelicals' rejection of Muh&dotbelow;ammad. In his response, Sir Sayyid Ah&dotbelow;mad Khan, an influential Muslim modernist, supported the traditional perception of the H&dotbelow;adith but also initiated a new critical approach. The writings of Thomas P. Hughes and Edward Sell, missionaries with the Church Missionary Society, tended to portray Islam as bound by this body of traditions, with the rejoinders of Sayyid Amir 'Ali and Chiragh 'Ali presenting an increasing rejection of the religious authority of the H&dotbelow;adith and an impassioned defense of Islam.

於人類社會，自最初的濟貧行為乃至當代國家主動介入實施的社會福利政策，宗教中關於慈善的價值觀點與其所施行之慈善行為長期發揮著重要的功能。然而，於全球化與經濟發展日趨緩和的情況下，吾人也面對著必須檢討與嘗試削減社會福利支出之難題。在這當中，宗教所提供的社會福利並未因此缺席，其價值觀也仍持續影響著部分福利政策。而本研究之宗旨即在於探討伊斯蘭教法下之社會福利思想，以《古蘭經》及《聖訓》為基礎，展開伊斯蘭教與當代社會福利政策間的對話。 本研究採經典文獻分析法，整理及分析伊斯蘭教的主要法源：《古蘭經》、《布哈里聖訓集》與《穆斯林聖訓集》三大全本，並以伊斯蘭傳統教法學分析其社會福利思想與措施，包含「宗教功修」、「家庭關係」與「繼承和經濟系統」，扒梳整理伊斯蘭教的特點，藉此理解伊斯蘭教如何因應所發生的社會問題，再與現代福利制度做對照比較，以提供另一種思維。期待藉由其與當代社會福利思維的對話，找出伊斯蘭教發展社會福利的艱困因素，並希冀從伊斯蘭教的觀點出發，析理出在今日社會下發展伊斯蘭教的社會福利模式的方法。 / To help the poor at the beginning to national social welfare policy, the value and practice of charity in religions play an important function in human societies. However, social welfare policy has to face to reduce and review due to globalization and slowing economic growth. Welfare of religions always exists and the value keeps taking effect on welfare policies. Therefore, the aim of this study is to discuss the thoughts of social welfare in sharia (Islamic law). Also, this study is the proceeding the dialogue with the interpretation bases on Quran and Hadith between Islam and contemporary social welfare. This study is based on documentary analysis. It sorts and analyzes the sources of law in Islam: Quran, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. To analyze the thoughts and social welfare practices in Islam based on Fiqh, including al-ibadat, family relationship and the system of economic and inheritance. The study tries to recognize t the distinguishing characteristics in Islam and to understand how the Islam responses to social problems. It compares with contemporary social welfare system and provides the thinking of the other side. Also, it tries to find out the difficulties of social welfare developing in Islam world by dialogue with contemporary social welfare. At the end, t this study is based on the point of view in Islam to find the methods of developing social welfare in today’s Islam society.

Shīʿī aḥādīth, particularly on women, are an immensely understudied area. Studies on Shīʿī aḥādīth on women usually centre on Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ, and little research explores pre-Islamic sacred female figures in Shīʿī aḥādīth. At the same time, there an urgent interest in Shīʿism as well as women in Islam, and a desire for new methods to be applied as well as new questions to be asked. This thesis will analyse Shīʿī aḥādīth about women in pre-Islamic sacred history who appear in the Qurʾān (focusing on Eve, Sārah, Hājar, Zulaykhā, Bilqīs, and the Virgin Mary), and apply the methodologies of ideological criticism and feminist hermeneutics (to be explained in Chapter 1) to explore the subtexts about the essential nature and role of women communicated through these narrations. In addition to exploring the roots of these ideas, it will compare them against the contemporary Shīʿī ideology of gender referred to as the ‘separate-but-equal’ ideology to explore how well this ideology corresponds to Shīʿī narrations. (What constitutes an ‘ideology’ will be explored in Chapter 1.) Rather than attempting to derive the ‘authentic’ teachings of the Prophet or the Imāms, this study will take a stance of inauthenticity with respect to narrations and treat narrations as socio-cultural artefacts representing the diversity of views and beliefs of the Shīʿī community. This distinguishes it from other works which either attempt to derive the ‘authentic’ teachings of the Prophet, or else which presume that all narrations equally reflect what the Prophet and Imāms actually said. This avoids the sticky question of which narrations are actually ‘true’ and allows them to be treated equally as cultural artifacts in negotiating a Shīʿī ideology of gender. Because this study focuses on sacred female figures shared with the Judaeo-Christian tradition, it allows for the exploration of how ideas about women from outside the Islamic tradition were integrated into the Shīʿī corpus through isrāʾīlīyāt, particularly through the intertextual synthesis of pre-Islamic material (such as the Bible) with post-Prophetic notions (such as normative paradigms of jurisprudential discourse). Two trends will emerge from these narrations. The first heavily reinforces patriarchal norms, such as women’s seclusion, the need for male authority, and male guardianship over women. These narrations reflect jurisprudential discourse and are largely found in two of the four most prominent books of Shīʿī ḥadīth, al-Kāfī and al-Faqīh. However, in the second, other narrations form a ‘counter-narrative’ in which women and men are portrayed as equals; these narrations invoke the imagery of esoteric Shīʿism and focus on the narrative of wilāyah (loyalty to and love of the Prophet, Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ, and the Shīʿī Imāms). Since both sets of narrations address uniquely Shīʿī concerns, such as the Imāmate, it can be deduced that these differing portrayals of women reflect competing concerns in the early and mediaeval Shīʿī communities with respect to determining Shīʿī identity and orthodoxy, and may also reflect the spread of and resistance to Arabization. Lastly, because many narrations attributed to Imam ʿAlī convey strikingly different views about women, the penultimate chapter will explore whether Imam ʿAlī was misogynistic through a comparison of two foundational Shīʿī texts: Kitāb Sulaym ibn Qays al-Hilālī (c. 100 AH) and Nahj al-Balāghah (c. 400 AH).