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The concept of autonomy underlies many other issues in moral and political philosophy. This dissertation states that contemporary debates within Shi’i thought view autonomy as individualistic, and that this individualism brings it into conflict with tradition. It then argues that autonomy is not equivalent to individualism, and argues for an understanding of autonomy that is socially and historically embed- ded and discursive. This makes it possible to rethink the relationship between autonomy and tradition. This rethinking is done through a method of reflective equilibrium, where various ideas from various fields are brought into a coherent whole. There are two phases to this rethinking. The first is in clarifying the concept of autonomy and the second is bringing this concept of autonomy and Shi’i tradition into equilibrium. The dissertation begins by stating that Shi’i thought has already made room for autonomy, but that the concept of autonomy that is dominant is individualistic. An understanding of autonomy as socially and historically embedded is defended. The second phase is to reconcile this embedded notion of autonomy with Shi’i tradition. It is argued that autonomy is important for both the internalisation of tradition and the formation of tradition. Empirical evidence is provided through positive psychology that shows that the most effective means of internalising a belief is through contexts that support autonomy. This understanding of internal- isation is brought into equilibrium with the Shi’i concept of forbidding wrong. It is argued that one of the conditions of forbidding wrong is the condition of efficacy. Approaches to forbidding wrong that support autonomy meet this condition, while those that deny autonomy generally do not. Finally, it is argued that autonomy should be considered within the process of ijtihād because it has an epistemic gain. Autonomous individuals gain a certain level of expertise through their life experiences that are necessary to be incorporated in the ijtiḥād.

The question of whether the door of ijtihad is open, closed, or ever did close, has been around for centuries. The answer to this question is crucial for our times. The research will present a chronological overview of the historical development of the concept of ijtihad, how it developed, became limited in certain circles, and if it ever ceased to be practiced. It can be concluded from the research that the doors of ijtihad were never closed, but were limited to a particular type of educational training. Those who completed this training proceeded on to become jurists. Those who could not, were requested to follow their leaders or engage in "taqlid." This study will show that this question arose from a power struggle between modernists and traditionalists regarding who had the power to interpret and make rulings for the Muslim community. It will further show how traditionalists are trying to maintain their power in order to preserve traditional Islam and how the modernists are trying to solve contemporary problems by opening the doors to interpretation for those who are not classically trained. / Religion

La religion musulmane est une religion universelle, elle ne se limite pas à un espace défini, ni à une époque. Elle peut s’étendre à tous les lieux. Le passé a témoigné et démontré sa capacité à être une religion conciliable et adaptable à toutes cultures et civilisations. Dès lors, il est tout à fait possible d’affirmer qu'elle est une religion flexible selon l'environnement. Le flux migratoire en Europe des personnes en provenance de pays musulmans a engendré l’enracinement progressif de l’Islam, dans un environnement non musulman et sécularisé. C’est dans ce contexte sans précédent, qu’une réflexion innovatrice a émergé, tenant compte des différents aspects sociétaux. Elle consiste à réfléchir aux nouvelles perspectives visant à structurer un modèle cohérent pour les musulmans d’Europe, en phase avec la société occidentale. Ce renouveau dépend essentiellement de la double capacité à conjuguer raison et respect du patrimoine des fondements de la jurisprudence musulmane. Mais, il doit également intégrer une lecture critique de ce patrimoine par le biais de nouveaux outils de compréhension, répondant aux finalités de la loi musulmane.L’objet de cette recherche porte sur le concept de fatwa, qui permet justement l’adaptation, en apportant des solutions adéquates aux Musulmans vivant en Europe. Cette recherche englobe aussi bien la structuration du CEFR et sa méthodologie d’expertise que les catégories de lois sujettes à la flexibilité. Les fatwa(s) émises par le conseil déterminent ainsi les mécanismes employés pour la résolution des cas spécifiques au contexte européen où les communautés musulmanes sont minoritaires. Ceci permet d’évaluer, par conséquent, la pertinence et la recevabilité de ce nouvel habillage du fiqh, qui vise à offrir de nouveaux horizons, sans pour autant se détacher complètement du patrimoine juridique existant. / Islam is a universal religion. It may not be hemmed in any limited boundaries, neither in a specific era. It has ability to extend to all the places. In the past this religion has proven its adaptability and compatibility to all the cultures and civilizations. Consequently, we can assure with certainty that Islam is completely flexible and adaptable to a given environment. The migratory flow to Europe from Muslim countries has established its roots gradually in a non-Muslim and secular environment. In this unprecedented context an innovative reflection has emerged englobing all the societal aspects. It consists in thinking out new viewpoints on creating models that are coherent for Muslims in Europe and are in accordance with the western society. This renewal depends essentially on the double capacity of combining reason and respect of the patrimony of the basis of Islamic jurisprudence. Yet, it also has to incorporate the analytical interpretations of this patrimony through the new tools of comprehension, meeting with the aims of Islamic laws.The aim of this research is about the concept of a Fatwa that allows adaptation bringing suitable solutions for the Muslims living in Europe. This research includes structuring of CEFR, its methodology of assessment as well as the categories of laws that are subjected to flexibility. The Fatwas issued by the Council consequently determine the mechanisms used to solve cases specific to European context where the Muslim communities are a minority. This allows us to evaluate the pertinence and the admissibility of embellishing of Fiqh which is meant to open new horizons, all the same without being totally detached from the existing legal patrimony.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att ur ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv göra en jämförande textanalys av Fazlur Rahmans och Taha Jabir al-Alwanis tolkningar av islam utifrån teman som bl.a. rör deras syn på tidigare tolkningsmetoder och hur de uppfattar muslimers situation idag. Rahman och al-Alwani har olika utbildningsbakgrund men har båda arbetat i U.S.A. De förespråkar förnuftstolkning för att nå vad de anser vara Koranens egentliga budskap och be-tonar en medvetenhet om att historisk och social kontext måste beaktas i tolkningsprocessen. Analysen visar att båda betonar individens ansvar, plikt och engagemang men att deras upp-fattning om enskilda muslimers åtagande skiljer sig något åt. Analysen visar också på att det har något olika uppfattning om de islamiska källorna liksom hur nytolkning får praktiseras. Orsaker till dessa skillnader analyseras i uppsatsen.

Islamic Jurisprudence comprises of the laws that govern a Muslims daily life. The Prophet Muhammad explained and practically demonstrated these laws. The jurists studied the Quran and the Prophet's life and they adopted a refined methodology which they used to extract legal rulings and verdicts. This methodology is known as the Principles of Jurisprudence. The jurists expanded on this methodology with some differences among them on the usage and the application of some aspects as acceptable forms of evidence. Eventually, the Muslim world was left with four schools of jurisprudence that are present to this day. There are differences between these schools on some issues but these differences never caused conflict, instead it provided us with a wealth of knowledge. We need to study these schools and its principles together with the objectives and intent of the Shariah and utilize this to find solutions to all new issues that arise. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M. A. (Islamic Studies)

Islamic Jurisprudence comprises of the laws that govern a Muslims daily life. The Prophet Muhammad explained and practically demonstrated these laws. The jurists studied the Quran and the Prophet's life and they adopted a refined methodology which they used to extract legal rulings and verdicts. This methodology is known as the Principles of Jurisprudence. The jurists expanded on this methodology with some differences among them on the usage and the application of some aspects as acceptable forms of evidence. Eventually, the Muslim world was left with four schools of jurisprudence that are present to this day. There are differences between these schools on some issues but these differences never caused conflict, instead it provided us with a wealth of knowledge. We need to study these schools and its principles together with the objectives and intent of the Shariah and utilize this to find solutions to all new issues that arise. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M. A. (Islamic Studies)

Assez peu reconnu à son époque et encore largement méconnu aujourd'hui, l'intellectuel algérien Malek Bennabi (1905-1973) a pourtant fait une entrée remarquée dans la vie intellectuelle en Algérie avec sa notion de "colonisabilité " en 1949. Il se fera connaitre ensuite dans le monde musulman notamment avec ses définitions fonctionnelles de la culture et de la civilisation. Néanmoins, sa conception réformiste de la religion, nommée " idée religieuse " et ayant une fonction sociale, a été très peu analysée. Or, elle est la clé de voûte de la compréhension de la pensée de Bennabi. Pour lui, " l'idée religieuse " doit être une idée vécue comme une " vérité travaillante ", authentique avec l'islam et efficace dans le monde moderne. Il mélange des savoirs issus à la fois de la Tradition musulmane et des sciences humaines et propose de connecter l'islam authentique avec l'esprit technique cartésien. Ainsi, dans un contexte de décolonisation, Bennabi veut réaliser, par le déploiement moral et social de " l'idée religieuse " un projet de société pérenne, prospère et ouvert sur la civilisation humaine. Par le biais de cette notion " d'idée religieuse ", nous proposons, tout d'abord, de situer Bennabi dans l'histoire de l'Algérie mais aussi de l'islam contemporain. Nous voulons ensuite comprendre les fondements et les finalités de sa pensée qui est singulière au sein du réformisme musulman. Ce qui permettra enfin de mesurer l'impact de " l'idée religieuse " dans son projet de société sur trois niveaux de réflexion ; l'homme, la société, l'humanité. / Although he is not really recognized by his contemporaries and still largely unknown today, the Algerian intellectual Malek Bennabi (1905-1973) nevertheless made a remarkable entry into the intellectual life in Algeria with his notion of "colonisabilité ". Then, he will be known in the Muslim world with its functional definitions of culture and civilization. Thus, his reformist conception of religion, having a social function, which he called "religious idea", was ignored. It is, however, the keystone of the understanding of Bennabi's thinking. For him, "The religious idea" must be an idea lived as a "working truth", being authentic with Islam and effective in the modern world. He mixes the knowledge of the Muslim Tradition with the human sciences and proposes to connect his vision of an authentic Islam with the Cartesian technical spirit. Moreover, in a context of decolonization, Bennabi wants to realize, by the moral and social deployment of the "religious idea", a project of sustainable society, which he sees as being prosperous and open to human civilization. Through this concept of "religious idea" we propose, first of all, to question the place of Bennabi in the history of Algeria but also of contemporary Islam. Then, we want to question the foundations and the purposes of his thought which is singular in Muslim reformism. Finally, this will allow us to measure the impact of the "religious idea" in its project of society on three levels of reflection: man, society, humanity.

Suite à la crise financière globale de 2008, ainsi qu’aux différents facteurs qui y ont mené, il est étonnant qu’une alternative éthique et juste pour une finance lucrative et stable n’existe toujours pas (ou du moins, demeure oubliée). Ayant décidé de contribuer au domaine pluri-centenaire du Droit Commercial de la Chari’a, nous avons été surpris par la découverte d’une problématique à l’origine de cette thèse. En France, nous avons suivi des débats doctrinaux intéressants dont les conclusions se rapprochent de la perception générale Occidentale quand à la nature de la finance Islamique, que ce soit au niveau de la finance basée sur le Droit de la Chari’a ou encore les exigences de sa pleine introduction dans le système juridique français de l’époque. Cet intérêt initial dans la finance islamique a ensuite mené à un intérêt dans la question des avantages d’éthique et de justice du Droit Commercial de la Chari’a dans son ensemble, qui est au coeur de cette thèse. Dans le monde moderne du commerce et de la finance d’aujourd’hui, les transactions sont marquées par une prise de risque excessive et un esprit de spéculation qui s’apparente aux jeux de hasard, et menant à des pertes colossales. Pire encore, ces pertes sont ensuite transférées à la collectivité. Par conséquent, y at-il des préceptes, des principes ou des règles éthiques et juridiques qui peuvent fournir une certaine forme de sécurité et de protection dans les marchés financiers d'aujourd'hui? Est-ce réalisable? Cette thèse soutient que la richesse de la jurisprudence islamique ainsi que ses règles dont les avantages n’ont pas encore été pleinement saisis et régénérés en réponse aux nouveaux défis d’aujourd'hui, peuvent encore fournir continuellement des solutions, et réformer des produits financiers de façon à refléter des principes de justice et d'équité. Dans ce processus, un éclairage nouveau sera apporté à certains sujets déjà connus dans le cadre de la contribution prévue de cette thèse, mais ne sera pas le principal objectif de la thèse. / Following the 2008 global financial meltdown and the various reasons that lead to it, it seemed inconceivable that no ethical and justice-driven alternative for highly lucrative and stable financing existed, or at the very least forgotten about. Deciding to contribute to the already centuries old and continuously developing domain of Shari’a Commercial law, we were first caught by surprise when we discovered one particular problem that sparked the start of this thesis. In France, we encountered interesting debates and doctrinal findings resembling a general and common western perception of the legal nature of Islamic Finance, being Shari’a Commercial law based financing, and the requirements for its full introduction into the French legal system at the time. This initial interest in Islamic Finance then evoked an interest in the ethical and justice driven gems of Shari’a Commercial law as a whole, and as the subject of this thesis. In today’s modern and global commercial and financial world, transactions are shrouded by excessive risk-taking and speculation akin to gambling, rendering at times colossal damages. To make matters worse, those damages are dislodged onto the public. Therefore, are there any ethical and legal precepts, principles and rules that may provide some form of a safety and social net in today’s financial markets? Is this achievable? This thesis argues that the richness of Islamic jurisprudence and its rules that have not had their benefits fully reaped and regenerated in response to new challenges till today, may still continuously provide solutions, as well as provide reforms to financial products, which exemplify justice and fairness. Within the process, new light will be shed on certain already known topics as part of the intended contribution of this thesis, but will not be the main objective of the thesis.