Insight Islamicus

Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic Studies

University of Kashmir

ISSN: 0975-6590

In the modern Iranian history, the revolutions of 1905 and 1979 have left such a resounding impression on Iranian intellectuals that their preoccupation with them and dramatic emphasis on their events has ensured that everything that happened between the two revolutions is seen either as their impact or a direct cause influencing them. This is one of the many reasons why it is noticed that a detailed study of the Iranian state governed by the Pahlavi dynasty is still in its early years. While the political events such as that of the Coup of 1921, the one of 1953, and the White Revolution have been subject to various scholarly debates, the intellectual developments that took place at the same time have failed to receive the corresponding attention. This certainly does not mean that no scholarly progress took place in these six decades, as the sustainment of a modern state without the empowerment of its citizens, achievable only through their education, is out of question; rather it only demonstrates what the priorities of those who had been tasked with the obligation of writing modern Iranian history in the twentieth century were. As such, this paper, endeavors to present a succinct outline of the intellectual products of the Pahlavi era, what influenced the thought of this period, the battle between those who sought to implement the ideals of Enlightenment and those who fought against it, and its implications in the shaping of modern Iran

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (1925-2021) was a noted Indian Islamic scholar, scholastic theologian, philosopher and peace activist. He had authored over 200 books on Islam, including Mazhab aur Jadeed Challenge, Prophet of Revolution, Tazkeerul Quran, Islam the Creator of Modern age, Prophetic Wisdom, Islam Rediscovered, Jihad, Peace and Inter-Community Relations in Islam and The Ideology of Peace. He received many national and international awards in recognition of his contribution to world peace including the „Demiurgus Peace International Award‟; the „National Amity Award‟, „Padma Bhushan‟ and Padma Vibhushan (2021). He was also awarded the title of „Ambassador of Peace‟ by the International Federation for World Peace, Korea. In 2015, he was conferred with „Sayyidina Imam al-Hassan ibn Ali Memorial Peace Award‟ by the „Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies‟ in Abu Dhabi (UAE), in recognition of his contribution to world peace particularly promoting peace in Muslim societies

Islam has its own way and system of redefining concepts and giving them new meanings. It is identified by rigorous study and examination executed after taking into consideration the improvement in knowledge with the evolved comprehension of the Quran, Hadith, agreement of the recognized imams, besides the principles of reason and intellection. This system of rethinking and redefining is spread across all branches of Islamic scientology like Tafsīr, theology, fiqh, taṣawwuf, philosophy, and socio-political thought. One core area of this scientific legacy is the discipline of taṣawwuf, a field marked by diverse discourses all focusing on outlining its proper conception and nuanced application. As a multitude of Muslim scholars have endeavored to describe taṣawwuf, in this paper we shall attempt to present the understandings and assessments of Sufism by one such scholar from the Indian subcontinent namely Mawlānā Ashraf ‗Alī Thānvī.

This paper discusses the contribution of Muhammad Mustafa al-A‟ẓami to the Ḥadīth literature. It begins with the biography of Muhammad Mustafa al-A‟ẓami with a special focus on his legacy, education and achievements. It also provides a detailed account of his works; his authored books as well as his edited books. In terms of his contribution towards Ḥadīth sciences, it first discusses his arguments in response to the claims and theories of Orientalists on the pre-Arabia literature and documentation of Ḥadīth in the first two centuries of Hijrah. The main contention of Orientalists is that the development of Ḥadīth literature took place after these two centuries. His response to the arguments of Orientalists regarding the Isnād system; its origin and validity, and his contribution towards the computerization of Ḥadīth literature in Arabic language is also discussed. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of M.M. Al-A‟ẓami‟s approach regarding the origin, meaning, and methodology of Ḥadīth criticism is also made. He takes into account the arguments of opponents of Ḥadīth and comes up with academic responses to their objections. In light of Qur‟ānic injunctions and other reliable sources, he argues that the science of Ḥadīth criticism is not a late invention, rather, a science initiated by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself. He also cites numerous incidents from the Companions in which they applied the principles of Ḥadīth criticism.

The concept of reform is integral to the very fundamentals of Islam. Prophets of God who were sent towards different nations primarily worked as divine representatives of reform their respective communities within. Reform was also at the heart of Prophet Muhammad‟s (صلى الله عليه وسلم) mission which sought to revive Islamic monotheism and reform the then extant Arabian society from prevailing ignorance, socio-moral corruption and idolatry. The primary scriptures of Islam (Quran and Sunnah) have clearly discussed nature and scope of reform for the post-Prophetic times. There upon in the history of Islam after the cessation of institution of prophet-hood, leading Muslim scholars, theologians and Saints actively participated in the pursuit of reform within the backdrop of Prophetic model of reform. This paper thoroughly elaborates the concept of reform in Islam in the primary texts (nuṣūṣ) of Islam (Quran and Sunnah). The genesis of Islamic concepts like Iṣlāḥ (reform) and Tajdīd (renewal) has been discussed vis-à-vis their linguistic and technical meanings in the Islamic tradition. Besides the approach and understanding of these referential concepts of reform by medieval and modern thinkers have been discussed. Further concept of reform vis-à-vis the reformation movement in Christianity has been discussed in order to showcase the scope and limitations of reform in Islam as compared to drastic reforms initiated by protestant reformers. Lastly, the tools of reform in Islam have been discussed.

In the postcolonial times, Muslim majority lands witnessed an active and critical engagement between a section of Muslim scholarship and the incursions made by the colonial modernity, its various institutional manifestations in these lands in the socio-political, economic or religious contexts and importantly the legal restructuring in the Muslim majority countries in the twentieth century. In the backdrop of the assault of the colonial modernity, a need for a reformative model or framework to deal with the disputations of the modernity was felt like never before in history of Islamic people. Among all such reformative ideas, responses and the movements, Muḥammad „Abduh initiated a process of reformation rooted in Islamic theology, Islamic law and the inter links between the theology and the law. Succeeded by two of his illustrious students; Rashid Rida- a Syrian-Egyptian scholar and the main proponent of the reformative-Salafi paradigm and Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir ibn al-„Āshūr – an erudite Tunisian scholar and a leading jurist of the school of Malik. This paper endeavors to present a succinct appraisal of the legal thought of ibn al-„Āshūr who remains one of the most influential legal theorist and Qur‟ānic exegete of the modern times. He came up with a very persuasive and original model of reformation and legal theory based in Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah.

Spirituality is the quality or state of being actively attached with and sensitive towards religion or religious matters; the quality or state of being spiritual. Spirituality is related to the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things. The technical part of spirituality is to understand the concept of spirit and soul which are both abstract and complex to put into words. We do, however, try to make an effort to reach within, too deep into the subject to extract the meanings based on both rationality and experience. Human experience about the soul is subjective. One cannot reify it. We understand the limitations with social sciences, primarily with the abstract concepts. They scarcely permit decisive definitions. This may be the reason why elaborations and comprehensive explanations related to these abstract ideas give more comfort to academicians. In the following pages, a humble attempt has been made to elucidate these concepts and mankind‘s progress to realize the spirituality that lies in comprehending human soul and the questions that arise with it which primarily includes the problem of defining ‗soul‘.

Modernity like many other concepts is a social phenomenon, an analytical instrument to describe and analyze social reality, and also a norm and an ideology by which reality as such as valued and judged. Modernity is a way of thought and of living in the contemporary world and of accepting change, as part of political and cultural processes by integrating new ideas into society. There are several forms of responses from Muslims to the concept of modernity which are mainly grouped into two: the reformist/modernist and the fundamentalist. The present paper is an attempt to explore the response of one of the great Muslim modernists, Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, to the concept of modernity

The Ottoman artistic and architectural heritage bloomed and prospered in its Golden Age during the reign of Suleyman (r. 1520–66 C.E.), popularly known as “the Magnificent” or “the Lawmaker”. The Golden Age marked geographic expansion, boom in trade, economic growth, military successes via land and seas and saw an increase in artistic activities. This period saw development in architecture, calligraphy, manuscript, painting, textiles and ceramics and heralded a new era in the expansion of Muslim architecture in the early Modern era. In this backdrop, the paper explores the nature of Muslim architecture across various Muslim Empires with a particular focus on the Ottoman Empire and investigates the various factors that influenced it spread from the Levant, particularly Greater Syria towards the West and East and how the mutual cultural exchange between the East and the West further shaped the architectural structures across continents.

Generosity and philanthropy is one of the fundamental pillars upon which the Islamic edifice is established. Islam enjoins its followers to be generous and ready to spend for the welfare of others. It encourages them to compete in the acts of goodness, charity, kindness, and piousness. It emphasizes its followers to render every kind of goodness to the people and make it their permanent policy. One of the highest forms of generosity is „preferring the needs and necessities of others over one‟s own‟, and „spending on others what you love and desperately need yourself‟. This aspect of generosity is termed as īthār (altruism). It is this important aspect of generosity which is briefly discussed in this paper. An attempt is made to discuss the meaning, virtues, excellences, and the various levels/aspects of īthār in light of the Qur‟ān and Ḥadīth, as well as the teachings derived from them.

Islam is a divinely revealed religion. It encompasses all that which is essential for a happy and prosperous life. Not only the religious obligations and the moral behavior of the man are guided by Islam but the things surrounding him are also given equal consideration. One of the important aspects of nature is the environment hence for its protection we find many references in basic sources of Islam where Muslims have been ordained to work for the protection of the environment. Environment protection is an important aspect of Islam. Being stewards of the Earth, it is the responsibility of Muslims to care for the environment proactively. There is a definite purpose behind the creation of different species, be it plants or animals. Muslims are encouraged to reflect on the relationship between living organisms and their environment and to maintain the ecological balance created by Allah. Protection of the environment is essential to Islamic beliefs and mankind has the responsibility to ensure safe custody of the environment. The present paper is an attempt to highlight the teachings of Islam regarding the protection of the environment viz-a-viz the role of Muslims in this process.