Category Archives: Islamic Texts

Why hedonistic polygyny is against Islam

Gender and Sexuality, Pakistan, Qur'an


Mukhtaran Mai

Why hedonistic polygyny is against Islam

by A. Faizur Rahman

The marriage, under pressure, of Mukhtaran Mai, the courageous woman who stood up to the atavistic tribal laws of Pakistan after being honour-raped by a gang of human beasts, has brought into focus the enormity of the gender bias prevailing in Muslim societies, particularly through the misuse of the law of polygyny. Without doubt, Ms. Mai is a victim of both emotional and physical blackmail. That she is also a victim of medieval indoctrination can be deduced from her unqualified statement (“A controversial marriage in Pakistan,” The  Hindu, March 30, 2009) that taking a second wife is permitted in Islam. Therefore, it could be said with some conviction that it was the belief that her marriage was not un-Islamic (rather than the fear of jeopardising the marriages of three other women) that prompted her into marrying an already married man. For it is unbelievable that a woman of the mental strength of Ms. Mai could have succumbed to the threats of a cowardly blackmailer. Continue reading Why hedonistic polygyny is against Islam →

The Quran in an Historical Context

Conferences and Talks, Qur'an


Sultan Baybars’ Qur’an Text

Alwan for the Arts Presents

The Quran in an Historical Context by Nasr Hamid Abu Zayed
Friday, April 24, 2009 6:30 P.M.
Free and Open to the Public

Religious texts are understandably ubiquitous and take on a life of their own, above and beyond the quotidian, above and beyond history, and are endowed with a sacred halo of omnipotence and omnipresence. However subjecting sacred texts to innovative forms of historical, hermeneutical or allegorical readings can be an immensely rich exercise in bringing out the multidimensional view inherent in the text and in our reception of its meaning. In this lecture, Nasr Hamid Abu Zayed will offer a survey of the most recent theories, controversies and discoveries in the field of Quranic studies as well as address by way of a historical and comparative reading the circumstances in which the Quran was formed and its relationship to the Bible. Continue reading The Quran in an Historical Context →

Forensic Scriptures: Down by the Riverside

Conferences and Talks, Islam and Christianity, Islam in America, Qur'an

The following information is about a conference at the Riverside Church in Manhattan on May 15-17, 2009. Tabsir commentator and newly tenured professor Amir Hussein (pictured above) will be giving a presentation on Saturday, as noted below. Note that unlocking the key to these Forensic Scriptures is not free, but requires registration.

Forensic Scriptures presents the Qur’an as a sacred resource increasingly accessible to Jewish and Christian scholars and students of the Scriptures. It is a template of scriptural production from the last major culture to spring from the ancient Middle East, in which reliable information about scriptural development has never disappeared from view. To illustrate the model, Muslims believe Muhammad was illiterate and that nearly all Surahs of the Qur’an may have been written down by the women of his household, lead by Hafsah, who was entrusted with preservation of the Qur’an and transmission of it to the world. The Hadith presents conversations and actions of the Prophet as recorded by his Companions, male and female, including another wife, Ayisha. Recognition that such materials were penned by women does not rely on secondary sources or conjecture. Islamic primary sources, under rigorous re-evaluation by Islamic scholars today, have a potential to reveal whole new paradigms that may now be applied to Biblical texts, beginning with these historic Riverside symposia, supported by surrounding seminaries and by noted scholars. Continue reading Forensic Scriptures: Down by the Riverside →

A Defence of Quran-Only Islam

Qur'an

Fifteen Great Reasons We Should Embrace and Follow the Quran-only Islam

by Abdur Rab, opednews.com, December 14, 2008

Islam that we should follow is the one guided strictly by the Quran’s tenets. The Hadith, the alleged second source of Islam, is unacceptable as religious guidance as it has given rise to spurious, untenable and ludicrous ideas that have corrupted practiced Islam (See: Chapters 10 and 11 of the author’s recently published book Exploring Islam in a New Light: An Understanding from the Quranic Perspective). The Quran-only Islam seeks to replace the most widely held notions of Islam that have led to sectarian divisions among Muslims, and given rise to the violence, strife, inequality and fanaticism seen so often in western portrayals of Islam. The Hadith believers think that the Quran is not sufficient or easy for us as guidance. The Quran, however, is emphatic on the points that it is detailed and self-explained (6:114; 12:111; 16:89), and straightforward, clear and sufficiently easy to follow (39:28; 43:2; 44:2, 58; 54:17, 22, 32, 40). There are at least fifteen great reasons why one should embrace and follow this Quran-only Islam: Continue reading A Defence of Quran-Only Islam →

Jerusalem Prosopography Project

Islamic History, Islamic Texts, Muhammad, Teaching Resources


Michael Lecker, Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

[Editor’s Note: The Jerusalem Prosopography Project (JPP) was created by Michael Lecker, Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. This online resource will be a valuable tool for all scholars working on the formation of Islam and the early Islamic community.]

The Prosopography of Early Islamic Administration (PEIA) aims at recording judiciously all the biographical evidence available in Arabic primary sources about those who played a role in the state apparatus during the early Islamic period (ca. 622-800).

It is part of the Jerusalem Prosopography Project (JPP) that aims at recording the biographical evidence available in the Arabic primary sources about several well-defined groups of people who flourished during the first two centuries of Islam.

Future projects within the JPP include the CPM or The Companions of the Prophet Muḥammad, the JEA of The Jews of Early Islam, the MSP or The Muslim Settlers in Palestine and the TOH or The Transmitters of Ḥadīth.

Although the PEIA is still far from completion, it was felt that colleagues around the world might find it useful even at its present form. It is being updated on a daily basis. Continue reading Jerusalem Prosopography Project →

Reclaiming my Religion

Gender and Sexuality, Qur'an


Nadira Artyk

Reclaiming my Religion

By Nadira Artyk, International Herald Tribune, November 28, 2008

My relationship with Islam has never been straightforward. I grew up in Soviet Uzbekistan, hearing my grandfather recite the Koran on a daily basis. Sometimes he would translate a few verses for us. I was drawn to the beauty of the prose. I sensed a strong connection and especially admired the values of social justice, equality and generosity of human spirit.

On the other hand, I was a Soviet Young Pioneer and later a Komsomol activist. Despite all my respect and love for my pious grandfather, I saw a mismatch between his words and my reality, at least in one area – there was no equality or justice to be found in Muslim families. The superiority of men over women was deeply entrenched and never questioned. Continue reading Reclaiming my Religion →

The Semiotics of Ayah

Bible and Holy Land, Islam and Christianity, Islam: Introduction, Qur'an

[Note: The following article is posted on the website forum for the Journal of Scriptural Reasoning, hosted at the University of Virginia.]

“The Semiotics of Ayah: A Comparative Introduction”

by Basit Bilal Koshul, Concordia College

Introduction

As is the case with non-Abrahamic religious traditions Judaism, Christianity and Islam are very much concerned with the sacred. But, as Paul Ricoeur points out, the Abrahamic religions have a different understanding of the sacred in contrast to other religions. In the Abrahamic traditions “the accent is placed on speech and writing and generally on the word of God” (Ricoeur, 1995, 48) when referring to the sacred. In contrast the non-Abrahamic religious traditions often see the sacred as being present in the natural world (and the human world that is part of the natural world.) From the non-Abrahamic perspective anything and everything in the natural world can be a place, object or occasion for a hierophany—the numinous irruption of the sacred: “The sacred can manifest itself in rocks or in trees that the believer venerates; hence not just in speech, but also in cultural forms of behavior” (Ricoeur, 1995, 49). Beginning with the Revelation at Mt. Sinai the revealed word “takes over for itself the function of the numinous” and rejects all claims of the numinous/sacred being present anywhere in natural or cultural phenomena (Ricoeur, 1995, 65). Continue reading The Semiotics of Ayah →