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CALL FOR PAPERS
Contemporary Approaches to Qur’an and Sunna
Good Governance in Islam:
Classical and Contemporary Approaches
July 9 – 18, 2012
The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) is pleased to announce its fifth Summer Institute for Scholars to be convened at IIIT headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, USA between July 9 and July 18, 2012. The purpose of the Summer Institute is to bring together and engage senior and young scholars with a particular interest or expertise in Qur’anic studies or Sunna in focused, organized discussions of topics related to a contemporary understanding and articulation of issues involving Qur’an and Sunna. The specific objectives of the seminar are:
-To develop methods or approaches of understanding Qur’an and Sunna that are both authentic and relevant to contemporary realities and sensibilities in the West and the Muslim world.
-To suggest means and instruments of engaging the scholarly community, the religious community, political leaders, the media and the public at large in learning processes, debates or experiences that make intelligible the wisdom of the Qur’an and the Sunna and their relevance to contemporary human affairs.
-To broaden the scope of conversations on issues pertaining to Qur’an and Sunna through the inclusion of social and physical scientists beside the scholars of the traditional Islamic disciplines.
The focus of this year’s program is on Good Governance in Islam: Classical and Contemporary Approaches. Deliberations will center around topics such as the issue of governance in Qur’an and Sunna; the evolution of governance as a category of thought in classical literature, the Muslim experience with governance and its implications on contemporary Islamic thought, comparative approaches to good governance, and the application of approaches such as Maqasid – or higher objectives of Islamic law – to governance, both theoretically and institutionally. A particular focus will be on Islamic approaches to governance within the context of the modern nation state and the current debates on constitution building in countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco and Libya, among others.
Interested scholars should send a one page abstract to
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together with an updated C.V by March 26, 2012. IIIT will notify scholars whose abstracts are accepted by April 8, 2012. Final papers should be submitted to IIIT by email no later than June 4, 2012. IIIT will notify scholars whose papers have been accepted for presentation during the program by June 15, 2011. Papers presented during the program will be considered for publication in an edited volume to be published by IIIT.
IIIT will cover the cost of travel within continental USA and Canada and hotel accommodation in Herndon, VA for participants with accepted papers. In addition, each participating scholar will get $100 per day to cover living expenses during attendance of the program and another $1000 honorarium upon submission of a publishable paper for the volume.
For further information or questions, please contact Abubaker al Shingieti at
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or call 703 471 1133 Ext 101. |
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Abdul-Hameed Ahmad Abu Sulaiman
One of the issues that engage one's attention, especially in light of numerous simplified discussions, is the acute difference over the doctrine of crucifixion in the Christian faith. The more Christianity sticks to the doctrine of crucifixion and considers it a symbol of love, sacrifice and redemption, the highly critical Muslims become of this doctrine and the more they consider it mere falsehood and fabricated lies. The incidental observer of such muddled discussions can by no means get to a satisfactory positive or negative significance of this vehement argument over the crucifixion incident.
If such disagreement extends over the wide historical relationship between Christianity and Islam as well as over the reason behind the eruption of enmity between them, it is not right to take such disagreement as lightly as many people do; nor is it right to take it seriously in such a way as to appear arbitrary and supportive of one particular stand and not the other without a deliberate and comprehensive observation, given that the Qur'anic stand, which clearly disapproves of the doctrine of crucifixion, considers Christianity a divine religion and holds the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and his mother, Virgin Mary daughter of Imran, in high esteem.
Perhaps in order to conduct a constructive dialogue about the relationship between Christianity and Islam, which are arguably the two greatest world faiths today and which are considered the foundations of two greatest human civilizations ever known in human history, we ought to study this issue and address this doctrine with great care and depth and to place them in their comprehensive place within the context of the relationship and positive dialogue between the two faiths, given that the real reason behind this doctrinal confrontation is in effect the failure of both parties to comprehend the essence of the issue and their failure to consider each other's views in this respect.
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Preface: Guided Philosophy is Strong Certainty
Man is born with intellect and understanding through which he is distinguished from other creatures. It is this distinction that the Qur’an refers to in Allah’s statement:
“And He taught Adam all the names (of everything).” (Al-Baqarah 2:31)
The purport here, as far as I am concerned, was not to teach Adam how to pronounce the names of these things. For, man’s formation and ability upon which Allah created him do not indicate that. Rather, the meaning was the knowledge about names of things – in all languages – which our father did not see in his primitive civilizational condition.1 The occurrence of that in such condition has no impact on the history of man and there is no practical proof for it in known human natures and capabilities.
If we recognize that mere names are meaningless and valueless if there is no understanding of their essence and indications in any form, such as their nature, reality and functions then the possible interpretation of knowing the names as mentioned in the above verse should be man’s ability to understand, to sort out the collectives and trace them back to their origins and species. This is a clear matter in the case of Adam’s creation when he was proportioned and breathed into. For example, chairs, apartment floors and animals have various shapes, colors, appearances and compositions. And each of these is different from the other. However, they can all be traced back to similarities and dimensions that bring these entities together and form them into kinds and species. There is, for instance, office chair, reception chair or car chair (seat). There is also big chair, small chair, wooden chair, iron chair or plastic chair. Equally, there are chairs of different colors, shapes and sizes. However, the common factor that brings them all together is that they are a tool for sitting and resting on. Hence, man’s ability to differentiate between things and sort them out is the origin of his knowledge and cognizance skill, his thought and invention generating power and his capability to engender signs of names in different human languages. Therefore, in my opinion, man’s ability to understand, his linguistic capabilities that enabled him to create codes and apply the same to the named objects, and his ability to use these designations are indeed the foundation of his civilizational and constructional aptitude.
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Abdul-Hamid Abu Sulayman
The predecessors translated the best of human sciences and knowledge available in their time into Arabic language. They digested it along with their native Arabic language and, in the process; they produced the sweetness of Islamic civilization.
The question now is: How can this translation be done in today’s sciences? How can their translation attain the required substance? The answer is: We need to learn from our experience and from the experience of others. The translation should be done according to a civilizational plan and vision that helps our effort and actualize our goal in enriching our Arabic language in a way that will enable us respond to the emerging challenge – the scientific and methodological challenge. It is in this way that we can make an originally creative contribution in the light of our Islamic civilization and our solid Islamic identity.
From the historical experience of our Ummah, we learn that the positive aspect comes from translation of the divine natural sciences which gave the Islamic universal vision the opportunity to be the fertile ground and the ideal foundation for nurturing the tree of sciences, and their scientific and experimental methodologies that gave the contemporary man a dazzling base for civilizational achievement.
The negative aspect of Muslim translations comes from impacts of obsolete religions and philosophies that sank the Islamic culture into the abyss of these archaic superstitions and deceptions, distorted Israelite stories, and misleading philosophies that eventually overcame the pure Islamic vision and led the Ummah and its civilization into perversion, imitation, subordination, breakdown, dependency and jugglery.
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Abdul-Hamid Ahmad Abu Sulaiman
There is no doubt that the attention paid by the Centre for Islamic Research and Studies to the issue of Islamic presentational approach in this stage of the Ummah’s contemporary journey is, ideologically, of utmost importance. For, this Ummah has been beset by weakness, disunity and ignominy it has never experienced before throughout its history. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the enlightened Muslim scholars, thinkers, educators and educated elite to seriously feel a sense of responsibility. This is because; the presentational approach directed towards the Ummah, is not up to the required standard. The presentation is supposed to be accurate and effective diagnosis of the Ummah’s situation and serve as a guide to the remedy for its diseases, and as an illuminating hope for its future and the future of its coming generations. As long as this presentation has not risen up to this desired standard, it will remain – in its substance – mere idle talk that has contributed immensely to the degeneration, weakness and backwardness of the Ummah.
Members of this Ummah are not bound together by a single race, colour, region or language, yet they share in common the misfortune of backwardness, disunity, corruption, weakness and downfall of public institutions. The only interpretation for this sorry situation is the common culture shared by peoples of this Ummah and the way this culture addresses members of this Ummah and its generations.
In spite of the difference among the Muslims scholars, thinkers and reformers that the Ummah is suffering from, at least, a thousand-year old existential crisis, the major problem is what Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali has diagnosed in his two great works: ‘Ihya Ulum ad-Din’ and ‘Tahafut al-Falasifah’. In the first work, he made it clear that the Ummah’s religious culture and thought were suffering from a crisis; and in the second work, he indicated that the Ummah’s philosophical and civilizational culture and thought were suffering from a crisis.
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Text of a Speech Delivered by Professor Abdul-Hamid Ahmad Abu Sulayman at a Conference Organized by Darul-Ulum College, Cairo University - November 2008
I do not think that there are really many serious issues that are confronting the Ummah at this stage of its life as much as the problem about situation of Arabic language. This is because; the issue of Arabic language deeply and serious impacts the Ummah’s identity and its relationship with its human message and civilizational heritage as well as its future existence. The Ummah should either move forward or move backward, and live and give or recede and die. This matter has reached an extent that UNESCO is predicting the death of Arabic language - that comprehensive language of the Arab nation and the preserver of Islamic nation’s heritage and history. It is a mistake to believe that extinction of nations or death of languages is impossible. Rather, in some cases, it is easily possible. Then we will realize that the fate of Arabic language will be like that of Latin that, torn up into different local dialects that quickly metamorphosed into diverse and independent languages such as English, French and Spanish. In this case, Arabic language, if adequate care is not taken, can change into tens of different local languages with appellations such as Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Moroccan and the like. Then the pessimistic, backward and disoriented Muslim Arab whose wish and identity had been distorted will no longer need anything of the classical Arabic – as we presently see – more than ‘Al-Hamdulillah Rabil-‘Alamin’ and ‘Qul Huwallahu Ahad’. He will then become like an ordinary Hindi, Pakistani or Tanzanian Muslim.
It is saddening that this is happening to Arabs and Arabic language at a time when the world is clamoring to form major blocs, the most recent of which is the European Union, which is next door to us. On the contrary, we find Arab blocs increasing in fragmentation and weakness without caring for the future of our children. It is should be realized that the only basis for unity and advancement we have is through strengthening our linguistic and cultural links in order to have a solid ground for forming blocs and resuscitation.
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Dr. Abdul-Hamid Abu Sulaiman
I have made it clear in the past in my suggestions to Shaikh Hasan ibn Abdillah Al Shaikh (may Allah have mercy upon him) – and I am still reaffirming it – that lack of satisfaction with religious education curriculum in our schools – at that time – was not related to the time specified for the study of religion or to the topics that were being treated. The essence of disagreement is about the material that was being presented to the student, the recommended textbooks, educational and teaching methodologies being employed in teaching these books, and consequently, the kind of scientific and educational training given to teachers of Islamic belief and their social-religious culture and their inefficient performance.
Most of the textbooks are not written in an educative way that approaches the students according to the nature of intellectual, psychological and sentimental stages they pass through; neither are the books capable of achieving educational goals set for them. Many of their contents are about ancient practices, potentialities and ages. They rely upon dry juristic information that scientifically represents intellectual material of little value in people’s life. And most importantly, their positive educational impact on building the child’s personality, shaping his mind and formulating his convictions and manners is very minimal. This, in many ways, shows the disparity between the example and the reality and between the word and action, in shaping the contemporary Muslim man.
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Larry Poston
This article describes an observable pattern in Western converts’ journey to Islam. It shows how at an early stage in their life, many Westerners are disenchanted with their religion, Christianity or Judaism, and proceed to explore radical alternatives including new age religion, eastern religions and even various cults. Their search for spiritual and religious identity is usually not satiated by these alternatives and so they gradually gravitate toward Islam. The author argues that in Islam these converts find reason, order, meaning, and a contemporary relevance that is missing in western as well as eastern religions. It is the opportunity to traverse the “Middle Path,” familiar yet new, similar yet different, which the author suggests may well be the reason why these “seekers” eventually find whatever they are looking for in Islam.
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