Issues at Hand in the Fatwas of Orphan Care
This article aims to offering a comprehensive summary of the issues at hand when it comes to the fatwas related to orphan care and legal adoption from the perspective of the Islamic law.
Read MoreAisha’s Critique of Authentic Hadith Content via Quranic Universals[1] Jasser Auda This paper approaches the relationship between the Quran and Sunnah from the angle of using the Quranic universals to critique the content (matn) of hadith narrations. Aisha Bint Abu Bakr, the Mother of the Believers, gave us a strong example and a clear illustration for applying this method. This article will present a number of illustrative examples of hadith, in which Aisha confidently rejected other companions’ narrations, despite being ‘authentic’ according to the sanad verification criteria that had developed later. Aisha’s rejection was based on the contradiction of...
Read MoreSummary This article surveys the different opinions regarding the maximum length of fasting for Muslims living in northern regions of the globe. My main concern is to ease the hardship that a sizeable population of Muslims may experience this year and in coming years as a result of fasting an exceptional number of hours. The point is to facilitate fasting during Ramadan and not to avoid fasting or to postpone it for another time or place. Many scholars have tried to answer the question of how long a Muslim should fast in the summer of the northern regions of the world (above 48 degrees latitude) as this article explains. Some recent fatwas have held that Muslims should fast between the (estimated) Fajr and the actual sunset, even if the number of hours is 23 out of 24, or make up for the days in another season or region if people find it too hard to fast. This article critiques these fatwas and presents a number of prominent contemporary opinions that better fulfil the objectives/maqasid of Ramadan. Introduction This year, northern regions (i.e. above 48 degrees latitude) will experience excessively long fasts due to daylight calculations. In these parts of the world the period between the (estimated) Fajr time and the actual sunset ranges between 18 and 23 hours throughout the month of Ramadan. Several mainstream fatwas have concluded that...
Read MoreEnvisioning a Canadian Islamic Culture – Centre for the Study of Islam – Carleton University – Lecture 4 – Apr 2 2016 نحو ثقافة إسلامية كندية – المحاضرة الرابعة لمركز الدراسات الإسلامية بجامعة كارلتون بالعاصمة الكندية أوتاوا – ٢ أبريل ٢٠١٦ Envisioning a Canadian Muslim identity shaped by a Canadian Islamic culture, a mosaic that is shaped by a new approach to: language, history, family dynamics, raising children, mosque (architecture, azan, social activities and especially the place for women), Islamic education and research, studying the Quran, Imam training, fatwa in the Canadian context, political participation, “Islamic” art and music, Islamic media, clothing, and food. ...
Read MoreThe International Peace College of South Africa (IPSA) over the weekend celebrated its 10th graduation ceremony. The graduation was held at the Centre of the Book, and witnessed the graduation of approximately 30 students donned in vibrant green, white and black. IPSA is the first and only Islamic institution registered by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in South Africa that offers accredited programmes; a Higher Certificate in Islamic Studies, a Bachelor of Arts in Islamic Studies, and a Bachelor of Honours in Islamic studies. In 2005, IPSA celebrated its inauguration with the joint graduation of merging partners – the former Islamic College of Southern Africa (ICOSA) and the Darul Arqam Islamic Institute. The road to accreditation was a long and difficult process, which in 2013 culminated in the momentous achievement of provisional accreditation. In 2015 the National Student records database of DHET indicated that over 1000 students enrolled at the institution since its inception. By 2014, 533 BA degrees and Higher Certificates in Islamic Studies were issued. The institute boasts some of the top ranking Islamic scholars in South Africa, including; Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi, Shaykh Ebrahim Moos, Shaykh Ihsan Taliep, and Shaykh Ismail Londt. IPSA, since its inception, has endeavoured to adopt an active role in developing Islamic scholarship and research at a national level. In addition, the institute conducts numerous public programmes. In addition,...
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