The Qur An And The Sunnah

For too long now, the Qur’an and the Sunnah, great sources of strength, purity, knowledge and inspiration for the Ummah, have not been adequately tapped. Skirting their peripheries or over-dwelling on one or two of their multifarious facets and tributaries has done a disservice to the immense potential of the fountainhead, while denying the Ummah- indeed the whole world- innumerable benefits from them. Now that the Ummah is becoming increasingly aware of its own problems as well as latent powers, and yearns to revive its leading role in the forging of history and cilization, the issue of drawing on the wellspring becomes more relevant and urgent. Revisiting these two sources is no longer a scholastic, academic, nostalgic, or escapist indulgence, but a great journey of discovery that promises untold rewards. Paradoxically, the journey through the resplendent pages of the Qur’an and the Sunnah to a time and place in the past should yield a more mature awareness of the dynamics of social and historical change and a human being’s role on earth, honing and sharpening the Muslims’ capacity to deal with the demands of the present moment and the challenges of the future. Suggestions for a new reading of the Qur’an and the Sunnah have been put forward from Islamic and other angles in the recent years. In this book Dr. Al-Alwani and Dr. Khalil, two well-known Muslim thinkers, contribute their views for a proper approach to these sources from within the Islamic framework.

The Qur’an and Sunnah are the two primary sources of Muslim faith, life, law and morality. The Qur’an is for Muslims the foundation of their faith and the Sunnah is the framework of their morality. Together they constitute the two sources of the law (Shari’ah) of God, a guide to prosperity and happiness in this life and to the bliss of the hereafter. Although the Qur’an and Sunnah are materially and formally two independent sources, they are inextricably bound in a dynamic relationship. The rulings and precepts (ahkam) of the Qur’an constitute the law (shar’) of God. They are supplemented by the precepts of the authentic Sunnah, which possess authority second only to the precepts of the Qur’an. The Qur’an commands Muslims, “Whatever the Messenger gives you, that you must take, and whatever he forbids you, you must desist therefrom....” (59:7).

It is the aim of this book while clarifying doubts and misconceptions, to provide a thorough reappraisal of the intellectual and rich cultural heritage of Islam with regards to the principles and practice of medicine and its representation to the world in the language of today. In nine chapters a range of topics are discussed including: The Promotion of Medical Education and Health Services; Personal and Environmental Hygiene; Circumcision; Manners of Eating; Social and Mental Heath; Curative Medicine; The Provision of Adequate and Potable Water; Magic, Witchcraft, Enchantments and Charms; Euthanasia; Suicide; The Rehabilitation of the Sick and the Needy; The Source of Human Creation; Sex Differentiation and Determination; Healing through Miracles; Magic and Soothsaying; HIV Infection and AIDS; Abortion; Females in Medical Practice; and The Challenges of Modem Medicine to Muslims.

Women in Islam is an attractive book of simple compilation of quotations from the Qur’an and Hadith collections that refer to or address women specifically. It engages the reader in a moment of reflection on the Islamic view of womanhood: her existence as a creation of Allah, her role as a positive stakeholder in building a God-conscious society and her capacity for attaining proximity with Allah.

Without a doubt, the Qur’an is beautiful, indeed, the most beautiful literary composition the Arabic language has ever known. It signified the divine presence itself and commanded the greatest honor. The proof that the Qur’an was the word of God devolved upon the Qur’an itself. The Qur’an, Muhammad oe claimed with Qur’anic approval, indeed dictation, is so beautiful that it is inimitable; it is so inimitable that it is miraculous. It is therefore not the work of humans but of God. This character of the Qur’an is called its i ¢jaz. The Sunnah as concretization of the vision, or materialization of the ideal, translated theory into reality. In it, the values of Islam were given form and became alive. They throbbed with moving power. The Sunnah supplied the missing link between thinking and doing, between ideational apperception and action, between thought and life and history.

This book investigates the manner in which the Qur’an and sunna depict female personalities in their narrative literature. Providing a comprehensive study of all the female personalities mentioned in the Qur’an, the book is selective in the personalities of the sunna, examining the three prominent women of ahl al-bayt; Khadija, Fatima, and Zaynab. Analysing the major sources of Imami Shi‘i Islam, including the exegetical compilations of the eminent Shi‘i religious authorities of the classical and modern periods, as well as the authoritative books of Shi’i traditions, this book finds that the varieties of female personalities are portrayed as human beings on different stages of the spiritual spectrum. They display feminine qualities, which are often viewed positively and are sometimes commendable traits for men, at least as far as the spiritual domain is concerned. The theory, particularly regarding women’s humanity, is then tested against the depiction of womanhood in the hadith literature, with special emphasis on Nahj al-Balagha. Contributing a fresh perspective on classical materials, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Islamic Studies, Women’s Studies and Shi’i Studies.