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The Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) which has a tendency towards Islam, but secular concurrently raises a question: what is the identity of the AKP? To date, this question is still being debated although generally, AKP has frequently been denoted as a party with an Islamic aspiration. Hence, this paper aims to revisit the identity of the AKP based on the framework of Islamic political movement. This paper fully adopted library research by examining sources related to the scope of the discussion. Ideologically, AKP makes conservative democracy as its ideology by harmonizing between conservative and liberal democratic values. The party also adheres to the secularism discourse although it meets almost all the characteristics of Islamic political movement for the Turkish context. Besides, it was found that the AKP has sided to religious interests in few issues. At the same time, AKP also has been resisted by military as the guardian of secular principle. This paper argues that the AKP is a party of its own identity, where it upholds the liberal version of secularism and tends to create an accommodative atmosphere for free religious practice. Finally, this paper offers some recommendations that can be considered for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of contemporary Salafi school in the mainstream Muslims is intended to make the Ahl al-Salaf as the primary models of faith and to return the related problems of faith according to the path taken by the companions and tabi'in, which had been quoted only from the al-Quran and al-Sunnah. These stances left great influences on their method of interpretations upon the Quranic verses including the Ayat al-Sifat (verses on Divine Attributes) and condemning others out of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah. Therefore this research is intended to identify responses of Muslim figures and scholars against the Contemporary Salafi School's stances and their method of interpretations on Ayat al-Sifat. In addition, this research is also intended to explain the views of the majority of scholars on the conceptual and methods of interpretation of Ayat al-Sifat adopted by the Ahl al- Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah. The paper is produced with the synthesization of content analysis that focuses on published works by selected Contemporary Salafi school figures and other muslim scholars and also relevant contemporary researchers in relation to these issues of Ayat al-Sifat and its methods of interpretations. The results of this research found that most scholars do not accept the method of literal interpretations on Ayat al-Sifat proclaimed by Contemporary Salafi School due to the existence of two catogeries of the Quranic verses, which are known as Wadih Jalli and Khafi Mutashabih or Mutashabih al-Sifat. In certain cases, the method of 'ta'wil' is highly needed to clarify the meaning of Ayat al-Sifat so easily understood by human intellect and at the same time to purify Allah the almighty from signs of weaknesses and resemblance. The extreme acts from Contemporary Salafi School in defending their methods of interpretations make them an 'exclusive' school which separated themselves from other muslims, and limit the diversity of the methods of interpretations enabled by the majority of mufassirin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muslim counselor in school is a professional guide who can help schools to reduce students' misbehavior and to implement Islamic values as a way of life. The Islamic approach is the approach implemented by the school counselor in dealing student's misbehavior. However, the practice of Islamic approach using by Muslim counselor at school in dealing with students' misbehavior has not been studied extensively. This paper is aimed to discuss and analyze the Islamic approach adopted by the Muslim counselor as an effort to deal the students' misbehavior in secondary schools in Klang District, Selangor. Data in this paper were collected through a quantitative survey research. By using purposive sampling, a total of 73 Muslim counselors from secondary schools in the Klang District were selected as respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. The study shows that Muslim counselor in schools has implemented the Islamic preventive approach through programs such as anti-smoking talks, HIV and AIDS talks, selfidentity courses, leadership courses, religious talks, and visiting program to rehabilitation center. This study also shows that Muslim counselor practicing Islamic preventive approach in dealing students' misbehavior such as guiding students to perform solat fardu five times a day, to respect human being and environment, to behave with persistence, to commit with a good or ma`ruf deed, and to select a good mass media. As a whole, the Islamic preventive approach by the Muslim counselor has given a huge implication especially to develop an Islamic counseling index in dealing students' misbehavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management is a tool to improve quality of work and its relationship with the success of organisation therefore very fundamental. It begins with the power system, process of planning, prosedure and rules which can provide excellent contribution to the organization. This article will discuss some basic principle of management to improve the quality of work performance according to Islamic perspective. These fundamental principles include values such as insaniyyah (humanity), tawhīd (unity), shūra (consultation) and istiqamah (steadfastness) in every action. It emphasises on attaining spiritual success through deligence in work of excellence. It means to get the best quality of work through both spiritual and material satisfaction whether by the employer and also the employee. This paper also discusses other elements that contribute to improve quality of work in Islamic perspective in order to achieve organisational success such as al-niyyah (having purpose), amanah (integrity), time management, cadl (justice/balance) and tacāwun (cooperation). Highly committed employee who combined all these elements will make great contribution to the organisation. Therefore, it is significant to stress the relevant relationship between all elements with quality of work within the Islamic perspective. Some elements which differentiates Islamic management with conventional management in general were also discussed in comparative manner to highlight the benefits of Islamic management to the overall well being of the employer and the employee as well as the organisation as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islam is the name of religion promulgated by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Islam has its own specific shariah that distinguishes it from other religions. Based on Quranic reference, the scholars have understood that the only religion that is true and acceptable by Allah is Islam. With regard to Muhammad Asad nonetheless, he has interpreted 'Islam' differently from the interpretation of mu'tabar. Muhammad Asad interpreted 'Islam' as a self-surrender to God with generic language meaning. This study attempts to see the premise of his interpretation which differs from the interpretation of mainstream Muslims. This paper also seeks to investigate the implication of such interpretation to the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah. This study using content analysis method thematically on his work of tafseer, "The Message of the Quran" by selecting texts from the Quran that contain the word 'Islam' and semantically towards some conceptual texts that are related to it and relevant to the religious pluralism issue. The study finds that Muhammad Asad's interpretation in line with liberal approach and contradicts the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah's tenets by accepting and recognizing the truth of other religions that end with inclusivism and religious pluralism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has become global pandemic, which affects all countries in the world including Indonesia. The mitigation of covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia cannot neglect the role of religion, since religion constitutes the main identity of most people. Hence, religion becomes value reference and ‘system of knowing’, including in addressing the covid-19 pandemic. By employing comparative and content analysis, it is hoped that this paper will constitute a significant contribution in unravelling the complex role of religion in dealing with covid-19 pandemic, most particularly in the context of post-truth. There are three concerns of this paper. First, it examines the challenges of religious conservatism towards covid-19 mitigation among Indonesian Muslims, most particularly in the context of post-truth which in some ways intensifies the emergence of conservativism in the public space. Second, it explores the possibility of ‘new spirituality’ which is pertinent for the mitigation of Covid-19. Third, it explores the contribution of Indonesian Muslim knowledge culture to the fight against covid-19.

Even though equality has been described as a simple concept, its meanings and principles have not been properly understood by the public. Similar treatment might not have a value of neutrality because, once the right to equality is related to and enforced by laws, its objectivity and impartiality can be challenged. The Malaysian government is making progress towards a safer and more equal environment for women and girls following the proposed new or amended legislation. These includes the anti-stalking law, the Sexual Harassment Act, and ending child marriage. Furthermore, the establishment of a Select Committee on Rights and Gender Equality in Parliament have been considered as a good step forward for equality. Indeed, implementation of policies such as childcare facilities in government offices as well as encouraging the private sector to follow suit are good moves towards creating more opportunities and encouraging the participation of women in the workforce. This paper explores the conceptual understanding of ‘equality’ globally and from the perspective of Islamic jurisprudence. This reflection is in line with Islamic belief that needs to reform the understanding of society based on the suggestion of Al-Quran and Islamic scholars. With this interpretation, this paper will explore Malaysia’s progress in empowering women and gender equality. Finally, this paper will suggest a way forward for Malaysia to empower women that have been marginalized and subordinated.

The Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) which has a tendency towards Islam, but secular concurrently raises a question: what is the identity of the AKP? To date, this question is still being debated although generally, AKP has frequently been denoted as a party with an Islamic aspiration. Hence, this paper aims to revisit the identity of the AKP based on the framework of Islamic political movement. This paper fully adopted library research by examining sources related to the scope of the discussion. Ideologically, AKP makes conservative democracy as its ideology by harmonizing between conservative and liberal democratic values. The party also adheres to the secularism discourse although it meets almost all the characteristics of Islamic political movement for the Turkish context. Besides, it was found that the AKP has sided to religious interests in few issues. At the same time, AKP also has been resisted by military as the guardian of secular principle. This paper argues that the AKP is a party of its own identity, where it upholds the liberal version of secularism and tends to create an accommodative atmosphere for free religious practice. Finally, this paper offers some recommendations that can be considered for future studies.

Difference of views in understanding the idea of Islamic literature and criticism involves two different cultures often occur in the field of comparative literature world. Yet despite the differences and inequalities, still no agreement reached involving key issues in the discussion of the concept of Islamic literature. Thus, this paper aims to highlight the previous studies related to the ideas, theories and principles of Islamic literature, the examples of comparative literature study and leaders thought. Analysis of the literature is conducted to find justification for the study and comparison of ideas on the need of dismantling the Islamic literature involving two selected leaders, Sayyid Sayyid `Abd al-Raziq and Mohd Affandi Hassan. This is a qualitative study based on applied content analysis method. This literature review finds that the application of this comparative study is able to find the special formula in identifying similarities and differences in the concept of Islamic literature and criticism involving the two leaders while providing enlightenment to the players in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrorism is currently becoming an ideological challenge for Muslims in contemporary world. The rise of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and others who claimed themselves as jihadist and propagates Islamic jihad similar to the idea of the medieval ‘Holy War' not only target non - Muslims or kuffar , but also their Muslim brothers respectively. This act of terrorism raised dilemma among Muslim societies in general whether to support the extreme groups or to defy them as they portrayed themselves as representing the whole Muslims whereas in fact they only represent a group of disillusioned Muslims. This paper aims at analysing their ideological challenge from the philosophical point of view and Islamic ethics. Generally, this analysis emphasizes on the importance of Islamic ethics and law in order to achieve true understanding of jihad . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term 'environment' refers to both the natural world as well as the surroundings of and influences on a particular thing. The environment plays a major role and influence on human beings and their lives. This article discusses the influential role the environment plays in relation to human rights. Today, human rights is a global issue and the rights that are advocated range from the basic human needs of food and shelter to the right of freedom of speech to the more religiously contentious gay rights. This paper contends that the issue of human rights is closely connected to the environment or the social conditions of a particular community; specifically the values and principles which dominate and determine the worldview of that community or society. In the context of our global society, the issue of deciding the content and nature of human rights is extremely challenging, especially to religious societies and communities, since religious principles and values are no longer a dominant factor in determining what is right or wrong, good or bad. This is the situation faced by the Muslim ummah. Many of the rights advocated by the modern West which it considers to be fundamental, universal and human are contrary to Islamic principles and values. For example, the right of freedom of speech to insult and mock the sacred tenets in religious teachings, the right to gay marriages which run contrary to natural laws, and the right to exploit natural resources for economic development without regard to the rights of other creatures which also inhabit this world. Thus, the Muslim ummah is in a dilemma as to whether to adapt itself to the modern and secular global environment or change its environment to advocate its Islamic worldview and understanding of human nature, rights, responsibilities and freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important philosophical problems, at least in tradition of analytical philosophy, is the problem of proper names’ references. This paper intends to represent a new interpretation of the reference of proper names based on the theory of Principality of Existence developed by Mulla Sadra. He has mentioned the differences between nominal existence and infinitive existence. The latter is an abstract concept of being while nominal existence is the principal reality or the fact of things that has a real and a mental appearance. In Islamic Philosophy context we can consider the real appearance as essence (dhat) which is indeed special limitation of nominal existence and makes the entity of an existent like X. On the other hand mental appearance could be considered as quiddity (mahiyyah) which has an epistemic aspect re-presenter of essence. On this basis this paper argues that the proposition “X exists” could be turn to “nominal existence is X” and the nominal existence, as the unchangeable fact, would be the best alternative of a proper name’s reference. Also, changes on properties of an entity are caused by changes on limitations of existence without any on the reference of proper names.

This article highlights and discusses propositions in hadith and the Holy Quran could form social and economic bases of adult community education curriculum designed for the promotion of peace in Nigeria and the world. The paper is evoked by three interrelated reasons. First, in recent times violence appears to be springing up and spreading intractably in the world and especially in Nigeria which begs for sustainable solution. Second, while Islam is a religion of peace, there is wide misconception pointing to the contrary with the act of violence seemingly prevalent in Muslim dominated areas or perhaps being perpetuated by not well informed Muslims. Third, architects of violence in most instances are both educated and uneducated who may need to de-learn and re-learn Islamic position on promotion of peace through adult community education. Following the discussion, the paper draws implications for the development of relevant peace education curriculum and mode of delivery.

Muslim counselor in school is a professional guide who can help schools to reduce students’ misbehavior and to implement Islamic values as a way of life. The Islamic approach is the approach implemented by the school counselor in dealing student’s misbehavior. However, the practice of Islamic approach using by Muslim counselor at school in dealing with students’ misbehavior has not been studied extensively. This paper is aimed to discuss and analyze the Islamic approach adopted by the Muslim counselor as an effort to deal the students’ misbehavior in secondary schools in Klang District, Selangor. Data in this paper were collected through a quantitative survey research. By using purposive sampling, a total of 73 Muslim counselors from secondary schools in the Klang District were selected as respondents. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. The study shows that Muslim counselor in schools has implemented the Islamic preventive approach through programs such as anti-smoking talks, HIV and AIDS talks, self-identity courses, leadership courses, religious talks, and visiting program to rehabilitation center. This study also shows that Muslim counselor practicing Islamic preventive approach in dealing students’ misbehavior such as guiding students to perform solat fardu five times a day, to respect human being and environment, to behave with persistence, to commit with a good or ma`ruf deed, and to select a good mass media. As a whole, the Islamic preventive approach by the Muslim counselor has given a huge implication especially to develop an Islamic counseling index in dealing students’ misbehavior.

In their observations, contemporary scientists have believed in transformism which claims whole natural world is always in evolvement. This paper investigates whether Mulla Sadra’s philosophical opinions are consistent with this theory or not. The method of this research is analytical-descriptive. The conclusion is that four fundamentals: the principality of existence, the analogical unity of existence, the substantial movement and gradual increase in intensity of existence, are the main foundations of Mulla Sadra’s philosophy. The first three principles justify the forth one which is ‘the evolutional movement of the natural creatures’. According to Mulla Sadra, nature is in-itself a movement and movement is not limited to accident, but he believes that movement is the mood of the nature. He believes that nature is, therefore, a continuous whole that moves from its inferiority to its superiority, in the same way as a child grows. In this paper it is also proved that the evolution of the creatures does not contradict the existence of God and religious texts.

The paper consists of seven sub-sections namely, the introduction, a flash on the prevalence of tribal proclivity in Nigeria, causes of tribal proclivity among Nigerians and its effects. Other aspect of the paper includes the Islamic perspective on tribal proclivity in Nigeria, recommendations and conclusion. The introduction briefly appraises the historical composition of Nigeria in the early nineteen century and its amalgamation in the year 1914. Reference is being made in the paper to cases of tribal proclivity in Nigeria while the causes of tribal penchant include unemployment, selfishness of some politicians, lack of patience and endurance by citizens in their relationship among themselves. Tribal proclivity the paper affirms results into insecurity of lives and properties, portrays evidence of lack of unity and bad governance. The paper examines some relevant verses and prophetic traditions in a bid to redress the situation and recommends that the government and the well to problem of unemployment in the nation. In addition, religious do people in the society should join hands together towards addressing the scholars and other orientation bodies must reorient people towards peaceful coexistence among themselves.

Islam presents a unique and comprehensive view of the concept of society. For, it perceives it as an association formed in accordance with the Divine revelation contained in Quran and the Sunnah of the prophet, synthesising material, and the spiritual aspects of human life. It views society as an organic whole, where all aspects of life are considered as a component part of the body hence, negating sectarianism and racism. Therefore, this paper attempts to illuminate the concept of society from Islamic perspective and analyse the nature and characteristics of social order in Islam. It also throw some light on the social principles devised by Islam for the formation of an integrated social system, and the measures for nourishment and nurturing of the internal and external aspects of human nature. Using an analytical approach the paper concludes that Islam presents a dynamic conception of the society embodying universal characteristics hence, capable of transforming all humanity to a single brotherhood.

One of the most vibrant contemporary philosophical debates concerns the definition, and defence, of religious pluralism. The philosophers who address such a topic usually hold widely divergent views regarding its exact definition and the arguments through which it can be upheld. The absence of a general consensus notwithstanding, the debate on religious pluralism has ‘de facto’ become an important area of dialogue between different religions in general, and between Christianity and Islam in particular. At stake in the present paper is the discussion of pluralism developed by the US-American-Persian philosopher Muhammad (Gary Carl) Legenhausen (b. 1953), that he presents as a criticism of the views of the late British theologian John Harwood Hick (1922-2012). Hick developed his views mainly influenced by Christianity, yet he also took into account some ideas advanced by Muslim authors. Legenhausen, a convert to Islam, puts forth his own version of pluralism in the framework of a discussion of the concept as it has emerged within Christianity, and advances a refutation of Hick's view complementary to his own theory of pluralism. The aim of the present pages is to offer an overview of Legenhausen’s contribution and discuss some of its possible implications and premises. In other words, rather than producing a defence of Legenhausen’s theory, this study is to analyse the logic behind and beyond his specific ‘Muslim proposal’ and explain what some of its unstated premises might be, as well as the consequences of fully embracing such stance, for philosophers, – not only Muslims ones –, interested in understanding religion from a religious point of view and in advocating that religious differences should not turn into a reason of animosity. The paper is divided into two main sections. The first one reconstructs Legenhausen's version of religious pluralism, while especially recalling the points with which it is presented as clashing with Hick's one. The second section is dedicated to the critical assessment.

Essentially all theories used in the West are secular based. This is problematic for Western Muslim researchers who investigate the world through an Islamocentric lens. This paper was developed as part of an action research project that investigated Islamic literature-based character development with elementary school children. In developing a theoretical framework Critical Theory and critical pedagogy were initially researched, however, their Marxist origins conflicted with an Islamic worldview. As a result I researched Islamic Critical Theory and critical Islamic pedagogy. Whilst Islamic pedagogy is being used in the West in some circles, the concept of Islamic Critical Theory was mentioned by only three scholars: Kazmi, Sharify-Funk and Sadek. Seeking a theoretical framework that was aligned to the Islamic worldview led me to develop a version of Islamic Critical Theory based on Horkheimer’s three criteria definition. I argue that this type of Islamic Critical Theory can critique every aspect of life and present a solution that is in harmony with the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah and can lead to emancipation, transformation and a better life. This paper essentially demonstrates how Islamic Critical Theory is an emancipatory theory. The paper begins with a discussion of Critical Theory and critical pedagogy to show how they inform Islamic Critical Theory. It then discusses how Kazmi, Sharify-Funk and Sadek use the term. It then enumerates on the characteristics of Islamic Critical Theory and ties these to give historic origins dating to the re-emergence of the Islamic message in the Arabian Peninsula.

With the collapse of many organizations, many researchers are increasingly paying attention to such phenomenon. But ethical issues are not always clear cut; there are many grey areas that need to be threaded with care by organizations. To determine whether an action or decision is ethically carried out, ethical theories, developed mainly by Western scholars, are the current theoretical framework organizations have at their disposal. Theories such as relativism, utilitarianism, egoism, deontology, the divine command theory, and the virtue ethics, are all products of Western understanding of what ethics are and how they are applicable to help one’s decision making process. Despite their utility, this paper intends to argue that the Western concepts and understanding of what ethics are limited and incomprehensive in explaining what is right and what is wrong. In its place, this paper argues that to understand the concepts of ethics that can extend beyond time and space. It has to be analysed from an Islamic perspective. Toward this purpose, this paper will compare and contrast between Islamic and Western perspectives of ethics, and highlight the main weaknesses and limitations of the former. Then, an argument on why Islam can provide the best understanding of ethics will be made.

The purpose of Islam is to develop exceptional human beings based on aqidah. Those with faith will have good life and will, in turn, have a positive influence on people around them. In Malaysia, aqidah forms the basis of Islamic education. Its main objective is to produce students who have God-consciousness in all aspects of life. This survey was carried out by way of questionnaire among secondary school students. The interview method was also used with selected students, teachers and officers from the Ministry of Education. The paper will discuss the influence of aqidah on students in three parts. First is the extent of knowledge of aqidah among the students, second is the relationship between the knowledge of aqidah and students’ social life, and finally, the impact of aqidah on students’ behaviour. This paper concludes that aqidah has a great impact upon students’ social activities.

Sufism has generated from the ancient time a very staunch polemics among Muslim scholars. The controversy over sufism has attracted various comments and remarks over the unique and peculiar tenets of sufis. Among the Muslim scholars who have contributed to the discourse were al-Ghazali and Ibn Taymiyyah. This research aims to compare the views of these two scholars. Library research with analytic and comparative methodology was adopted. Findings show that both scholars are credited to have reformed some popular and conventional doctrines of the Sufis of their respective times. In addition, al-Ghazali and Ibn Taymiyyah agreed that some innovations and perversions have found their way into sufism. A major phenomenon in the views of the two scholars on sufism is that while al-Ghazali was to a very large extent influenced by some sufi superstitions, Ibn Taymiyyah strongly subjects sufism to the literal provisions of the Quran and Sunnah. It is the conclusion of this paper that while it is accurate to ascribe al-Ghazali to sufism, it is inaccurate to regard Ibn Taymiyyah as one despite some of his sympathetic views on some sufis.

Most of the violence that led to the bloodshed in Nigeria flourished because ofpolitical pungency stage-played through unverified incident wrap-up with faith based encounter. Some of acclaimed religious leader ware turned to political tacticians that focus in helping politician to unleash mayhem in their various community for counter campaign mission which, many of such cases, resulted to carnage that claimed many lives in Nigeria. This manuscript aims to scrutinize the responsibility of a religious leader according to the Scripture (Qur’ān and Bible) in quelling any violence cropped-up within their locality or clash between religious sects.To achieve this aims, survey and comparative method used in selecting relevant verses from both Qur’ān and Bible to expound the divine responsibility on anyone with religious title. This study finds that, politicians corrupted most of religious leaders in Nigeria to have attached political indulgence to the imperatives of their religion. To the extent that, their major responsibility to submerge the view of their people to harmonize their various community had been exchanged with political assignment that breeds unreceptive violence. Since many of this pastors and Imams were most respected in the society, the paper recommends that, to have peace in Nigeria religious leader should be afraid of Almighty God by not accepting a deal from politicians that can lead to bloodshed and killing of innocent life.

The present study attempts to focus on the interpretation of colour terms in the Ever-Glorious Quran. The study examines whether it is possible to observe any consistency in the strategies used for the interpretation of colour-terms in the Ever-Glorious Quran. The validity of the notion of foreignisation as brought to the fore of translation studies and advocated by Venuti (1995) is explored. Paraphrase as a strategy adopted by some interpreters of the Ever-Glorious Quran is also investigated. The study, moreover, explores the idiomacity of some colour terms in the Ever-Glorious Quran, and investigates the strategies employed in interpreting such idiomatic expressions. This is attempted under the foreignisation strategy proposed by Venuti (1995) and the framework of Berlin with Kay studies on colours (1969). The present study is a comparative analysis of three authentic interpretations of the Ever-Glorious Quran, namely Pickthall (1938), M. Asad (1980) and Yusuf Ali (1992). The paper describes already-existing interpretations in order to make generalization about translation methods.

Scientists, especially theoretical physicists and cosmological philosophers have always wondered the beauty of the universe, especially how it has led to the creation or evolution of intelligent beings like us. There is a certain, wondrous beauty in the underlying plan. This question has become the topic of an interesting debate: What is our place in the Universe and was the Universe made for us? These debates have more often than not been influenced by the dominant philosophies of life in the contemporary world, often pushed by the dominant political and economic forces. As the last few centuries have been dominated by the atheistic or agnostic philosophies, Anthropic Principle has been defined in a way suitable for the forces. Quran, the Holy Book of Islam, on the other hand, presents a different version of the questions related to Anthropic Principle, which describes a specific purpose of the creation of man, his relationship with God and the Universe. This has been named “True Anthropic Principle” by the author of this paper.

The emergence of contemporary Salafi school in the mainstream Muslims is intended to make the Ahl al-Salaf as the primary models of faith and to return the related problems of faith according to the path taken by the companions and tabi‘in, which had been quoted only from the al-Quran and al-Sunnah. These stances left great influences on their method of interpretations upon the Quranic verses including the Ayat al-Sifat (verses on Divine Attributes) and condemning others out of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah. Therefore this research is intended to identify responses of Muslim figures and scholars against the Contemporary Salafi School’s stances and their method of interpretations on Ayat al-Sifat. In addition, this research is also intended to explain the views of the majority of scholars on the conceptual and methods of interpretation of Ayat al-Sifat adopted by the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama‘ah. The paper is produced with the synthesization of content analysis that focuses on published works by selected Contemporary Salafi school figures and other muslim scholars and also relevant contemporary researchers in relation to these issues of Ayat al-Sifat and its methods of interpretations. The results of this research found that most scholars do not accept the method of literal interpretations on Ayat al-Sifat proclaimed by Contemporary Salafi School due to the existence of two catogeries of the Quranic verses, which are known as Wadih Jalli and Khafi Mutashabih or Mutashabih al-Sifat. In certain cases, the method of 'ta’wil' is highly needed to clarify the meaning of Ayat al-Sifat so easily understood by human intellect and at the same time to purify Allah the almighty from signs of weaknesses and resemblance. The extreme acts from Contemporary Salafi School in defending their methods of interpretations make them an 'exclusive' school which separated themselves from other muslims, and limit the diversity of the methods of interpretations enabled by the majority of mufassirin.

Al-Hidayah Islamic Boarding School was established in 2016 in Sei Mencirim Village, Kutalimbaru Sub-District, Deli Serdang District in Sumatera. Since then it has attracted some attention from the Muslim community as it teaches the de-radicalization subject and other subjects to its students who are the children of terrorists. The aim of this paper is to examine the rationality behind the de-radicalization efforts taking place at the school. This study refers to some of the theories on radicalism and terrorism presented by Mark Juergensmeyer (2001), Mia Bloom (2007), Daniel Koehler (2016) and Hafal Ahmad (2017). This study uses the quantitative research methodology to gather the needed data for its findings or results. Among the findings are the de-radicalization process for the children of terrorists is a rational effort. The participation of former terrorists in the program is also a rational choice. However, there are some important aspects to be reviewed and improved by the school in order to maintain and achieve the planned goals or aims for the school. Firstly, it is necessary to strengthen the teachers’ quality and quantity in the teaching the subjects offered by the school. Secondly, the design and implementation of the de-radicalization subject and other subjects need to be measured and tested regularly covering the contents of the subjects and their teaching aids. Thirdly, it is necessary to set indicators that can be used to measure the progress and success of the school from time to time.

Management is a tool to improve quality of work and its relationship with the success of organisation therefore very fundamental. It begins with the power system, process of planning, prosedure and rules which can provide excellent contribution to the organization. This article will discuss some basic principle of management to improve the quality of work performance according to Islamic perspective. These fundamental principles include values such as insaniyyah (humanity), tawhīd (unity), shūra (consultation) and istiqamah (steadfastness) in every action. It emphasises on attaining spiritual success through deligence in work of excellence. It means to get the best quality of work through both spiritual and material satisfaction whether by the employer and also the employee. This paper also discusses other elements that contribute to improve quality of work in Islamic perspective in order to achieve organisational success such as al-niyyah (having purpose), amanah (integrity), time management, cadl (justice/balance) and tacāwun (cooperation). Highly committed employee who combined all these elements will make great contribution to the organisation. Therefore, it is significant to stress the relevant relationship between all elements with quality of work within the Islamic perspective. Some elements which differentiates Islamic management with conventional management in general were also discussed in comparative manner to highlight the benefits of Islamic management to the overall well being of the employer and the employee as well as the organisation as a whole.

The Caliphate is an important concept for Muslims, especially for those who have been experiencing turmoil, disorder and conflict in their lands, as it presents as a collective body that is to be governed with fairness, assuring safety and justice for all associated with it. Once again it has resurfaced as a hot topic, debated by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The advent of the 21st century has seen the establishment of many varied initiatives, all in attempt to re-establish the concept of a caliphate, however many of these have been short-lived and have received little support. Gradually, with the declining influence of terrorist organisations, the debate has almost lost its significance. This was until more recently, when the political Islamists of Turkey reignited the discussion through their claims of leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the rightful caliph of Muslims, inviting all Muslims to give him their pledge of allegiance. Therefore, it becomes imperative to examine the institution of the caliphate, its relevance to Muslims through identifying the nature of the caliphate and its theological and political values. More importantly, this paper aims to analyse the negative effects of the Justice and Development Party (the AKP) on Muslims, in Turkey and in other parts of the world, as a result of the party’s methods of conveying its extreme views through Islamic concepts and extremist religious interpretations. Political Islamists use primary Islamic sources and religious arguments to justify the declaration of caliphate.

Islam is perceived as a religion that relegates women in different spheres of life. This informs the Islamic feminists’ criticism of Islam as against gender equality. This study critically appraises the factors responsible for the exclusion of women in modern politics, explores the Islamic textual position on women’s roles in society; investigates the level of women political participation in states that have declared Islam as the state religion as compared with those that have not declared Islam. Methodology is comparative and content analysed. The findings show that gender inequality in political participation is a global phenomenon. Gender mainstreaming in some states that have declared Islam as the state religion is far ahead of some advanced democracies. Barriers to women’s political participation vary from socio-economic to institutional. This paper stresses the role of women as political equals of men, yet their primary role as mothers, wives and daughters cannot be undermined.

Exploring Islamic sources, Islamic rules are revealed for the sake of maslaha (well-being) in human life. However, in particular situations, implementing some rules might not achieve maslaha, and might even militate against it. In this regard, considering ma’alat (consequences of action) was suggested by al-Shatibi as a principle for providing exceptions in Islamic rules, either to ban a permitted action or to tolerate a prohibited action for the sake of maslaha. However, this principle could equate to the concept of the ends justifying the means. Thus, this paper aims to analyse the words of al-Shatibi on his idea of considering ma’alat. The findings reveal that, since considering ma’alatis applied at the stage of the implementation of rules, and this process is carried out under the discipline of maqasid al-Shari`a (objective of Islamic law), this principle is not being used to justify the amendment of Islamic rules.

The majority of the published studies on multilingualism concentrate on education, while only a few published papers describe this concept outside the education environment. The current descriptive study uses Makkah City as an example to describe two multilingual phenomena: Umrah and Hajj as examples of permanent and temporary multilingualism phenomena, respectively. This study uses government and published statistics to illustrate each multilingual phenomenon. First, this research describes temporary multilingual phenomenon and uses Hajj to illustrate it. Second, the current study describes permanent multilingualism phenomenon by using Umrah as an example. Third, this study discusses the issues related to the diversity of native speakers in one location. Lastly, research agendas are suggested.

Islam is the name of religion promulgated by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Islam has its own specific shariah that distinguishes it from other religions. Based on Quranic reference, the scholars have understood that the only religion that is true and acceptable by Allah is Islam. With regard to Muhammad Asad nonetheless, he has interpreted ‘Islam’ differently from the interpretation of mu’tabar. Muhammad Asad interpreted ‘Islam’ as a self-surrender to God with generic language meaning. This study attempts to see the premise of his interpretation which differs from the interpretation of mainstream Muslims. This paper also seeks to investigate the implication of such interpretation to the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah. This study using content analysis method thematically on his work of tafseer, “The Message of the Quran” by selecting texts from the Quran that contain the word ‘Islam’ and semantically towards some conceptual texts that are related to it and relevant to the religious pluralism issue. The study finds that Muhammad Asad's interpretation in line with liberal approach and contradicts the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamaah’s tenets by accepting and recognizing the truth of other religions that end with inclusivism and religious pluralism.

This paper offers a cursory reading in the Ibadhi legacy, drawing on its diversity in place and time. It investigates the notion of sunna in its different meanings and connotations in this legacy, in the linguistic, usuli and fiqhi usage as well as at its intersections with hadith, athar and sira. The article documents the rich and independent legacy of the Ibadhi school. It concludes that, apart from minor particularities in technical terms and conceptualisation, there is virtually no difference as compared to other schools in the usage of the notion of sunna.

The study of Ilm al-kalam is still relevant and meaningful in the modern period of time. It is not outdated rather it has gone through various developments throughout the history in order to cope up with the needs of the age. This paper studies a contemporary approach to ilm al-kalam by a contemporary theologian, Ismail Raji al-Faruqi. It examines al-Faruqi’s distinct approach in comparison to a classical position of ilm al-kalam. In doing so, the study focuses on selected theological issues, namely, the relationship between reason and revelation, the principle of causality, and freewill of choice. After examining those theological issues, the study found that al-Faruqi revitalized the classical position of ilm al-kalam in some respects, thus, presented it in a new dimension. It is observed that al-Faruqi’s approach to Ilm al-Kalam is very intelligible to the modern mind and to a modern age. Therefore, this study acknowledged his vital contributions in the development of ilm al-kalam.

Independent book publishing in Malaysia has presented typically younger readers with a popular platform for connecting with familiar realities and lived social situations. At the same time, there is resistance to the success of these "indie books" on political, economic, and social fronts by groups that are entrenched in the normative order. At the titular level, Muhammad Atiullah Othman, Nadarajan Thambu, and Siti Noranizahhafizah Boyman's study, "Elemen dalam Buku Indie: Satu Kajian Grounded Theory Terhadap Mahasiswa Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris," appears to offer a case study on the perceptions of university students toward the various elements found within some indie books. Upon closer examination, however, their study largely ignores student responses and criticizes the entire industry for the perceived and projected negative impact it will have on the nation. The disconnect between the data and their claims is compounded by the authors' unsupported and highly subjective moral judgments, despite multiple instances of their own unethical academic writing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Series of attacks under the disguise of Islam; ISIS created an outrage throughout the world, bombings in a number of places, beheading innocent citizens, kidnapping women and children of different sects of Muslims for the cause of harassment and assault, also, burning non-Muslims alive and drowning, then upload those video clips of murder-in-action in the name of the so-called revival of Khilafah and post Quranic verses has raised questions like is conflict one of the principles of Islam? During and after the propagation of Islam did the prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) ever behead a non-Muslim and present it to a ruler in order to accept Islam? Does Islam allow to amputate any human body who claims the prophet a liar or who talks against him? Furthermore, it is concluded that ISIS misinterprets the fundamentals of Islam and misrepresents them to the world either go against Islam or form the ideal of massacre. This paper intends to comprehend the fanaticism and radical terrorists’ frequent murders of ISIS that is statistically increasing daily, its brutality and more importantly creating a phobia of Islam with their bestial activities, critically, if Islam allows it and how it objectifies this in the light of Islamic law. As well as to lay out a content of Islam as religion and where it stands today under shari'ah.

Living in a multi-religious and multi-cultural country like Malaysia is a very challenging experience. It requires understanding and cooperation among the races so as to ensure good relations. The race relations developed gradually and went through various stages throughout the history based on the political and the social circumstances of the society. Throughout the history, authors were inspired to write about the development of the race relation from one stage to the next until it proceeded to write about religious tolerance. This paper examines the writings on religious tolerance in Malaysian settings. By using the historical approach, it analyses the pattern of writings from the early stage of race relations to the evolvement of specific writings on religious tolerance. The issue of religious tolerance captured researchers’ and writers’ attention during the 2000s due to the incident of 11th September 2001 and the global phenomenon of Islamophobia which affected public perception of Islam and Muslims. The ill-informed public perception created discomfort among the different religions in Malaysia. At worst it could cause race conflicts. Hence, efforts were made by concerned authors to write regarding the issue with the aim of removing the prevalent prejudice and misconception about Islam and Muslims and to enhance religious tolerance as the vital element for sustaining good relations among the races.

The past two decades of academic work, have cemented the idea that childhood is a social construction. As such, how children are conceptualized, educated, protected and interacted with differs from society to society, given the values inherent in each social construction. Culture, history and geography all influence the daily lives of children, and the inherent protections that children are offered in each society. This paper examines child protection provisions embedded in Brunei Darussalam by critically reviewing the sparse literature available. While much academic work has been done on Brunei Darussalam’s political system and unique ideology, little has been written on the children of Brunei. Specifically, the focus taken is on the protections offered by the Bruneian legal and education systems, family and cultural institutions, and on Brunei’s international commitments to ensuring child well being.

The Islamization of Knowledge process is considered as one of the most important and intellectual movements of the 20ih century. It is also one of the most credible and long-standing contemporary Muslim intellectual responses towards modernism. The un-defined structure and framework of the Islamization process makes it a challenging task and recognized more as a theory rather than effective methodology plan. This paper focuses on the Islamization of Knowledge in general, comprising with its history, definition and pioneers. Moreover, Islamization of science subjects in specific with the objective of introducing a framework for this phenomenon, based on Al-Farouqi’s 12-step work-plan and Berghout’s framework using a descriptive theoretical theory.

Islam has been under intensive ongoing crusade for centuries. It has been made into what might be called the cause of all the problems and ills that afflict the world. Every Westerner with a political axe to grind is being given centre stage to pontificate on Islam. Western political leaders have also adopted an apocalyptic discourse to ratchet up their rhetoric so as to talk in God’s name of the holy struggle against evil: Islam. Attacks have, therefore, been carried out against Arabs and Muslims in the West for the one and only simple fact that they are Arabs and Muslims. Islam, in Western eyes, is thus an invalid religion that must be rooted out from the soul of the world. This paper will be seeking to rebut these allegations and claims, prove that the West’s blindness to the truth has led it to perceive Islam as incompatible with the principles, prerequisites, and civil ethics of the Western world, and with the world at large. and provide evidence that it was under the sky of Islam that the human mind had most fully flourished and developed some of its choicest gifts, had most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and had found solutions for some of them which deserved the attention even of those who studied Plato and Kant. Ultimately, it will be illustrating that it is time to come out of the narrow shell of misrepresentation, hostile and oriental stereotype, parochialism and communalism, religious rancour, and politics, and illuminate the track of humanity by holding high the lamp of wisdom, by giving form and shape to the great and noble dreams that were cherished by the immortal prophets and philosophers of the past so that the whole world might declare that the light has come from the East and saved the West from doom and destruction.

This paper discusses the significance attempt of al-Faruqi in making Islamic civilization a mandatory course in his Islamization of Knowledge project. In any attempt of Islamization of Knowledge, the students of Islamization should be comprehensively mastered Islamic Civilization. Al-Faruqi systematically developed four required components in civilizational study that were critical for Islamization project, i.e., to give the Muslim student knowledge of the first principles of Islam as essence of Islamic civilization in the first year; the historical achievements of Islamic civilization in the second year; how Islamic civilization compares and contrasts with other civilizations in essence and manifestation, in the third year, and; how Islamic civilization is the only viable option in dealing with the fundamental problems of Muslims and non-Muslims in the contemporary world, in the fourth year. The significance ideal projected by this comprehensive stages as characterized by al-Faruqi were crucial for student to understand the secular worldview that bring the collapse of civilization in the past and not to repeat this catastrophic consequence in contemporary civilization of the Ummah.

Terrorism is currently becoming an ideological challenge for Muslims in contemporary world. The rise of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and others who claimed themselves as jihadist and propagates Islamic jihad similar to the idea of the medieval ‘Holy War’ not only target non-Muslims or kuffar, but also their Muslim brothers respectively. This act of terrorism raised dilemma among Muslim societies in general whether to support the extreme groups or to defy them as they portrayed themselves as representing the whole Muslims whereas in fact they only represent a group of disillusioned Muslims. This paper aims at analysing their ideological challenge from the philosophical point of view and Islamic ethics. Generally, this analysis emphasizes on the importance of Islamic ethics and law in order to achieve true understanding of jihad.

This article aims to expose the role of sound from people’s speech and its effects when they address each other, from the light of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah. Sound has great importance to convey the message of personal objectives among the people. We speak everyday with our parents, relatives, neighbours and others within our own community and beyond. Consequently, proper addressing with soft sound has paramount benefits. Nowadays many people do not care about this sensitive part, due to the sound intonation sometimes leads to awaken feelings, either positive or negative corner. The Qur’an and the Sunnah give special value in this aspect in the time of conversation with people regardless their religions and tribes even with unbelievers. Allah mentions in the holy Quran when he addressed to Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them): “But speak to him mildly; perchance he may take warning or fear (Allah)” (20:44). This verse indicates to the wonderful style of dialogue with people even if he denies God and does not believe in the Creator of this prolonged universe. Moreover in this paper we will discuss about the impact of sound when they speak with other as well as importance of way for conversation. Apart from that the solution for the negative effects of coarse sounds, in this research we will follow analytical and inductive approach.

In classical Islamic era, the discussion on the concept of fate (divine predestination) or qadar has created various debates with regard to its relationship to the problem of freedom (hurriya), choice (ikhtiyar) and free will (irada). The word qadar has been treated differently by various Islamic thinkers such as the jurists, the Sufis, the philosophers and the theologians (mutakkalimun) according to their respective concern. Classical discourse on qadar is found predominantly in debates between two main sects, the Murji’ites and the Jabarites who believe that God had predetermined the human life at one hand, and the others, the Muktazilites and the Qadarites who believe in human’s free will. The modern discourse on qadar shifts to different tunes. It is believed that qadar was responsible for paralyzing the energies of the Muslims and was the chief cause of their moral degeneration. The doctrine of qadar causes the Muslims to regard all their actions and achievements as dependent on the will of God and, for the same reason, they were unable to safeguard their rights and protect their countries from tyranny – thus obstructing their overall progress. This paper attempts at discussing both the classical and modern Islamic conceptions of qadar and its dynamism as the source of strength for Muslims to think about the future in positive attitude - that it is the only space which they could actively participate and operate in order to choose their destiny, be it good or bad, whether on the earth as God’s servants and vicegerents, as well as in the hereafter where they will taste the consequences of their actions. Understanding the true concept of qadar and also its dynamic association with the organic concept of time is about knowing the consequences of human actions and this is the very basic of futures thinking in Muslim mind.

At inception, science and religion were seen as poles apart and so science was vehemently kicked against by religious leaders. Islam later came to bridge the gap between religion and science only to be later hijacked by the Western world and so science was rewritten from a purely materialist point of view; hence, experts in modern science became over-confident and arrogant to have relegated religion to the lowest ebb and looked down upon any knowledge which could not be scientifically proved. However attempts are being made to reconcile religion and science by Muslim reformers. These attempts are not without their shortcomings, hence the need for Islamization of the sciences for them to conform to the Islamic principle of unity of knowledge. However, the present researcher feels that there should be a step forward from the contemporary approaches to Islamicizing the sciences in form of colouring the Western scientific discoveries Islam, to making their own scientific breakthroughs, the type which immortalized Muslim scientists of the Islam’s golden ages. Without this, Muslims will continue to be mere consumers of the Western products. The strategy for the Ummah to achieve this is suggested in this paper.

The Muslim political rivalry in democracy has triggered the birth of two groups; Islamist and Muslim Democrat. The two groups are competing by using a different approach in getting the support of the people. The Islamist group is championing its Islamic State agenda and the implementation of Shari`a as a political ambition within the framework of democracy while the Muslim Democrat recognises democracy and freedom as the basis of their struggle. Due to a greater development in democracy and a more open political rivalry, the Islamist group that was initially strongly backed by their rigid ideology and approach, has decided to change for a more moderate approach. This can be seen through their political strategy that emphasises on universal issues such as democracy, justice and good governance without rhetorical expressions of Islam and Shari`a. This change from Islamist to that of Muslim Democrat is an exciting development for it shows the transition path and direction of Muslim politics in Malaysia. This paper examines the latest development of the Islamist group, i.e. PAS in political rivalry in Malaysia, particularly in the recent General Election in 2013. This article reveals that due to the changing political landscape and democratization, the Islamist has pragmatically moderated their stance to gain more supports and it has embarked on a new landscape for Muslim political rivalry in Malaysia. Although PAS’s new approach to transform its approach to be more open and democratic is still questionable, this study believes that the participation of the party in democracy is no longer just for the sake of election, on the other hand it should recognise democracy as a political culture that emphasizes justice, freedom and good governance.

Difference of views in understanding the idea of Islamic literature and criticism involves two different cultures often occur in the field of comparative literature world. Yet despite the differences and inequalities, still no agreement reached involving key issues in the discussion of the concept of Islamic literature. Thus, this paper aims to highlight the previous studies related to the ideas, theories and principles of Islamic literature, the examples of comparative literature study and leaders thought. Analysis of the literature is conducted to find justification for the study and comparison of ideas on the need of dismantling the Islamic literature involving two selected leaders, Sayyid Sayyid `Abd al-Raziq and Mohd Affandi Hassan. This is a qualitative study based on applied content analysis method. This literature review finds that the application of this comparative study is able to find the special formula in identifying similarities and differences in the concept of Islamic literature and criticism involving the two leaders while providing enlightenment to the players in this field.

In general, this paper will explore features and patterns of Islamism in Indonesia after the downfall of Suharto’s regime in which people called it as reformation era. In Indonesian context, the Islamism at least have four characteristics; (i) promoting Islam as a sole basis in transforming society, (ii) acknowledging Islam as an ideology, (iii) among at the establishment of Islamic state, (iv) which is characterised by implementing Shari`ah laws in daily lives. These four attributes may be used in capturing the growth of Muslim’s perception on state and democracy in the era of Islamic revival. The above views spread in the various streams or any schools existed in Indonesia, both Islamic movements and other form that is very influential in the process of democracy in Indonesia.

Malaysia is a country that is rich for the diversity of its people. This diversity can be seen from the aspect of faith, ethnicity, language, culture, and so on. In facing a society that is pluralistic in nature, several initiatives have been taken by the government and non-government bodies in ensuring understanding and unity among Malaysians. Among the initiatives taken are interreligious dialogues. In this regard, many among Malaysian thinkers have proposed some approaches and concepts of inter-faith dialogue that should and may be implemented in the context of Malaysia. For that purpose, this paper examined the forms of inter-religious dialogues in Malaysia from the perspective of Malaysian contemporary Muslim thinkers. The methodology utilized in this study is textual analysis, particularly the writings of these thinkers on this issue. This article concludes that there are several forms of inter-religious dialogues that are easily implemented, as well as the difficult ones in the context of Malaysia due to certain obstacles.