Newsletter No. 14
Winter 2015
Al-Furqﾄ］
Islamic Heritage Foundation
Glorious Past, Brighter Future
Newsletter
Issue No. 14
In this Issue: Latest Visits Lectures Training Courses Conferences Publications Book Fairs Highlight Institution In Memoriam Al-Furqﾄ］ and its Centres
Winter 2015
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Newsletter No. 14
Winter 2015
Table of Contents Message from the Chairman ..................................................................... 3 Latest Visits .......................................................................................................... 4 Al-Furqān Lectures ......................................................................................... 7 The Critical Edition of Manuscripts between Text Verification and Commentary, by Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf ..................................................... The Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadīm and the Transmission of Knowledge in the Islamic World, by Prof. Devin J. Stewart ....................................................... Qurʾān Palaeography and the Fragments of the University of Birmingham, by Prof. Qasim al-Samarrai .......................................................................... The Objectives of Fasting: Reflections on the Meaning, by Professor Heba Raouf Ezzat ....................................................................................................
Al-Furqān
Islamic Heritage Foundation
Newsletter Issue No. 14, Winter 2015
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Training Courses ............................................................................................... 12 The 9th Training Course on Editing, under the title: “Editing Manuscripts on Jurisprudence, Legal Theory, Fatwās, and Momentous Events (al-Nawāzil)”....................... The 2nd Training Course on Codicology, under the title: “Arabic Codicology: The Islamic Handwritten Tradition and its Reception in the El Escorial Collection” ....... The 10th Training Course on the Philosophy of Islamic Law, under the title: “Objectives (Maqāṣid) of the Noble Qurʾān” ............................................................................... The 11th Training Course on the Philosophy of Islamic Law, under the title: “Applying the Sharīʿah Objectives in the Daʿwah Sphere” ...............................................
Publisher:
Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation
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Conferences ......................................................................................................... 19
Board of Directors
The 7th Conference on manuscripts titled “Editing Manuscripts on Literature and Language” ....................................................................................................... 19
Chairman
Recent Publications ........................................................................................ 20
H.E. Ahmed Zaki Yamani
The Critical Edition of Manuscripts between Text Verification and Commentary, by Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf ..................................................................................................... Late Arabic Scientific Commentaries: Their Role and their Originality: Works of Shams al-Dīn al-Khafrī (1550 C.E./956 A.H.) - Arabic version ..................................... The Corpus of al-Isfizārī in the Sciences of Weights and Mechanical Devices by Abū Ḥātim al-Muẓaffar ibn Ismāʿīl al-Isfizārī - (English version), edited by Mohammed Abattouy and Salim Al-Hassani ................................................................................................. Catalogue of Arabic, Turkish and Persian Manuscripts in the Cantonal Archives, Travnik, prepared by Mustafa Jahić .......................................................................................... Editing Manuscripts in the Field of Jurisprudence, Legal Theory, Fatwas and Momentous Events (Nawāzil) .......................................................................................................... Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Great ʿUmarī Mosque Library, Gaza - Palestine, prepared by Abdallatif Zaki Abu Hashem .............................................................................. Bidāyat al-Mubtadī (A Classical Manual on the Hanafi Juridical School) by ʿAlī b. Abī Bakr al-Marghinānī, edited by Saed Bakdash ................................................................. The Legislative Universal Principles and the Objectives of Applying them: A Case Study Based on al-Shāṭibī Thought and His Books: Al-Muwāfaqāt & Al-Iʿtiṣām, by Ahmed Errazaki ............................................................................................................................. Human Organ Transplantation Treatment: Balancing Interests & Harm, by Abdelghani Yahyaoui ................................................................................................................................ Objectives of the Noble Qurʾān: Research Articles, edited by Mohamed Salim Elawa ............................................................................................................... Applying the Sharīʿah Objectives in the Daʿwah Sphere: Research Articles, edited by Esam Ahmed El-Bashir ...........................................................................................................
Members Professor Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu Professor Mohamed Salim El-Awa Mr. Sharaf Yamani Managing Director Mr. Sali Shahsivari Address 22A Old Court Place London, W8 4PL England – UK
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Book Fairs .............................................................................................................. 26 Highlight ................................................................................................................ 27
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3130 1530 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7937 2540
10th Anniversary of The Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law (Maqasid Centre) .......................................................................................................................... 27
Email: info@al-furqan.com
Institution .............................................................................................................. 30 Al-Ẓāhiriyyah Library in Damascus ......................................................................................... 30
www.al-furqan.com
In Memoriam ....................................................................................................... 32 Professor John Hunwick ........................................................................................ Professor Abdelhadi Tazi ....................................................................................... Professor Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Asad ............................................................................... Dr Wahbah al-Zuhayli ............................................................................................
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Al-Furqān and it’s Centres .......................................................................... 36
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Message From the Chairman Cantonal Archives, Travnik – Bosnia”, and a critical edition of “Bidāyat al-Mubtadī (A Classical Manual on the Hanafi Juridical School) by ʿAlī b. Abī Bakr al-Marghinānī”. In addition, the Centre published the English version of “The Corpus of al-Isfizārī in the Sciences of Weights and Mechanical Devices by Abū Ḥātim al-Muẓaffar ibn Ismāʿīl al-Isfizārī”, and the Arabic translation of the lecture, “Late Arabic Scientific Commentaries: Their Role and their Originality”, as well as the proceedings of the training courses and lectures mentioned above. The Centre continues to pursue large projects in the area of cataloguing, at the Egyptian National Library (Dār al-Kutub al- Miṣriyyah), and the Ayasofya collections in Suleymaniye (Istanbul). This issue also outlines the key activities of the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law (Maqasid Centre) in 2015. Moreover, in that year, the Centre celebrated the 10th year of its founding. Meanwhile, the high priority on AlFurqān Foundation’s agenda granted to the fundamental precepts of the Maqāṣid scientific methodology continues to be emphasised. As such, the Centre collaborated with the Maqasid Research & Studies Centre (Rabat), and the Faculty of Letters & Humanities, Department of Islamic Studies, Mohammed V University (Rabat) on the training course, “Objectives of the Noble Qurʾān”. This took place on 28-30 May 2015, with the purpose of affording more in-depth treatment, and greater attention and effort to this important topic. In addition, the Centre and the Islamic Cultural Centre in London organised the Eleventh Training Course on the philosophy of Islamic law (Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah), “Applying the Objectives of Islamic Law (Maqāṣid) in Da‘wah Work”, on 5-7 September 2015 at the Islamic Cultural Centre in London. A large number of delegates participated in both these courses, comprising experts and specialists in the field, postgraduate students from different subject areas, Islamic preachers, mosque leaders, and media professionals. The Centre also released many new publications, most prominently, the Maqāṣid studies titled “Human Organ Transplantation Treatment: Balancing Interests & Harm” and “The Legislative Universal Principles and the Objectives of Applying Them: A Case Study Based on alShāṭibī Thought and His Books: Al-Muwāfaqāt & al-Iʿtiṣām”. In addition, the proceedings of the training courses, “Objectives of the Noble Qurʾān” and “Applying the Objectives of Islamic Law in Da‘wah Work”, were also published. Furthermore, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation was present at several international fairs, with visits to a number of universities, and many scientific centres and bodies. Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation remains true to its mission and continues to exert every effort to enlighten people on the value of this great heritage, aspiring to realise pioneering works and secure the grand achievements to which it strives. Indeed, God says what is true and He guides on the path. And, all praise is to God, at the beginning and end.
Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation is pleased to present this fourteenth issue of its Newsletter. It is a fresh encounter with our esteemed readers, in the desire to engage, intellectually stimulate, and inform you of the Foundation’s activities and diligent efforts, in the world of manuscripts, the domain of philosophy of Islamic law, and indeed, the Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Madinah. Al-Furqān continues to strive to deliver on its mission of preserving, surveying, editing, and publishing the Muslim nation’s rich heritage. This is because this written heritage is the finest product of our civilisation—the record of the Muslim nation’s knowledge, the mainstay of its identity, and the basis for its renaissance. The past year, 2015, was a productive one—with numerous activities and events—with training courses and conferences, and a year of grand achievements in terms of lectures and publications. In terms of events, the Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts organised the Seventh Conference on Manuscripts on 25-26 November 2015, titled “Editing Manuscripts on Literature and Language”, at the Foundation’s London headquarters. This was attended by leading scholars in the area of critical edition. Without doubt, these conferences represent exceptional moments in the Foundation’s history, characterised by highly specialised presentations and rich discussions, and their importance to researchers and experts, in providing deep insights into critical editing work, while facilitating the meeting of leading international scholars, academics, and experts in Islamic manuscripts. With the purpose of motivating trainees and developing awareness of the importance of written heritage, generally, and the jurisprudential heritage, especially, the Centre organised the Ninth Training Course on Critical Editing in collaboration with the Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute, titled “Editing Manuscripts on Jurisprudence, Legal Theory, Fatwās, and Momentous Events (al-Nawāzil)”. The course was held on 6-11 April 2015 at the premises of the Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute in Rabat. Subsequently, the second training course on Arabic codicology, titled “Arabic Codicology: The Islamic Handwritten Tradition and its Reception in the El Escorial Collection”, was held on 20-24 July 2015, at San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Madrid (Spain). It was led by Professor Adam Gacek and Professor François Déroche. The Centre also organised three public lectures, the first, “The Critical Edition of Manuscripts between Text Verification and Commentary” by Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf. The second on “The Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadīm and the Transmission of Knowledge in the Islamic World” was delivered by Professor Devin J. Stewart, Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Emory University, USA, while the third, by Professor Qasim al-Samarrai, addressed “Qurʾān Palaeography and the Fragments of the University of Birmingham”. Furthermore, the Centre released many publications, including the “Catalogue of Manuscripts of the Great ʿUmarī Mosque Library, Gaza – Palestine”, “Catalogue of Manuscripts in the
Ahmed Zaki Yamani
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Newsletter No. 14
Winter 2015
Latest Visits 21/1/2015 The 92nd meeting of MELCOM (UK), hosted at Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation.
22/1/2015 Visit of Dr Mohamed Salim El-Awa to Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation in London.
The 92nd meeting of MELCOM (Middle East Libraries Committee) UK was hosted at Al-Furqān headquarters in London, on Wednesday, 21 January 2015. The meeting was divided into two sessions: The morning session started with the greetings and introduction from Karima Benaicha, the Head of the Library and Online Database Department at Al-Furqān, followed by the projection of a short video about the activity of the Foundation and its three centres. Then the business meeting started. The meeting was attended by 20 participants, representing the departments of Middle Eastern studies at the major libraries in the UK (including the British Library, the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of Cambridge and University of Oxford libraries) as well as librarians and members of other specialized institutions (such as the Institute of Ismaili Studies, The Islamic Manuscript Association, the British Library Qatar Foundation Partnership). After discussing and approving the minutes of the previous meeting, each participant presented the updates on the developments and projects at their library or institution. The afternoon session was dedicated to two engaging presentations: “The Digital Muṣḥaf Pilot Project: A project to virtually reconstruct dispersed fragments of early Qurʾāns”, by Dr Keith Small and Dr Alasdair Watson, from the Bodleian Library, Oxford; and “Social media: British Library Asian and African Studies experience”, by Ms Ursula Sims-Williams, from the British Library, London. The meeting ended with a short presentation of the AlFurqān Library and describing its holdings and catalogues’ collection. MELCOM meetings aim to provide a forum for the exchange of information and ideas between institutions and persons in the UK, involved in collecting, organising and making available materials on the Middle East, as well as to develop and share expertise in the technical aspects of Middle East librarianship and bibliography. Representatives of the Library department at Al-Furqān regularly participate in MELCOM meetings.
13/3/2015 The visit of Mr Mohammed Khamouch from Morocco and Sheikh Ahmed Al-Dahdouh, Imam of Al-Manar Islamic Centre.
7/5/2015 The participation of the Managing Director of AlFurqān at the 50th Anniversary of Dar al-Hadith al-Hassaniya.
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6/7/2015 The visit of Mr Muhammad Darfufi from Morocco and Sheikh Ahmed Al-Dahdouh, Imam of AlManar Islamic Centre.
the Library Department at Al-Furqān. She spoke about the Foundation’s history and main activities, followed by the projection of a brief film about Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation. The visit continued with a presentation given by Celeste Gianni - library assistant at the Foundation - entitled “Exploring Research Tools for Searching Ottoman Sources at Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation”, which explained the library collections in detail.
6/8/2015 The visit of the attendees to the training programme «Ottoman and Archival Studies in the United Kingdom» organised by the London Centre for Social Studies (LCSS). The main focus of the Al-Furqan Library is collecting library catalogues of Islamic manuscripts held in libraries around the world and other unique reference sources in the area of the Islamic written heritage. Participants were shown catalogues regarding collections of Ottoman materials in libraries around the world. Celeste Gianni explained how to use library catalogues as a research tool and gave an induction session on the use of Al-Furqān’s Digital Portal. The presentation was followed by a small reception, during which the visitors were able to ask the library staff (Karima Benaicha, Magdalene Coulson and Celeste Gianni) questions about the library collections and Al-Furqān’s publications, and browse the Digital Portal under the guidance of the Head Librarian, Karima Benaicha.
On 6 August 2015, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation received a group of 12 participants and 2 organisers of the training programme “Ottoman and Archival Studies in the United Kingdom”, organised by the London Centre for Social Studies (LCSS) from 3 to 7 August 2015. The 5-day training course consisted of visiting libraries and archives in the UK (these included the National Archives, the British Library, SOAS Library, Senate House Library, Bodleian Libraries at Oxford University, the Keynes Library at Birkbeck University, and the Library at AlFurqān Islamic Heritage Foundation) holding material and research tools related to Ottoman studies. The participants on the training course were researchers, academics and postgraduate students coming from the UK, Turkey, USA, Saudi Arabia and France. They were accompanied by the director of the LCSS, Mr Ufuk Ucar, and by the course co-ordinator, Ms Rosa Vercoe. The visit at Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation started with the welcoming words by Karima Benaicha - Head of
9/9/2015 The visit of Ibrahim Abdulaziz Almejren, Head of Manuscripts and Islamic Libraries at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.
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26/11/2015 The visit of Dr. Talal bin Khalid al-Toraifi, Supervisor of Scientific Projects and Programmes at King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research & Archives, Vice-Chairman of Arabic Region for the International Council on Archives
9/11/2015 The visit of Dr. Essam al-Bashir, Member of AlMaqasid Centre Board of Experts.
19/11/2015 The visit of Professor Charles Stewart, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Visiting Scholar at Northwestern University’s Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought in Africa.
30/11/2015 The visit of Khairul Arifin bin Mohamed Munir, Senior Manager (Research) at Institut Darul Ehsan, Selangor – Malaysia.
23/11/2015 The visit of Professor Qasim Samarrai and Mr Sali Shahsivari to Birmingham University Library
17/12/2015 Visit of Dr Abdulillah ben Arafah & Dr Hasan Azzouzi from ISESCO
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Al-Furqān Lectures on everything. The lecturer then proceeded to illustrate the error of both positions, and that the correct approach is the middle way, where the editor compares different copies, identifies the key reading variants, verifies the author’s references, and traces quotations back to source. He then dwelt on the view of some researchers that the practice may only be called “editing” if applied to more than one manuscript copy, such that collation is performed. He considered this to be incorrect, given the many books that have been critically edited based on a single exemplar by prominent editors, such as Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir, and his brother, Maḥmūd Shākir, given the fact that, no researcher, at any time, has claimed that these books are not critical editions. The lecturer also addressed the difference between critical edition and commentary, where editing is reconstructing the text [to closely approximate the original] using the appropriate means, while commentary describes the means by which the editor may achieve the critical edition. In addition, Dr Marouf drew attention to those matters that must be taken into consideration during the editing process, namely: • Standardising the text presentation: the editor must take account of the rules of modern writing, in dividing the text into sections, using appropriate numbering and other marks, as well as attending to the other aspects of text organisation. • Verifying the author’s sources: wherever the editor identifies the author’s sources, he must then refer back to them, and verify the author’s citations. • Establishing correct names and genealogies: by referring to those books addressing this aspect, such as alIkmāl by Ibn Mākūlā, and Tawḍīḥ al-Mushtabih by Ibn Nāṣir al-Dīn, which are the two most important books in this art. Extensive discussion and important questions on the themes raised followed the lecture, which was attended by professors, doctoral students, researchers, and representatives of cultural institutions.
«The Critical Edition of Manuscripts between Text Verification and Commentary» by Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf
Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf
The lecture theatre at Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute in Rabat was the venue for a cultural evening, held on Thursday, 9 April 2015, dedicated to the subject of critical edition of the written heritage. Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf delivered a lecture titled “The Critical Edition of Manuscripts between Text Verification and Commentary”. The lecture was part of the training course programme organised by the Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts at Al-Furqān Foundation, in co-operation with Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute in Rabat, Morocco. The course was titled “Editing Manuscripts on Jurisprudence, Legal Theory, Fatwās, and Momentous Events (al-Nawāzil)”, and took place from the 6th to the 11th of April 2015, at Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute. The course lectures were delivered by a selected group of specialists on critical edition, with the attendance of around 80 researchers. This lecture session was chaired by Mr Sali Shahsivari, Managing Director of Al-Furqān Foundation, who introduced the lecturer and thanked Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute, represented by its Director, Dr Ahmad al-Khamlichi, and Deputy-Director, Dr Abdul Hamid Achak, and all its professors, employees, and students, for kindly hosting the lecture. Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf began his lecture by discussing the concept of critical edition, explaining that the science of critical edition aims to reproduce the original text, which the author left behind or was satisfied with at the end of his life. In the early days of interest in manuscripts in the West, a group of practitioners believed that the aim of editing was to produce a corrected text without the need for any commentary, where text verification alone would suffice. However, another group considered commentary to be indispensable, and indeed, some went to the extreme of saying that commentary must be made
Part of the audience
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Winter 2015
«The Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadīm and the Transmission of Knowledge in the Islamic World» by Professor Devin J. Stewart
Part of the audience
Among the outstanding features of the new (2nd edition) of the Fihrist by Dr Ayman Fuad Sayyid, Prof Stewart mentioned the following: - Substantial introductory monograph on Ibn al-Nadīm and the Fihrist - Numerous and comprehensive indices - Correct procedure for the establishment of the text - Proof that the two manuscripts are indeed the two halves of a single manuscript - Filling the gap, or restoring the Mu’tazilis - Emendations and corrections of the text, etc. Professor Stewart concluded his lecture by saying that, despite all great efforts spent so far on the ‘Fihrist’, it still remains a book full of mysteries, and an open source for further studies, especially as, according to him, there are still some unresolved problems, such as: - The chronology of Greek doctors - Translators from Sanskrit into Arabic and Indian Astronomers - Peoples of Africa - Technical terms in Greek, Persian, etc. - The numerical alphabet from India, etc. The lecture was followed by several questions from the specialised and distinguished audience regarding various aspects covered by Professor Stewart.
Professor Devin J. Stewart
In the series of its London lectures, the Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts at Al-Furqan organised a public lecture at its headquarters on Wednesday, 22 April 2015. The keynote speaker at this public event was Professor Devin Stewart, Winship Distinguished Research Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Emory University, USA. His lecture on “The Fihrist of Ibn al-Nadīm and the Transmission of Knowledge in the Islamic World” was very well received. In his lecture, Professor Stewart gave an insight into the historical and scientific importance of the ‘Fihrist’, a book which is not a simple catalogue of enumerating book titles and sciences, nor a simple bibliographical survey of writing in Arabic in the main scholarly fields of the time when it was written, but rather a systematic taxonomy of human knowledge, as it has been presented and recorded up until the work’s composition in the 4th century A.H. / 10th century A.D. Furthermore, he highlighted the fact that the ‘Fihrist’ is a crucial resource for the investigation of a wide array of topics in the intellectual, cultural and religious history of the Late Antique and early Islamic periods. Also, it is a crucial document of the transmission of knowledge and a very important source of information on the translation movement centred in Abbasid Baghdad, the rise and development of the Islamic religious sciences, as well as many other fields. Moreover, it is one of the pioneering works in the sphere of surveying the intellectual movement in the Islamic world, preserving titles and descriptions of hundreds of lost works. Thus, this work is far more than a reference work for book titles. It is a crucial document recording the historical transmission of knowledge in the Islamic world. Professor Stewart spoke about the main editions of the ‘Fihrist’ completed so far, highlighting the fact that the best edition and the most complete to date is the edition produced by Dr Ayman Fuad Sayyid, and published by Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation (2009, 2014).
Professor Devin Stewart, and a copy of Dr Ayman Fuad Sayyid’s edition of the ‘Fihrist’ (inset)
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Winter 2015
«Qurʾān Palaeography and the Fragments of the University of Birmingham» by Professor Qasim al-Samarrai
In July this year, when a PhD researcher looked closely at some fragments inside a more recent copy of the Holy Book (Qurʾān), it was decided to carry out a radiocarbon dating test. The tests were carried out by the Oxford University Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit. These tests provided a range of dates. Hence, they showed that the parchment (sheep or goat skin) was from the period between 568 and 645 A.D. Based on these results, researchers concluded that the manuscript was among the earliest written textual evidence of the Islamic Holy Book known to survive. These pages of the Qurʾān had remained unrecognised in the Birmingham University Library for almost a century. The manuscript is part of the University’s Mingana Collection of more than 3,000 Middle Eastern documents gathered in the 1920s by Alphonse Mingana, a Chaldean priest born near Mosul in modern-day Iraq. He was sponsored to take collecting trips to the Middle East by Edward Cadbury, who was part of the chocolatemaking dynasty. These four pages of the Qurʾān, in early Arabic script, sparked fierce debate among scholars. The assertion that the document, kept at Birmingham University, is part of one of the world’s oldest copies of the Qurʾān is strongly disputed by many scholars in the field of codicology and palaeography, who point out that the science of carbon dating is contradicted by other evidence. Among these scholars is Qasim al-Samarrai, Professor Emeritus of Palaeography and Codicology (Leiden – Holland). In order to shed light on this issue, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation invited Professor Al-Samarrai to deliver a lecture on “Qurʾān Palaeography and the Fragments of the University of Birmingham”. The event took place at the Foundation’s headquarters in London, on Monday 23rd November 2015. It started with welcoming words by Mr Sali Shahsivari, Managing Director of Al-Furqān, and Mr Sharaf Yamani, Member of the Board of Directors of Al-Furqān.
Professor Qasim al-Samarrai
Professor Al-Samarrai started his lecture with an overview on the reaction of the media, as well as the academia world that followed the discovery of the Qurʾān fragments at the Birmingham University Library. Then, after having inspected and thoroughly examined the two folios in the Birmingham Library, Professor AlSamarrai commented with the following words: “The two folios appeared to me as palimpsests which were thoroughly and professionally washed out and on which another text of the Qurʾān was transcribed. The structure of the parchments under my own microscope does not appear to be older than the script itself. The two folios seemed to have been coated with a thick layer of Arabic Gum. The date when this had been applied I could not determine. In addition , the dotting of some letters like the tha’, the shin and the nun and others with some diacritical signs like the fat’ha over some letters and five oblong dotes separating the ayats, indicate beyond any reasonable doubt that the folios belong to the end of the 2nd and the beginning of the 3rd century A.H., if not later”. Furthermore, in relation to the Qurʾānic manuscripts in general, Professor Al-Samarrai highlighted five important facts: 1) Fact one: We possess no dated Qurʾān copy belonging to the first three centuries of Hijrah. 2) Fact two: We possess almost 250 thousand - if not more - fragments and various leaves of the Qurʾān, written on either parchments or papyrus, scattered all over the world, but not a single one bears a date. Thus, from this platform, I strongly challenge any scholar, working with the Qurʾān palaeography, and in particular those “revisionists”, to produce one dated folio belonging to the span of time that lies between the year 40 A.H. (660 A.D.) and 300 A.H. (912 A.D.). 3) Fact three: The C14 test is doubtful due to the pollution in the atmosphere and the craft of manufacturing parchment in the East. 4) Fact four: The text of the Qurʾān depended from the beginning of the revelation on memory, not writing; as one orientalist says: “The transmission of the Qurʾān after the death of Muhammad was essentially static, rather than organic. There was a single text, and nothing significant, not even allegedly abrogated material could be taken out nor could anything be put in.” Or, as one of the contemporary revisionists likes to put it: ‘’The Qurʾān was revealed in actual language, not in scriptural form.
Welcoming speech by Mr Sharaf Yamani, Member of the Board of Directors of Al-Furqān
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«The Objectives of Fasting: Reflections on the Meaning» by Professor Heba Raouf Ezzat
In addition to shedding light on the objectives of fasting and how it can transform our understanding of worship and our sense of being, the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law (Maqasid Centre) at AlFurqān Islamic Heritage Foundation organised a public lecture titled “The Objectives of Fasting: Reflections on the Meaning”, delivered by Professor Heba Raouf Ezzat. The lecture took place on Friday, 12 June 2015, at the Foundation’s headquarters in London. Professor Heba Raouf Ezzat began her lecture by emphasising the fact that, to understand the wisdoms and objectives of fasting, we need to approach and look at Islam as one unit, and see it in its totality. She stated that Muslims need to revisit their concepts of Sharīʿah, and that when we examine the five main objectives of Sharīʿah (maqāṣid), we must not ignore the objective of beauty, and how the rituals in Islam should lead to ‘light’ - a term used to describe the Holy Script in the Qurʾān itself. She encouraged the audience, during Ramadan, to try to spot the different concepts related to the notion of Ramadan, and try to track these concepts to see how they interlink with the other rulings of Sharīʿah.
Professor al-Samarrai addressing the audience
The script available at the time of revelation was highly defective (sic), so that it constituted little more than an aid for those who knew the text by heart already… being well aware that the oral tradition is the more important and valid one.’’ The oral tradition of the Qurʾān is a phenomenon very unique to Islam, in memorising the whole Book (Qurʾān); though we know that some Buddist monks recite some of their holy text in their sermons. There were, and still are, many millions of people who have memorised the Qurʾān, and millions of these have learnt the Qurʾān via a direct transmission, starting from the Prophet himself. They are enumerated with the chain of transmitters (isnāds) in the reciters’ (qurrāʾ) biographical sources; published or unpublished. It is, therefore, difficult to believe that, in some parts of the world, long religious texts are still memorised and transmitted from generation to generation, as it is in Islam. 5) Fact five: In spite of all the information we gleaned from many sources at our disposal in connection with ʿUthmān’s copies, no copy belonging to ʿUthmān’s time ever survived; though many existing copies have been attributed falsely to him or to any individual contemporary with him.
Professor Heba Raouf Ezzat
The lecture was followed by several questions from the audience regarding different aspects covered by Professor Al-Samarrai.
The objectives of fasting Among many objectives of fasting, Professor Ezzat mentioned the following: The ‘Preservation of religion’ She explained that this objective is reflected in how people fast and worship God during Ramadan. The exhaustion resulting from night prayers (tarāwīḥ), and abstention from food during the day are not a sign of acceptance; but the presence of God in one’s intention and heart during these actions is fundamental for one’s worship to be sincere. She mentioned the Ḥadīth “…fasting, which is for Me, and I reward it” and the other Ḥadīth “Whoever does not give up false speech and evil deeds while fasting, then Allah is not in need of his leaving food and drink.” She pointed out that the ‘preservation of the Self’ (Nafs = Self / Spirit) is reflected as well here; because, the remembrance of God in our daily actions emphasises this objective.
Part of the audience
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Newsletter No. 14
Winter 2015 - Bodily (al-abdān) - Spiritual (al-ʿirfān) - Emotional (al-wujdān) - Language (al-lisān) - Intellect (al-ʿaql) The human body in Ramadan In Ramadan, our relationship with our body changes; this is because, essential components of that relationship are missing (eating, exercising, etc.). Fasting understandably creates a distance between one’s self and his body, as it breaks the habit of the body to some extent and opens the habit of the spirit and the heart. The dimension of desire The dimension of desire and refraining from sexual relations during fasting is very interesting, because the ‘preservation of lineage (progeny)’ is an objective (maqṣad), yet, you refrain from sexual intercourse during fasting because you need to understand that you have to tame your own desire. The dimension of time: It’s very important to understand that the Qurʾān we read is the book that carries the message of God which is eternal, i.e. the dimension of eternity comes into our lives. The notion of time changes during Ramadan through breaking the routine and through realising that the culmination of the prayer and fasting during Laylat al-Qadr is a new notion of understanding of time… A night we aspire to be forgiven in. The night of Qadr as mentioned in the Qurʾān is better than 1,000 months which is 80 years, and to focus on this night in our prayers and good deeds is similar to a prayer of a lifetime. The dimension of space The spaces of Ramadan are very observant, as we frequently go to mosques. People perform Iʿtikāf; so, people are actually changing their location, whilst we are also changing the location of our spirits. What happens when we fast? The notion that fasting is to feel the deprivation of the poor is not completely correct, as the poor are obliged to fast during Ramadan themselves. But, it is a reminder that we can lose these bounties God had blessed us with, and refraining from eating and drinking is a training to remember and thank God for these blessings. Professor Ezzat concluded her lecture by saying that, if a person limits his/her fasting in refraining only from eating and drinking, they shall not be able to reach these multifaceted meanings of Ramadan.
Professor Heba Raouf Ezzat addressing the audience
The ‘preservation of the intellect’ Ramadan is a month of fasting and a month of prayer i.e. it’s a month of ‘preservation of religion’; it is a month where people focus more on the spiritual, rather than the intellectual. Yet, the process of focusing on the spiritual dimension, and how to understand the Qurʾān, reflect the ‘preservation of intellect’. ‘Protection of wealth’ She pointed out that ‘protection of wealth’ can be by spending it, rather than investing it; and that, what we keep is actually what we spent. Also, re-connecting with God is an essential component of what we have. And we need to ask ourselves what is our capital, in terms of our relationship with God? The dimensions of fasting The dimension of the transcendental When Ramadan comes, the gates of heaven are open and the gates of hell are closed. The collective dimension of Ramadan The paying of Zakāt, sharing of food, and giving out of one’s self by joining the community in doing a ritual, and standing next to each other; all this shows the collective dimension of Ramadan. As much as fasting is an individual practice - between an individual and his God, it’s also a social practice. She also elaborated on how Muslims around the world celebrate Ramadan in different ways, and how the richness and diversity of different cultures affect how we approach Ramadan. The dimension of bearing witness Hadith “Whoever does not give up false speech and evil deeds while fasting, then Allah is not in need of his leaving food and drink”. The dimension of understanding that the Qurʾān was revealed in Ramadan The Qurʾān is Light and Spirit. Our understanding can benefit during Ramadan: we may absorb and participate in its Light and Spirit. Reflecting on the Qurʾān She spoke about how we can look for patterns in the Qurʾān, by exploring different ‘notions’, for example. Justice: following all the verses speaking about justice, you can see that justice is a system of morality; justice in lifetime and justice in the hereafter. The dimension of the Self The dimension of the human self can be divided into five other dimensions:
Part of the audience
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Winter 2015
Training courses must be consulted; at the level of practice, the course examined the proper choice and documentation of the text to be edited, the search and study of exemplars, exploring the text’s tradition, the process of transcription and collation, text emendation and treatment, commentary, investigation, etc. These were addressed in specialised workshops, where the delegates were exposed directly to examples of manuscript copies related to the course topic. This highly beneficial course was launched with the screening of a short documentary about Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation and its Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts. This was followed by welcoming speeches by organisers and participants, led by Dr Abdul Hamid Achak, the Deputy Director of Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute, then Mr Sali Shahsivari, the Managing Director of Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, and finally, Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf, in the name of the team of lecturers at this training course. Following this opening ceremony and the reception held in honour of guests and delegates, the participants attended the first lecture, titled “Approaches to editing Fiqh manuscripts: al-Muḥallā by Ibn Ḥazm as an example” delivered by Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf. He began the lecture by giving a brief definition of the term “editing” from the perspective of practitioners of the art, saying: “it is to arrive at the correct text, which exactly matches what the author had written, and was satisfied with at the end of his life; documenting the text in terms of attribution and content, and taking care in amending it to reveal the meanings intended by the author”. He then moved to speaking about the rules of editing, pointing out that the editor must distinguish between what he called the common general rules, which everyone must abide by, and cannot disregard and the special rules, which relate to the specific nature of some books. His introduction included the criteria relating to the editor specifically; for example, to possess full knowledge of the text’s subject.
The 9th Training Course on Editing: «Editing Manuscripts on Jurisprudence, Legal Theory, Fatwās, and Momentous Events (al-Nawāzil)»
The inaugural session of the training course
In the context of its cultural and scientific activities, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation organised a training course on critical editing titled “Editing Manuscripts on Jurisprudence, Legal Theory, Fatwās, and Momentous Events (al-Nawāzil)”, in collaboration with Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute. The body of lecturers at the training course was highly qualified, including Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf, Dr Mohammed al-Rougui, Dr Abdul Rahman Rashid alHaqan and others. The course was attended by 85 delegates, comprising highly skilled and academically qualified researchers, representatives of several research centres, masters and doctoral degree students, as well as other interested individuals, from Morocco and beyond. The training course took place from 6-11 April 2015, and was held on the premises of Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute in Rabat. The course aimed principally to develop the awareness and enthusiasm of the participants on the importance of the Islamic written heritage, in general, and the heritage in the area of jurisprudence, in particular. In addition, the course was designed to equip the younger generation with the proper tools to embark on the critical editing of this heritage, by presenting an appropriate summary of the main steps of critical editing in the domains of jurisprudence, legal theory, fatwās, and momentous events (al-nawāzil), in both theory and practice. The course covered all areas of the editor’s job: at the theoretical level, it discussed the scientific concepts, principles, history, approaches, and problems of critical editing, as well as signposting the essential sources that
Part of the practical sessions in editing
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Winter 2015 verifying its title, creating indices, including terms and bibliographies, and more. The training course concluded with an open session with a group of lecturers. This was an opportunity for a general discussion, where lecturers responded to some general and technical questions on the topic of editing. Dr Rachid Qabadh spoke on behalf of the participants in the training course, and praised both the Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute and Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation for their role in preserving the treasures represented by manuscripts, books, and rare items, publishing this heritage and granting researchers access, as well as equipping them with skills and knowledge. He spoke highly of the course programme, in marrying theory with practise, and in the good choice of course lecturers; he described the huge impact of this training course in developing a new awareness of the world of manuscript for some, and in enhancing the expertise of others; this was the most important achievement by the course. He also praised the good organisation, where the organisers had made available all the materials needed. The lecturers were similarly impressed, praising the good quality and choice of subjects, and the design of the programme, which reflected a knowledgeable approach, and a wise selection of course leaders and participants. The closing speech was given by Dr Ahmad al-Khamlichi, the Director of the Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute, who expressed his pleasure at the success of the course, and emphasised the strengthened relationship between the two organisations, and how this had begun to bear fruit, with the results apparent in the outcomes enjoyed by researchers. On his part, Mr Sali Shahsivari, Managing Director of Al-Furqān Foundation, thanked the Dar alHadith al-Hassania Institute, represented by its Director, Dr Ahmad al-Khamlichi, and Deputy-Director, Dr Abdul Hamid Achaq, and all its professors, employees, and students, for their generous hospitality, exceptional care, and engaging welcome. He praised the co-operation with this outstanding organisation, and thanked the participants, lecturers and organisers of the training course. At the end, certificates were granted to students, lecturers and organisers.
Certificates were granted to those who attended the training course
The lecture by Dr Abdul Rahman Rashid al-Haqan, “Requirements of the editor of Mālikī heritage”, contained an introduction to two areas of study. The introduction focused on the Islamic heritage and its spiritual and scientific value to the Muslim nation. The lecturer then proceeded to explain some terms, which he used in the title of his lecture, especially the term “editing” and the most renowned works authored in this field. As for the first area of study, he talked of the necessity of fully apprehending the culture of the area in which the editor is working; indeed, if it was the Mālikī school of jurisprudence, then he cannot be pardoned for being ignorant of the personality of the founding Imam, his most prominent students, the most renowned scholars of the school, the key reference works and texts branching thereof, as well as acquiring juristic knowledge in the majority of issues of this school’s jurisprudence as revealed by eminent authorities and experts. As for the second area of study, he spoke about tools that support the editor, namely knowledge of the sources of information, solid grounding in calligraphy and scripts and their phases of development, knowledge of the fundamentals of this school of jurisprudence, and its branches, terminology, and eminent personalities. The papers that were presented in this training course revolved around the principles of comparing exemplars, the difficulties and problems of editing books on jurisprudence, causation at the decision point of weighing up alternatives, methodological steps in the service of the edited jurisprudence text, rules for commentary, the importance of indices (kashafāt) indexing edited books, a lecture on the rare manuscripts in jurisprudence and legal theory in the holdings of Khizānat Ibn Yūsuf in Marrakech, the formulation of fatwās based on the Maghribī books on momentous events (al-nawāzil), and mistakes and their categories in the editing of manuscripts on legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh). The eight practical sessions addressed the standards for choosing texts to be subjected to editing, collecting manuscript copies and the approach to their study, manuscript reading, exploring the script and symbols, transcription, emendation, collation, the creation of glosses and commentaries, introduction and investigation, authenticating the attribution of the book to its author and
A group photo of all participants during the training course
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Winter 2015 du Coran. Texte et transmission’; Professor María Jesús Viguera, professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the Complutense University of Madrid and one of the leading figures in the study of Arabic manuscripts in Spanish collections; Dr Nuria Martínez-de-Castilla-Muñoz, lecturer at the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies of the Complutense University of Madrid, and Fellow at the Warburg Institute (London), also co-ordinator of the course; and José Luis del Valle Merino, director of the Royal Library of San Lorenzo monastery in El Escorial since 1994. The course was opened on Monday morning, 20 July, by the welcoming words of the course co-ordinator Dr Nuria Martínez-de-Castilla-Muñoz, followed by the greetings from María Nagore Ferrer, vice-rector of the University Extension, Culture and Sport at Complutense University who complimented the course for being remarkably successful and for representing the study area of humanities within the summer courses framework. Mr Sali Shahsivari, Managing Director of Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, then thanked the Complutense University for hosting the event, and welcomed the participants. He pointed out the importance of such courses in Europe (and beyond) on the study of the Islamic written heritage and codicology science in general, and the efforts of the Foundation in organising training courses in the sciences of codicology, editing and cataloguing of Islamic manuscripts around the world. The first lecture, by Dr Nuria Martínez-de-CastillaMuñoz, introduced the history of the Arabic manuscript collection at the Royal Library of San Lorenzo monastery in El Escorial. This was followed by technical notes on the nature of the collection and other Spanish and Moroccan collections by Professor María Jesús Viguera Molins, and by general remarks on the whole collection of manuscripts at the Royal Library by the director of the library, José Luis del Valle Merino. The Royal Library in El Escorial, founded by Philip II around 1565, holds a collection of 6,000 manuscripts, including more than 13,000 titles (in Arabic, Hebrew,
The 2nd Training Course on Codicology: «Arabic Codicology: The Islamic Handwritten Tradition and its Reception in the El Escorial Collection»
El Escorial
The Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts at Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, in co-operation with Fundación General de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, organised the second training course on codicology, entitled “Arabic Codicology: The Islamic Handwritten Tradition and its Reception in the El Escorial Collection”. The training course took place from 20 to 24 July 2015, at San Lorenzo de El Escorial (situated 45km northwest of the capital Madrid, Spain), within the framework of the Complutense University Summer Courses. The course provided the participants with a substantial introduction to the science of the codicology of Arabic manuscripts and prepared them with the correct methodology for the analysis of Arabic manuscripts in the context of their research. Moreover, participants had the privilege to access one of the most important collections of Arabic manuscripts in Europe (and the largest in Spain), namely the collection of the Royal Library of San Lorenzo monastery in El Escorial. The course was attended by 16 selected delegates coming from different countries (including the United States of America, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary and Indonesia) and specialised in different subject areas involving research on Arabic manuscripts. The lecturers were among the most prominent experts in the field of Islamic codicology and the history of Arabic manuscripts in Spain, namely Professor Adam Gacek, former Head of the Islamic Studies Library and Faculty Lecturer in Arabic Manuscript Studies at McGill University (Montreal); Professor François Déroche, a specialist in Arabic manuscripts, with a special interest in the history of the written transmission of the Qur’an. He is currently professor at the Collège de France, Paris, where he is chair of ‘Histoire
Professor François Déroche lecturing
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Newsletter No. 14
Winter 2015
The 10th Training Course on the Philosophy of Islamic Law: «Objectives (Maqāṣid) of the Noble Qurʾān» The Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law at Al-Furqān, in partnership with the Maqasid Research & Studies Centre (Rabat), and the Faculty of Letters & Humanities - Department of Islamic Studies, Mohammed V University (Rabat) organised a training course titled “Objectives of the Noble Qurʾān”. The training course was convened from the 28th to the 30th of May 2015, at the conference suite, Golden Tulip “Farah” Hotel in Rabat, Morocco, with the participation of around 120 scholars and researchers specialising in the area of maqāṣid, coming from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, London, and different Moroccan cities. Lectures were delivered by a distinguished group of leading experts in the area of Islamic law (Sharīʿah).
A group photo of all participants infront of El Escorial Library
Greek, Chinese, French, Italian, Catalan, Valencian, Portuguese, Castilian), produced between the 13th and 19th centuries. It also includes 456 incunabula (15th century); 30,000 books printed between the 16th to the 21st centuries; 22 periodical publications; 35,769 archival documents (16th – 19th century), and other sources including music archives, prints, drawings, coinage and medals, account books, and certificates of authenticity of the relics (16th – 19th centuries). The 5-day-programme consisted of morning sessions dedicated to the theoretical aspects of the study of Arabic manuscripts. In particular, Professor François Déroche discussed writing surfaces and quires; inks and lay-out; illuminations and Arabic bindings; while Professor Adam Gacek introduced types of scripts and hands, including early Arabic scripts, later “proportioned” and regional scripts; and examined examples of ownership statements, seal impressions and other inscriptions. The afternoon sessions were held at the Royal Library of the monastery of San Lorenzo and consisted of the examination of Arabic manuscripts from the collection. Participants were divided into groups and given manuscripts to analyse in accordance with the elements studied in the morning theoretical sessions, i.e. type of paper, type of script, paratextual elements of the manuscript, illuminations, etc. They were asked to present the findings of their analysis to the other participants and professors, under the guidance of Professor François Déroche, Professor Adam Gacek and Dr Nuria Martínez-de-Castilla. The course ended on Friday, 24 July, with a lecture by Professor François Déroche on manuscript illuminations. Certificates were given out to the participants and the course was concluded with speeches by Dr Nuria Martínez-de-Castilla and Mr Sali Shahsivari, who thanked the attendees for their active participation on the course and exchange of their experiences as researchers of the Islamic written heritage. Mr Sali Shahsivari concluded by thanking the Complutense University Summer Courses and the El Escorial Library for hosting the event for the second year, wishing to hold it again in 2016.
The first session of the training course
The proceedings of the scientific course were launched on Thursday morning, 28 May, with a recitation of verses from the Noble Qurʾān. The inaugural session, chaired by Dr Jamal al-Saidi, was opened with a speech by Dr Saïd Amzazi, President of Mohammed V University, delivered on his behalf by Dr Hakima al-Khammar, the University’s Secretary General, welcoming the distinguished guests and delegates, and thanking all those who had contributed to organising the training course. The speech emphasised the importance of these courses in adding depth to the understanding of maqāṣid, given that the maqāṣid articulated in the Noble Qurʾān are the most important, and indeed, the foundation of all others. He also highlighted the efforts of Mohammed V University in making resources available for this course, and the participation of researchers and specialists. Subsequently, Dr Ahmed al-Raissouni, Director of the Maqasid Research & Studies Centre, gave a speech emphasising the organisers’ keenness to avoid a pressured and overloaded course programme in the quantity of presentations and papers, prioritising quality, and giving participants the time to pose their questions and engage in discussion.
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Winter 2015 presentation was titled “Selected maqāṣid of Qurʾān: towards a knowledge and methodological perspective”, presented by Dr Nour al-Din al-Khadimi. In his presentation, he revealed and explained the purposes of the different levels of maqāṣid knowledge in the Qurʾān, including “negating the apparent that hides the meaning” (nafy al-ẓāhir al-ḥājib li al-maʿnā), while emphasising the need to consider the aims (al-ghāyāt), proposing that worship through aims (al-taʿabud bi alghāyāt) is equivalent to worship through the apparent (al-taʿabud bi al-ẓāhir). He also signposted a set of rules that confirm the principle of “outcomes of actions” (maʾālāt al-afʿāl). The lecture was followed by two critical reviews: the first by Dr Mohammed al-Qajwi, who provided a general commentary, pointing out the importance of rule-setting. Subsequently, Dr Omar Jadiyah commented on this intervention, and spoke in his paper on the benefit of the legal admissibility of Qurʾānic maqāṣid, highlighting some examples of maqāṣid, and finally, speaking on the harmony of the Qurʾān, from methodology to functionality. The second presentation was titled “From clear promulgation to legal maqāṣid”, presented by Dr Ahmed al-Raissouni, on behalf of Dr Muhsin Abdul Hameed. Dr al-Raissouni recounted the major ideas of the article, revolving around three circles of understanding Sharī‘ah texts on the path to adoption of a holistic perspective, and hence, going beyond the piecemeal approach to jurisprudence (Fiqh). He highlighted the negative effect of partial jurisprudence in marring the features of the Noble Sharī‘ah, considering that Muslims’ abandonment of Islamic legislation in favour of European legislation was caused by the narrowminded partial jurisprudence. Hence, the author emphasised the necessity for adopting a comprehensive understanding that starts with promulgation and ends at maqāṣid, in achieving a more ideal understanding of God’s Noble Names. Dr al-Raissouni, in turn, commented on the intervention by Dr Muhsin Abdul Hameed, explaining that the “apparent” here signified the opposite of “beyond the apparent”, mentioning the saying of Ibn al-ʿArabī: “and following the apparent at face value demolishes the Sharīʿah”. Dr al-Raissouni explained that the abandonment of juristic legislation by Muslims was caused by European colonialism, which had imposed its laws by force. Subsequently, Dr Abdul-Majeed al-Najjar commented, reiterating the importance of Qurʾānic maqāṣid. Following the end of interventions and comments, the floor was opened for discussion with the objective of facilitating deeper understanding of the topics and matters raised in the presentations; most prominently, the invitation by Dr Nour al-Din al-Khadimi relating to the necessity to dedicate efforts to a maqāṣid project in order to form and qualify the Shāṭibī of the era. On the other hand, Dr Abdul-Majeed al-Najjar emphasised the practical dimension of maqāṣid, and hence, stimulating maqāṣid in minds, and then reality, presenting a proposal for a seminar on the topic: “Maqāṣid stimulation”.
The training course took place at the Golden Tulip “Farah” Hotel in Rabat
This was followed by a speech delivered by Mr Sali Shahsivari, Managing Director of Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, who thanked all those collaborating in organising the training course, as well as the lecturers, guests and participants, noting that the course coincided with the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of the Maqasid Centre at Al-Furqān. He also indicated that this was the 10th training course organised by the Centre, pointing to a set of positive features relating to this course, such as its distinction in tackling the objectives of the Noble Qurʾān, as an extremely vital topic; the fact that the training course brought together a group of scholars representing eminent authorities in the area of maqāṣid from around the Islamic world; as well as the importance of the place where the course is taking place, Morocco, as one of the strongholds of maqāṣid. Mr Shahsivari also expressed his satisfaction with the three-way collaboration between Al-Furqān Foundation, the Maqasid Research & Studies Centre, and Mohamed V University in Rabat. Dr Moulay Omar bin Hammad then spoke on behalf of the Organising Committee, explaining a number of administrative and methodological matters, and explaining the background and preparation for the course - spanning an entire year - with Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation; following the successful training course held in the city of Fez. Dr Moulay Omar bin Hammad added that the objectives (maqāṣid) of the Noble Qurʾān cannot be captured by a single training course, but must be followed by further courses, to expand the material given. He welcomed the collaboration with Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, and invited further research in this large workshop on maqāṣid, welcoming the attendance of all the experts, who had travelled from many countries. The training course programme was divided into six morning and evening sessions, where the participants deliberated over 12 scientific presentations, and 23 reviews. The sessions included material additions, notes, and discussions. The training course concluded with a scientific seminar and a final session. The title of the first scientific session was “Concepts and introductions” (al-mafāhīm wa al-madākhil), chaired by Dr Mohammad Salim al-Awwa. The first
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The title of the second session was “The maqāṣid of Qurʾān and exegesis”, chaired by Dr Hassan Jaber. This started with a presentation by Dr Aminah Saadi, titled: “Maqāṣid of Qurʾān through al-Taḥrīr wa alTanwīr”, where she pondered over the most important methodological rules that structure the path of the scholar of exegesis in clarifying the intent of the Qurʾān, focusing on the rules and techniques of causation (taʿlīl) from the perspective of IbnʿĀshūr in his work of exegesis. This paper was reviewed and commented upon by both Dr Ahmad al-Ghizaywi and Dr Ahmad al-Umrani. It was followed by a presentation by Dr Ahmad Kafi, titled “Qurʾānic maqāṣid from the perspective of al-Shāṭibī and ʿAlāl al-Fāsī”. In the paper, the author compared a set of Qurʾānic maqāṣid from the perspective of both scholars. This was reviewed and commented upon by both Dr al-Arabi Busalham and Dr Abdul-Rahman al-Adrawi, followed by a set of discussions providing greater depth to the subject matter of the interventions. The third session, in the morning of Friday, 29 May, was titled “Maqāṣid of Qurʾān and guiding exegesis”, chaired by Dr Nour al-Din al-Khadimi. The first presentation of the session was delivered by Dr Faridah Zumurrud, titled “Maqāṣid of Qurʾān and their effects on the work of scholars of exegesis”, where she attempted to illustrate the concept of maqāṣid of Qurʾān by referencing the introduction to the books of exegesis by al-Baghawī and Ibn Jazī, and extracting some of these maqāṣid from other works, namely Tafsīr al-Manār, and Tafsīr alTaḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, within the scope of establishing a maqāṣid law to be used in exegesis. Comments on this presentation were provided by Dr Abdul-Kabir al-Hamidi and Dr Idris Awhana, where the focus was on the problem inherent in the concept of maqāṣid of Qurʾān. The second presentation was given by Dr Moulay Omar bin Hammad, titled “Maqāṣid of Qurʾān and the principles of exegesis”, in which he pondered over the importance of exegesis principles, and clarified the relationship with maqāṣid of Qurʾān, as well as the problem relating to the lack of maturity of such scientific studies. Comments were then offered by Dr Saleh Zarah and Dr Ahmad al-Bukili. The session concluded with a set of discussions, and questions and answers. The fourth scientific session was titled “Maqāṣid of Qurʾān and different applications”, which began with a presentation titled “Maqāṣid of parables in the Noble Qurʾān” by Dr Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem, who called attention to the necessity of establishing rules for research within the sanctity of the text without fear or negligence. It was commented upon by both Dr Mohammed Salim al-Awwa and Dr Abdul-Hamid Ashaq. This was followed by a talk by Dr Muhammad Ahmin on the topic “Maqāṣid of wealth in the Qurʾān”, revealing the objectives (maqāṣid) inherent in the creation of the means of wealth, as taken from the Qurʾān, and the objectives underlying the uses of such wealth. This was commented upon by both Shaykh Salim al-Sheikhy
and Dr Farid Amar, after which the proceedings of the second day were concluded with a general discussion. The fifth scientific session, on the morning of Saturday, 30 May was titled “The horizons of maqāṣid of the Noble Qurʾān”, chaired by Dr Ahmad Abu Zayd, where the first intervention was by Dr Wasfi Ashur Abu Zayd, titled “Maqāṣidī exegesis of the Qurʾān: a foundational perspective”, attempting in his paper to lay the foundation for a Qurʾān maqāṣid project, by revealing some of its techniques, rules, and processes. This was commented upon by Dr Ahmad Nasri and Dr Muhammad al-Rabiah, and was followed by the 10th presentation “Maqāṣid alQurʾān and the challenge to the human being to be what he is” by Dr Hassan Jaber, where he extracted the higher Qurʾānic maqāṣid founded on the innate (fiṭrah), God’s dye (al-sibghah), and pure monotheism (al-ḥanīfiyyah). The presentation was commented upon by Dr Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem and Dr Zaynab Abu Ali. The last of the presentations of this session was delivered by Dr Mohammed Awwam, titled “The objective of reforming human thinking”, in an attempt to extract the maqāṣid aimed at reforming the intellect in the Qurʾān. This was critically reviewed by Dr Ibrahim Bourshashin, whereupon the session was enriched by the discussion from the floor. The scientific sessions were concluded with a seminar, chaired by Dr Nour al-Din al-Khadimi, with the participation of Dr Ahmad Abu Zayd, who indicated the need to pay attention to the objectives of Qurʾānic verses and chapters. He was followed by Dr Ahmed al-Raissouni, who hinted at the need to follow the methodology of wider consideration in pondering over the Qurʾānic meanings and delving into the profound depth of its universal concepts, emphasising the necessity of applying maqāṣid to all Islamic sciences. The closing session was chaired by Dr Moulay Omar bin Hammad. Mr Sali Shahsivari gave a speech in the name of Al-Furqān Foundation, Dr Ahmed al-Raissouni in the name of the Maqasid Research & Studies Centre, and Dr Jamilah Tilut gave a speech in the name of the participant researchers, respectively. The session closed with the announcement of recommendations and the distribution of certificates to the participants.
Dr Ahmed al-Raissouni and Dr Jamal al-Saidi
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Winter 2015
The 11th Training Course on the Philosophy of Islamic Law: «Applying the Sharīʿah Objectives in the Daʿwah Sphere»
Noble Qurʾān, the Director of the Islamic Centre, Dr Ahmad Al Dubayan, gave a speech in which he welcomed the attendees, and expressed his great pleasure in co-operating with Al-Furqān Foundation to organise this second course. Next, the Managing Director of Al-Furqān, Mr Sali Shahsivari, welcomed the lecturers and delegates, praising the co-operation with the Islamic Centre, and its Director, Dr Ahmad Al Dubayan, for hosting the training course, and explaining the importance of the course topic, and its significance for the Muslim communities in the West which are facing many challenges. The first session was a background and theoretical introduction by Dr Issam al-Bashir, who stressed the relevance and sensitivity of the topic. He also explained that the course would focus on formulating the philosophical, knowledge-based, methodological, and procedural framework for daʿwah in the West; grounded in reality. He said that the course would pose problems and questions, present diagnosis and correct resolutions, as well as defining concepts and methods, and consider modern approaches and future projects that would contribute to the success of daʿwah work. The course sought to educate to the values of purification, citizenship, mutual exchange of knowledge, peaceful co-existence, and human fraternal bonding. It would frame daʿwah—individually and collectively— within a knowledge-based, objective, and strategicallyplanned working method. It also provided effective techniques, to respond to the challenges on the path to becoming a specialised preacher, competent speaker, proficient Imam, and adviser. Those challenges included working on spontaneity, emotionalism, subjective bias, and repetition; and expressing oneself in the native tongue of the audience, considering their citizenship, place of residence and cultural background, or furthering life’s interests. The training course was crowned with a special session led by Dr Mohammad Salim al-Awwa and Dr Issam alBashir, who encouraged the participants to take interest in this honourable vocation; followed by an open debate with a group of lecturers. In conclusion, the Director of the Islamic Centre, Dr Ahmad Al Dubayan expressed his gratitude to participants and lecturers, followed by the words of the Managing Director of Al-Furqān, who praised the efforts of the lecturers, and the participating delegates, who had honoured both organisations by their attendance, not forgetting to thank the management of the Islamic Centre for this fruitful co-operation, generous hospitality, and very warm welcome. Certificates were then presented to the delegates and lecturers.
The inaugural session of the training course
The Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law, in partnership with the Islamic Cultural Centre in London, organised the eleventh Training Course on the philosophy of Islamic law (Maqāṣid al-Sharī‘ah), under the title: “Applying the objectives of Islamic law (Maqāṣid) in Daʿwah work”, on 5-7 September 2015, at the Islamic Cultural Centre in London. A group of experts in the area of Islamic law (Sharīʿah) conducted the lectures; among them were leading scholars, such as Dr Mohammad Salim al-Awwa, Dr Issam alBashir, Dr Hasan Jabir, Dr Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem, Dr Jasir Awdah, Dr Muhammad bin Ibrahim al-Namlah, Dr Ahmad bin Mohammad Al Dubayan, Dr Hiba Rauf Izzet, Dr Abdul-Hamid Ashaq, and Dr Wanis al-Mabruk, while Dr Nour al-Din bin Mokhtar al-Khadimi and Dr Wasfi Ashur Abu Zayd were notably missed. Over 100 delegates participated in the course; some of whom were specialists in the field. Others were students engaged in further studies at British universities in different areas of specialisation, Islamic preachers, mosque leaders, and media professionals. The course lectures discussed the general and specific objectives (maqāṣid) of Islamic Law, the foundations and specifications of daʿwah work, and the pressing need for the application of maqāṣid in this domain. It addressed renewal of the daʿwah discourse, and understanding maqāṣid in the sphere of development and community work. The lectures also focused on clearly defining the concept of daʿwah, establishing deep knowledge and an instructive framework to develop competence in the discipline of maqāṣid particularly among professional preachers and in general among the elite leadership in the Muslim Ummah. In the evening of the first day, a public lecture titled “The Daʿwah discourse in the West: Obstacles and challenges” was delivered by Dr Mohammad Salim al-Awwa. He addressed the most important challenges faced by Muslim preachers, and the search for effective methods to resolve them. The training course was launched on Saturday morning, 5 September 2015 in the lecture hall of the Islamic Centre in London. Following the recitation of verses from the
Dr Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem and Dr Ahmad Al Dubayan
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Winter 2015
Conferences The 7th Conference on manuscripts titled «Editing Manuscripts on Literature and Language»
Shaykh Ahmad Zaki Yamani. This was delivered by H.E. Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, who impressed upon the audience the importance of the Conference, and welcomed the participating academics, delegates, and guests. Within the Conference theme, the papers covered: · The Methodology of Critical Edition of Poetry Manuscripts; · Critical Edition of Andalusian Poetry Manuscripts; · Problems of Critically Editing Language Manuscripts; · Critical Edition of Arabic Language Manuscripts: Ibn Dahān’s Explanation of al-Luma‘ fī al-‘Arabiyyah by Ibn Jinnī as an Example; · Methodologies of Authoring and Editing Language Manuscripts: Books on Horses (al-Khayl) as an Example; · Maghribī Critical Editions of Manuscripts in Rhetoric (al-Balāghah) and Criticism (al-Naqd): al-Manza‘ alBadī‘ as an Example; and
H.E. Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, opening the Conference
The conferences organised by Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation represent exceptional moments in the Foundation’s history, characterised by their highly specialised presentations and rich discussions, and by their importance to researchers and experts, particularly in the field of critical editing of Islamic manuscripts. The conferences are also a platform for the meeting of leading international scholars, academics, and experts in Islamic manuscripts.
· The Būlāq Publications on Language and Literature: An Approach to Critical Editions. The Conference was attended by thirty highly qualified expert delegates in the different disciplines from British and international higher education and heritage institutions. The lectures were presented by a group of leading scholars and critical editors from around the world. Their research and academic papers addressed the reality and aspirations of the manuscript editing movement in the area of literature and language. These scholars included Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf, Dr Salah Jarrar, Dr Qasim al-Samarrai, Dr Ali El-Bawab, Dr Radouane Benchekroun, Dr Hasan al-Osman, and Dr Ahmed Chouqui Binbine.
This Conference—the 7th in the series—was held at the Foundation’s London headquarters on 2526 November 2015, and carried the title: “Editing Manuscripts on Literature and Language”. The Conference began on Wednesday morning, 25 November, with a speech on behalf of Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation and its Chairman, H.E.
A group photo of the lecturers taken on the final day of the training course
Panel from the conference
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Recent Publications Text uniformity: the editor follows the rules of modern writing, in the division of text into paragraphs and sections, and introduces numbering, and other elements of text organisation.
«The Critical Edition of Manuscripts between Text Verification and Commentary», by Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf
Indicating the author’s resources: if the author’s sources can be identified, the editor must compare them with what the author presents. Verifying challenging names and genealogies: by referring back to the authoritative books, such as Al-Ikmālby Ibn Mākūwlā, and Tawđīħ al-Mushtabih by Ibn Nāṣir alDīn, which are among the most important books of this art.
«Late Arabic Scientific Commentaries:
In his lecture, Dr Bashar Awwad Marouf explains the concept of critical edition of texts as a discipline, aimed at the production of a text as left by the author, and of which he approved at the end of his life. He then explored the view that the aim of critical edition is the production of a correct text without the need for any commentary, only emendation. He then addressed the contrasting view that considers commentary as essential, and indeed, some workers went to the extreme by saying: [the editor must] comment on everything. Our lecturer explained the error of both views, and summed up with the correct intermediate way, where the editor compares and grades the text copies, records the key reading variants, highlights the resources used by the author, and documents the quotes from the respective sources. In this lecture, Dr Bashar also debated the view postulating that critical edition is exclusively when there are several copies to allow collation, which in his view is not correct. He highlighted those books that had been critically edited - based on one copy - by eminent scholars and editors, such as Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir and his brother, Maḥmūd Shākir, where no researcher has ever claimed that such works are not critical editions.
Their Role and their Originality: Works of Shams al-Dīn al-Khafrī (1550 C.E./956 A.H.)» (Arabic version), by George Saliba
The book at hand focuses on the importance of scientific commentaries, especially manuscripts on astronomy, authored between the thirteenth and the sixteenth century. Dr Saliba demonstrates that particular commentaries were distinguished by the introduction of new scientific thinking, and also a level of astronomical mathematical sophistication that outmatched any of the earlier works that were produced within the Islamic civilisation, and, in some instances, even surpassed the contemporary scientific works that were produced in Europe at the time. Dr Saliba attributes the lack of scholarly attention to late scientific commentaries to a number of factors, most prominently, the difficulty in reading late commentaries, absence of explanatory illustrations, and a perpetuated misconception that following the classical or golden age of Islam, there was nothing worth studying in terms of cultural output.
Furthermore, he explained in detail the difference between critical editing and commentary; critical editing being text emendation, and employing the means towards achieving that, while commentary describes how the editor may actually emend the text. He also drew attention to matters that must be taken into consideration in edition:
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Winter 2015
«The Corpus of al-Isfizārī in the
«Catalogue of Arabic, Turkish and
Sciences of Weights and Mechanical Devices by Abū Ḥātim al-Muẓaffar ibn Ismāʿīl al-Isfizārī» - (English version),
Persian Manuscripts in the Cantonal Archives, Travnik», prepared by Mustafa Jahić
edited by Mohammed Abattouy and Salim Al-Hassani
This catalogue examines 122 manuscripts, containing 224 treatises in the disciplines of Qurʾānic sciences, Prophetic tradition, Islamic jurisprudence and its branches, Islamic creed, supplications, etiquettes, admonition, Islamic Sufism, logic, syntax, dictionaries, literature, mathematics, astronomy, etc. The catalogue contains many rare works, and ones not found anywhere else in other libraries of Bosnia Herzegovina, such as “Miftāḥ al-fātiḥah” in Arabic, which discusses the qualities, merits, and exegesis of the Noble Qurʾān; the manuscript “AlFawāid al-fiqhiyyah fī aṭrāf al-qaḍāyah al-ḥukmiyyah”, which is a study in Arabic based on the Ḥanafi juristic tradition discussing Islamic law rulings related to the work of judges; “Kitāb al-Qaṣb” which is a judicial juristic work, and “Zubdat al-anẓār fī ḥal ‘uqad iẓhār al-asrār”, which is a book on Arabic syntax and morphology (al-naḥw wa al-ṣarf). This manuscript collection has special value due to the fact that it includes many works written by Bosnian authors, in addition to benefiting those wishing to study the Islamic cultural heritage of Bosnia-Herzegovina. One of the highly important Bosnian manuscripts –which can be found in this collection-, is “AlFatāwā al-Aḥmadiyyah al-Mustāriyyah”. This is a collection of fatwas in Turkish, authored by Aḥmad b. Muḥammad al-Mostārī. The fatwas in the collection resolve issues and problems encountered daily, and have been consistently referred to by muftis and judges, up until the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia in 1878. It is worth stating that a large number of these manuscripts were transcribed by Bosnian copyists, who could be found in all parts of the Ottoman Empire.
This critical edition of al-Isfizāri’s book deals with the field of mechanics, known by early Muslims as “the sciences of weights and mechanical devices” (‘Ilmay al-Athqāl wal-Ḥiyal). The book introduces the theory of the “steelyard” and its applications. It extensively describes and provides exhaustive details on a large group of mechanical devices. Its contents are organised into seven parts. Reading this work of Isfizāri enhances the knowledge of historians and researchers of Islamic heritage and specifically the history of Arab mechanics. It also confirms both the originality and innovative characteristics of the Arab contribution to the field of machinery in terms of using mathematics and physics in both experimentation and theory. The work demonstrates how Muslim scientists’ ventures had substantially participated in transferring and developing scientific knowledge in addition to elaborating its value from the history of technology and a mechanical engineering perspective.
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«Catalogue of Manuscripts in the
«Editing Manuscripts in the Field of
Great ʿUmarī Mosque Library, Gaza Palestine»,
Jurisprudence, Legal Theory, Fatwas and Momentous Events (Nawāzil)»
prepared by Abdallatif Zaki Abu Hashem
This book relates to the proceedings of the training course on the critical edition of manuscripts, titled “Editing Manuscripts in Jurisprudence, Legal theory, Fatwās, and Momentous Events (alNawāzil)” organised by Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, in co-operation with the Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute, from 6-11 April 2015 on the premises of the Dar al-Hadith al-Hassania Institute in Rabat. The topics addressed by the studies are: the concept of critical editing in jurisprudence, legal theory, fatwas, and momentous events in both theory and practice; the requirement for the editor to absorb the culture within the area of practice; tools supporting the editor; knowledge of all the skills needed by the editor in critical editing on the theoretical level, such as the technical terminology, principles, history, approaches, problems, and main reference sources. The papers presented at this training course examined methodologies and prerequisites of the editor for editing manuscripts on jurisprudence; the basis for assessing manuscript copies; the difficulties and problems in editing books of jurisprudence; the process of evaluating the outcomes of the manuscript analysis; the methodological steps for the critical edition of jurisprudence text; the rules for dealing with the commentary on the text; and the importance of consulting catalogues of edited books. The proceedings included a lecture on rare jurisprudence and legal theory manuscripts held in Khizānat Ibn Yūsuf in Marrakech, and also addressed fatwā development based on the Maghribī books on momentous events, and errors and their categories in editing legal theory manuscripts.
This catalogue documents 187 original manuscripts, ranging from large codices to opuscula, and partial collections. Their subject matter spans the wide spectrum of Islamic sciences and the humanities. Yet, the majority relate to jurisprudence (fiqh) and Prophetic tradition (Ḥadīth) and associated disciplines. The catalogue describes important and rare manuscripts, including valuable literary works, such as the poetry collection (Dīwān) of the eminent poet, Ibn Zaqāʿah al-Gazzī, and fatwas of the erudite scholar, alTamrtāshī al-Gazzī, and also Shaykh al-Islām Ḥasan bin ʿAbd al-Laṭīf al-Ḥusaynī. A key distinction of this library’s manuscript collections are holographs by Gazan scholars. These include Shaykh ʿUthmān bin Muṣṭafā al-Ṭabbāʿ, Shaykh Muḥammad Sakīk al-Gazzī, Shaykh Muḥyī al-Dīn al-Malāḥ, and other natives of Gaza City in southern Palestine. The manuscripts had been endowed as waqf by Palestinian scholars, Gazans especially, for centuries. The most important collection is that of Shaykh Abū al-Mawāhib ʿAlī al-Dajānī, former Grand Mufti of Jaffa (Yāfā). This catalogue’s importance lies in evidencing that the Arabic Islamic heritage is indigenous to occupied Palestine. It presents documentary proof of the enduring nature of this heritage in that land. It also documents a precious Islamic manuscript collection in Gaza City, with roots in the early Islamic centuries. This is the library collection of al-ʿUmarī Grand Mosque; a centre of knowledge and culture over many centuries, up to the late 20th Century, which seeks to regain its rightful scientific, cultural, and world heritage position. This catalogue is a companion to other region-specific catalogues published by Al-Furqān; for example, “Catalogue of Manuscripts of al-Aqṣā Mosque Library” and “Catalogue of Manuscripts in al-Khālidiyyah Library”.
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«Bidāyat al-Mubtadī (A Classical
«The Legislative Universal Principles
Manual on the Hanafi Juridical School) by ʿAlī b. Abī Bakr alMarghinānī», edited by Saed Bakdash
and the Objectives of Applying them: A Case Study Based on alShāṭibī Thought and His Books: AlMuwāfaqāt & Al-Iʿtiṣām», by Ahmed Errazaki
The book “Bidāyat al-Mubtadī” is of significant academic and scientific importance as the leading reference for the Ḥanafī School of jurisprudence. Indeed, it is considered the key reference and one of the principal accredited texts and renowned abridgments in the Ḥanafī School. This is due to its intimate relationship with the most famous and widely disseminated of Ḥanafī texts, the mainstay of the majority of succeeding texts, namely “al-Hidāyah”, also by al-Imām alMarghīnānī. Indeed, “al-Hidāyah” is an abridgement that fully captures the essence of “Bidāyat al-Mubtadī”. This work collected abundant information in a concise form, analysing and correcting scholars’ memorable expressions, supported by juristic treatment and examination, and rendered in superior language and fine style. It achieved this by combining “al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaghīr” by al-Imām Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan, and “Mukhtaṣar alImām al-Qadūrī” with important additions. The book was critically edited and emended based on eight manuscript copies. The oldest dated back to 633 A.H., forty years after the author’s death. The author is ‘Alī b. Abū Bakr al-Marghīnānī, a prominent figure among Ḥanafī early jurists (mujtahid). He was also a scholar of prophetic tradition, exegesis, and jurisprudence, in the class of Ibn Rushd in his work “Bidāyat al-Mujtahid wa Nihāyat al-Muqtaṣid” in the Mālikī school, and “al-Wajīz” by al-Ghazālī on which Shāfi‘ī jurisprudence is founded.
The importance of this book refers to the fact that this study establishes that Islamic law (Sharīʿah) frames and governs all areas of life. It asserts that the well-being of the human race is determined by applying the objectives (maqāṣid) of Islamic law, by rationalising its rulings (aḥkām) and allowing the application of juristic effort (ijtihād) and causation (taʿlīl) to rulings. Such effort is undertaken by those Muslim scholars qualified in applying juristic effort (al-mujtāhidūn); those who are well versed in the knowledge adequately of Sharīʿah sciences, and understand the divine wisdom behind the Revelation, regardless of changing times and circumstances that create new issues. In this way, Revelation provides a more beneficial and blissful existence for the human being in both this life and the Hereafter, without neglecting the needs of the present, and the developments in the future. In this respect, Revelation retains perpetual relevance, as a discourse addressing the unchanging within the human being, in entity, essence, and innate essential needs. In fact, it emphasises the most significant invariable quality of Islamic law, namely the continuing relevance of its legislation, demonstrating compatibility with all times and places, to the end of time. This signifies that the principle (al-aṣl) of mandated accountability (altaklīf) vis-à-vis its requirement and submission to its rulings is of a permanent nature. In evidencing this, the competent scholars of Islamic law have set about critically examining this quality. Hence, al-Imām al-Shāṭibī’s perspective on the legislative universals
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was one of depth, renewal (tajdīd), grounded proof, and constructed maxims. He described the Noble Qurʾān as “Islamic law’s universal and the religion’s substance”, and the legislative universal that is the Prophetic Sunnah as explanatory of the Qurʾān, in terms of either particularising (takhṣīṣ) or founding (taʾsīs) an independent legislative meaning. He also spoke of those universals deduced (mustaqraʾ) from the Qurʾān revealed in the Makkah phase, and those from the Qurʾān revealed in the Madinah phase of Islam, and derived from both, the higher objectives-based universals (al-kulliyāt al-maqāṣidiyyah al-kubrá). He also discussed what may be termed the additional legislative universals (al-kulliyāt altashrīʿiyyah al-iḍāfiyyah). In this respect, al-Imām al-Shāṭibī offered reflection and practised renewal, considering that the surmised (al-ẓanī) cannot be described as a universal, except through the preponderance of mutually combining and supporting instances, or advocated by an independent universal. Only then is the surmised granted the status and recognition of certainty (al-qaṭʿī). Hence, al-Imām al-Shāṭibīʿs discussion of universals arouses significant interest, and this study has embarked on solving its mystery, clarifying its intent and features, and explaining the approaches to its rulings.
This book is unique and important in its field in discussing a current medical issue from the theoretical and practical perspective. The author provides valuable contributions on this topic grounded on maxims and objectives of Islamic law (qawāʿid wa maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah), as well as reporting the opinions of expert practitioners and medical doctors. By contrasting the interests and harm, the book resolves a number of crucial matters, such as: the extent to which medical treatment is a necessity (ḍarūrah)? Is it such that the unlawful may become lawful in the context? What is the position of Islamic law regarding a person donating their organs? Is brain death the end of life? Where are the interests and harm manifested, in benefiting from the organs of living or deceased donors for the purposes of medical treatment? This study is founded on a comparison between those interests and harms recognised in Islamic law, while taking account of current reality and expected developments, as well as measuring and recognising the consequences (al-maʾālāt). The author presents the topic in an introduction and two chapters. The introductory chapter discusses the general concepts included in the study; the first chapter clarifies the ruling on transferring organs from living donors, giving examples of the most prevalent organs transplanted, namely the kidney, part of the liver, skin, and bone marrow, while contrasting the interests and harm suffered by both donor and recipient. This study should alleviate the hardship (rafʿal-ḥaraj) from doctors and patients in particular, and society generally.
«Human Organ Transplantation
Treatment: Balancing Interests & Harm», by Abdelghani Yahyaoui
The second chapter deals with the “ruling on organ transplant from the deceased”, due to its topicality and the urgent need for it to be addressed, at a time when there is a multiplicity of opinions and juristic efforts (ijtihād). The author discusses brain death at great length, from the medical and Islamic law perspectives. He gives examples of the most commonly transplanted organs, such as the heart, lung, pancreas, and cornea, clarifying the related ruling based on the medical perspective, the opinions in Islamic jurisprudence, objectives-based and legal theory maxims, and civil law.
This book addresses the topic of “contrasting the interests and harm” (muwāzanat al-maṣāliḥ wa al-mafāsid) to the issue (al-nāzilah) of human organ transplants. It clearly establishes the complementarity between Islamic law (al-Sharīʿah) and medical practice, and proves Islamic law’s validity and effectiveness with contemporary issues.
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«Objectives of the Noble Qurʾān» (Research Articles), edited by Mohamed
«Applying the Sharīʿah Objectives in the Daʿwah Sphere» (Research Articles), edited by Esam Ahmed El-Bashir
This book, “Objectives (Maqāṣid) of the Noble Qurʾān”, contains the proceedings of the specialised training course organised by the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law at AlFurqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, in co-operation with the Maqasid Research & Studies Centre (Rabat), and the Faculty of Letters & Humanities - Department of Islamic Studies, Mohammed V University (in Rabat), held at the end of May 2015, in Rabat –Morocco. The studies and reviews included in this book treat the different dimensions of the objectives of the Noble Qurʾān, with the emphasis on highlighting Qurʾānic knowledge and revealing its objectives, the need to consider its aims (al-ghāyāt), and an invitation to adopt a holistic perspective, beyond the piecemeal approach. It also addresses the most important methodological rules that structure the path of the scholar of exegesis in clarifying the intent of the Qurʾān, such as rules and techniques of causation (taʿlīl). The reader will also find a foundational perspective for an objective-based exegesis of the Qurʾān, and case studies in Tafsīr al-Manār, and Tafsīr al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, as attempts to establish an objective-based law for reference in exegesis. The studies in the book are also diverse, discussing various fields, through the papers titled “The objectives of wealth in the Qurʾān”, “The objective of reforming human thinking”, and others. The reader will find at the end of the book a paper by Dr Ahmed al-Raissouni on the approach of broad contemplation in savouring Qurʾānic meanings and delving into the profound depth of its universal concepts. Similarly, they will find a set of important organisational, scientific, and methodological recommendations.
The book “Applying the Objectives of Islamic Law (Maqāṣid) in the Daʿwah Sphere” contains the proceedings of the specialised training course, organised by the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law at Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, in co-operation with the Islamic Cultural Centre, held in London, in early September 2015. The book includes studies discussing the framework of daʿwah in the West in respect of philosophical, methodological, practical and theoretical approaches, based on the study of the objectives of Islamic law (Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah). The lectures discussed the foundations, specifications, problems, and questions of daʿwah work, and the most important issues faced by preachers. This book presents a clear analysis of those issues and the possible effective measures. It also examines the horizons, aspirations, conceptions, and procedures of modern approaches and encourages attention to the development of community action that contributes to the success of daʿwah work. This study outlines the need for the application of maqāṣid in this domain for the benefit of the renewal of Islamic law and its development. Emphasis is given to the gradual and wise approach to daʿwah by promoting the values of purification, citizenship, mutual recognition of civilisations, peaceful co-existence, and human fraternal bonding. This approach to daʿwah—individual and collective— is subjected to a working method that is knowledge-based, objective and strategically planned. This method should secure positive outcomes, including the establishment of effective techniques, the renewal of the discourse on maqāṣid and the preventive response against personal bias and emotional reactions in order to shape the model for the expert preacher, competent speaker, proficient Imam, and good adviser. This figure should also aim to transmit to his/her community these ideas by communicating, where possible, in the native tongue of the people to which he/she relates, either for citizenship, residence, culture, and specific interests.
Salim Elawa
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Book Fairs Al-Furqān’s participation in book fairs
Distributors of Al-Furqān’s publications: Purchase Online at: The Foundation’s website: www.al-furqan.com At: www.amazon.co.uk (find “Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation”)
Purchase in Store at: United Kingdom: Al-Furqān Headquarters 22A Old Court Place London, W8 4PL United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 20 3130 1530 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7937 2540 E-mail: info@al-furqan.com
Doha book fair
Egypt: Al-Furqān Cairo Office 20 Ibrahim Nagy St., Zaker Hussain Road Nasr City 11528 Cairo - Egypt Tel: + (202) 24721609 Fax: + (202) 24721609 E-mail: cairo.office@al-furqan.com Dār al-Salām Publisher 40, Corner at Ahmed About El-Ola/Nour El-Deen Bahgat streets Nasr City - Egypt Tel: + (202) 22873246 Fax: + (202) 22741750 E-mail: info@dar-alsalam.com
Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation has a well-established tradition of participating in international book fairs. Its participation in such book fairs has been invaluable in providing it with a window through which the wider world can identify with its objectives and its accomplishments. During this year (2015), Al-Furqān Foundation took part in three international book fairs, i.e. in Doha (Qatar), in Casablanca (Morocco) and in Sharjah (UAE). At all these fairs, the Foundation has showcased its various publications within its three fields of interest, i.e. the manuscripts field, the field of maqāṣid, and the field of studies on Makkah and Madinah. Its publications consist of more than 150 titles in around 250 volumes, including catalogues of collections of Islamic manuscripts in leading libraries, manuscript studies, bibliographic works, studies on maqāṣid, as well as proceedings of Al-Furqān’s academic conferences, symposiums, training courses and lectures.
Wahba Library 14, El-Gomhoreya st. Cairo - Egypt Tel: + (202) 23682155 E-mail: publisher_sultan@yahoo.com Dar El Kalema Library 16, Mahmoud Bassiouny st. Nasr City – Egypt Tel.: (202) 25798414 E-mail: info@al-furqan.com Saudi Arabia: Al-Furqān Jeddah Office Mohy el-deen Nazer street Building no.69 Al-Hamra District, Jeddah Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Tel: + 966 (0) 26670522 E-mail: info@al-furqan.com
Sharjah book fair
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Highlight general. The Centre also aims to broaden the horizons of knowledge for students of Islamic studies everywhere. The Maqasid Centre’s Aims and Objectives 1- Encouraging studies and research which contribute to the Islamic philosophy of law, inside and outside the academic world 2- Co-operating with Islamic universities and Islamic studies departments in order to include the maqāṣid in their curricula or syllabi 3- Calling upon scholars to elaborate on the correlation between contemporary ijtihād and maqāṣid, so as to facilitate understanding the wisdom behind, and objectives of, Islamic rulings 4- Giving special consideration to new research in the theories of priorities, utility, consequences and universal principles of Islamic law 5- Calling upon scholars and Islamic institutes of fatwā to illustrate the link between the Islamic texts, fatwā and maqāṣid 6- Refuting attempts to misuse the idea of maqāṣid in order to “deconstruct” the Islamic principles and fundamentals 7- Promoting and publishing biographies of scholars who have contributed to the study of maqāṣid 8- Incorporating maqāṣid theories in the methodology and philosophy of various social sciences and humanities 9- Reinforcing the link between the study of maqāṣid and the study of the basic rules of the Islamic law 10- Establishing a comprehensive maqāṣid encyclopaedia.
The Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law (Maqasid Centre)
10 Years Contribution to the Revival of the Objectives of Islamic Law
The study of the philosophy of Islamic law, especially its maqāṣid (objectives, purposes, goals, intents and underlying principles) is a pre-requisite to understanding the Qurʾān and the prophetic tradition, and to developing the Islamic law in a way that achieves common good and protects from harm. For that purpose, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation established the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law. The founding seminar of the Centre took place in March 2005, in London, and included distinguished scholars and dignitaries. The Centre aims to broaden the horizons of knowledge for students of Islamic studies and encourages studies and research which contribute to the Islamic philosophy of law. It also aims to revitalise the knowledge of maqāṣid and to expand the scientific and intellectual interest in the philosophy of Islamic Law, in order to exceed the frame of Islamic fiqh and its fundamental theory (uṣūl), to also include the other Islamic, social and humanitarian sciences in general. It supports new research in the theories of priorities, utility, consequences and universal principles of Islamic law, and calls upon scholars and Islamic institutes of fatwā to illustrate the link between the Islamic texts, fatwā and maqāṣid. The Maqasid Centre’s Mission The Maqasid Centre’s mission is to revitalise the knowledge of maqāṣid, in order to develop the process of ijtihād and the renewal of Islamic fiqh, its fundamental theory (uṣūl), and Islamic thought in
The founding seminar of the Al-Maqasid Centre , March 2005 - London
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To achieve its aims and objectives, the Centre pursues the following activities: • Publishing new critical editions of maqāṣid books of particular significance • Publishing bibliographical references in the field of maqāṣid • Publishing studies on the maqāṣid of Islamic law • Organising training courses on understanding the maqāṣid • Holding conferences, symposia, seminars and lectures to stimulate research and discussions on topics related to the field of maqāṣid • Establishing a reference library with the main research tools necessary for the study of maqāṣid (philosophy of Islamic jurisprudence) • Encouraging Islamic studies departments and programmes outside traditional Islamic institutes, to conduct research that shows the universality of Islamic law in all cultural contexts • Encouraging versatile students and young researchers to study the philosophy of Islamic law, the maqāṣid
The 8th training course entitled: “The Objectives of Sharīʿah: the Principles and Concepts ”, held in London between 30/11/2013 and 3/12/2013
The Board of Experts The Board of Experts includes a distinguished group of scholars and researchers in different fields of Islamic studies. The Board of Experts is a decision-making body, with a role to: Review the activities of the Maqasid Centre on a yearly basis and provide the appropriate directions Elaborate on and discuss themes for projects to be adopted by the Centre on a yearly basis Inspect projects and scholarly works submitted to the Centre for financing and publishing, and issuing decisions as to its acceptance, request for modifications, or rejection The Maqasid Centre’s Activities The most important events and activities carried out by the Centre are: ■ Training courses ■ Conferences ■ Lectures ■ Editing manuscripts written in fields related to Maqāṣid ■ Publication of research in the field Training Courses The Centre has so far organised 11 training courses, on the following topics: • “Purposes of the Islamic Law and Contemporary Issues” • “Purposes of the Islamic Financial Law” • “The Objectives of Islamic Law and the Provisions of the Family in Islam” • “Purposes of Islamic Law and Legal Science” • “The Objectives of Sharīʿah in al-Tāhir bin Ashūr’s Thoughts” • “Purposes of the Sharīʿah in the Schools of Islamic Law” • “The Objectives of Sharīʿah and the International Conventions” • “The Objectives of Sharīʿah: the Principles and Concepts”
The Maqasid Centre’s Boards The International Advisory Board The International Advisory Board includes a distinguished group of scholars and researchers in different fields of Islamic studies. The International Advisory Board has a legislative status, with a role to: ✓ Define the Maqasid Centre’s policies, goals and strategies ✓ Establish guidelines for the Centre’s fields of activities ✓ Issue decisions regarding the amendments or addition to the Centre’s policies, regulations and activities
Meeting of the International Advisory Board (Cairo 2006)
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• “Applying the Sharīʿah Objectives Between Fear and Leniency” • “Objectives of the Noble Qurʾān” • “Applying the Objectives of Islamic Law (Maqāṣid) in the Da‘wah Sphere” Symposia The Centre has so far organised 5 symposia, on the following topics: ◆ “Studies in the Philosophy of Islamic Law; Theory and Applications” ◆ “Purposes and Reasoning in the Islamic Law” ◆ “The Objectives of Arts in Islam” ◆ “The Activation of the Objectives of Sharīʿah in the Political Sphere” ◆ “Towards a Unified Islamic Perspective on Issues Related to Women and Population” Conferences - “The State between Tradition and Future” - “The State and the Society in the Scope of the Objectives of Sharīʿah”
9. “Purposes of Islamic Law & its Bibliography”, by Professor Mohammad Kamal Imam 10. “The Public Interest in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law – a Functional Vision”, by Professor Mohammad Kamal Imam 11. “Omission in Legislation and Obligation”, by Professor Abdul-Wahhab Abu Sulaiman 12. “Consequences of Acts in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law”, by Professor Mohammad Kamal Imam 13. “The Purposes of Good and the Jurisprudence of Public Interest”, by Dr Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem 14. “The Objecives of Fasting: Reflections on the Meaning”, by Professor Heba Raouf Ezzat Publications The Centre works in spreading the idea of maqāșid (objectives of Sharīʿah) through seminars, lectures, training courses as well as through publication of books that deal with the philosophy of Islamic law. To date it has published more than thirty titles, covering a wide range of topics and different subjects. Bibliography for Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (Al-Daleel alIrshadi ila al-Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah) The Bibliography for Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (Al-Daleel al-Irshadi ila al-Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah) is a comprehensive reference work and a historical record of what has been written in the field of the Sharīʿah objectives. It is also a library tool which brings together the scattered intellectual production in this field. This study, supervised by Dr. Mohamed Kamal Imam, made a survey of all that has been produced in this field from the 3rd century A.H. till today. The study covers all the Islamic schools of thought and includes sources such as manuscripts, theses, conferences and modern studies found in a number of countries and in their languages. This encyclopaedic work consists of 10 volumes, providing references and abstracts of about 2,000 titles.
A photo from the conference «The State between Tradition and Future»
Lectures 1. “The Role of the Purposes of Islamic Law in Contemporary Legislation”, by Professor Mohammad Salim al-Awwa 2. “The Relationship Between Purposes (Maqāṣid) and Fundamentals (Uṣūl) of Islamic Law”, by Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah 3. “Objectives of the Pilgrimage Rites”, by Professor Abdul-Wahhab Abu Sulaiman 4. “Universal Purposes of the Islamic Law and Exegesis Methodologies”, by Professor Hassan Jabir 5. “Purposes of Tacit Juridical Evidence”, by Professor Mohammad Salim al-Awwa 6. “Purposes of the Islamic Financial Law”, by Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah 7. “Purposes of Islamic Voluntary Work – A Comparative Study of Civility”, by Dr Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem 8. “The importance of Renewal of Islamic Thought and the Primary Means Towards It”, by H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani
The Bibliography for Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (Al-Daleel al-Irshadi ila alMaqāṣid al-Sharīʿah) in its 10 volumes
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Institution and Shafi‘ī schools of jurisprudence. Shaykh Rashīd alFarūqī, teacher of the Shafi‘ī doctrine gave the very first lesson in the east Iwan, while the Ḥanafī scholar, Shaykh Ṣadr al-Dīn Sulaymān b. Abū al-‘Izz gave his first lesson in the south Iwan. Then, from the 7th to the 13th Hijrī century, prominent scholars such as al-Samarqandī, alWāsiṭī, al-Fazārī, al-Adhra‘ī and others, taught at this Madrasah.
Al-Ẓāhiriyyah Library in Damascus: Library of libraries and repository of science gems
Since its establishment, numerous dignitaries and scholars endowed precious books to al-Ẓāhiriyyah Madrasah. It became a veritable treasure trove of handwritten and printed manuscripts of classical knowledge, especially after many library collections were added to its collection. Credit for the transformation of al-Ẓāhiriyyah School into the first public library in Syria and the Levant is due to Shaykh Ţāhir al-Jazā’irī, Inspector of Education in Damascus. He was able to convince the reformist Ottoman governor, Midḥat Bāshā, to collect all the manuscripts held in Waqf in Damascene madrasahs and mosques in a national public library. This was based at al-Ẓāhiriyyah Madrasah to hold the manuscripts in one place, and assure wider benefit and ease supervision. Following assent from the Ottoman Sultan, Shaykh Ţāhir with the help of a group of scholars, began to gather the books and manuscripts from ten scattered libraries. Their holdings were surveyed, classified, catalogued, and then stored in the al-Malik al-Ẓāhir dome. The Library opened its doors to the interested public in 1881. The Library was estimated to hold more than 70 thousand books, over 80 old periodicals of historical interest, and 13 thousand manuscripts, including quite early and rare examples; the oldest is Masā’il al-Imām Aḥmad b. Khalīl, copied in 260 A.H. In addition, the library has a section for newspapers, magazines, reference texts, periodicals, and dictionaries.
Al-Ẓāhiriyyah Library
In Old Damascus, next to the Umayyad Mosque (alMasjid al-Umawī al-Kabīr) at Bāb al-Barīd, facing alʿĀdilīyyah al-Kubrā School stands one of the Levant’s most venerable marvels and beacon of knowledge for centuries. Al-Ẓāhiriyyah Madrasah is the seat of learning founded by the Sultan al-Ẓāhir Baybars al-Bunduqdārī (676 A.H./1277 A.D.) in the former residence of alSharīf Aḥmad b. al-Ḥusayn al-‘Aqīqī (died 368 A.H.). After al-Ẓāhir Baybars’ death (678 A.H./1279 A.D.), Al-Malik al-Sa‘īd constructed the school and a mausoleum for his father’s remains. On the right side of the building is inscribed: “al-Madrasah al-Ẓāhiriyyah – Sultān Baybars’ school and mausoleum, constructed in 676 A.H./1277 A.D.”, and on the left, the name of the architect, “Ibrāhīm b. Ghānim”. Above the entrance are three wide rows of floral Naskh script. The first two rows announce the Madrasah’s status as a Waqf, i.e. endowment. The following rows state the names of the builders, and the dedication: “In the Name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful, this blessed mausoleum and the two schools were constructed on the command of our Lord, the Sultan, al-Malik al-Sa‘īd Abū al-Ma‘ālī Muḥammad Barakah Khan son of al-Sultan alShahīd al-Malik al-Ẓāhir Baybars”.
Al-Ẓāhiriyyah Library was managed by the Endowments Administration (Dā’irat al-Awqāf) until 1919 A.D., when it was attached to Dār al-Ma‘ārif. Subsequently, it was given over to Al-Majma‘ al-‘Ilmī al-‘Arabī, and renamed Dār al-Kutub al-‘Arabiyyah. The prominent thinker, the late Muḥammad Kurd was the first Director of both al-Majma‘ and the Library. The Library’s halls were named after the learned scholar Muṣṭafā al-Shihābī, Shaykh Ţāhir al-Jazā’irī, and Khalīl Mardam. Initially, the Library consisted of three rooms; the first containing manuscripts is in the al-Ẓāhiriyyah Dome, and used to hold a huge collection of manuscripts in diverse sciences. The second was used for printed material, and contained books, both purchased and gifted to Dār al-Kutub, while the third was used for periodicals, con-
From 677 A.H. onwards, al-Ẓāhiriyyah Madrasah was a grand, principal centre of learning for both the Ḥanafī
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taining Arabic and foreign language newspapers, magazines, gazettes, and reports. Later, the Library occupied the entire building, when the Majma‘ moved to a new designated building in 1980 A.D. Hence, the library became organised around printed books, manuscripts, visual, and imaging departments.
8. The Awqāf Library, whose holdings were gathered from diverse libraries for safekeeping; 67 volumes were transferred to al-Ẓāhiriyyah. 9. The Bayt al-Khiṭābah library, containing a set of books endowed by the owner ‘Alī al-Daftarī. This was housed in the Bayt al-Khiṭābah room in the Umayyad Mosque. Most of its contents were damaged, following the fire in the mosque in 1893 A.D.; only 73 volumes from this Library arrived at al-Ẓāhiriyyah.
When Dār al-Kutub al-Ẓāhiriyyah was established, its most important holding was the al-‘Umariyyah Madrasah Library, containing priceless manuscripts, of which the majority originated from the al-Ḍiyā’iyyah Madrasah Library. There were 148 collections in al‘Umariyyah library, containing 1,745 books and treatises. This was all that remained of al-Ḍiyā’iyyah Madrasah Library. The majority were Ḥadīth books; most were holographs, or copied in the hand of renowned scholars. Perhaps, the most important treasure in the al‘Umariyyah Madrasah Library collections were the manuscripts of al-Ḍiyā’ himself, written in his hand, which were annotated with readings (qirāʾāt), auditions (samāʿāt) and certificates (ijāzāt) by scholars, and were documented with ownership (tamallukāt) and endowment (awqāf) deeds.
10. The al-Umawiyyīn Library which held a large number of manuscripts that had come from other libraries. Its catalogue was printed in 1993 A.D. Al-Ẓāhiriyyah also included a limited number of manuscripts from other libraries, such as al-Aḥmadiyyah, al-Kuzbar, and Yalbaghā libraries. Its most important sources from private holdings were the ‘Abd Allāh Bāshā al-‘Aẓm, and al-Mullā ‘Uthmān al-Kurdī libraries. The al-Ẓāhiriyyah Library was gifted with around 4,612 manuscripts, and 1,206 printed books. In addition, the most prominent private libraries gifted to alẒāhiriyyah Library were: ‘Abd al-Ghanī al-Qādrī Library (946 books), Muḥammad Ṭāhir Abū Ḥarb Library (919 books), Aḥmad Ṣidqī Kaylānī Library (578 books), Dr Rashād al-Jāsim Library (464 books), Muḥammad ‘Ārif al-Munīr Library (244 books), Sa‘īd al-Khānī Library (190 books), al-Biraykiyyah Library (179 books), and Rafīq Tamīmī Library (173 books).
In addition to al-‘Umariyyah Library, al-Ẓāhiriyyah Library includes the holdings of the following libraries: 1. The Library of the Vizier, ‘Abd Allāh Bāshā al‘Aẓm, and his son, Muḥammad Bāshā, which was constructed by the latter in Damascus in 1193 A.H. 2. Sulaymān Bāshā Library that was endowed by the governor of Damascus, Sulaymān Bāshā, to the Sulaymāniyyah Madrasah, which he built in 1150 A.H. in Bāb al-Barīd, of which 127 volumes were transferred to al-Ẓāhiriyyah.
The Arabic Language Academy (Majma‘ al-Lughah al-‘Arabiyyah) in co-operation with the Kazakhstan Government undertook renovation of the Library, including the infrastructure, repairs to the roof and walls, and renovation of the tombs of al-Malik al-‘Ādil and AlMalik al-Ẓāhir. In addition, the north and east Iwans, reserved for researchers, the main reading hall, and four other halls for storing books and periodicals were restored. The Library has the capacity to hold 100 thousand books. It was also equipped with modern technologies to preserve the books under ideal conditions, as well as facilities including offices for the administration, and a server to hold digitised periodicals and other library contents.
3. The Khayyāṭīn Library that was endowed by the Vizier, As‘ad Bāshā al-‘Aẓm in 1165 A.H.. This contained a set of books belonging to him, which he placed in the school established by his father, Ismā‘īl Bāshā, in Sūq al-Khayyāṭīn. Of its holdings, 375 manuscripts were transferred to al-Ẓāhiriyyah Library. 4. The al-Mullā ‘Uthmān al-Kurdī Library at the Sulaymāniyyah Madrasah, which was transferred to alẒāhiriyyah, along with the Sulaymāniyyah collection; its manuscripts totalled 313 volumes. 5. The Murād al-Naqshabandī Library (alMurādiyyah), of which 246 volumes were transferred to al-Ẓāhiriyyah.
Due to the lack of conservation and restoration facilities at the al-Ẓāhiriyyah Library, manuscripts (more than 13,000) and books (around 5,000 printed books) were transferred to the al-Assad National Library in the year 1980, as the National Library houses a department for manuscript preservation. Officially, the manuscripts were meant to return to the al-Ẓāhiriyyah Library, once suitable rooms and shelves were available. However, with the current situation in Syria, the fate of these manuscripts remains unknown.
6. The al-Ṣumayṣāṭiyyah Library, situated in al-Khānqāh, beside the north gate of the Umayyad Mosque, known as Bāb al-‘Imārah; only 78 volumes survived from this library. 7. The Yāghūshiyyah or Sīyāghūshiyyah Library: this was situated in a mosque in a minor thoroughfare called al-Qasā‘īn within Bāb al-Jābiyyah. It was constructed by Hasan Bāshā al-Shūrbazī on the orders of
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In Memoriam In 1981, Professor Hunwick was appointed at Northwestern University, where he founded the Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought in Africa (ISITA) and served as its Director. He was credited with turning this University into a centre for the study of Islamic Africa. Among his many achievements, he was appointed as the Director of the Programme of African Studies. He retired from the University in 2004, but he remained as an Emeritus Professor of History and Religion until his death. Professor Hunwick was a fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received the African Studies Association’s Distinguished Africanist Award in 2005. Professor John Hunwick has been a good friend of the Foundation. He was a great source of help to Al- Furqān, by introducing many African scholars and cataloguers, as well as helping with related projects. He also encouraged and helped the Foundation in organising many events; as he participated and contributed to many of them. A simple search for “John Hunwick” on Al-Furqan’s Online Database of Islamic Manuscripts, reveals hundreds of results which carry the name and signature of Professor Hunwick; showing the high relevance of his work in the field of Islamic heritage in Africa, in general, and for the literary history and the manuscript collections, in particular. Among these results can be seen 2 catalogues, related to the Nigerian manuscripts (namely: “Handlist of Manuscripts in the Nigerian National Archives of Kaduna” and “Handlists of Islamic Manuscripts, Nigeria: The University of Ibadan Library”), edited by Professor Hunwick and published by Al-Furqān. Also, his works have been used as a reference for describing 123 libraries in Nigeria, in the World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts; published by Al-Furqan too. Professor Hunwick is the author of “Shari’a in Songhay”, “The Hidden Treasures of Timbuktu”, as well as numerous other books and texts. Above all, his iconic bio-bibliographical book titled “Arabic Literature of Africa”, has been – and still remains - the ultimate reference work in the field of the African literary tradition of Saharan and SubSaharan Africa, as it is a very useful tool for authenticating the names of the authors and the titles of the manuscripts of African provenance. A lot of work and study that has been done, and much of what remains to be done in the sphere of Islamic heritage in Africa, will be indebted to Professor John Hunwick. His death has been a great loss to the world of knowledge and has left a huge gap in the world of African studies. May his soul rest in peace. Professor John Hunwick (06 January 1936 – 01 Apr 2015)
Professor John Hunwick
Professor John Hunwick was born in 1936 in Chard, Somerset, England. He received his B.A. in Arabic from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, in 1959, and his Ph.D. degree in Islamic Studies, from the same University, in 1974. Hunwick was a pioneering and world-renowned scholar of African History and Islam in Africa. He dedicated his life in changing the perception that Africa was a ‘dark continent’, and that it had no history or any civilisation. He argued that “there is a lot more to Africa than song and dance”. He started his career as a teacher of English at Ahfad University for Boys, Omdurman, Sudan, between 1959 and 1960. Then, in 1960, he joined the Department of History at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where he taught Arabic. Later, in 1962, he established a Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, at the same University, where he served as the Acting Head of Department between 1964 and 1967. Also, he founded the Centre for Arabic Documentation in the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, and served as the Honorary Secretary to the Centre from its establishment, in 1963, until 1967. Furthermore, he was the Editor of Majallat al-Buhuth (Research Bulletin), which was published by the Centre for Arabic Documentation. From 1967 until 1969, Professor Hunwick was a lecturer in Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Then, between 1969 and 1975, he was Associate Professor at the Department of History, University of Ghana; and, from 1975 until 1977, he held the position of Professor and Chair of the same Department.
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held several scientific posts in Morocco and elsewhere, including directing the University Institute for Scientific Research. He was a member of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Arabic language academies in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Syria, the Arab-Argentinian Institute, and Aal al-Bayt Institute ( Jordan). He was also elected President of the Sixth UN Conference on the Standardisation of Geographical Names (New York). Professor Tazi was decorated with a number of prestigious medals and orders from his native Morocco and abroad. The late Professor Tazi was distinguished by his prolific authoring and writing. His works include Jāmi‘al-Qarawiyyīn: al-masjid wa al-jāmi‘ah, Tafsīr Sūrat al-Nūr, Ādāb Lāmiyyat al-‘Arab, Jawlah fī tārīkh al-Maghrib al-dublumāsī, Tārīkh al-‘alāqāt alMaghribiyyah al-Amrīkiyyah, Jāmi‘al-Qarawiyyīn: al-masjid al-jāmi‘ah bi madinat Fās, Qaṣr al-Badī‘ fī Marākish min ‘ajā’ib al-dunyā, fī ẓilāl al-‘aqīdah, Ṣaqliyyah fī mudhakirāt al-Safīr Ibn ‘Uthmān, alTa‘līm fī al-duwal al-‘Arabiyyah, al-Qanṣ bi al-ṣaqr bayn al-mashriq wa al-maghrib, Awqāf al-Maghāribah fī al-Quds, al-Tārīkh al-dublumāsī fī al-Maghrib, and al-Mar’ah fī tārīkh al-gharb al-Islāmī. Furthermore, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation published his book, Riḥlat al-riḥlāt: Makkah fī mi’at riḥlah Maghribiyyah wa riḥlah; this is composed of a number of biographies and treatises by one hundred past Muslim travellers, representing scholars, historians, men of letters, poets, princes, and leaders from the Arab Maghreb, who documented sights and emotions in their journey to Makkah. He also undertook critical edition of the book, Tuḥfat al-Nuẓār fī gharāib al-asfār, by the renowned traveller, Ibn Baṭūṭah. In a magnificent gesture, the late Abdelhadi Tazi gifted his personal library, comprising seven thousand books, to Al-Qarawiyyin Library. We supplicate God to enfold the late Professor Abdelhadi Tazi in His Enduring Mercy and Munificent Pardon, grant him Gardens of Paradise, and resurrect him in the company of the Prophets, the True, the martyrs, and the righteous; and they are the best of companions. “To God we belong, and to God is our return” Professor Abdelhadi Tazi, born 15 June 1921, died 2 April 2015.
Professor Abdelhadi Tazi
The Islamic Ummah bade farewell to the distinguished academic and historian, Abdelhadi Tazi, member of both the Advisory Board of Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, and the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. Professor Tazi passed away on Thursday, 2 April 2015, aged 94, after a lifetime devoted to the service of knowledge, and pre-occupation with the Muslim Ummah’s issues. The departure of the erudite, Professor Tazi, robbed Morocco and the Islamic world of an intellectual giant, whose contribution spanned eight decades. Deserving the many titles and academic honours bestowed on him, he was a man of letters, a poet, biographer and editor, jurist and historian, traveller and diplomat, active academic and father to Moroccan historians—an “incomparable historian”. Abdelhadi Tazi was born in Fez on 15 June 1921. Aged nine, he memorised the Qurʾān in its entirety within the traditional Kutāb establishment. He then progressed through the education ladder from school to al-Qarawiyyin University, where he qualified in 1947. He continued his studies, securing a diploma in higher studies from Mohamed V University, then the State doctorate from Alexandria University for his dissertation topic “Jāmi‘at al-Qarawiyyīn”. As such, Professor Tazi embraced the two academic cultures, the religious and language classicism of al-Qarawiyyin, and the modern with its inclination toward western sources. Professor Tazi joined the diplomatic corps as Morocco’s ambassador to Iraq, then Libya. He also 33
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Administration at the Arab League in Cairo between 1954 and 1959. He also supervised cultural affairs at the Arab League Educational, Cultural, and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) between 1968 and 1977.
Professor Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Asad
Professor Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Asad was one of the most prominent academic editors of Arab literary and critical heritage, even though he left behind a limited number of works, due to overwhelming administrative commitments. His publications included Maṣādir al-shi‘r al-jāhiliī wa qīmatahā altārīkhiyyah, al-Itijāhāt al-adabiyyah al-ḥadīthah fī Falasṭīn wa al-Urdun, al-Qiyān wa al-ghinā’ fī al-‘aṣr al-jahilī, and al-shi‘r al-ḥadīth fī Falasṭīn. He also critically edited works, such as Tārīkh Najd, and Diwān Qays b. al-Khuṭaym, and reviewed books, such as Yaqaẓat al-‘Arab, and Lībyā al-ḥadīthah. Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Asad received Arab recognition in the form of many honours and awards, including the Taha Hussein Prize (1947), King Faisal International Prize for Arabic Language & Literature (1982), Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award (1994 – 1995), the State Prize for Literature from Jordan (2003), and in 2011, the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature. He was also knighted as Grand Cordon of the Order of Independence (Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan).
Professor Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Asad Arab and Islamic, intellectual and cultural circles mourn the loss of a learned scholar and literary authority. Professor Nāṣir al-Dīn Muḥammad Aḥmad Jamīl al-Asad—may God shower His Mercy on him- the first ever Minister of Higher Education in Jordan, and member of the International Advisory Board of Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, died on Thursday, 21 May 2015, at the age of 93, following a lifetime of contributing to culture.
Professor Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Asad was distinguished by unique personal traits, his simplicity, generosity, humility, striking elegance, and strict adherence to speaking in classical Arabic, among others. He was endowed with a strong work ethic and was unrestrained in his criticism—borne of an unwillingness to compromise on science and knowledge—with an acute sense of vocation in teaching.
The learned Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Asad was born in 1923 in Aqaba ( Jordan) to a Jordanian father and Lebanese mother. He pursued university studies, culminating in the award of a doctorate (grade: Excellent) from Cairo University in 1955. Subsequently, he lectured in numerous universities and research establishments in Jordan, Libya, and Egypt. Founding the Jordanian University, he was appointed Chancellor from 1962 to 1968.
May God shower the late Professor al-Asad with His Enduring Mercy, and grant him residence in the Gardens of Paradise. “To God we belong, and to God is our return”
He served as the Jordanian Hashemite Kingdom’s ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 1977 to 1978. He also headed many academies and boards, such as the Royal Academy for Islamic Civilisation Research “Aal al-Bayt Institute”, and the Board of Trustees of both al-Isra University in Amman, and Abdul Majeed Shoman International Award for Jerusalem.
Professor Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Asad, born 1923, died 21 May 2015.
Professor al-Asad was a member of Arabic Language Academies in Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and Morocco, and had been a correspondent to the Indian Scientific Academy since 1976. Al-Asad held numerous cultural appointments; he was Undersecretary of the Cultural 34
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eree, and held membership in many Fiqh and science academies, including the International Islamic Fiqh Academy ( Jeddah), the Islamic Fiqh Academy (Makkah), the Royal Academy for Islamic Civilisation Research “Aal al-Bayt Institute” ( Jordan), and the Islamic Fiqh Academy (India, USA). He also helped found the Centre for Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law at AlFurqān Islamic Heritage Foundation. Oher memberships included the Research & Islamic Affairs Committee and the editorial board of the journal, Nahj al-Islām, of the Syrian Ministry of Awqaf, as well as contributing member to the encyclopaedia on Fiqh al-Mu‘āmalāt published by the International Islamic Fiqh Academy ( Jeddah). Al-Zuhayli headed the Shariah supervisory board at Sharikat al-Muḍārabah wa al-Maqāṣah al-Islāmiyyah in Bahrain, presiding over a similar board at the international ABC Islamic Bank in Bahrain and London, part of the Arab Banking Corporation (ABC). He also led the Shariah Research Institute for Islamic Financial Institutions. He served jurisprudence and legal theory through his researches and studies, supervising hundreds of Masters and doctoral dissertations, authoring dozens of books, and making scientific contributions at international conferences, symposia, and courses, as well as participating in television and radio programmes. For his efforts, he received a number of awards, including Best Islamic Personality at a New Hijri Year reception hosted by the Malaysian government in 2008 at Putrajaya. In 2014, he was included among the 500 most influential persons in the world. The late Wahbah al-Zuhayli enriched the Islamic library with two Fiqh encyclopaedias, and dozens of books. These included Tajdīd al-fiqh al-Islāmī, al-Kitāb al-fiqhī al-jāmi‘ī: al-Waqi‘ wa al-ṭumūḥ, Naẓariyat al-ḍarūrah al-shar‘iyyah: Dirasah muqarinah, Āthār al-ḥarb fī al-fiqh al-Islāmī: Dirasah muqarinah bayn al-madhāhib al-thamāniyyah wa al-qanūn al-dawlī al-‘ām, al-Fiqh al-Islamī wa adilatah (11 volumes), al-Fiqh al-Islamī fī uslūbih al-jadīd, as well as Mawsū‘at al-Fiqh al-Islamī almu‘āṣir (8 volumes), and Mawsū‘at al-Fiqh alIslamī wa al-qaḍāyyah al-mu‘āṣirah (14 volumes). May God cover the late Dr al-Zuhayli with His Enduring Mercy, and grant him Gardens of Paradise. Amen. Dr Wahbah al-Zuhayli, born 1932, died 8 August 2015.
Dr Wahbah al-Zuhayli
The departure of the exegesis scholar and Islamic legal theory jurist, Wahbah Mustafa al-Zuhayli, was a loss to the Islamic world of one of the most prominent Muslim scholars and jurists of modern times, who enriched the literature on jurisprudence with numerous encyclopaedic works and books. Al-Zuhayli passed away on Saturday, 8 August 2015, aged 83, after a lifetime dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, teaching, research, writing, and lecturing at a number of Arab universities. Wahbah al-Zuhayli was born in Deir Atiyah in the Damascus countryside in 1932. His father was a farmer and merchant, who had memorised the entire Quran. Al-Zuhayli came top of his class at the Faculty of Shariah, al-Azhar, in 1956. In addition, he qualified as a teacher at the Faculty of Arabic Language, al-Azhar, and successfully gained a law degree from Ain Shams University in 1957. This was followed by a Masters from the Faculty of Law, Cairo University in 1959, culminating in the award in 1963 of a doctorate (First Class Honours) for his dissertation “Āthār alḥarb fī al-fiqh al-Islāmī: Dirasah muqarinah bayn al-madhāhib al-thamāniyyah wa al-qanūn al-dawlī al-‘ām”. Al-Zuhayli joined the Faculty of Shariah, Damascus University from 1963; in time, heading its Department of Islamic Law & Doctrines. He was also a visiting lecturer to a number of Arab universities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Libya, Sudan, Kuwait, and others. Moreover, he was engaged as an expert ref35
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Newsletter No. 14
Winter 2015
Al-Furqān and its Centres Al-Furqān’s Structure The Board of Directors
Al-Furqān and its Centres Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation is a not for profit Foundation registered in the United Kingdom, number: 2329628. It was established in London in 1988 by the Yamani Cultural and Charitable Foundation. HE Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani is the founder of both of these foundations.
The Board of Directors is the highest body within AlFurqān. It consists of the Chairman and two other directors. Its responsibilities include overseeing management, appropriate use of funding, implementing the organisation’s goals, and shaping the organisation’s vision and mission.
Al-Furqān’s Vision To be a leading foundation in preserving and studying the Islamic written heritage.
The Executive Management The Executive Management is the highest level of organisational management, executing the Foundation’s day-to-day responsibilities. It holds specific executive powers conferred by authority of the Board of Directors.
Al-Furqān’s Mission To survey, preserve, study and publish the Islamic written heritage, as well as assist and promote the research in its fields.
Al-Furqān’s Offices Al-Furqān’s headquarter office is in London. It also has two other branches, one in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and one in Cairo, Egypt.
Al-Furqān’s Aims and Objectives
✓ To initiate, promote and support research in the field of Islamic heritage
✓ To assist in the preservation and restoration of the
Al-Furqān’s Centres Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation was established initially with the aim to document and preserve the Islamic written heritage, principally through its work in surveying, imaging, cataloguing, editing, studying and publishing Islamic manuscripts. But, with time, its scope of activity has expanded, and it has become a Foundation consisting of 3 centres under one umbrella, i.e.:
Islamic written heritage
✓ To raise awareness of the richness of the Islamic heritage, its role and importance
To achieve its aims and objectives, the Foundation pursues the following activities:
> Editing and publishing Islamic manuscripts of particular significance
> Publishing studies, bibliographical and encyclopaedic
1. The Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts (Manuscript Centre)
works in the field of Islamic heritage
> Organising training courses on various aspects of Islamic
The Manuscript Centre’s Mission The Manuscript Centre’s mission is to document and preserve the Islamic written heritage through surveying, imaging, cataloguing, editing and publishing Islamic manuscripts, which constitute a significant part of the Islamic heritage.
heritage
> Holding academic seminars, conferences and lectures
in order to stimulate discussions and action in the field of Islamic written heritage
> Establishing a reference library with the main research tools necessary for the study of the Islamic heritage
The Manuscript Centre’s Aims and Objectives ■ To initiate, promote and support research into the field of Islamic manuscripts
> Developing an online platform to enable the scholars, researchers and students of the Islamic civilisation and heritage all over the world easier access to the hidden treasures of the Islamic heritage
■ To assist in the preservation and restoration of Islamic manuscripts
Al-Furqān’s Motto
■ To raise awareness of the richness and the importance of the Islamic written heritage
“Glorious Past, Brighter Future” 36
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To achieve its aims and objectives, the Centre pursues the following activities:
The Board of Experts is a decision-making body, with a role to: ✓ Review the activities of the Manuscript Centre on a yearly basis and provide the appropriate directions ✓ Elaborate on and discuss themes for projects to be adopted by the Centre on a yearly basis
• Identifying and surveying the existing collections of Islamic manuscripts • Assisting in cataloguing previously uncatalogued collections of Islamic manuscripts • Editing and publishing Islamic manuscripts of particular significance • Organising training courses on various aspects of Islamic written heritage, such as cataloguing, editing and preserving of manuscripts • Organising conferences, symposia and lectures to stimulate research and discussions on topics related to the field of manuscripts • Establishing a reference library with the main research tools necessary for the study of Islamic manuscripts • Developing an online platform/database for online catalogues and other bibliographical works, in addition to enabling the scholars, researchers, and students of the Islamic civilisation and heritage all over the world easier access to the hidden treasures of the Islamic manuscripts and heritage
✓ Inspect projects and scholarly works submitted to the Centre for financing and publishing, and make decisions as to its acceptance, request for modifications, or rejection. The Members of the Board of Experts: ◆ Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Chairman ◆ Professor Abdullah Yusuf al-Ghonaim: Member ◆ Professor Ahmed Shawqi Binebine ◆ Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu: Member ◆ Professor Ibrahim Chabbouh: Member ◆ Professor Mohammed Adnan al-Bakheet: Member 2. The Centre for the Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Madinah (Makkah and Madinah Centre) The Makkah and Madinah Centre’s Mission
The Manuscript Centre’s Boards The International Advisory Board
The Makkah and Madinah Centre’s main goal is to acknowledge Makkah and Madinah’s scientific and cultural roles and their historical significance throughout history.
The International Advisory Board is a body of outstanding academics and scholars in the field of the Islamic written heritage, such as: history, history of science, codicology, palaeography and Islamic history.
The Makkah and Madinah Centre’s Aims and Objectives
The International Advisory Board has a legislative status, with a role to:
The Makkah and Madinah Centre’s main aims and objectives are: ■ To promote research into and specialised study of the two holy cities, Makkah and Madinah ■ To acknowledge Makkah’s and Madinah’s scientific and cultural roles and their historical significance ■ To compile a comprehensive Encyclopaedia about these two holy cities
✓ Define the Manuscript Centre’s fields of activities and an overall strategy for future expansion ✓ Establish guidelines for the Centre’s fields of activities ✓ Issue decisions regarding the amendments or addition to the Centre’s policies, regulations and activities The Members of the International Advisory Board: ◆ Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Chairman ◆ Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu: Member ◆ Professor Enes Karić: Member ◆ Professor Sayed Hossein Nasr: Member The Board of Experts The Board of Experts is a body of outstanding academics and scholars in the field of the Islamic written heritage, such as: history, history of science, codicology, palaeography and Islamic history.
To achieve its aims and objectives, the Centre pursues the following activities: • Compiling a comprehensive Encyclopaedia about these two holy cities • Publishing books, studies and theses on Makkah and Madinah • Publishing critical editions of historical references related to Makkah and Madinah 37
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Newsletter No. 14
• Holding lectures and other public activities to stimulate research and discussions on topics related to Makkah and Madinah • Compiling and publishing a multi-lingual bibliography of published works, references, theses and articles on Makkah and Madinah • Establishing an Information Centre holding a collection of texts, references, photographs, documents, maps, theses, travellers’ accounts, journals, microfilms and audio-visual material on Makkah and Madinah The Boards of the Makkah and Madinah Centre The Encyclopaedia project is implemented under the supervision of the Advisory Board, the Academic Board, a number of specialised committees and the executive management.
Winter 2015
3. The Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law (Maqasid Centre) The Maqasid Centre’s Mission The Maqasid Centre’s mission is to revitalise the knowledge of maqāṣid, in order to develop the process of ijtihād and the renewal of Islamic fiqh, its fundamental theory (uṣūl), and Islamic thought in general. The Centre also aims to broaden the horizons of knowledge for students of Islamic studies everywhere. The Maqasid Centre’s Aims and Objectives ■ Encouraging studies and research which contribute to the Islamic philosophy of law, inside and outside the academic world. ■ Co-operating with Islamic universities and Islamic studies departments in order to include the maqāṣid in their curricula or syllabi. ■ Calling upon scholars to elaborate on the correlation between contemporary ijtihād and maqāṣid, so as to facilitate understanding the wisdom behind, and objectives of Islamic rulings. ■ Giving special consideration to new research in the theories of priorities, utility, consequences and universal principles of Islamic law. ■ Calling upon scholars and Islamic institutes of fatwā to illustrate the link between the Islamic texts, fatwā and maqāṣid. ■ Refuting attempts to misuse the idea of maqāṣid in order to “deconstruct” the Islamic principles and fundamentals. ■ Promoting and publishing biographies of scholars who have contributed to the study of maqāṣid. ■ Incorporating maqāṣid theories in the methodology and philosophy of various social sciences and humanities. ■ Reinforcing the link between the study of maqāṣid and the study of the basic rules of the Islamic law. ■ Establishing a comprehensive maqāṣid encyclopaedia.
The Boards of the Makkah and Madinah Centre The Members of the Advisory Board: • Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Chairman • Professor Abdu-l-Malik bin Duhaysh: Member • Professor Abdu-l-Wahab abu Sulaiman: Member • Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu: Member • Professor Kazim al-Musawi al-Bojnourdi: Member • Professor Robert McHenry: Member • Professor Tayyar Altikulaç: Member The Members of the Academic Board: • Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Chairman • Professor Abbas Saleh Tashkandy: Member • Professor Abdu-l-Lateef bin Abdullah bin Duhaysh: Member • Professor Abdu-l-Wahab abu Sulaiman: Member • Dr Abdullah Saleh Ahmed Shawoosh: Member • Dr Abdu-l-Rrahman Sulaiman al-Mazeni: Member • Dr Adnan Mohammed al-Shareef: Member • Professor Asim Hamdan Ali: Member • Professor Ghazi bin Obaid Madani: Member • Dr Mi’raj Nawab Mirza: Member • Dr Mohammed Abdu-l-Karim bin Obaid: Member • Dr Omar Hasan Falatah: Member • Dr Yusuf Ahmed Hawalah: Member Secretary General of the Makkah and Madinah Centre Dr Abbas Saleh Tashkandy 38
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The Members of the International Advisory Board: • Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Chairman • Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayah: Member • Professor Abdu-l-Wahab Abu Sulaiman: Member • Dr Abdullah Fad’aq: Member • Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu: Member • Professor Essam al-Basheer: Member • Sheikh Mohammed Mukhtar al-Salami: Member • Professor Mohammed Salim al-Awa: Member • Dr Sayid Hadi Khasroshahi: Member • Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi: Member
To achieve its aims and objectives, the Centre pursues the following activities: • Publishing new critical editions of maqāṣid books of particular significance • Publishing bibliographical references in the field of maqāṣid • Publishing studies on the maqāṣid of Islamic law • Organising training courses on understanding maqāṣid • Holding conferences, symposia, seminars and lectures to stimulate research and discussions on topics related to the field of maqāṣid • Establishing a reference library with the main research tools necessary for the study of maqāṣid (philosophy of Islamic jurisprudence) • Encouraging Islamic studies departments and programmes outside traditional Islamic institutes to conduct research that shows the universality of Islamic law in all cultural contexts • Encouraging versatile students and young researchers to study the philosophy of Islamic law, the maqāṣid
The Board of Experts The Board of Experts includes a distinguished group of scholars and researchers in different fields of Islamic studies. The Board of Experts is a decision-making body, with a role to: Review the activities of the Maqasid Centre on a yearly basis and provide the appropriate direction Elaborate on and discuss themes for projects to be adopted by the Centre on a yearly basis Inspect projects and scholarly works submitted to the Centre for financing and publishing, and make decisions as to their acceptance, request for modifications, or rejection
The Boards of the Maqasid Centre The International Advisory Board The International Advisory Board includes a distinguished group of scholars and researchers in different fields of Islamic studies.
The Members of the Board of Experts: • Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Chairman • Professor Abdu-l-Wahab abu Sulaiman: Member • Dr. Abdullah Fad’aq: Member • Professor Ahmad al-Raisouni: Member • Professor Essam al-Basheer: Member • Professor Hasan Jaber: Member • Professor Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem: Member • Professor Mohammed Salim al-Awa: Member • Professor Saif al-Din Abdu-l-Fattah: Member
The International Advisory Board has a legislative status, with a role to: Define the Maqasid Centre’s policies, goals and strategies Establish guidelines for the Centre’s fields of activities Issue decisions regarding the amendments or addition to the Centre’s policies, regulations and activities
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Newsletter No. 14
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Al-Furqān
Islamic Heritage Foundation Glorious Past, Brighter Future
The entrance of Al-Furqān headquarters - London Address: 22A Old Court Place London, W8 4PL England – UK
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3130 1530 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7937 2540
Email: info@al-furqan.com Website: www.al-furqan.com
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