Newsletter No. 12 - Winter 2013

Newsletter No. 12

Winter 2013

Al-Furqān

Islamic Heritage Foundation

Glorious Past, Brighter Future

Newsletter

Issue No. 12

In this Issue: Latest Visits Cooperation Lectures Training Courses Symposia Conferences Publications 25th Anniversary Interview with H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani Al-Furqān and its Centres

Winter 2013

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Newsletter No. 12

Winter 2013

Message from the Chairman ............................................3 Latest Visits ....................................................................4 Al-Furqān Co-operation ..................................................6

Al-Furqān

Islamic Heritage Foundation

Co-operation Agreement between Al-Furqān and Dar Al-Hekma University, Jeddah .....................................................................................6 Co-operation between Al-Furqān and the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Tunisia ..............................................................................................6 Co-operation Agreement with Institute of Arab Manuscripts ................7 Co-operation Agreement with Istanbul Foundation for Research and Education (ISAR) ..................................................................................7

Newsletter Issue No. 12, Winter 2013

Lectures .........................................................................8

Publisher:

Consequences of Acts in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law, by Dr. Mohammad Kamal Imam ............................................................................8 The Purposes of Good and the Jurisprudence of Public Interest ....................9 The Critical Edition of Manuscripts: Past, Present and Future .....................11 The Manuscripts of Timbuktu and Islamic Writing in West Africa: from the veneration of objects to the object of their veneration ..............................11 The Arabic Manuscripts in North Africa and sub-Saharan ............................13

Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation Board of Directors

Training Courses ...................................................................14

Chairman

The 7th Training Course on Maqāṣid: “The Objectives of Islamic Law and the International Agreements” ..................................................................14 The 4th Training Course on Editing: “The Introductory Course on Editing Islamic Manuscripts” .................................................................................16 The 5th Training Course on Editing: “Rules and Methods of Editing Manuscripts in the Field of Sharīʿah Sciences and Theology” ............................................18 The 8th Training Course on Maqāṣid: “The Objectives of Sharīʿah: the Principles and Concepts”..................................................................................20

H.E. Ahmed Zaki Yamani Members

Symposia ...............................................................................22

Professor Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu Mr. Sharaf Yamani

Symposium under the title: “The Objectives of Arts in Islam” ......................22 Symposium under the title: “The Activation of the Objectives of Sharīʿah in the Political Sphere” .............................................................................23

Conferences ...........................................................................25

The 6th Conference on manuscripts, under the title: “Editing Islamic Manuscripts on Social Sciences and Humanities” ..............................................25 International Conference, under the title: “The State: between Tradition and Future” ...............................................................................................27

Managing Director Mr. Sali Shahsivari

Recent Publications ..............................................................28

Al-Maqrizi and His Book Al-Mawāʿiẓ Wal-Iʿtibār fī Ḍikr al-Khiṭaṭ wal-Athār.....28 Al-Mawāʿiẓ Wal-Iʿtibār fī Dhikr al-Khiṭaṭ wal-Athār by Maqrīzī Taqi al-Dīn Aḥmad b. ʿAlī b. ʿAbd al-Qādir (766-845 A.H./1365-1442 A.D.)........................28 The Mechanical Corpus of al-Isfizārī in the Sciences of Weights and Ingenious Devices by Abū Ḥātim al-Muẓaffar ibn Ismāʿīl al-Isfizārī (Arabic version)........28 Rules and Methods of Editing Islamic Manuscripts ..........................................28 The Critical Edition of Manuscripts: History, Rules and Problems ......................29 Catalogue of the Arabic, Turkish, Persian and Bosnian Manuscripts in the Ghazi Husrev-Bey Library Sarajevo (vol.XVIII) ..........................................................29 Critical Edition of Manuscripts: Past, Present and Future ................................29 Lecture on the New Edition of the Book Al-Mawāʿiẓ wal-Iʿtibār fī Dhikr al-Khiṭaṭ wal-Āthār lil-Maqrīzī ........................................................................................29 The Arabic Manuscripts in North Africa and Sub-Saharan Countries..................30 The House of Khadeejah Bint Khuwaylid (r): a Historical Study of its Location, Building, and Architecture - Arabic version .....................................................30 The Encyclopedia of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Al-Madīnah Al-Munawwarah (vol.VI)........................................................................................30 The Objectives of Sharīʿah in al-Tāhir bin Ashūr’s Thoughts: Research Articles ......31 The Objectives of Islamic Law and the International Conventions .....................31 Maqāṣid al-Muʿāmalāt wa Marāṣid al-Wāqiʿāt (Purposes of Financial Transactions) (2nd Edition) ..........................................................................................32 Consequences of Acts in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law .......................32 The Purposes of Good and the Jurisprudence of Public Interest ..........................32

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 www.al-furqan.com

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25th Anniversary ....................................................................... 33 Interview with His Excellency Ahmed Zaki Yamani .................35 Al-Furqān and its Centres ..........................................................38 WWW.AL-FURQAN.COM

Newsletter No. 12

Winter 2013

Message From the Chairman

from the perspective of the purposes of Islamic law (maqāṣid), in collaboration with a number of organisations. In addition, the Centre released many publications, most prominently, the ninth volume of The Bibliography for Maqāṣid of Sharīʿah (Objectives of Islamic Law), which is a comprehensive reference manual and a historical documentation of all that has been written in the field of maqāṣid, along with books of the proceedings of the course on The Objectives of Islamic Law and the International Conventions, and the course on The Objectives of Sharīʿah in al-Ṭāhir bin Ashūr’s Thoughts, and the two lectures, The Purposes of Good and the Jurisprudence of Public Interest, and Consequences of Acts in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law. The Centre also organised several book signing events.

For its part, the Centre for Compiling the Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Madinah continues its diligent effort in publishing all that is related to the two holy sites. The Centre published the sixth volume of the Encyclopaedia, which comprises entries including the two letters (tā) and (thā), and is full of hundreds of topics, supported by dozens of images and rare documents. In addition, it published the Arabic version of The House of Khadeejah Bint Khuwaylid (may God be pleased with her) in Makkah al-Mukarramah, which is an in-depth historical study of its location, building, and architecture.

Given Al-Furqān Foundation’s belief in the importance of consolidating ties of co-operation and exchanging scientific experience between bodies working in the same areas, the Foundation has signed several agreements of co-operation and understanding with other organisations, and has also participated in several international book fairs. This vital work requires the confluence of all those efforts exerted by those believing in the same objectives, and so the Foundation undertook several visits aimed at securing openness and collaboration with many universities, centres, and scientific bodies.

Before I conclude, I would like to draw attention to the fact that this issue of the Newsletter co-incides with the passage of a quarter of a century since the establishment of the Foundation.

Indeed, we have received huge encouragement, which adds to our feeling of the importance and magnitude of this work, and the massive responsibility inherent in its continuation. On this occasion, we thank, from the bottom of our hearts, all those who have stood by us since our establishment, and bolstered us through advice, consultation, and encouragement—our gracious professors, students, researchers, and readers—to all, we say: may God grant you the best reward, and indeed, for your positive interaction with this great achievement, which we attribute, first and always to God, the Almighty—to Him we owe all our gratitude, and from Him we seek assistance. Following on, we express our thanks to the distinguished team of staff, who gave valuable time and tireless effort, putting themselves in the service of this civilisational mission. In turn, we are full of hope that with your interaction—readers and authors, our passion and productivity will increase. This is your Foundation, and it is sustained by your advice and guidance, and we are keen to develop and improve as far as we can. I conclude in the hope that we meet again—esteemed and dear readers—in our forthcoming Newsletter, God permitting.

Once again, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation reaches out through the twelfth issue of its Newsletter, an important window through which to engage and inform you about those activities and events that have been concluded, in the world of manuscripts, philosophy of Islamic law (maqāṣid), or in relation to the Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Madinah. We hope that this issue of the Newsletter wins your approval.

2013 was a lively year—full of activities and events—in training courses, symposia, conferences, lectures, and publications.

Even more, it co-incided with the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Al-Furqān. On this grand occasion, the Foundation held a large celebratory function, which was graced by the presence of a great number of scholars, academics, political figures, and other esteemed guests.

Turning to the Foundation’s events, the Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts organised the Sixth Conference on critical editing, titled “Editing Islamic Manuscripts on Social Sciences and Humanities”, which was attended by an illustrious group of leading scholars in the area of editing manuscripts. The Centre also organised three lectures, namely “The Critical Edition of Manuscripts: Past, Present and Future”, “The Arabic Manuscripts in North Africa and Sub-Sahara”, and “The Manuscripts of Timbuktu and Islamic Writing in West Africa: From the Veneration of Objects to the Object of Their Veneration”.

Moreover, it held two training courses on editing manuscripts in Casablanca (Morocco), and Al-Azhar (Egypt). In addition, the Manuscript Centre released many new titles, comprising catalogues, edited manuscripts, and lectures, and an extended and revised edition of the book Al-Mawā‘iz wa al-I‘tibār by Al-Maqrīzī, and the Text of Al-Muẓaffar Al-Isfizārī on the Sciences of Weights and Machines on the tradition of Arabic mechanics. The Centre continues to pursue its large projects in the area of cataloguing, whether in relation to cataloguing private libraries, the art collections at Dār al-Kutub al-Miṣriyyah (Egyptian National Library), or the Ayasofya collection at the Suleymaniye Library (Istanbul); the cataloguing of all the manuscripts at Ghazi Husrev Beg Library in Bosnia has since been completed.

You will find,in this issue, the most important activities organised by the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law; among them two symposia titled “The Objectives of Art in Islam”, held in Doha, and “The Activation of the Objectives of Sharīʿah in the Political Sphere”, held in Tunis, with the participation of a group of distinguished scholars of maqāṣid. The Centre also convened two scientific courses on the Philosophy of Islamic Law; the first, titled “The Objectives of Islamic Law and the International Agreements”, was held at Alexandria University in Egypt, and the second, in London, was titled “The Objectives of Sharīʿah: the Principles and Concepts”. As for the lecture series, the Centre organised a lecture

by Dr Mohammad Kamal al-Din Imam titled “Consequences of Acts in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law”, and another by Dr Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem titled “The Purposes of Good and the Jurisprudence of Public Interest”.

The Centre also participated in the International conference in Istanbul titled “The State: between Tradition and Future”

Ahmed Zaki Yamani

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Latest Visits 13/5/2013 The Managing Director of Al-Furqān, Mr Sali Shahsivari, participating at treasures evening lectures entitled: “The Mirror of Health: Medical Reflections and Refractions, from the Islamic Empires to Renaissance Europe”, organised by the Royal College of Physicians, in London.

4/9/2012 Visit to the Islamic Cultural Centre in London and meeting with its Director, Dr. Ahmed alDubayan, to discuss mutual co-operation.

14/5/2013 The visit of Prof François Deroche, Director of Studies at the Ecole Practique des Hautes Etudes in Paris and Dr Nuria Martinez Castilla from the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies - Faculty of Philology at Complutense University, Madrid - Spain.

26/9/2012 The visit of Dr Qasim al-Samarrai, Al-Furqān associate scholar from the Netherlands.

23/10/2012 The visit of Dr Atif Imtiaz, the Academic Director at the Cambridge Muslim College, with a group of his students.

16/9/2013 The visit of Sheikh Sayyid Ibrahimul Khaleel Al Bukhari, Chairman of Ma’din Academy, and Mr Umer Melmuri and Mr Abbas Panakkal, directors of Ma›din Academy, Kerala, India.

23/9/2013 The visit of Dr Mohammad Salim El-Awa and Dr Essam El-Basheer, members of the International Advisory Council and the Board of Experts of the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law at Al-Furqān.

1/3/2013 The visit of Dr. Muhammad Mustaqim Mohd Zarif, Director of the Institute of Qurʾānic and Sunnah Understanding and Associate Professor at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM).

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28-29/9/2013 Participation at the 3rd International Conference on Ibn Khaldoun, organized by ISAR, Allience of Civilisations Institute and Fatih Sultan Mehmet University, on 28 and 29 Sep 2013, in Istanbul - Turkey.

5/11/2013 The visit of Dr Atif Imtiaz, the Academic Director at the Cambridge Muslim College, with a group of his students.

6/11/2013 The visit of Professor Amidu Sanni, lecturing professor at Lagos State University in Nigeria.

30/9/2013 Visit to the Centre for Islamic Studies (ISAM) in Istanbul – Turkey and meeting with Dr Tuncay Basoglu and Dr Suat Mertoglu, Deputy Directors of ISAM, to discuss mutual co-operation.

11/11/2013 The visit of Professor Dr. Munzir Hitami, Professor of Qurʾānic Studies and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs at the State Islamic University of Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau in Indonesia, with a group of his staff.

21/10/2013 The visit of Dr Boguslaw R. Zagorski, Chairman of Ibn Khaldun Institute in Warsaw - Poland, accompanied by his wife.

25/10/2013 The visit of Dr Mohammad Sarrar, Chairman of Ibn Qattan Centre for the Study of Prophetic Tradition and Biography (Ḥadīth and Sirah), in El-Araich - Morocco, accompanied by Sheikh Chokri al-Majouli.

10/12/2013 The visit of Mr Ali Al-Hashimi, Advisor on Religious and Judicial Affairs at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, United Arab Emirates.

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Co-operation

Co-operation between Al-Furqān and the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Tunisia

Co-operation Agreement with Dar Al-Hekma University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Al-Furqān’s delegation meeting with Dr Nour al-Din al-Khadimi After the successful organisation of the symposium on “The Activation of the Objectives of Sharīʿah in the Political Sphere”, organised jointly by AlFurqān Islamic Heritage Foundation - Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law, the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Tunisia and the International Union of Muslim Scholars - the Tunisia Branch, which took place on the 25th and 26th of May 2013, at Hotel Afrika in Tunis, Tunisia, the following day, the Minister for Religious Affairs of Tunisia, Dr Nour al-Din al-Khadimi, invited the Managing Director of Al-Furqān, Mr. Sali Shahsivari, for a working meeting, in order to discuss the future co-operation between the two institutions. Both parties agreed to intensify the cooperation in the sphere of maqāṣid, by organising joint symposia and training courses in this field.

Mr Sali Shahsivari and Dr Suhair Al Qurashi Given both organisations’ belief in the importance of cementing the ties of co-operation and exchanging scientific experiences, with the objective of achieving their common goals of reinforcing the Islamic values derived from the civilisational dimension of the Muslim nation, the two organisations signed an agreement of co-operation and understanding at Al-Furqān’s head office in London, on Friday, 29/03/2013. The agreement included jointly organising conferences, seminars, and workshops, exchanging different scientific publications, and each party inviting the other to attend their conferences and seminars.

The meeting took place at the Minister’s cabinet and was attended by Mr. Kamal al-Sid, Special Advisor to the Minister, Mr. Mohamed Drioueche, Head of the Projects & Publications Department at Al-Furqān, as well as Dr Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem and Dr Hasan Jaber, both members of the Advisory Board of Al-Furqān’s Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law.

The agreement was signed by Mr Sali Shahsivari, Managing Director of Al-Furqān, and Dr Suhair Al Qurashi, President of Dar Al-Hekma University.

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Co-operation Agreement with Institute of Arab Manuscripts

Co-operation Agreement with Istanbul Foundation for Research and Education (ISAR)

Mr Sali Shahsivari and Dr Recep Şenturk

The closing session of the First International Conference on “The State between Tradition and Future” held on 21-20 December 2013, and organised by ISAR in collaboration with Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, the National Association for Studies and Research (NASR), the Syrian Business Forum, and Üsküdar Municipality, Istanbul, witnessed a ceremony, celebrating the signing of a bilateral agreement of co-operation between Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, represented by its Managing Director, Mr Sali Shahsivari, and Istanbul Foundation for Research and Education (ISAR), represented by its director, Dr Recep Şenturk. The agreement included preserving Islamic heritage, particularly the written heritage, through cataloguing, critical editing, publishing, researching the means to protect and preserve heritage, and employing all means to raise the level of civilisational awareness among researchers and workers in these domains, as well as co-operating jointly in organising conferences, seminars, training courses and lectures in the field of Philosophy of Islamic Law (Maqāṣid).

Given both organisations’ belief in the importance of consolidating the ties of co-operation and exchanging scientific experiences, with the objective of achieving their common goals of preserving Islamic heritage, particularly the written heritage, through cataloguing, critical editing and publishing, and through researching the means to protect and preserve heritage, and employing all means to raise the level of civilisational awareness in these domains, as well as co-operating jointly in organising conferences, seminars, and training courses in the different fields relating to heritage, the two organisations signed an agreement of cooperation and understanding on 18/12/2013.

The agreement included the exchange of various scientific publications related to areas of shared interest, whether this was books, periodicals, scientific circulars, or manuscript photocopies, and each party agreeing to invite the other to its conferences and seminars.

The agreement was signed by Mr Sali Shahsivari, Managing Director of Al-Furqān, and Dr Faisal Al-Hafyan, Director of the Institute of Arab Manuscripts.

The International Conference on “The State between Tradition and Future”

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Winter 2013 concept. Furthermore, he pointed out that jurisprudential research has demonstrated that the consequences of acts constitute a method used in dealing with the nawāzil (novel realities without a precedent in jurisprudence and needing novel fatwas) and with the practical issues in all the Islamic schools of thought. For him, the concept of consequences is the objective framework that guarantees the integrity of the work of the mujtahid (interpreter of the Holy Scriptures) when dealing with the rulings of Islamic law and their subsequent application to the acts of Muslims as mukallafeen (implementers of prescribed Islamic obligations). The lecturer also considers the consequences of acts as the framework for verifying the objectives of Islamic law as well as ascertaining the points from which the rulings are formed (manāṭāt al-af‘āl).

Furthermore, the lecturer pointed out that the investigation of the consequences of acts is linked to many sources of legislation. In fact the relationship between some of these sources and the consequences of acts, like the closing of the door of pretexts (sadd aldhara’i‘), is a relationship of cause and effect, behaviour and result. This relationship has its extension in the link between the means and the objectives as legally permissible and granted. This is because each means that involves the implementation of the legislator’s intention in its regard, is legal, even if it is not allowed. Similarly, every means that clearly contradicts the legislator’s intention is invalid, even if it is originally permissible.

At the end of the lecture, Dr. Ghanem intervened to give an analytical comment of Dr. Imam’s lecture with regard to three issues:

Al-Furqān Lectures «Consequences of Acts in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law», by Dr. Mohammad Kamal Imam

Dr Ibrahim Bayoumi Ghanem & Dr Mohamed Kamal Imam

On Friday 9th November 2012, one of the lecture halls at the Sharjah Expo Centre hosted a lecture organised by the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law, which is affiliated to Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation. The lecture was entitled “Consequences of Acts in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law”, delivered by Dr. Mohammad Kamal Imam, who is a member of the Board of Experts of the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law. The lecture was chaired by Dr. Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem, member of the Board of Experts of the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law. Dr. Ghanem introduced the lecturer’s intellectual life and gave a synopsis of the lecture to be delivered.

He indicated, in particular, that the lecture was an addendum that completed the lecture on “The Public Interest in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law – a Functional Vision”. With the third forthcoming lecture entitled “Al-Ta‘leel (resort to the concept of illa or cause) in the Terminology of the Objectives of Islamic Law”, Dr. Kamal Imam will have completed his series on the terminology of the objectives of Islamic law, which he dealt with in his impressive book Al-Daleel al-Irshādi ilaa Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah al-Islāmīya (Bibliography for the Objectives of Islamic Law), published by the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law. At the outset of his lecture, Dr. Imam explained that the reason behind his study was to clearly define the concept of maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah, the objectives of Islamic law, through the analysis of its various elements and their linkage with the original constituents of this

Dr Ghanem’s contribution to the lecture

1. The status of the concept of consequences in relation to the global uṣūli (fundamentalist) intellectual trend. He remarked in this respect that this aspect had not, so far, been given due attention by modern researchers and investigators, especially as its importance is due to the fact that it falls within the realm of positive law in its legal meaning. This is why conducting extensive research in the field of the consequences of acts will have its practical importance.

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«The Purposes of Good and the Jurisprudence of Public Interest»,

by Dr. Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem

2. The consequences of acts in relation to the rule of dhara’i‘ (rule of pretexts), whether in ‘opening the door’ to the pretexts or ‘closing’ it. In this respect, Dr. Ghanem differed from Dr. Kamal Imam over his statement that this rule is part of the consequences of acts. In Dr. Ghanem’s view, the contrary is closer to the truth, since the necessity of ’opening or closing the door of pretexts’ presupposes an examination of the consequences of acts and of statements as well. Therefore, the more important framework is that of the rule of pretexts and within the latter falls the concept of the consequences of acts, the concept of precaution, the concept of legal stratagem and so on, which are part of the uṣūli (fundamentalist) system pertaining to future probabilities.

3. The strength of the idea of the consequences of acts in the uṣūli terminology, stems from its pretention to open the jurisprudential mind as well as the Islamic mind in general into the future and to foster reflection on both private and public affairs from a futuristic point of view, in accordance with rules and regulations that are likely to help in identifying problems and in avoiding negative issues and harmful occurrences that are likely to take place. For all this, Dr. Ghanem does not believe that the uṣūli jurisprudential mind gives this futuristic aspect its due, in terms of exhaustive study, jurisprudential referencing and details to enable it to be part of intellectual as well as practical awareness at the same time.

Within the activities of Sharjah’s International Book Fair, the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law, which is affiliated to Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, organised a public Dr Ibrahim Bayoumi Ghanem lecture on Saturday 10th November 2012 at the Sharjah Expo Centre. The lecture was delivered

by Dr. Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem and was devoted to his book “The Purposes of Good and the Jurisprudence of Public Interest”, published by the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law. The lecture was chaired by Dr. Azzeddine Benzeghiba, Head of Studies, Publication and External Affairs at Juma al-Majid Center for Culture and Heritage and Editor-in-Chief of “Afaq al-Thaqafah wa al-Turath” (Heritage and Cultural Perspectives) magazine, which is published by Juma al-Majid Centre.

At the beginning of the event, Dr. Benzeghiba introduced the lecturer, giving an overview of Dr. Ghanem’s intellectual life as well as a synopsis of the lecture.

The Book Signing Ceremony Within the Book Fair activities, on Friday 9th November 2012, Al-Furqān Foundation organised a book signing ceremony by Dr. Kamal Imam, for his book “Consequences of Acts in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law”. The ceremony was attended by a number of interested individuals as well as researchers. It was also a good opportunity for the author to interact with his readers.

In the course of his lecture, Dr. Ghanem focused on the concept of charitable acts in accordance with the teachings of the Qurʾān. He explained that the Qurʾānic concept of charitable acts is one of the means of the objectives of the Islamic law that is geared towards the achievement of common interest. He specified that such achievement would not reach the highest of human pinnacles unless it occurs in what he termed ‘the society of common good’. He indicated that in his understanding of the relevant Qurʾānic statements there is no system

Dr. Azzeddine Benzeghiba introduced Dr Ghanem›s lecture

Dr Mohamed Kamal Imam at his book signing

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equal to Islam as a comprehensive way of life that purports to attain the society of common good. In this sense, common good occupies a central place in Islam’s universal message. Therefore, the nation of Islam, in its Qurʾānic status of “the best nation ever evolved for mankind”, ought to undertake charitable acts and also call for doing good until the whole of mankind eases itself into the realm of good under its comprehensive and equitable Qurʾānic criteria, not according to its deficient, biased, positive, humanistic criteria.

to the evaluation of ‘the common interest’ and its future repercussions on the individual and collective levels.

3. The question of fardh al-kifaya or ‘sufficiency obligation’ (obligatory act which does not necessarily need to be carried out by all the Muslims as is the case for the opposite fardh ʿain—suffice it that a few Muslims execute it) which, the lecturer explained, is yet another of the fundamental juristic issues that has a strong link with the topic of ‘common good’ under the criteria of Islamic jurisprudence. Indeed, there is a great need to shed light on the actual extent of this issue, to draw attention to its connections with social responsibility and to show how it eventually leads to the achievement of the ‘common good’ in its Qurʾānic-humanist or humanist-Qurʾānic sense.

At the end of the lecture an animated debate took place in the presence of a great number of professors and researchers.

*Dr. Ghanem is member of the Board of Experts of the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law and a professor of Islamic studies at Zayed University.

He has published a number of works and studies in the field of the objectives of Islamic law in relation to human and social sciences. Furthermore, Dr. Ghanem has his own deeply critical views vis-à-vis charity work and its purposes.

Dr Ibrahim Ghanem & Dr Azzeddine Benzeghiba

In this respect, Dr. Ghanem pointed out that the criteria of good in the Holy Qurʾān are crystal clear, without any ambiguity, and can be described in two fundamental ways: they are comprehensive and they are the best.

Indeed, the reference to doing ‘good deeds’ occurred 188 times in the Holy Qurʾān, eight mentions of which come in the inflected forms of akhyar (‘more good’—i.e. ‘best’), khayrāt (plural of good as a noun, i.e. charitable acts) and khayyira (i.e. ‘good’ in its feminine inflection).

These references occurred in many instances in relation with both the daily life of this world and the spiritual life of the hereafter. The lecturer indicated that it was through the analysis of these various occurrences that he came to realise the comprehensiveness of the concept of good as embodied in the Qurʾān.

Before closing his lecture, Dr. Ghanem gave a short summary of the content of his book which is based on three research axes. These are:

The Book Signing Ceremony

In view of the importance of this topic, the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law, which is affiliated to Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, has published this lecture in the form of a book, bearing the same title as the lecture, as part of the Centre’s lecture series. Meanwhile, within the afore mentioned Book Fair activities, the Foundation organised a book signing ceremony for the author. The ceremony took place on Saturday 10th November 2012 and was attended by a number of interested individuals.

1. The issue of ‘the society of common good’ as embodied in the Qurʾānic concept of good. He ended up saying that Muslims do need to evolve a comprehensive theory of the concept of good on the basis of the relevant Qurʾānic statements. Meanwhile, he pointed out that Muslims are also in need of getting acquainted with the characteristics of the society of ‘common good’ in accordance with the Qurʾānic concept of good.

2. The jurisprudential issue of the ‘closing and opening of the doors of pretexts’ (sadd wa fatḥ abwāb al- dhara’i‘).

This is one of the deeply-rooted and very influential fundamental issues in Islamic intellectual trends and decision-making processes which are partly connected

Dr Bayoumi Ghanem signing copies of his printed lecture (book)

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«The Manuscripts of Timbuktu and Islamic Writing in West Africa: from the veneration of objects to the object of their veneration»,

by Professor Charles Stewart

«The Critical Edition of Manuscripts: Past, Present and Future»,

by Professor Qasim al-Samarrai On Wednesday 28th November 2012, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation organised a public lecture on “The Critical Edition of Manuscripts; Past, Present and Future”, delivered by Professor Qasim alSamarrai, professor of Professor Qasim al-Samarra’i Arabic & Islamic studies.

After the reception and the opening words, Mr. Sharaf Yamani, member of the Al-Furqān Board of Directors, gave a short brief on Al-Furqān main work and achievements in the field of the Critical Edition of Manuscripts. He emphasized the fact that Al-Furqān has published so far 17 edited manuscripts in 36 volumes and has organised 3 international training courses on editing.

The keynote speaker in this public event was Professor Qasim al-Samarrai, professor of Arabic & Islamic studies.

His lecture on “The Critical Edition of Manuscripts; Past, Present and Future” was very well received. He gave an insightful view on the history of the critical edition of manuscripts; the required qualifications for an editor; the history of editing Arabic works by orientalists, and the history of printing. The lecture was followed by a very interesting discussion on the topic.

At the end of the event, the new website of the Foundation was launched. Through the website, our visitors can have direct and instantaneous access to the world of Al-Furqān and its centres.

On Wednesday 6th March 2013, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation organised a public lecture entitled “The Manuscripts of Timbuktu and Islamic Writing in West Africa: from the veneration of objects to the object of their veneration”, delivered by 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.

Mr. Sharaf Yamani, giving a short brief on Al-Furqān’s efforts in the preservation of African Manuscripts

After the reception and the opening words, Mr. Sharaf Yamani, member of the Al-Furqān Board of Directors, gave a short brief on “The African Manuscripts and Al-Furqān’s Work in This Field”. He highlighted the fact that Al-Furqān has so far published 16 catalogues in 33 volumes, recording approximately 30,215 Islamic manuscripts in Africa. Also, the Foundation has organised 3 training courses on cataloguing and 3 training courses on editing, aimed at young scholars, university graduates and librarians from different African countries who have not been specifically trained in handling and editing manuscripts.

Professor Qasim al-Samarra’i portraying a sample of early block printing

Professor Charles Sterwart delivering his lecture

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Winter 2013 contemporary teaching in Fes or Cairo. The “Timbuktu manuscripts” valuable as they are as artifacts of pre19th century scholarship, are not nearly as significant as is the peripheral information they contain or that accompanies them, collateral to the scholarly texts, that tell us about the special interests of their writers, their legal reasoning, and their literary compositions.

At the end of his lecture, Professor Stewart gave some information on how and in what way our efforts to preserve the legacy of that literary tradition can best be accomplished: - First, there remain a large number of small, private libraries, scattered across the Sahel, that ought to be inventoried.

- Second, collections need to be digitized to preserve them from unforeseen dangers, and the digitized collections need to be made ‘open-access’ and easily accessible online.

- Third, a union catalogue of manuscripts with electronic links to digital copies would be an important step.

- Finally, this West African manuscript culture needs to be tied into other, North African and Middle Eastern manuscript data bases. Only by doing this will the unique be distinguishable from the ordinary, and the original be appreciated for the genius it represents.

According to Professor Stewart, this is the formula for moving from venerating these manuscripts as objects, to understanding the reasons for, or the object of their veneration.

Part of Professor Charles Stewart’s lecture attendees

The keynote speaker at this public event was 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. His lecture on “The Manuscripts of Timbuktu and Islamic Writing in West Africa; from the veneration of objects to the object of their veneration” was very well received.

He gave an insightful view on the long tradition of Islamic learning and writing in West Africa that is subsumed (and sometimes lost) in the fabled name of the northern Malian city, Timbuktu, as well as the much larger manuscript repositories of this literary tradition in Mauritania, and the equally-important collections in Niger and Nigeria. According to him, these many manuscript collections, separated by multiple national borders, represent a single Islamic scholarly heritage

Part of the audience

* Charles Stewart is 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. Professor Stewart has written widely on Islam in West Africa in the 18th through 20th centuries. He is the author of Islam and Social Order in Mauritania: A Case Study from the Nineteenth Century and the founder of the Arabic Manuscript Management System, a bilingual database of over 20,000 Arabic manuscripts from West Africa.

(that is, in part, linked to Timbuktu). By examining the most commonly-found teaching texts found in manuscript collections across West Africa, he concluded that there is a ‹core curriculum› and a homogeneous Islamic scholarship across that region, based, on a common set of classical authorities used during the last 300 years. The outlines of an autonomous West African body of scholarship emerged in the 19th century. What was taught there and commented upon varied little from

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Winter 2013 attracting the visit of Al-Hassan al-Wazan al-Ghurnaṭī al-Fasī in the tenth century of the Islamic calendar.

The lecture also covered reasons for the loss of large collections of manuscripts such as through theft, arson and the material disintegration of the manuscripts. Another contributing factor was the colonial war, particularly since no policy towards the protection and preservation of this heritage was in place. Rather, a number of outsiders from the West had been involved in the damaging of this heritage. Some were deliberately burnt and some stolen and carried back to the West. Another contributing factor to the disintegration of some manuscripts was the hot climate and the successive droughts witnessed by the region.

Some manuscripts had been buried in sand as their owners fled from colonial armies, while other collections had been passed on to those living in the harsh climate of the desert.

He reminded the audience of the first scholars to publish part of this heritage: The anthologist and linguist Maurice Delafosse (d. 1926) and illustrious arabist Octave Houdas (d. 1916).

«The Arabic Manuscripts in North Africa and sub-Saharan»,

by Professor Ahmed Shawqi Binebine Professor Ahmed Shawqi Binebine, a scholar of Islamic Codicology delivered an insightful lecture on “The Arabic Manuscripts in North Africa and subSaharan” at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Ben M’sik, University of Hassan II in Casablanca, on 19 March 2013.

The lecture was intro- Professor Ahmed Shawqi Binebine duced and chaired by the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Dr. Abdul Majid Quduri and Dr. Saeed Hishni, a researcher at the Royal Library (al-Khizana al-Malakiyya) in Casablanca.

Professor Binebine began his lecture highlighting the importance of the field and the repositories that had taken great care over history to preserve this heritage, such as old libraries, zāwiyas and ribāṭs. He drew the attention of the audience to the inextricable link between unearthing the history of a civilisation and the field of manuscript study. He then presented the history of Arabic manuscripts in North Africa, especially that of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and countries of the Southern Sahara. He also included in his presentation those manuscripts that had been written in local indigenous languages such as Hausa and Swahili, which had taken on the use of the Arabic script. He also pointed out that the codicological study of the field material had unfortunately not always enjoyed the support of researchers it needed. Added to this challenge, was the difficulty presented due to the geographical spread of the manuscript collections over large distances of the Southern Sahara.

After presenting his survey of Arabic manuscripts in North Africa, Professor Binebine moved to address the status of manuscripts in the South Sahara region. He talked of the factors that led to the appearance of these manuscripts, the most important being the spread of Islam in this area of the world post the sixth century of the Islamic calendar. This had been facilitated through commerce, whereby Muslim merchants interacted with the kings of sub-Saharan Africa, and through meetings held by scholars of the Sudan with their counterparts in Morocco and Egypt, in addition to their interaction during visits and trips to the Holy Lands. Through such meetings, centres of learning were beginning to be established and by the ninth century of the Islamic calendar, many regions had witnessed the creation of influential centres of research and study such as those founded in Wallatah in Mauritainia, Kano in Nigeria and Timbuktu in Mali. The centres drew much acclaim and recognition,

He then presented an overview of the properties of African manuscripts and the materials used to make them.

This included a discussion on writing materials such as card and tasfir and the types of inks, fonts and pens that were commonly used. A review of the most important efforts made in the indexing of these manuscripts then followed, whilst praising Al-Furqān Foundation, and the Foundation’s efforts and contribution to the field.

The lecturer also commended the efforts of the American researcher Dr. John Hanwick who wrote a momentous book of six volumes, of which four have been printed to date under the title “The History of Arabic Literature in Africa”.

In his conclusion, the professor said that unlike the manuscript heritage of North Africa, the Arabic heritage still lying in the South Sahara had not been carefully or properly researched by Orientalists. He added that the indices that have been developed to date were incomplete, and will remain incomplete as long as the field work necessary did not take into consideration all locations and tribes yet to be reached by researchers. He added that the few that have been discovered have proven to be insufficient to provide a clear and holistic picture of the cultural life of the south Sahara in the past three centuries.

Indeed, even with codicological research which can often present pleasant surprises, this will only be possible when more manuscript material of this heritage becomes available for study.

Part of the audience

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Training Courses The 7th Training Course on the philosophy of Islamic law (MaqāṢid al-Sharī‘ah)

The Objectives of Islamic Law and the International Agreements

Professor Ahmed Abul-Wafa and Dr. Mohamed Kamal Imam

Pursuant to the clauses of the Memorandum for Cooperation, the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law at Al-Furqān, in co-operation with Alexandria Centre for Arbitration and Legal and Economic Services at the Faculty of Law - University of Alexandria, organized the Seventh Training Course on Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (objectives of Islamic law), under the title “The Objectives of Islamic Law and the International Agreements”.

approach based on the objectives of Islamic law) to local and international challenges, in order to ameliorate a cohesive position that can be presented, at state level, vis-à-vis those elements of western institutional hegemony that effect many policy making centres which, as a consequence, set and advocate one sided interpretations to international agreements. These centres, in being prone to such hegemony, have unfortunately, not provided for a fair reference point which best serves to protect individual freedom, the sovereignty of nations and play a fair and effective role towards fulfilling the common interests of humankind. To this end, he explicated how the maqāṣidi approach could provide a suitable, well informed articulation of Islamic juridical positions towards international agreements.

The course was held at the Ahmed Zaki Yamani Theatre at the Faculty of Law, the University of Alexandria, between the 9th and 14th of February 2013.

Delivered by a renowned team of specialists of Sharīʿah and law, it was well received by twenty five participants made up of researchers, post doctoral candidates and faculty members from an array of Egyptian, Algerian and Libyan universities.

On behalf of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Dr. Ahmed Hindi, the Dean of the Faculty, welcomed the guests.

In his presentation he emphasized the willingness of the Faculty for greater co-operation and a strengthening of ties between the two institutions, pointing to instances of success that have come as a result of such co-operation.

The specialist course then began with a lecture

by Prof. Dr. Kamal Imam titled “The Objectives of Sharīʿah and Sharīʿah Based Politics”, which focused on the topics of international agreements and maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (objectives of Islamic law). It explicated the relationship between the two elements of maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah and political aspects of the Sharīʿah. It also detailed the relationship between maqāṣid and Islamic textual references.

Mr. Mohamed Drioueche, Head of The Foundation’s Projects and Publications Department & Dr. Ahmed Hindi, Dean of the Faculty of Law

On behalf of Al-Furqān Foundation, Mr. Mohamed Drioueche, Head of the Foundation’s Projects and Publications Department, attended the opening session alongside the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof.

Dr. Ahmed Hindi, and Prof. Dr. Mohammed Kamal Imam, professor of Sharīʿah at the Faculty. Mr. Mohamed Drioueche began the proceedings welcoming the guests, professors and management of the Faculty and expressed his admiration for the co-operation shown by the Alexandria Centre for Arbitration and Legal and Economic Services. He outlined the intention behind running the course in laying the foundations for a systematic maqāṣidi approach (an

The course was held at the Ahmed Zaki Yamani Theatre at the Faculty of Law, University of Alexandria

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Winter 2013 sented and included discussions on the reasons for its instatement and the strategic change that it brought about.

The place of environmental protection in light of Islamic Sharīʿah and the maqāṣidi dimension (based the objectives of Islamic law) of such protection was also studied. This included examples of laws that jurists had passed to facilitate such said protection. This also considered methods and mechanisms available to afford such protection within both the Sharīʿah and those found within international agreements.

Dr Abdul-Rahman Yusri

Also considered were a number of contemporary marriage contracts with a discussion of the maqāṣid (objectives of Islamic law) stance towards them; this included an analysis of the position taken by Islam towards the protection of women from discrimination. Also discussed were the qualifications required for the ratification of any international agreements, specifically in their being free from any contradictions with Islamic axioms.

A number of international agreements and treaties and the risks they posed to societies, was then examined. The course studied human rights and their underlying principals as found within both the Sharia’h and international agreements. As the course progressed, articles of international trade agreements were debated and critiqued from a maqāṣidi perspective (a perspective based on the objectives of Islamic law), with careful consideration given to the ramification of each and the extent by which they served the interests of Muslim countries and whether such interests fell within the framework of a maqāṣidi philosophy (a philosophy based on the objectives of Islamic law).

Dr Hassan Jabir presenting his paper

The course also presented a number of māqasidi studies (objectives of Islamic law) from the publication “Al-Dalīl al-Irshādī”, which provided methods to legitimately reconcile Islamic laws with international agreements in areas of human rights, women’s issues, minority challenges, intellectual property, trade agreements and agreements pertaining to environmental protection.

The closing ceremony, on the 14th of February 2013, saw the delivery of certificates to participants, who, on their part, thanked Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Chairman of the Al-Furqān Foundation, for his generous support of the course. They also thanked the members of the Managing Board, the Board of Experts and the employees of the Foundation.

Also considered was the work being conducted by the International Criminal Court from an Islamic Sharīʿah perspective, the juridical opinion towards entering into agreements related to this institution and the Islamic ruling towards the crimes that fall within the area of competence of this Court.

The place of Islamic Sharia’h in international law was then discussed – Sharīʿah being the third source for such law.

Agreements related to the non-proliferation of nuclear armaments were considered from the view point of the protection of individuals and their wealth, two key elements of maqāṣid (objectives of Islamic law).

A maqāṣidi reading (a reading based the objectives of Islamic law) of the Egyptian-Israeli peace agreement which included a study of its articles was pre-

Group photo on closing day of the training course

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The Fourth Training Course on Editing

es that are part and parcel of the discipline. The manuscripts considered on the editiing course covered a wide array of subjects, including Ḥadīth, Fiqh, science, arts, biographies, athbat (evidence) and Sufism.

The course featured two fundamental aspects: Theoretical lectures and practical workshops.

To introduce the course, Mr. Mohamed Drioueche, Head of the Projects and Publications Department at Al-Furqān, began by expressing his gratitude to the co-operating partners. He welcomed the guests: professors, participants and those responsible at the University, especially for its kind welcome and active interest in the discipline. He introduced Al-Furqān Foundation and the aims for which it had been established, and mentioned the most important activities it was taking part in, providing courses, cataloguing, conferences, delivering lectures and publishing books. He also highlighted the importance of these courses and the goals behind them in rekindling the interest and initiatives of trainees in the field - in addition to raising the level of knowledge on the subject, through introducing trainees to the most important Islamic manuscripts from an academic and historical stand point. He expressed how the courses also initiate a new generation of researchers to the field, who are then able to approach the subject of editing, documenting and researching with great skill and competence.

Professor Dr. Ahmed Shawqi Binebine, Director of Hasaniyya Library, then touched on the importance of such courses, whilst also cautioning that unless universities began to include them within their syllabi, there would be a fall in the number of able graduates to the field. Such courses, he added, allowed students and researchers to be introduced to the hands on, material study of manuscripts.

«Introductory Course on Editing Islamic Manuscripts»

The opening session of the training course

The Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts, part of Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation in London, in co-operation with the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Ben M’sik, the University Hassan II in Casablanca and the Royal Library (al-Khizana al-Malakiyya) in Rabat successfully organised the first training course on editing manuscripts. It was considered to be the first of its kind to be organised by Al-Furqān in Morocco on the theme of editing manuscripts.

The course, held between the 18th and 28th of March 2013, at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Ben M’sik, in Casablanca-Morocco, was made available to researchers in the discipline, employees of libraries and members of research centres. Applications were also encouraged from students enrolled on postgraduate studies. Members of the teaching faculty in Moroccan Universities from various academic backgrounds were also welcomed to apply.

Over 300 individuals applied, however due to space limitations only 60 could be admitted. The participants were made up of a wide spectrum of researchers, to include highly qualified teaching staff and students from a variety of Arabic and African countries. The participants, some with a background in the field and others from research centres, came from as far afield as Yemen, Algeria, Libya, Kenya and Ghana. The course was also attended by lecturers from Morocco and other countries.

The course detailed the principals of editing manuscripts and its scientific basis. It also covered the methodology, challenges and hindranc-

Part of the practical sessions

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izana al-Malakiyya) expressed their appreciation to the hosting University and their active efforts to make the course a success. The representative of the professors and students also expressed their gratitude and appreciation towards Al-Furqān and presented a few recommendations from the trainees. At the end of the proceedings, the certificates were presented.

What was unique to this course was its attendance. A number of the participants had travelled great distances despite difficult circumstances.

Furthermore, the contributions of the researchers’ through their interaction, questions, interjections and criticisms added to the courses success.

This was evident in the comments and appreciation expressed towards Al-Furqān and its Chairman, Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani in particular.

Attendees had, in their own words, found the course content to be unique and highly beneficial, characterised by its intensive programme and selection of able lecturers and researchers.

This, in addition to its achieving its desired goals and the meticulousness exhibited in the organisation of the rollout of the course. The participants urged the head of the Foundation to repeat such formative training courses in Morocco, but for longer durations, especially in cities that contain public and private holds of manuscripts in order that benefit be gained by a wider audience of people and experts. They felt that the knowledge contained within the course was one that required long hours of research and arduous effort to arrive at, yet had been usefully provided in a short and succinct manner, saving them much time and effort. There were also regrets expressed by many of those who had applied to the course, yet were unable to be included in the selection due to the large numbered of application.

Certificates were presented to the trainees on the final day of the course

The Dean of the Ben M’sik Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Professor Dr. Abdul Majid Qaddouri then spoke of the importance of taking due care of one’s heritage, its study and its presentation to others. He compared it to the preservation of the historical memory of a civilisation.

From this standpoint, he felt it of critical importance that the sciences involved in manuscript editing be tied to a societal project, all the while being open to other sciences.

After a break, the course proceeded with two lectures delivered by Professor Dr. Ahmed Shawqi Binebine. The first of which was titled: “The transition from the culture of hand writing to the culture of print”. The second lecture was titled: “The principals of scientific editing”.

With a packed schedule of lectures and workshops, the course continued. Attendees gained greater insight into the discipline of manuscript editing, cataloguing and researching. The course left an impression on the participants of the importance of the subject and the richness of their manuscript heritage. They were imbued with the sense of responsibility towards this heritage in all its forms, following in the footsteps of great scholars of the past.

The course was concluded on the 28th of March 2013. The representative of Al-Furqān and the Director of the Royal Library (al-Kh-

A group photo of all the participants of the training course

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The Fifth Training Course on Editing

Ayman Fuad Sayyid, Director of the Centre for Critical Editions. He also expressed his gratitude to the attending Faculty, the participants, university officials and guests. In his opening speech, he drew the audience’s attention to the importance of such courses and their aims and objectives. These he described as supporting participants in their professional development and creating a greater academic awareness of the field and its historical value. Particular attention would, as he described, be given to producing a new generation of specialist researchers in the science of manuscript editing, training them in the skills that will enable them to produce high class research in the field through a process of study and practical manuscript editing.

«Rules and Methods of Editing Manuscripts in the Field of Sharīʿah Sciences and Theology»

Prof. Dr Ayman Fuad Sayyid, Director of the Centre for Critical Editions, also expressed his view on the importance of such courses and praised the cooperation with Al-Furqān Foundation, hoping that such courses would become a yearly occurrence.

He also expressed that the objective behind these courses was to prepare and bring to the fore a new highly trained generation of researchers, able to undertake a critique of historical texts. This comes, as he described, at a time when there is a dire need to close a generation gap between newcomers to the field and its predecessors - predecessors who have left a legacy in the Arabic library, having edited great classics, to include individuals such as Abdul-Salam Haroun, Mahmood Shaker, Ahmed Shaker, Mohammed Abu al-Fadhl Ibrahim, Fuad Sayyid, Mohammed Abdu-l-Khaliq Adhima, Mohammed Mustafa Ziyadah, and others from countries across the Arab world such as Mohammed Kurd Ali, Khalil Mardam, Mohammed Bahjat al-Athari, Mustafa Jawad, Mohammed bin Taweet al-Tanjee and others.

The opening session of the training course

The Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts in co-operation with Markaz Tahqiq al-Nusus (the Centre for Critical Editions) at Al-Az’har organised the second joined training course on editing, under the title “Rules and Methods of Editing Manuscripts in the Field of Sharia’h Sciences and Theology”.

The course was held between the 2nd and 6th of June 2013, at Markaz Mu’tamarat Al-Az’har in Madinat al-Nasr, Cairo-Egypt.

The course encompassed all aspects of manuscript editing, its methodology, its processes and procedures. In addition the course covered principals of academic publishing for Islamic legal texts and theology.

The course was successfully delivered by a team of international specialists whose backgrounds covered a wide range of disciplines associated with the science of manuscript editing.

Forty two participants from the academic community, manuscript authorisation research centres, libraries and postdoctoral candidates all took part in the training course. A number of the teaching faculty of Egyptian universities specializing in philosophy and the Islamic sciences also attended.

The course participants came from a wide variety of countries, such as Egypt, Sudan, Indonesia, Libya, Algeria, Turkey, Syria, the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

The program was opened by Mr. Muhammad Drioueche, Head of the Foundation’s Projects and Publications Department. He thanked the cooperating partners and especially Dr. Ahmed alTayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Az’har, and Dr.

The program was opened by Mr. Mohamed Drioueche, Head of the Foundation’s Projects and Publications Department

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Participants came from a wide variety of countries

Certificates were presented to the trainees on the final day of the course

Closing such a gap, he continued, comes only through academic practice with a variety of texts. He then described Al-Az’har initiative to work to narrow this generation gap through an implementation of article six of the Statute for the Development of AlAz’har. This took the form of setting up the Centre for Critical Editions and actively acquiring and publishing manuscript heritage. He also added that the University has also entered into an agreement with the Al-Furqān Foundation to run regular training courses in editing manuscripts.

including jurisprudence and its foundations, Ḥadīth, and also manuscripts on theology and philosophy.

The session included workshops and practical sessions.

The last day witnessed an open floor discussion, where professors answered questions put to them by participants. The most prominent related to the mixed responses they had received from the professors on whether the practice and method of authorisation used was a specifically Muslim creation or one by orientalists.

Certificates were distributed and the evening was closed with a poem recital in praise of the Al-Furqān Foundation and its Chairman, His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani.

The course was successfully delivered by a team of international specialists

This was followed by a presentation by Prof. Dr. Mahmood Masri, in which he highlighted that concern for the heritage, its study, and helping raise awareness of the discipline, was in essence an expression of concern for the collective history of a civilization.

Memorial photos taken of the participants during the training course

He also praised the Al-Furqān Foundation for organising these courses, encouraging students and researchers to push further their work in the field.

The course began looking at the concept and stages of editing and problematic issues surrounding the practice. It looked at laying down the principals for editing as set by Muslims, and focused on manuscripts relating to the Islamic sciences,

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The 8th Training Course on the philosophy of Islamic law (MaqāṢid al-Sharī‘ah)

«The Objectives of Sharī‘ah: the Principles and Concepts» Between the 30th of November and the 3rd of December 2013, the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law (Maqāṣid Centre) at Al-Furqān Foundation, in collaboration with both the Islamic Cultural Centre and the Sharīʿah Councils of the UK, organised the Eighth Training Course on Maqāṣid of Islamic Sharīʿah, entitled “The Objectives of Sharīʿah: the Principles and Concepts”.

Dr. Hasan Jabir & Dr. Jasser Auda were amongst the lecturers

Common Misunderstandings; Principles of Legal Theory; Opening and Blocking the Means in Islamic Law; Legal Reasoning in Maqāṣid: Its Scope and Prospects; Contemporary Islamic Renewal: Prospects and Obstacles and The ways of Identification and Confirmation of Maqāṣid. The course also dealt with: the activation of maqāṣid in both daʿwah and charity work and the modern financial transactions and the themes of omission in legislation and obligation and jurisprudence of priorities.

The course was taught by a distinguished team of prominent scholars in the field of Islamic Sharīʿah, including: Prof. Dr. Abdul-Wahab Abu Sulaiman, Prof. Dr. Issam al-Bashir, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Salim al-Awa, Sheikh Abdallah Farraj alSharif, Prof. Dr. Hassan Jabir, Dr. Jasser Audah and Dr. Fadel Soliman.

On Saturday 30th November 2013 the course started in the lecture hall at the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, with a recitation of verses from the Noble Qurʾān, followed by a welcome speech

by Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan, Director General of the ICC, in which he expressed his overwhelming delight for the ICC co-operation with Al-Furqān in organising such a course unprecedented in the UK, emphasising the significance of its topic to the Islamic communities in the West. He also praised the remarkable work undertaken by AlFurqān for the Islamic Heritage over the past 25 years.

The opening session of the training course

More than 100 trainees took part in the course and they were of high academic background, of various specialisations and expertise, including postgraduate students reading at British universities, imams, researchers in Islamic studies, etc.

Lectures were delivered in both Arabic and English and a simultaneous interpretation was provided. The course and lectures were extensively covered by numerous media reporters attending the events.

The lectures focused on the following subjects: History of the Development of Maqāṣid; The Relationship Between Legal Theory and Maqāṣid:

More than 100 trainees took part in the course

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Mr Sali Shahsivari addressing the audience at the opening session Certificates were delivered to both the trainees and the lecturers

Then, Mr. Sali Shahsivari, the Managing Director of Al-Furqān, welcomed the audience and showed his appreciation for the co-operation between the ICC and Al-Furqān and thanked Dr. alDubayan for hosting the course. He also thanked the representatives of the UK Sharīʿah councils for their valuable efforts. Mr. Shahsivari introduced Al-Furqān Foundation, its development and its achievements in the fields of documenting, cataloguing and preserving the written Islamic heritage in many countries worldwide and its keen efforts to authenticate the philosophy of Islamic Sharīʿah (maqāṣid), through numerous activities such as training courses, conferences, lectures, seminars and publications.

Director of Al-Furqān concluded the course with words of gratitude to the speakers and thanked the trainees and renewed the thanks to the ICC officials for their hospitality. Certificates were delivered to both the trainees and the lecturers.

The attendants praised both institutions for organising this course, and asked for it to be repeated, in order to contribute to the development of jurisprudential faculties of imams, students and researchers. The success of the course was enhanced by the great dedication of the trainees and their active participation in the discussions which took place after each lecture, thus reflecting a remarkable interaction between the speakers and the audience. The trainees indicated how useful the course was by expressing their gratitude to the team of Al-Furqān and their special thanks to its chairman, HE Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, who had offered them the opportunity to attend such a unique course. They said it was wonderful in content and with a high standard of both lectures and participants.

The course was concluded with a special session convened by Professor Mohamed Salim al-Awa, who elaborated specific concepts in the field of maqāṣid and urged the audience to increase their efforts in such a vital field of knowledge. Then an open discussion took place between some of the lecturing professors and the trainees. Finally, the

A group photo of Al-Furqān Board Members and participants of the training course

The Islamic Cultural Centre in London

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Symposia Symposium under the title:

«The Objectives of Arts in Islam» Dr Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem presenting his paper

Islamic Legislation and Ethics, presented by Dr Jaser Audah, the Vice-Director of the Centre.

The first session of the symposium included papers on the theoretical side of the topic, as following: - The Reality of the Beauty and the Art and Their Relationship to Islam – in the Light of the Theory of the Objectives/Purposes, by Professor Issam alBashir

Professor Issam al-Bashir presenting his paper

“The Objectives of Arts in Islam” was the title of the symposium organised by Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation - Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law, in co-operation with the Research Centre for Islamic Legislation and Ethics.

- Art and Its Relationship to the Objectives of Sharīʿah – in the Light of the Theory of the Objectives/Purposes, by Professor Mohammed Kamal Imam

- What is the ‘Islamic’ Art? - in the Light of the Theory of the Objectives/Purposes, by Dr Jaser Audah The second session addressed practical issues related to the topic of the symposium, such as:

The symposium took place on 12th December 2012 at the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Doha Qatar and included distinguished scholars in the field of maqāṣid, such as: Dr Issam al-Bashir, Dr. Mohammed Kamal Imam, Dr Ibrahim Bayoumi Ghanem, Dr Jaser Auda and Sheikh Issam Tleima.

- Artefacts and Fine Arts in the Light of the Theory of the Objectives/Purposes, by Dr Ibrahim alBayoumi Ghanem

After a short reception, the symposium started with a presentation of Al-Furqān and its activities, with an emphasis on the work and activities of the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law (Maqāṣid Centre), presented by Mr Sali Shahsivari, the Managing Director of Al-Furqān.

This was followed by another presentation on the work and the activities of the Research Centre for

- Arts in the Light of the Theory of Objectives/ Purposes – the Theatre as an Example, by Sheikh Isam Tleima

Both sessions were followed by many questions and an interesting debate on the topics raised.

A group photo of the participants of the symposia

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Symposium under the title:

The Minister of Religious Affairs of Tunisia, Dr Nour al-Din al-Khadimi, expressed his view that the nature of a state, from an Islamic perspective, was that it was civic and not theocratic. He pointed out that all citizens affiliate with the state as citizens and humans, not on the basis of religion, lineage or sect. He also pointed out that the philosophy of civil society and citizenship were undeniably part and parcel of a holistic Islamic ethical outlook. He added that the aim of the symposium was to try and initiate a solid foundation in these areas, in addition to building a modern civilisation which embodies the maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (objectives of Islamic law).

Dr al-Khadimi also stressed the importance of maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (objectives of Islamic law) and its propensity to go beyond the arena of jurisprudence in organising the social life of the Muslim Ummah.

He added that, in having this symposium in Tunisia, it gains a unique standing in being at the crossroads “of a historically unique moment characterised by a true spirit of revolution that has permeated and exhibited itself in Tunisa’s political, social and intellectual makeup”.

Sheikh Rashid al-Ghannouchi added that current revolutions have provided an opportunity to apply the maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (objectives of Islamic law) and begin a dialogue between the revealed texts and the changing contexts in a direction that made use of modern developments within an Islamic framework. He added that all parliamentarians, be they of a legal background or of a Sharīʿah background, through their drafting of the constitution, were trying to reconcile and bring together the objectives of the religion of Islam and modernity in the areas of human rights and democracy.

«The Activation of the Objectives of Sharīa’h in the Political Sphere» Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation - Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law, in co-operation with the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Tunisia as well as the International Union of Muslim Scholars - the Tunisia Branch organised a symposium on the theme of “The Activation of the Objectives of Sharīʿah in the Political Sphere”.

The symposium was held at Hotel Afrika in Tunis, Tunisia, on the 25th and 26th of May 2013, and was attended by the Minister for Religious Affairs of Tunisia, Dr Nour al-Din al-Khadimi, the ViceChairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, sheikh Rashid al-Ghannouchi, the Chairman of the Tunisia Branch of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Dr Abdul-l-Majeed alNajjar and the Mufti of Tunisia, sheikh Othman Battikh.

The symposium was organinzed in co-operation with the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Tunisia and the International Union of Muslim Scholars - the Tunisia Branch

In the opening session of the symposium, Mr Sali Shahsivari, the Managing Director of AlFurqān, spoke about the work and the activities carried out by the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law, which was established initially with the aim to revive the knowledge of maqāṣid (objectives). He said that the organisers of this symposium want to transfer the idea of maqāṣid (objectives) from theory to practice, through practical research on topics related to the constitution, civil state, citizenship and other matters covered by the objectives of Sharīʿah.

He also highlighted the sensitive and intricate nature of the subject and its philosophy, within the rapidly changing world of politics, with all the risks and heavy burdens it carries in a modern post revolution society.

Mr Sali Shahsivari the Managing Director of Al-Furqān, addressing the audience

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The Chairman of the Tunisia Branch of the International Union of Islamic Scholars, Dr Abdull-Majeed al-Najjar, added that debate within the political sphere was one of the liveliest, yet when it came to the revealed texts related to this area, one found that the texts only spoke in general terms. This, he explained, was an indication that the objective of the Sharīʿah here was to allow individuals to arrive at their own conclusions and make their own decisions, so that the law would always be suited to their current circumstances. He also expressed his hopes of establishing a project in Islamically minded law-making, which would serve to protect Tunisia from the errors of current widespread political orders.

A lively debate took place between the lecturers and participants

On the second day, a number of lectures presented the maqāṣidi (an objective oriented approach) foundations of pluralism, the natural changing of governments between parties and the international treaties on human rights.

Areas covered included maqāṣid (objectives) in the traditional sources and the maqāṣid (objectives) analysis of taking office, where Islamically illegal elements were inextricably linked to the post.

The participants also looked at ijmaʿ (consensus) in relation to parliament. Other areas included maqāṣid (objectives) in civil society and the maqāsid (objective) of freedom in contemporary Islamic jurisprudence. This included the area of autonomy between state instruments, namely separation of the state executive and the judiciary. The theme of justice and contemporary Islamic jurisprudence was also discussed.

At the conclusion of the symposium, a lively debate took place between the lecturers and participants, specifically looking at how maqāṣid (objectives) could be a framework of reference for political work.

Awards for a competition on “The role of the Zaytuna scholars in renewing Maliki fiqh”, run by the International Union of Islamic Scholars, concluded the evening’s proceedings.

Dr Ahmed Al-Raissouni and Dr Hassan El-Shafei

Sheikh Othman Battikh, the Mufti of Tunisia, expressed his appreciation of the theme and timing of the symposium. He articulated his feelings that such initiatives lay the foundations for future projects and facilitated ijtihād (legal reasoning), in order to reach policies that afford due consideration to maṣlaḥah (interest), one of the most important cornerstones of the science of maqāṣid (objectives).

The symposium then had a series of lectures, presented by several Islamic thinkers, which revolved around maqāṣid (objectives) and establishing juridical principals for al-Siyāsah alSharīʿīyah (the political dimension of Sharīʿah) and their use in the revolution. The participants discussed the methodology of maqāṣid (objectives) within the framework of past and present studies.

They looked at specific topics on citizenship in the light of Sharīʿah and maqāṣid (objectives). This included, in particular, articles of the constitution and modern legislation. Maqāṣid (objectives) in reference to laws and regulations, pertaining to work and associated legal rights, were also discussed during the proceedings.

The symposium was covered extensively in the media

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Conferences The Sixth Conference on manuscripts under the title

«Editing Islamic Manuscripts on Social Sciences and Humanities»

H.E. Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu inaugurated the conference

ious universities and institutions in the UK. The contributors and researchers, who came from all parts of the world, were prominent scholars in the field. Their research papers dealt with the present status and future developments in the field of editing Islamic manuscripts on social sciences and humanities.

Among the lecturers at the conference were: Professor Abdullah Yusuf al-Ghunaim, Professor Bashar Awad Marouf, Professor Ibrahim Chabouh, Professor Ahmed Chouqui Binbine, Professor Abdelhamid Madkour, Professor Ayman Fuad Sayyid, Professor Mohamed Elsayed Elgelined, Professor Maroun Aoaud, Professor Enes Karić and Dr. Khalid Zahri.

Professor Adnan Al-Bakheit introducing Dr. Ibrahim Chabouh

As part of its continuous activities over 25 years, Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation held its Sixth Conference on Islamic Manuscripts, under the title: “Editing Islamic Manuscripts on Social Sciences and Humanities”.

The conference was organised by the AlFurqān’s Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts and it took place on Tuesday the 26th and Wednesday the 27th of November 2013, at the Foundation’s London headquarters.

The titles of the conference papers were as following: “On the Critical Edition of Abī ‘Ubayd al-Bakrī’s “Mu‘jam ma Ista‘jam’’; “Ibn Khaldūn’s Methodology in Setting and Developing his Primary Book of al-‘Ibar (alMuqaddimah): A Study Based on Verified Hand Written Sources of the Author”; “Critical Edition of Manuscripts on Sufism: ‘al-

The five previous conferences covered the following topics: “The Significance of Islamic Manuscripts”; “The Codicology of Islamic Manuscripts”; “The Conservation and Preservation of Islamic Manuscripts”; “Editing Islamic Manuscripts on Science” and “The Earth and its Sciences in Islamic Manuscripts”.

Nearly 60 experts and highly qualified scholars attended the conference. They represented a wide range of interests and work at var-

Dr Khalid Zahri (right) and Professor Abdullah Yusuf al-Ghunaim (left)

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vious conferences and their significance in raising the awareness of the Ummah’s heritage. Professor Ihsanoğlu said that manuscript conferences highlight the need for a new generation of researchers who are specialised in codicology and capable of critical editing of the heritage written texts.

Mr Sali Shahsivari, Al-Furqān’s Managing Director, welcomed the audience and emphasised the importance of the conference being one of the means of spreading the knowledge of the Foundation’s contribution to human civilisation.

Mr Sali Shahsivari thanked the lecturers and participants during his closing speech

Futūḥāt al-Makkiyah’ as an Example”; “The Art of the Critical Edition of the Written Heritage: A Fundamental Study - The Letters of al-Imam al-Ashʿarī and al-Ghazālī as Examples”; “The Critical Edition of Manuscripts in Sciences of Theology (ʿilm al-kalām): Errors and Categories”; “The Methodologies of the Critical Edition on the Social Sciences; Reconstructing Lost Ancient Texts - Sources of Egyptian History as Examples; Arabic and Syriac Manuscripts in the Mediterranean: Methodology and Some Results”; “The Codicology: A First and Essential Step in the Process of Academic Critical Editing - with Examples from Arabic Written Heritage”; and “Editing Islamic Manuscripts on Social Sciences and Humanities in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion, where panel members answered questions regarding technical issues, including the latest developments and issues in the field of editing Islamic manuscripts, as the audience included a considerable number of specialists interested in and working on Islamic manuscripts. Mr. Sali Shahsivari concluded the conference with words of thanks to the contributors and the members for their efforts in making the conference successful and presented a brief account of the Foundation’s plan of projects and activities for the coming year.

Conference guests also expressed their delight at taking part and wished the best to Al-Furqān so that it may pursue its services to knowledge and heritage.

The conference sessions were characterised by a high level of effectiveness and depth, with moderators playing a significant role in promoting interaction and keeping discussions at a high academic standard.

On the morning of Tuesday 26th November, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu inaugurated the conference with a welcome speech on behalf of Al-Furqān’s Board of Directors. He thanked the Foundation for organising such an important conference, and welcomed the attendees, contributors and guests. Then he gave a detailed introduction to Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, explaining its aims and activities, by focusing on the pre-

A memorial group picture taken on the final day of the conference

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Winter 2013 He emphasised the need for thorough investigation of the topic utilising, a comprehensive and analytical approach, in order to cover its various aspects and provide an insight into the challenges facing people.

In conclusion, Mr. Shahsivari stated that AlFurqān’s effective contribution to this academic event, aims to provide the Maqāṣid dimension, within an Islamic perspective, which itself is connected to its roots, whilst maintaining a relevance to our time.

The conference was attended by a large number of scholars from Turkey, USA. Russia, Japan, Philippines, India, Syria, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Sudan, Iraq, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Azerbaijan.

There were 16 conference sessions, each consisting of 3 lectures. The sessions focused on the following themes: Politics and Islamic disciplines; State between theory and practice; the Sunnah and politics; problems of nation-states, the State and its elements; religion, politics, political multiplicity and rights; security and social networking; the modern state and political legitimacy; political thinking in the East and the West; Maqāṣid, politics and state transformation; State, identity, authority limits and crises; Ottoman political traditions. Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, contributed with one session of three lectures: Dr. Abd al-Majid al-Najjar’s lecture on “The relation between ijmaʿ and parliaments”; Dr. Ahmad al-Raisouni’s on “The state in Islam: between the Maqāṣid’s logic and the means logic”, the third lecture was on “Maqāṣid insight in the jurisprudence of the three authorities: legislative, judicial and executive”, by Dr. Abd al-Nur Baza.

The participants used Arabic, English and Turkish in their interventions. In the concluding session, the representatives of the three institutions delivered speeches of thanks.

A significant outcome of such a successful conference was the celebration of signing an agreement of mutual co-operation between Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation and Istanbul Foundation for Research and Education (ISAR), on the organisation of joint activities such as courses, conferences and seminars.

International Conference on:

«The State: between Tradition and Future»

The opening session

The Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law (Maqāṣid Centre) participated in the international conference entitled “The State: between Tradition and Future”, organised by The Istanbul Foundation for Research and Education (ISAR), in collaboration with Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation, the National Association for Studies and Research, the Syrian Business Forum and the Üsküdar Municipality. The conference took place in Istanbul, at the conference hall of the Cultural Centre of Usküdar Municipality on 20-21 December 2013.

The timing and place of this academic event reflects the real need for implementing the standard theories concerning the state in real life, so that they may meet peoples’ inspirations for developing their state systems, constitutions, authorities and institutions, in order to keep abreast with the great changes in today’s world. The conference endeavoured to discuss other pressing contemporary issues, using an academic and accessible approach.

The opening session began with a welcome speech from Dr Recep Şenturk, the Director of ISAR, in which he explained the aim of the conference and introduced ISAR and its mission of culture and civilisation. He was followed by Dr. Mahmud Misri, lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Centre for Islamic Research (ISAM), and other representatives of the institutions which collaborated in organising the conference, including the National Institution for Research and Studies NASR, the Syrian Business Forum and the Üsküdar Municipality.

Mr. Sali Shahsivari, the Managing Director of AlFurqān, started his speech welcoming the attendants. He praised the efforts of all five entities in organising this academic event, which deals with such a vast and complicated topic in the shade of current events in the Islamic arena.

Group photo at the end of the conference

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Recent Publications

Recent Publications of The Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts «Al-Maqrizi and His Book Al-Mawāʿiẓ Wal-Iʿtibār fī Ḍikr al-Khiṭaṭ wal-Athār»

«The Mechanical Corpus of al-Isfizārī in the Sciences of Weights and Ingenious Devices»

by Abũ Ĥātim al-Muẓaffar ibn Ismāʿīl alIsfizārī

The first part of this introductory volume outlines the subject-matter of the book, the author’s biography, his works, the methodology used in the production of the book AlMawāʿiẓ, the approximate date of its coming out, the problems that were raised over al-Maqrīzī’s plagiarism in the book as well as the responses to them, the sources of the book, alMaqrīzī’s hand-written copies that reached us, whether comprising his rough copies, his notebooks, his works, other authors’ works of which he wrote copies, a study on the copies of the book and their locations across the world, the previous editions of the book, a codicological description of the copies accredited in publishing, and finally the method used for the production of the present edition. The second part revolves around a study of the Egyptian capital at al-Maqrīzī’s time, the development of its architectural styles and their application to university mosques, schools, districts and to the style of all the other monuments.

This critical edition of al-Isfizāri’s book deals with the field of mechanics, known as “the sciences of weights and ingenious devices” (‘Ilmay al-Athqāl wal-Ḥiyal), by early Muslims. 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 a technological and mechanical engineering perspective.

«Al-Mawāʿiẓ Wal-Iʿtibār fī Dhikr al-Khiṭaṭ wal-Athār»

by al-Maqrīzī, Taqi al-Dīn Aḥmad b. ʿAlī b. ʿAbd al-Qādir (766-845 A.H./1365-1442 A.D.) This book is considered one of the most important reference works on the history and geography of Egypt. It provides a comprehensive overview on the history of Egypt, as well as the establishment and development of Cairo from the time of the Islamic conquests of Egypt to the fifteenth century A.D. (ninth century A.H.).

The work also presents the reader with detailed descriptions of the various landmarks, such as the palaces, mosques, schools, narrow routes, districts, projects, temples, public baths (Ḥammams), fields, khans (carvansarays), markets, agencies and convoy stations that existed in Fusṭāṭ and Cairo over nine centuries.

The importance of this book lies also in the fact that its manuscript has been hand written by the author himself.

«Rules and Methods of Editing Islamic Manuscripts»

This book includes the lectures given in the introductory course on the critical edition of manuscripts, which was organised by the Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts, affiliated to AlFurqān, in collaboration with the Centre for Editing Texts at Al-Azhar. The training course took place at Al-Azhar University in the period between 2-7 June 2012. This subject was taught by a group of renowned professors who are experts in the critical editing of manuscripts. They include, among others, Dr. Ḥassan al-Shāfiʿī, Dr. Ḥussain Naṣṣār, Dr. Ayman Fuʾād Sayyid, Dr. ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd Madkūr and Dr. Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Wahāb Jalāl. As far as the book content is concerned, it consists of a development on the history of the critically edited texts and their rules; the problem facing the critically edited texts in addition to the methodology of the critical editing of legal, rhetorical, historical and geographical documents, biographies (tarājim and ṭabaqāt) as well as literary and scientific texts.

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«The Critical Edition of Manuscripts: History, Rules and Problems»

istics required of a professional editor. The author explains the methodology used by orientalists in their criticism of Arabic texts. The methods used by scholars of Az’har in critically editing manuscripts are also presented. The book addresses a number of areas related to the field, such as the main problems faced by practitioners, how to work with a manuscript, and technical issues such as ‘when to bring out draft sections of a text when the corrected version is present’. The book emphasises the importance of ijazāt (licences), samāt (verified listening), tamāluk notes (noted ownership of the manuscript), waqf (endowments) and the knowledge of the terminology involved in critically editing. The author also discusses the historical relationship between the printing press and critical editing. This includes a look at how the widespread use of paper and the progress in printing effected book publication. The author also makes an acknowledgment of the substantial contribution of orientalists to the field in critically editing Arabic texts.

This book holds the proceedings of the training course organised by the Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts of Al-Furqān Foundation, in co-operation with the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Ben M’sik, University Hassan II in Casablanca, and the Royal Library (al-Khizana al-Malakiyya) in Rabat, from 18 to 28 March 2013. The studies presented at this session focused on the concept of academic critical editing, its history, principals, rules, conditions and challenges. The studies encompassed manuscripts from a wide range of subject fields such as, books of Ḥadith, biographies, books on the Sciences of the Qur’ān, texts on Sufism, scientific manuscripts – with Isfizari’s manuscript on mechanics used as a model. They also included a number of lectures on useful reference works in the field of critical editing, and the comments of editors on the titles of the manuscripts, the place and importance of gutter margin and tamalukat (notes of ownership).

«Lecture on the New Edition of the Book Al-Mawāʿiẓ wal-Iʿtibār fī Dhikr al-Khiṭaṭ wal-Āthār lil-Maqrīzī»

«Catalogue of the Arabic, Turkish, Persian and Bosnian Manuscripts in the Ghazi Husrev-Beg Library in Sarajevo» (vol.XVIII)

This lecture focused on the greatest authority on the history of Islamic Egypt and his masterpiece “Al-Mawāʿiẓ wal-Iʿtibār fī Dhikr al-Khiṭaṭ wal-Āthār”, which is considered to be the most authoritative work on Egypt’s history of the Islamic period, its geography and the topography of its capital. It is the only book that gave a comprehensive presentation of Egypt’s Islamic history and of the establishment and development of Egyptian cities from the Islamic conquest to the ninth century AH. It is today regarded as an indispensable reference for Egyptologists specialising in the study of Egypt’s Islamic archaeology. This work is considered one of the Arab heritage pride and glory, being the biggest and most comprehensive book ever written on an Islamic city. Admittedly, it has left no vestiges or institution without describing them with in minute detail and in a wonderful way. The lecture shed the light on the new edition of this book - an edition that has been augmented, properly edited and proof-read. It is an edition that includes additional sources, recent studies that came out after the publication of the first edition, recent geographical photographs of the monuments mentioned by Al-Maqrīzī, which were sometimes compared with paintings produced in the beginning of the 19th century. What distinguishes this new edition is the incorporation of new handwritten copies of the book: the original copy of the third volume, located at the University of Michigan, USA, and the oldest copies of the first volume, found in the Fayẓ Allah Library in Istanbul.

Gazi Husrev Beg Library in Sarajevo holds more than 10,500 manuscripts in Arabic, Turkish, Persian and Bosnian. Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation catalogued and published them in 15 volumes (volumes 4 to 18). It also re-printed the first two volumes.

Gazi Husrev Beg Library’s collection of manuscripts is considered to be very substantial and varied. It features many subjects in Islamic and human sciences, such as mathematics, poetry, literature and grammar, all in Arabic, Persian and Bosnian. It also holds a number of rare, unique and valuable manuscripts which had been collected from a number of libraries (religious schools, mosques and several towns and villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighbouring countries).

«The Critical Edition of Manuscripts: Past, Present and Future»

This lecture focuses in brief on the history of the critical editing of Islamic manuscripts, to include present and future research, with particular attention given to works conducted by orientalists. In this book the author highlights the skills of an editor involved in critically editing a manuscript. He also lists the most important character-

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«The Arabic Manuscripts in North Africa and Sub-Saharan Countries»

languages of the region, namely Arabic, Hausa, Swahili and those using Arabic script. The author presents a background on the presence of Arabic manuscripts in the region, their popularity and reasons behind the loss of great collections – to include theft, arson, wilful destruction and weathering. The author also details the characteristics of African manuscripts and materials used in their makeup, such as the paper, leather binding, types of script and writing tools such as the pens and the various ink types used.

He also discusses the most important contributions made in indexing, preserving and restoring these manuscripts, with particular attention given to the academic work undertaken by the Al-Furqān Foundation in this field.

Prof. Dr. Ahmed Shawqi Binebine presents a summary of the roles played by centres of learning, book repositories and the libraries in preserving the manuscript heritage of North Africa throughout the ages.

He specifically focuses his attention on the Maghreb, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and countries of the Sub-Sahara. The work encompasses manuscripts written in the indigenous

Recent Publications of The Centre for the Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Madinah (Makkah and Madinah Centre) Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her) throughout history, according to the narrations of the historians; the House of al-Sayyidah Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her) in the books of journeys to Makkah; and the House of al-Sayyidah Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her) based on the excavations done in 1989.

«The House of Khadeejah Bint Khuwaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) in Makkah al-Mukarramah: a Historical Study of its Location, Building, and Architecture» - Arabic version This book documents one of the holiest Islamic sites in Makkah, the House of al-Sayyidah Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her), which housed the best creation of God, the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), his sons and his daughters (may Allah be pleased with them).

This study sheds light on the history of this great house, its roles across different historical periods as well as the renovations, additions and modifications that it has undergone throughout time. It also looks at the various social and cultural aspects related to it. In addition to the relevant aspects related to this house, such as: the Mother of Believers, al-Sayyidah Khadeejah bint Khowaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) and her position and role in the Prophet’s life, and the most important events that occurred in the House of al-Sayyidah Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her); it also includes the location of the House of al-Sayyidah Khadeejah (may Allah be pleased with her) and the houses surrounding it; the architecture of the House of al-Sayyidah

«ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MAKKAH ALMUKARRAMAH AND AL-MADĪNAH AL-MUNAWWARAH» (VOL.VI) The Encyclopaedia of Makkah and Madīnah documents the intellectual heritage of the cities of Makkah and Madīnah and brings to the fore their roles over the ages in the areas of religion, politics, society, economy and culture. The Encyclopaedia is characterised by its use of cross-references,which help researchers to retrieve information quickly and easily and organise the links between various articles. It is alphabetically organised in Arabic and includes diagrams, maps, plans, and photographs with explanatory captions.

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Recent Publications of The Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law (MaqāṢid Centre) «The Objectives of Sharīʿah in al-Tāhir bin Ashūr’s Thoughts»

tematic maqāṣidi approach (an approach based on the objectives of Islamic law) to local and international challenges, taking into consideration that the maqāṣidi approach could provide a suitable and well informed articulation of Islamic juridical positions towards international agreements. The papers presented in this training course dealt with a number of international conventions and treaties. They examined the human rights and their underlying principals as found within both the Sharīʿah and international agreements; the articles of international trade agreements, critiqued from a maqāṣidi perspective (a perspective based on the objectives of Islamic law), with careful consideration given to the ramification of each and the extent by which they served the interests of Muslim countries and whether such interests fell within the framework of a maqāṣidi philosophy (a philosophy based on the objectives of Islamic law); the work being conducted by the International Criminal Court from an Islamic Sharīʿah perspective, the juridical opinion towards entering into agreements related to this institution and the Islamic ruling towards the crimes that fall within the area of competence of this Court; the place of Islamic Sharīʿah in international law – Sharīʿah being the third source for such law; agreements related to the non-proliferation of nuclear armaments from the view point of the protection of individuals and their wealth, two key elements of maqāṣidi (objectives of Islamic law); a maqāṣidi reading of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Agreement, including study of its articles, the reasons for its instatement and the strategic change that it brought about; the place of environmental protection in light of Islamic Sharīʿah and the maqāṣidi dimension of such protection; as well as a number of māqasidi studies (objectives of Islamic law) from the publication “Al-Dalīl al-Irshādī”, which provided methods to legitimately reconcile Islamic laws with international agreements in areas of human rights, women issues, minority challenges, intellectual property, trade agreements and agreements pertaining to environmental protection.

This book covers the proceedings of the Fifth Training Course organized by the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law, affiliated to Al-Furqān, in co-operation with Alexandria University’s Faculty of Law. It took place in March 2011. Among the lecturers in this training course were renowned professors in Sharīʿah and law sciences such as Dr. Muḥammad Salīm al-ʿAwwā, Dr. ʿAbd al-Majīd al-Najjār, Dr. Muḥammad Kamāl Imām, Dr. Usāmah al-Fūli, Dr. Muḥammad Nabīl Ghanāʾim, Dr. Aḥmad al-Hindī, Dr. Jābir Abd alHādī al-Shāfiʿi and others. The studies submitted in this training course centred on the trends of the objectives of Islamic law in Ṭāhir ibn ʿĀshūr’s works as compared with Imām al-Shāṭibī’s. They also dealt with ibn ʿĀshūr’s work Maqāṣid alSharīʿah al-Islāmiyyah (The Objectives of Islamic Law) in its historical context as well as with the objective of freedom, wealth and family law and the rules governing the objectives of Islamic law in Ṭāhir ibn ʿĀshūr’s view.

«The Objectives of Islamic Law and the International Conventions» This book includes the proceedings of the Seventh 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 Alexandria Centre for Arbitration and Legal and Economic Services at the Faculty of Law, University of Alexandria, under the title “The Objectives of Islamic Law and the International Conventions”. The purpose of this comprehensive study is to lay the foundations for a sys-

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«Maqāṣid al-Muʿāmalāt wa Marāṣid al-Wāqiʿāt» - Purposes of Financial Transactions (2nd Edition)

even if it is not allowed. Similarly, every means that clearly contradicts the legislator’s intention is invalid, even if it is originally permissible. This lecture is a continuation of the lecture on “The Public Interest in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law – a Functional Vision”. It will be followed by a third lecture under the title “Al-Taʿlīl (resort to the concept of ʿillah or cause) in the Terminology of the Objectives of Islamic Law”, which will bring to a close the research on the terminology of Islamic law.

This book discusses contemporary issues on the topics of wealth and monetary transactions. It carries a number of titles which are characterised by their consideration of maqāṣid. The book shows how maqāṣid has become a higher reference and important in areas of ijtihād (scholarly efforts of modern interpretation of the holy scriptures) in most contemporary issues such as the present day monetary crisis. The book is an attempt

by Shaikh bin Bayyah to bring about a new international model built on the principles of justice and security, especially in the field of economics. Shaikh bin Bayyah tackles economic issues in his book when examining the monetary crisis caused by the modern capitalist and usury-based system that threatens the stability of the modern world.

«The Purposes of Good and the Jurisprudence of Public Interest» This comprehensive study purports to research an issue of utter importance: the achievement of common interest being the focal point of the theory of the objectives of Islamic law. The concept of charitable acts, or good deeds, appears as one of the means of the objectives of Islamic law for the attainment of that common interest. Common good will not reach the highest of human pinnacles unless it occurs in the society of common good-doing. In this sense, the concept of charitable deeds/good deeds occupies a central place in Islam’s universal message. Therefore, the nation of Islam, in its Qurʾānic status of “the best nation ever evolved for mankind”, ought to persevere its endeavour to practise charitable acts, and also call mankind for doing good deeds until the whole of humanity eases itself into the realm of good in its comprehensive and equitable Qurʾānic criteria, not according to its deficient, biased, positive, and humanistic criteria.

The criteria of good in the Holy Qurʾān are crystal clear, without any ambiguity, and are described in two fundamental ways: they are comprehensive and the best. The meanings of charitable acts, or good deeds, are taken from the linguistic and social usages of the Arabic language, as known in the pre-Islamic era and before the Revelation of the Qurʾān. This concept gradually evolved to acquire new meanings over time, until it was finally defined by the Qurʾān itself as meaning ‘the best in speech and in deeds, whose doer is praised under Islamic law’. Furthermore, this study aims to open the door to research in three issues: The issue of the common good society, as described by the Qurʾān; the issue of the opening and the closing of the doors of pretexts; and the issue of the farḍ al-kifāyah or ‘sufficiency obligation’.

«Consequences of Acts in the Term of the Purposes of Islamic Law» This lecture focuses on the subject of the consequences of acts as a method for dealing with the nawāzil (novel, unprecedented occurrences) and with the practical issues in all the Islamic schools of thought. It considers the consequences of acts as the objective framework that guarantees the integrity of the work of the mujtahid as an independent interpreter of the Sharīʿah laws and of their subsequent application to the acts of the Muslims as mukallafīn (implementers of Islamic laws). The consequences of acts are also presented as the framework for verifying the objectives of Islamic law as well as ascertaining the points from which the rulings are formed. The investigation of the consequences of acts is linked to many sources of legislation. In fact the relation between some of these sources and the consequences of acts, like the closing of the door of pretext (sadd al-dharāʾiʿ), is a relation of cause to effect, behaviour and result. This relation has its extension in the link between the means and the objectives as legally permissible. This is because each means that involves the implementation of the legislator’s intention in its regard is legal,

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25th Anniversary The year 2013 ended on a truly historic note, as the Al-Furqān Foundation celebrated its 25th Anniversary.

Friends, family, scholars and supporters from all around the world came to London during the last week of November to join the Foundation in celebrating a quarter of a century of dedication and excellence in preserving the Islamic Written Heritage.

It was a busy, lively and exciting week of events.

The British Medical Association

The celebrations began on 26th November, with a two-day conference on manuscripts, under the title “Editing Islamic Manuscripts on Social Sciences and Humanities”. The conference featured keynote speakers addressing and fostering debate on a variety of themes from social sciences and humanities, including problems and challenges faced in the editing process, methodologies and further research and work.

the Foundation, its Centres and its many groundbreaking projects, and which included contributions and testimonials from many renowned scholars and leaders.

During the evening event, all the members of AlFurqān’s International Advisory Board and Board of Experts were recognised in acknowledgment of their efforts and continual support in achieving the Foundation’s message, and whose contributions over the years have been key to the success of the Foundation.

The recipients of plaques, awarded by His Excellency were:

On the evening of 28th November, the Foundation held its formal 25th Anniversary celebration gala evening at the prestigious BMA House in Bloomsbury, London. The evening’s programme featured exhibitions, live musical performances, keynote speeches by Foundation friends and leaders and an elegant dinner and reception. The guests were honoured by the presence of the Founder and Chairman of Al-Furqān, His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani at the dinner, who spoke fondly and with humility about the accomplishments of Al-Furqān since its inception. His Excellency expressed deep appreciation to all those, whose support and contributions helped the Foundation grow and prosper into a truly pioneering institution of cultural and intellectual heritage. The guests were also treated to a short documentary film tribute to the Foundation’s esteemed founder, which followed the evolution of

Manuscript Centre:

Prof Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu Prof Dr Abdu-l-Hadi al-Tazi Prof Dr Muhammad Adnan al-Bakheet Prof Dr Ibrahim Chabbouh Prof Dr Abdullah Yusuf al-Ghunaim Prof Dr Enes Karić in absentia: Prof Dr Nasir al-Din al-Asad Prof Dr Sayed Hossein Nasr Prof Dr Sayed Waheed al-Din Prof Dr Iraj Afshar (Deceased) Prof Dr Muhammad Haitham al-Khayat

H.E. Ahmed Zaki Yamani presenting a plaque to Prof Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu

Part of the exhibition “Al-Furqān Throughout the Years”

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in absentia: Sheikh Dr Mohammed al-Habeb bin al-Khojah Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayah Dr Sayid Hadi Khasroshahi Sheikh Mohammed Mukhtar al-Salami Prof Dr Ahmad al-Raisouni Prof Dr Kamal Imam Prof Dr Sayfuddin Abdu-l-Fattah Dr Abdullah Fad’aq Dr Ibrahim al-Bayyoumi Ghanem

Makkah & Madinah Centre:

Prof Dr Abdu-l-Wahab abu Sulaiman Prof Dr Abbas Saleh Tashkandy Prof Asim Hamdan Ali Dr Mohammed Abdu-l-Karim bin Obaid Dr Mi’raj Nawab Mirza Dr Adnan Mohammed al-Shareef

A number of non board members were also recognised by the Foundation for their outstanding contribution over the years. Recipients of these plaques were: Prof Dr Ayman Fouad Sayyid and Dr Jasser Auda. In absentia: Prof Dr Qasim al-Samarrai and Prof Geoffrey Roper.

in absentia: Prof Abdu-l-Malik bin Duhaysh (Deceased) Prof Abdu-l-Lateef bin Abdullah bin Duhaysh Prof Ghazi bin Obaid Madani Dr Omar Hasan Falatah Dr Abdu-l-Rahman Sulaiman al-Mazeni Dr Abdullah Saleh Ahmed Shawoosh Dr Yusuf Ahmed Hawalah

Furthermore, in acknowledgment of their long service, loyalty, work and effort, four of the staff members of Al-Furqān were recognised: 1. Magdalene Coulson 2. Sue Nockall 3. Mohamed Drioueche 4. Karima Benaicha

The 25th Anniversary celebrations concluded with a four-day specialised training course, organised by the Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts, in partnership with the Islamic Cultural Centre & the London Central Mosque Trust and the UK Board of Sharīʿah Councils, under the title “The Objectives of Sharīʿah: The Principles and Concepts”. Recordbreaking attendance at the training course made it one of the most energetic, diverse and stimulating to date. The in-depth training course built awareness and understanding among participants on a range of aspects on the study of the objectives of Sharīʿah, including Legal Theory, Jurisprudence, Islamic Thought and Ethics, as well as addressing topics of approach, methodology and the obstacles facing today’s scholars. The course featured, among its guest speakers, leaders in the field from around the world.

Mr Shahsivari presenting a certificate of gratitude to His Excellency Ahmed Zaki Yamani

Maqāṣid Centre

Prof Dr Mohammed Salim al-Awa Prof Dr Issam al-Bashir Sheikh Abdullah Farraj al-Shareef Dr Hasan Jaber

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Interview with H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani Once, one of the Prophets companions, Moadh, led the people in prayer, but made the prayer lengthy.

The Prophet heard this and called: “Moaḍh do you wish to be a test for the people [in their religion] Moaḍh?” The indication was one should not lengthen the prayer time if there are amongst the congregation the elderly or ill. As such, one should be weary as not to burden others with more than they can bear. Otherwise it will be a cause of annoyance and it will tire them. Nor should one overly practice falling into neither excesses, nor do more than what is required. Such practice is not, in any way, part of the religion.

His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani

- How did the Prophet deal with fanatical Muslims?

Of course he said a prayer against them, as mentioned, and he also said: “Keep away from excesses in religion, for those who have come before you have found their demise in their excesses of religion” (Ahmed, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah).

There is a story in the Prophet’s life that a gift arrived for him from Persia (a portion of cheese). The Prophet was known to accept what was presented to him and invite the Muslims present to join him.

They all sat and began to eat together. One of the extremists amongst them called out that the cheese was prohibited to consume. The Prophet asked why. He replied that cheese must be made from rennet, and that rennet comes from the inside of an animal. He went on, saying, since the Persians had slaughtered the animal and because Muslims were not permitted to eat except their own meat or livestock slaughtered by Christians and Jews, that is, the people of the Book, the cheese was therefore impermissible for consumption. The Prophet was annoyed by this – seeing it as a form of excessiveness, and said: “Perished are the extremists, perished are the extremists, perished are the extremists”. Such was one of the methods used by the Prophet to teach his companions.

It is unfortunate that such coarseness in religion has come to the fore today and has become the distinguishing sign of Islam today.

- Today many criticise Islam as being a religion which repels people. What is Islam’s stance on religious fanaticism?

Islam’s stance, in all certainty, is that it is categorically opposed to religious fanaticism. One of the greatest concerns of the Prophet was that of extremism in religion. He has said: “Keep away from excesses in religion, for those who have come before you found their demise in their excesses of religion” (Ahmed 1781, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah).

In several instances the Prophet is recorded to have criticised extremists, praying: “Perished are the extremists, perished are the extremists, perished are the extremists” (Muslim, 2670). “No one has attempted to overburden themselves with this religion, except that they have been overcome by it”. Meaning that one should avoid excesses in religious practice whereby they leave any semblance of lenience, as the religion will overcome them, meaning, it will make their affairs and lives heavy and burdensome.

This demonstrates that excessive and overly strict approaches were indeed what the Prophet had feared and actively warned against. Lady Aisha has said: “The Prophet was not offered a choice between two affairs except that he would choose the easier of the two” (Bukhari, 3296), meaning the lighter of the two, which is in reality what the religion is about. There are in fact a great many narrations to this effect.

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- The best of affairs is the middle way, so what is in your view ‘balanced Islam’?

Yes, for certain, the best of affairs is the middle way, and the best Islam is a balanced Islam, as this is the true form of Islam. The Prophet has said: “Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings, the nights” (Bukhari, 38).

als taken today, who have wrongly attributed their acts to the pure religion of God. -What is your opinion of suicide operations carried out by some in the name of Jihad.

We are not in a state of war that requires one to engage in Jihad and die in such a cause.

Suicide is a forbidden act in Islam. The Qurʾān in the Surah An-Nisa says “… nor kill (or destroy) yourselves, for verily Allah hath been to you Most Merciful” (An-Nisa: 29). As such suicide is prohibited in Islam.

-In that case, how do Muslims defend themselves against injustices perpetuated towards them in political and other matters?

In reality, the injustice that has come, has come as a result of a reaction on the part of those people and as such has led them to become rigid in their stance. Rather one should learn, guide and correct the self. This is the starting point. A Muslim should start by firstly correcting themselves and seek knowledge and learning. God guides us to prepare well “Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power…” (Al-Anfal: 60) and not, as claimed by those who have tarnished the image of Islam, through killing and waging war. In fact, it is as a result of such misunderstandings and practices that we have given those who attempt to sully Islam a reason to decry it, leading to the portrayal of an image of Islam as being one of rigidity and fanaticism. It is for such reasons we find there is a repulsion of some away from Islam.

-How do you see balanced Islam being different from that Islam being practiced today in many places?

Aisha (radiyallahu anha) was once asked how the character of the Prophet was. She replied that his character was that of the Qurʾān.

Allah in the Qurʾān describes the Prophet as: “And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character” (Al-Qalam: 4). If we read the Qurʾān, we find many verses which encourage good manners and how one should be with others and how one should be towards their family and children. It guides a reader away from being a person who is “…severe or harsh- hearted…” (Al Imran: 159). It also guides one to emulate the Prophet “Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct)…” (Al-Ahzab: 21). The Qurʾān is replete with passages encouraging good conduct and manners which the Prophet exhibited and distinguished his character. This is Islam

-One of the topics that is raised today is the position of Islam towards women. Has Islam been just to women?

-‘Jihad’. Many have used this term to describe Islam as espoused by political movements, how do you see the true understanding of Jihad in Islam?

The concept of Jihad has a wide breadth. The closest meaning is that of resistance, as it does not only signify war. If an enemy attacks, announcing war, it is ones duty to resist them. This is one meaning of Jihad.

The Prophet and some of his companions were returning from a campaign and he is reported to have said “We have returned from the lesser Jihad (that is the war) to the greater Jihad (that is the struggle against ones ego)”. This can take the form of resistance to ones impulses, carnal desires and whims. So Jihad is of different types and levels.

It is absolutely not the actions of a few individu-

I believe Islam has been just to women. Islam came at a time in which women were severely oppressed.

In the tribe of Quraish for example, they would not see women as free or independent. They would view women as bad omens. If a man was informed that his newly born baby was a girl, he would become frustrated and expect misfortune. He would even consider burying her alive: “When news is brought to one of them, of (the birth of) a female (child), his face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief. With shame does he hide himself from his people, because of the bad news he has had. Shall he retain it on (sufferance and) contempt, or bury it in the dust? Ah, what an evil (choice) they decide on!” (An-Nahl: 59).

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So in the midst of this society, the Prophet came to elevate the status of women. He said: “Treat women kindly, treat women kindly” (Tirmidhi, 1080).

A woman was not permitted to inherit. The men would reason that this was because women would not take part in wars between the Bedouin tribes.

Islam then came and gave her inheritance rights.

Some think that women are given only half of that of the male in matters of inheritance. In reality, this is incorrect. Those who know the Islamic monetary order and study inheritance according to the Sharia’h, through a specialist subject known as Faraiḍ, they find that in many instances, women receive more than that of a man and only in certain circumstances receive half.

A male, after receiving his share of the inheritance, has a greater burden of responsibility on him than a female. If he wishes to marry for example, he must pay the dowry to the lady he wishes to marry. He too must cover all his wife’s expenses and that of his children, even if she is wealthy. He must also continue to provide for her over her lifetime, and so on.

In contrast, a female has neither obligation to pay a dowry, nor has she any financial responsibility towards her husband, nor her home and children. She is not required to provide for extended family members if they are in need. This is the direct opposite to the responsibility placed on a male member who by law is required to provide for both his paternal and maternal uncles if the situation so required.

will soon be enduring a blazing fire” (An-Nisa: 10).

They asked the Prophet to take away from them the wealth that they had been entrusted to keep for the orphans, to invest it and then return it when due to the orphans, for fear of it becoming lost within their own wealth. So the verse was revealed: “If ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans then marry women of your choice, two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly with them then only one” (An-Nisa:3).

This is in respect to marriage to more than one. It is not a tradition that must be followed, rather it is the opposite. It is a dispensation that a Muslim must be cautious if taking it.

-What is the origin of the word Islam?

Salam: Is the relationship of a human with others: peace.

Taslim: The relationship of a human with their Lord, obedience to the commands of God and submission to his decree.

As such, it is ‘Salam’ in respect to the relation between a person and others, and taslim in the relationship of a person towards their Lord and in obedience to His command.

-What is the message you would like to leave your grandchildren Firstly: To be in good relations with each other, and to have good Islamic character towards others.

Good manners and pleasant relations with people is what I would like my grandchildren to have.

Islam encourages good relations and kindness to the extent if anyone is unkind toward you, then you should be kind to them. The Qurʾān says: “Repel evil with that which is best …” (Al-Mu’minun: 96).

If someone is unkind towards me, I respond with the best gesture I can, “Nor can goodness and evil be equal. Repel evil with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate” (Fussilet: 34), and so on. So my enemy becomes as if they were my friend. This is the understanding of Islam.

-What of polygamy?

In the Jahiliyah times prior to Islam, polygamy was unlimited in respect to the number of wives a man could have. A man, could marry whenever he wished, however he wished, to any number he wished. Islam came and restricted this practice and put legislation in place towards it. Muslims at the time of the Prophet were anxious about inadvertently consuming wealth which solely belonged to orphans. They told the Prophet that they feared accidently treading on the financial rights of orphans and worried of the injunction of God in this regard: “Those who unjustly eat up the property of orphans, eat up a fire into their own bodies: They

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Al-Furqān and its Centres 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.

Al-Furqān’s Vision To be a leading foundation in preserving and studying the Islamic written heritage.

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 Aims and Objectives • To initiate, promote and support research in the field of Islamic heritage • To assist in the preservation and restoration of the Islamic written heritage • To raise awareness on 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 works in the field of Islamic heritage - Organising training courses on various aspects of Islamic 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 - 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 Al-Furqān’s Motto

“Glorious Past, Brighter Future”

Al-Furqān 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.: 1. The Centre for the Study of Islamic Manuscripts (Manuscript Centre) 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.

The Manuscript Centre’s Aims and Objectives • To initiate, promote and support research into the field of Islamic manuscripts • To assist in the preservation and restoration of Islamic manuscripts • To raise awareness on the richness and the importance of the Islamic written heritage To achieve its aims and objectives, the Centre pursues the following activities: - 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

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- 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.

The Manuscript Centre’s Boards The International Advisory Board 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, paleography and Islamic history.

The International Advisory Board has a legislative status, with a role to: ✓ 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 International Advisory Board Members: • Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Chairman • Professor Abdu-l-Hadi al-Tazi: Member • Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu: Member • Professor Enes Karić: Member • Professor Nasir al-Din al-Asad: Member • Professor Sayed Hossein Nasr: Member • Professor Sayed Waheed al-Din: 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, paleography and Islamic history.

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 ✓ 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 Board of Experts Members: • Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Chairman • Professor Abdullah Yusuf al-Ghonaim: Member • 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 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 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 To achieve its aims and objectives, the Centre pursues the following activities: WWW.AL-FURQAN.COM

Newsletter No. 12

Winter 2013 • 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.

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 Maqāṣid 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 Maqāṣid 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 The International Advisory Board Members: • 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 • Dr Issam al-Basheer: Member • Sheikh Mohammed Mukhtar al-Salami: Member • Dr Mohammed Salim al-Awa: Member • Dr Sayid Hadi Khasroshahi: Member • Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi: Member 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 Maqāṣid 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 Board of Experts Members: • Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Chairman • Professor Abdu-l-Wahab abu Sulaiman: Member • Sheikh Abdullah Farraj al-Shareef: Member • Dr. Abdullah Fad’aq: Member • Dr Ahmad al-Raisouni: Member • Dr Hasan Jaber: Member • Dr Ibrahim al-Bayoumi Ghanem: Member • Dr Issam al-Basheer: Member • Dr Mohammed Kamal Imam: Member • Dr Mohammed Salim al-Awa: Member • Dr Saif al-Din Abdu-l-Fattah: Member

- 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 - 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 Makkah and Madinah Centre’s Boards The Encyclopaedia project is implemented under the supervision of the Advisory Board, the Academic Board, a number of specialised committees and the executive management.

The Makkah and Madinah Centre’s Boards The Advisory Board Members: • Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Chairman • Professor Abdu-l-Wahab abu Sulaiman: Member • Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu: Member • Professor Kazim al-Musawi al-Bojnourdi: Member • Professor Nasir al-Din al-Asad: Member • Professor Robert McHenry: Member • Professor Tayyar Altikulaç: Member The Academic Board Members: • 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 The Secretary General of the Makkah and Madinah Centre is Dr Abbas Saleh Tashkandy 3. The Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law (Maqāṣid Centre) The Maqāṣid Centre’s Mission The Maqāṣid 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 Maqāṣid 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 fatwa 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

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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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