Search Results (51)

Background/Objectives. The Black Death pandemic, combined with the antisemitic climate of 14th-century Europe, led to widespread violence against Jewish communities, including numerous pogroms such as the one in 1348 in Tàrrega (Catalonia, Spain). In the Roquetes necropolis of Tàrrega, six communal graves containing at least sixty-nine individuals, with signs of violence, were dated to the mid-14th century. Based on the hypothesis that Iberian medieval Jewish communities preserve genetic similarities to other ancient and modern Jewish communities, our study aims to provide genomic information on medieval Iberian communities, which to date have been unknown. Methods. We analyzed DNA from sixteen individuals from the Roquetes necropolis using Twist ancient DNA enrichment capture. Several paleogenomic analyses based on nuclear DNA and uniparental markers were conducted to determine their genetic relatedness and population origin. Results. PCA and ADMIXTURE analyses revealed genetic affinities with ancient and modern Jewish populations. Uniparental markers, which exhibited high diversity, aligned with typical patterns within the Jewish community. The qpAdm modeling suggested that the genetic composition of the Roquetes population can be explained by a mixture of Canaan individuals (0.69) and the Iberian non-Jewish non-Islamic medieval population (0.31). No close genetic kinship was detected, but RHO analyses indicated a certain level of background endogamy. Conclusions. This is the first study to report genomic data for medieval Iberian Jews. Our findings reveal genomic affinities of the Roquetes individuals with ancient and modern Jewish populations and corroborate the previous attribution of the burials to victims of the 1348 Tàrrega pogrom. Full article

Nahj al-Balāghah is widely recognized as a foundational and authoritative scripture in Shia Islam. One notable aspect of Nahj al-Balāghah is the deliberate selection and structured arrangement of Ḥadiths. According to the book’s introduction, al-Raḍī explains that he chose the Ḥadiths based on literary considerations. An analysis comparing the selected Ḥadiths with their full versions suggests their inclusion was determined not only by eloquence and rhetorical value but also by conceptual significance. Through textual and descriptive analytical methods, this study examines the author’s motives, especially his political and religious aims, in incorporating materials related to ʿĀisha. A comparison of the relevant ḥadīths in Nahj al-Balāghah and other historical sources indicates that Sayyid Raḍī omitted—or at least refrained from including—certain statements attributed to ʿAlī regarding the Prophet Muḥammad’s youngest wife. The omitted parts concern ʿĀisha’s inconsiderate behavior, grudges, sins, following Satan, and ignoring the Prophet’s prediction. Considering sectarian conflicts between Shiites and Sunnis in the 3rd and 4th centuries AH, some arising from criticisms of ʿĀisha’s conduct and sometimes escalating into violence, al-Raḍī, the supreme judge appointed by the ʿAbbāsid Caliphate, was compelled to omit and censor ʿAli’s harsh remarks about ʿĀisha to prevent further sectarian tensions. Full article

In this study, which focuses on animal symbolism in Alevi–Bektashi menakıpnames (hagiographies), the objective was to investigate animal symbolism, which is not unfamiliar but not fully understood. In this context, the study examined Abdal Musa Velayetnamesi, Menakıbu’l Kudsiyye, Demir Baba Velayetname, Hacı Bektaş Veli Velayetname, Hacım Sultan Menakıpname, Koyun Baba Velayetname, Otman Baba Velayetname, Saltıkname, Seyyid Ali Sultan Velayetname, Şuaceddin Veli Velayetname, and Veli Baba Menakıpname. This study, which aims to reveal the animals featured in Alevi–Bektashi menakıpnames and the symbolic perceptions attributed to them, uses phenomenology (the study of phenomena) from qualitative research designs. Within the scope of the research, data was collected through secondary sources, and elements considered meaningful and thought to contain animal symbolism were identified and presented in the findings section through direct and indirect transfers. The analysis revealed that the following animals are used as symbolic animals in the aforementioned menakıpnames and menkıbes: horse, deer, sheep, ram, lion, wolf, dog, pig, crane, pigeon, rooster, snake/dragon, salamander, crocodile, fish, and ox. Although animals such as wolves and sheep have taken on different functions and symbolic meanings under the influence of Islamic tradition, all other animals have retained their symbolic meanings in Turkish mythology in Alevi–Bektashi legends. Full article

Especially over the last two and a half decades, Indonesian society has witnessed a deepening Islamisation, the impact of which is being felt in domains such as politics, education, morality, and private life. Linked to this development, a rise in religious intolerance and extremism has been noted. This process is often attributed to influences from transnational movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi-Wahhabism, which in turn is framed as an Arabisation of Islam and society in Indonesia. A pivotal reaction has been the launch and successful reinforcement of the concept of Islam Nusantara, a local Islam that is described as peaceful, moderate, and tolerant. Its unique Indonesian history, in which local culture and Islam have become intertwined, is said to have led to these characteristics. Despite its success, the concept has also met with scepticism. How valid is the binary Arabian Islam versus Islam Nusantara? Is it an authentic form of Islam? This article engages with these issues from a new angle by combining an assessment of Islam Nusantara’s claims to tolerance, its status as an authentic form of Islam, and how these issues relate to it being a local Islam. Full article

In the vernacular architectural history of the Arabian Gulf region (the Gulf), the courtyard house is a common domestic typology. Islamic and sociological precepts regulate the design and the function of vernacular courtyard dwellings, resulting in homogeneity and harmony in the entire urban fabric of historic settlements. In this research endeavor, the aim is to investigate the degree to which the shaping of the spatial form in a sample of vernacular courtyard houses in the Gulf inscribes socio-cultural factors. It sheds light on visibility graph analysis, human behavior, and the system of activities in the domestic space. As a hypothesis, visibility and connectivity analysis could prove the existence of common spatial patterns among courtyards in the vernacular courtyard houses of the Gulf, attributing it to the similar socio-cultural context, the climatic effect, and the architectural and construction knowledge of the region. This study utilizes a collection of courtyard houses from the Gulf as a pilot study to investigate the emerging patterns in the spatial analysis and room layout, or in the distribution of activities or functions in the domestic space. It, therefore, offers a visual analysis (VGA) of six regional courtyard houses from each Gulf country that were built during the period 1850–1950. This study anticipates an affirmation of a direct inscription of socio-cultural factors in the spatial form of the courtyard house in the Gulf. Conclusively, a sustainable, organic linkage between architecture and society exists where the three criteria of housing spatial form, socio-cultural factors, and system of activities interact. Full article

From public images of Islam to everyday Muslim practice. As the current debates on “Islam” and “Muslims” in Europe illustrate, social conflicts related to religious issues seem to attract public attention and become politicised relatively quickly. As European societies develop into a place of cultural and religious diversity in the context of global opening processes, voices are increasingly raised that propagate religious homogeneity in Europe and see the presence of Muslims almost exclusively as a problem. On the one hand, such homogenising interpretations are made visible, and it is shown how a decidedly negative image of Islam has emerged and how such rigid categorisations lead to the decontextualisation of religious affiliations and practices, which has a significant influence on the life constructions and positioning practices of those affected. On the other hand, biographical examples are used to illustrate how negative attributions to Islam and its adherents are perceived by subsequent generations, how they react to them, how they position themselves in the debate, and what strategies result from this to deal with them. The focus is on the experiences of those affected, i.e., the “knowledge of the people”, as a counterpoint to a “hegemonic knowledge” of Islam and Muslims. Full article

Systematic studies on Late Islamic cemeteries that integrate architectural, ritual, and biological aspects remain relatively rare, particularly in Islamic countries or regions with an active Muslim presence. Typically, available research focuses more on epigraphic and artistic features. Since 2018, excavations at the Cathedral and surveys in the ruins of the city of Adulis (Massawa, Eritrea) have uncovered 326 Muslim graves: six dating to the 15th and 18th centuries CE and 320 attributed to the mid-19th to the early 20th century CE. These discoveries have enabled, for the first time in Eritrea, a detailed scientific study of the biological characteristics of the human remains, the funerary architecture, and the burial rites of Muslim communities from the 15th to the early 20th century. The skeletal remains were analyzed through taphonomic and anthropological studies. The graves were categorized into various typologies based on their structural features, while evidence of funerary rituals was documented as indicative elements of the burial practices adopted. These findings were further enriched by ethnographic sources and collaborative work with local communities, who acted as custodians of the historical memory and traditions of the region. The results provide insights into a historical period of Eritrea that is otherwise poorly documented. More broadly, they contribute to the understanding of the history of the Horn of Africa, a region with limited data from funerary and archaeological contexts. The Muslim cemeteries of Adulis represent the most extensively investigated Muslim burial site in recent years, providing critical insights into the historical Muslim presence in the region. These findings also allow researchers to hypothesize the succession of various communities that chose Adulis as a central location for interring their deceased, reflecting its enduring significance as a focal point for cultural and ritual practices across different periods. Full article

This article examines the conceptions of divine revelation held by two prominent figures in Islamic thought, Ibn Sīnā and Al-Ghazālī, through a comparative lens within the context of metaphysical and epistemological processes. Ibn Sīnā views divine revelation as a metaphysical process occurring at the highest level of intellect. According to him, divine revelation is an abstract reflection of divine knowledge transmitted to the prophet’s imaginative faculty through the Active Intellect. This process, explained within a philosophical framework, is grounded in the development of human intellectual capacity. In contrast, Ghazālī defines divine revelation as a mystical experience and considers it a divine encounter beyond the limits of human reason. For Ghazālī, divine revelation manifests as an expression of God’s attribute of speech and occurs solely by divine will. Moreover, this experience cannot be fully comprehended by reason. Ghazālī’s approach, imbued with Sufi depth, regards divine revelation as an integral part of spiritual growth. This article explores the fundamental similarities and differences between these two thinkers’ understandings of divine revelation and metaphysics. By analyzing how Ibn Sīnā’s reason-based approach intersects and diverges from Ghazālī’s intuition and inspiration-based Sufi approach, this study provides an in-depth examination of how the concept of divine revelation has been shaped within Islamic theology and philosophy, highlighting the contributions of both thinkers to the discourse on divine revelation. Full article

This study explores the integration of sustainability and cultural sensitivity in clustering Muslim tourist lifestyles in the Andaman coastal region. The Muslim tourist demographic, representing a significant portion of the global population, prioritizes halal standards and Islamic attributes in their travel experiences. This research investigates the lifestyle patterns of Muslim tourists and their alignment with sustainable tourism principles, particularly in Thailand’s Andaman coastal area, known for its marine and beach tourism. A multi-method approach was employed, utilizing the AIO (Activities, Interests, and Opinions) framework for quantitative data collection through the surveys of 836 Muslim tourists, and qualitative insights from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with local stakeholders. The study identified key lifestyle clusters: Mainstream Travelers, Experience Seekers, and Chillouts, each with specific preferences for halal services, prayer facilities, and eco-friendly accommodations. The findings underscore the importance of a tailored approach in promoting sustainable tourism that respects cultural values. Recommendations include enhancing halal-certified services, improving infrastructure for religious practices, and promoting eco-friendly tourism options. By aligning sustainability with cultural sensitivity, the Andaman coastal region can attract more Muslim tourists while preserving its environmental and cultural heritage. This research contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable tourism by emphasizing cultural sensitivity and provides practical guidelines for tourism stakeholders in the Andaman region to develop inclusive and sustainable tourism strategies. Full article

The authenticity of classical Arabic poetry has long been challenged by claims that some part of the pre-Islamic poetic heritage should not be attributed to this era. According to these assertions, some of this legacy was produced after the advent of Islam and ascribed, for different reasons, to pre-Islamic poets. As pre-Islamic poets were illiterate, medieval Arabic literature devotees relied on Bedouin oral transmission when writing down and collecting the poems about two centuries later. This process left the identity of the real poets who composed these poems and the period in which they worked unresolved. In this work, we seek to answer the questions of how and to what extent we can identify the period in which classical Arabic poetry was composed, where we exploit modern-day automatic text processing techniques for this aim. We consider a dataset of Arabic poetry collected from the diwans (‘collections of poems’) of thirteen Arabic poets that corresponds to two main eras: the pre-ʿAbbāsid era (covering the period between the 6th and the 8th centuries CE) and the ʿAbbāsid era (starting in the year 750 CE). Some poems in each diwan are considered ‘original’; i.e., poems that are attributed to a certain poet with high confidence. The diwans also include, however, an additional section of poems that are attributed to a poet with reservations, meaning that these poems might have been composed by another poet and/or in another period. We trained a set of machine learning algorithms (classifiers) in order to explore the potential of machine learning techniques to automatically identify the period in which a poem had been written. In the training phase, we represent each poem using various types of features (characteristics) designed to capture lexical, topical, and stylistic aspects of this poetry. By training and assessing automatic models of period prediction using the ‘original’ poetry, we obtained highly encouraging results, measuring between 0.73–0.90 in terms of F1 for the various periods. Moreover, we observe that the stylistic features, which pertain to elements that characterize Arabic poetry, as well as the other feature types, are all indicative of the period in which the poem had been written. We applied the resulting prediction models to poems for which the authorship period is under dispute (‘attributed’) and got interesting results, suggesting that some of the poems may belong to different eras—an issue to be further examined by Arabic poetry researchers. The resulting prediction models may be applied to poems for which the authorship period is under dispute. We demonstrate this research direction, presenting some interesting anecdotal results. Full article

This study examines the influence of fraud disclosure (FR_DISC) in annual reports on the financial stability of Takaful insurance (TKI) in Saudi Arabia over the period of 2014 to 2022. Moreover, the current study aims to explore the mediating impact of Shariah board size in shaping this relationship using agency theory and examines whether the different Islamic governance attributes could affect this stability differently. Using the dynamic generalized method of moments (GMM) approach to address the possibility of endogeneity, it was found that FR_DISC is significantly negatively related to the financial stability of a sample TKI. We also provide evidence that the larger the size of a Shariah board, the less FR_DISC affects TKI stability. Furthermore, significant negative influence of ownership concentration and the proportion of non-executives’ independent board members on the stability of insurance companies was also observed. Overall, our analysis reveals several significant challenges if accounting and whistleblowing are to contribute to financial stability. Full article

In this paper, we argue that under certain assumptions, Islamic theism moves in the direction of a multiverse. We present several arguments in two major categories. The first is based on the divine attribute of everlastingness: if God’s everlasting attributes are expressed in the creation and the universe has a finite past, then God created a multiverse. The second category involves perfect being theology: if some of God’s attributes express themselves in the creation, and God has every compossible perfection, then we should expect God to create a multiverse. Full article

This study utilizes the random forest technique to investigate risk management practices and concerns in Islamic banks using survey data from 2016 to 2021. Findings reveal that larger banks provide more consistent survey responses, driven by their confidence and larger survey budgets. Moreover, a positive link is established between a country’s development, characterized by high GDPs and low inflation and interest rates, and the precision of Islamic banks’ survey responses. Analyzing risk-related concerns, the study notes a significant reduction in credit portfolio risk attributed to improved risk management practices, global economic growth, stricter regulations, and diversified asset portfolios. Concerns related to terrorism financing and cybersecurity risks have also decreased due to the better enforcement of anti-money laundering regulations and investments in cybersecurity infrastructure and education. This research enhances our understanding of risk management in Islamic banks, highlighting the impact of bank size and country development. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for ongoing analysis beyond 2021 to account for potential COVID-19 effects and evolving risk management and regulatory practices in Islamic banking. Full article

In the modern era, the importance of Fazlur Rahman’s method of interpreting the Qur’an, which considers the historical dimension of revelation, is significant. Fazlur Rahman advocated renewal, emphasizing the maqasid in response to the new conditions and circumstances introduced by the modern era. Many theologians and thinkers in Turkey have taken note of and reinterpreted this method. In this study, I examine the perspectives of İlhami Güler and Mustafa Öztürk, who adopt a historicist approach to understanding and interpreting the Qur’an. I explore the particular conceptions of God and humans, on which they base their historicist perspective, according to the maqasid concept. I determine that their views on God’s attribute of speech (Kalam) and God’s relationship with time/history significantly shape their conception of God. I attempt to identify the relationship between their drawing of a distinction between word and meaning in the revelation of the Qur’an (lafdh and ma’na), and their efforts to renew Sharia law. Although both thinkers adopt a historicist approach, I highlight how they differ on some issues, especially on the word–meaning issue. Nevertheless, they converge on the idea that revelations are influenced by the human conditions prevailing at their time of emergence. Moving from that proposition, they argue that, today, while preserving the fixed structure of religion, Sharia should be updated in the light of current conditions. I demonstrate how they believe in the idea, especially in the case of Güler, that while God previously changed Sharia, humans should now initiate this change. In this updating activity, maqasid serves as a link binding religion and Sharia together. I suggest that they treat maqasid as a reference point representing the essence of religion (ad-Din) for the renewal of Islamic thought today. Full article

Background: Organ transplantation is inherently dependent on the availability of organ donors. There is a noticeable paucity of literature addressing the rates of organ donation registration and the awareness of Islamic regulations (Fatwa) regarding organ donation within Saudi Arabia. Our study aimed to evaluate the level of organ donation registration, awareness of Islamic regulations, and knowledge of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation (SCOT) within the Saudi society. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey from 30 March to 9 April 2023. This survey aimed to assess the awareness of Islamic (Fatwa) guidance on organ donation, the role of SCOT, and the rate of organ donation registration facilitated through the Tawakkalna app, the official health passport application in Saudi Arabia. Results: Out of 2329 respondents, 21% had registered as potential deceased organ donors, despite 87% acknowledging the importance of organ donation. Awareness of the Islamic Fatwa regarding organ donation was reported by 54.7% of respondents, and 37% recognized the Fatwa’s acceptance of brain death criteria. The likelihood of registration as organ donors was higher among Saudi citizens under 45 years of age, females, healthcare workers (HCWs), individuals with higher education, relatives of patients awaiting organ donations, those informed about the Islamic Fatwas, and those willing to donate organs to friends. Conversely, being over the age of 25, Saudi nationality, employment as an HCW, awareness of SCOT, and prior organ donation registration were predictive of a heightened awareness of Islamic Fatwas. However, perceiving the importance of organ donation correlated with a lower awareness of the Fatwas. Significant positive correlations were found between awareness of SCOT, awareness of Fatwas, and registration for organ donation. Conclusions: While the Saudi population exhibits a high regard for the importance of organ donation, this recognition is not adequately translated into registration rates. The discrepancy may be attributable to limited awareness of SCOT and the relevant Islamic Fatwas. It is imperative to initiate organ donation awareness campaigns that focus on religious authorization to boost organ donation rates and rectify prevalent misconceptions. Full article