OF ISLAMIC ISLAMIC ... 6

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A M E R I C A N J O U R N A L O F I S L A M I C S O C I A L S C I E N C E S VOLUME 33 2016 NUMBER 4 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC THOUGHT FALL

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AMERICAN JOURNALOF

ISLAMICSOCIAL SCIENCES

VOLUME 33 2016 NUMBER 4

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC THOUGHT

AMERICAN

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FALL

In this issue

ARTICLESFraming Political Islam: Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood and the 2011 Uprising

Amir Abdul Reda

Female Preachers and the Public Discourse on Islam in MalaysiaNorbani B. Ismail

A Model-based Semantic Network for Smart Representationand the Inference of Islamic LawAhmed Mabrouk

Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers at theInternational Islamic University MalaysiaIbrahim M. Zein

REVIEW ESSAY

BOOK REVIEWS

FORUM

CONFERENCE, SYMPOSIUM, AND PANEL REPORTS

4

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INTERNATIONALINSTITUTE OF

ISLAMIC THOUGHT

The International Institute of Islamic

several universities and research centersto implement its objectives.

Phon p: www.amss.ne

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NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONOF ISLAMIC AND MUSLIMSSTUDIES (NAAIMS)The Norits nIslatain501.izatielecpassopestudtablischoacanualpersNAdemexpturepublstudencThe tion, schpartiditienceLectorgaalogMetion to the quarterly American Journal of Is-lamic Social Sciences (AJISS), a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal publishedjointly by N

Phone: (703) 471-1133 • Fax: (703) 471-3922E-mail: [email protected]

INTERNATIONALINSTITUTE OF

ISLAMIC THOUGHT

The International Institute of Islamic

several universities and research centersto implement its objectives.

Editor-in-ChiefAli Mazrui EditorZakyi IbManaging EditorAliaa Dakroury

Copy EditorJay WilloughbyBook Review EditoMahdi Tourage

Associate Edi orsImad-ad-Dean AhmadMehmet Asutay Haifaa JMarcia Ahmad Yousif

Khurshid AhmadAkbar AhmedManzoor AlamTaha J. al-AlwaniZafar Ishaq AnsariKhaled BlankinshipKatherine BullockCharles ButterworthAhmad DavutogluJohn L. EspositoMehdi Golshani

M. KamMohamEnes KaClovis Seyyed James P. Anne SoTamara Antony Sayyid

International Advisor

A joint publication oAssociation of Muslim Social Scientists of &International Institute of Islamic TMailing Address:All correspondence should be addresseAJISS, P.O. Box 669, Herndon, VA 2Phone: 703-471-1133 ● Fax: 703-471-3922 ● E-http://www.amss.net //A

Editor-in-ChiefAli Mazrui EZManaging Aliaa Dakr

Copy EdJay WillouBook RevieMahdi Tou

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Khurshid AhmadAkbar AhmedManzoor AlamTaha J. al-AlwaniZafar Ishaq AnsariKhaled BlankinshipKatherine BullockCharles ButterworthAhmad DavutogluJohn L. Esposito

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A joint publicAssociation of Muslim Social Scient&International Institute of IsMailing AdAll correspondence should be aAJISS, P.O. Box 669, HerndoPhone: 703-471-1133 ● Fax: 703-47www.iiit.org / w

Sayyid M.

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TH AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONF ISLAMIC AND MUSLIMSSTUDIES (NAAIMS)sociation of Muslim Social Scientists ofmerica (AMSS) has formally changede to the North American Association of and Muslim Studies (NAAIMS). It re-s status as an independent non-profit tax-exempt membership-based organ- run by a board of directors that is every two years. NAAIMS encom-the United States and Canada, and is all scholars dedicated to promoting thef Islam and Muslim societies. It was es-d in 1972 by North American Muslims for the sole purpose of establishing anic forum where scholars could meet an-to debate social issues from an Islamictive.

S produces and disseminates aca-esearch on Islam and the diverse livednce of Muslims. Its conferences, lec-ward programs, research activities, andtions promote reflective and analyticalthrough the disciplines of the social sci-nd humanities. est Graduate Paper Awards” competi-tablished by AMSS in 2001, encouragesship among emerging Muslim scholarsating in its annual conferences. In ad-NAAIMS sponsors regional confer- North America. In 2008, a “University Series” was established to increase theation’s campus profile and facilitate di-with the academy. rship includes a free one-year subscrip-the quarterly American Journal of Is-Social Sciences (AJISS), a peer-ed interdisciplinary journal publishedby NAAIMS and IIIT.

AJISS

Phone: (703) 471-1133 • Fax: (703) 471-3922E-mail: [email protected]

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ISLAMIC THOUGHT

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INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC THOUGHT

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Editor-in-ChiefAbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman EditorZakyi IbrahimManaging Editor

Aliaa Dakroury

Copy EditorJay Willoughby

Book Review EditorMahdi Tourage

Associate EditorsImad-ad-Dean Ahmad

Mehmet AsutayHaifaa JawadMarcia Hermansen

Ahmad Yousif

Khurshid AhmadAkbar Ahmed

Manzoor AlamKhaled Blankinship

Katherine BullockCharles Butterworth

Ahmad DavutogluJohn L. EspositoMehdi Golshani

M. Kamal HassanMohammad H. KamaliEnes KaricSeyyed Hossein NasrJames P. PiscatoriAnne Sofie RoaldTamara SonnAntony SullivanSayyid M. Syeed

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A publication of:

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The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) is an intellectual andcultural foundation. It was established and registered in the United Statesof America at the beginning of the fifteenth hijrī century (1401/1981) withthe following objectives:

• To provide a comprehensive Islamic outlook through elucidating theprinciples of Islam and relating them to relevant issues of contempo-rary thought.

• To regain the intellectual, cultural, and civilizational identity of theummah by conducting research in the humanities and the social sci-ences.

• To rectify the methodology of contemporary Islamic thought in orderto enable it to resume its contribution to the progress of human civi-lization and give it meaning and direction in line with the values andobjectives of Islam.

The institute seeks to achieve its objectives by:

• Holding specialized academic conferences and seminars.

• Supporting and selectively publishing works of scholars and re-searchers in universities and academic research centers in the Muslimworld and the West.

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The institute has a number of overseas offices and affiliates, as well as ac-ademic advisors, for the purpose of coordinating and promoting its variousactivities. It has also entered into joint academic agreements with severaluniversities and research centers to implement its objectives.

AJISSP.O. Box 669, Herndon, VA 20170-0669 USAPhone: (703) 471-1133 • Fax: (703) 471-3922

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Editor-in-ChiefAbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman

EditorZakyi Ibrahim

Managing EditorAliaa Dakroury

Copy EditorJay Willoughby

Book Review EditorMahdi Tourage

Associate EditorsImad-ad-Dean Ahmad

Mehmet AsutayHaifaa JawadMarcia Hermansen

Ahmad Yousif

Khurshid AhmadAkbar Ahmed

Manzoor AlamKhaled Blankinship

Katherine BullockCharles Butterworth

Ahmad DavutogluJohn L. EspositoMehdi Golshani

M. Kamal HassanMohammad H. KamaliEnes KaricSeyyed Hossein NasrJames P. PiscatoriAnne Sofie RoaldTamara SonnAntony SullivanSayyid M. Syeed

International Advisory Board

A publication of:

The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Mailing Address:All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at:

AJISS, P.O. Box 669, Herndon, VA 20172-0669 USAPhone: 703-471-1133 ● Fax: 703-471-3922

[email protected] ● www.iiit.org

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Editor-in-ChiefAbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman

EditorZakyi Ibrahim

Managing EditorAliaa Dakroury

Copy EditorJay Willoughby

Book Review EditorMahdi Tourage

Associate EditorsImad-ad-Dean Ahmad

Mehmet AsutayHaifaa JawadMarcia Hermansen

Ahmad Yousif

Khurshid AhmadAkbar Ahmed

Manzoor AlamKhaled Blankinship

Katherine BullockCharles Butterworth

Ahmad DavutogluJohn L. EspositoMehdi Golshani

M. Kamal HassanMohammad H. KamaliEnes KaricSeyyed Hossein NasrJames P. PiscatoriAnne Sofie RoaldTamara SonnAntony SullivanSayyid M. Syeed

International Advisory Board

A publication of:

The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Mailing Address:All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at:

AJISS, P.O. Box 669, Herndon, VA 20172-0669 USAPhone: 703-471-1133 ● Fax: 703-471-3922

[email protected] ● www.iiit.org

VOLUME 33 FALL 2016 NUMBER 4

AMERICAN JOURNALOF

ISLAMIC SOCIAL SCIENCES

A double blind peer-reviewedand interdisciplinary journal

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC THOUGHT

Note to Contributors

The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences (AJISS) is a double blind peer-reviewed andinterdisciplinary journal that publishes a wide variety of scholarly research on all facets of Islamand the Muslim world: anthropology, economics, history, philosophy and metaphysics, politics,psychology, religious law, and traditional Islam. Submissions are subject to a blind peer reviewprocess.Submissions must conform to the following guidelines:• Be the author’s original research. Simultaneous submissions to other journals, as well as pre-

vious publication in any format and language, are not accepted.• Be between 7,000 and 10,000 words in length (shorter articles may be accepted when justified

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AJISS is indexed in the following publications: a) U.M.I. (16 mm microfilm, 35 mm microfilm,105 mm microfiche for article copies of 1990 issues and after); b) Religion Index One: Peri-odicals and Index to Book Reviews in Religion (1987 and after). These indexes are part of theATLA Religion Data-base, available on the WilsonDisc CD-ROM from H. W. Wilson Co., andonline via WilsonLine, BRS Information Technologies, and Dialog Information Services; c)Public Affairs Information Service (December 1990 and after); d) Sociological Abstracts - Pro-Quest (1985 and after); and e) International Current Awareness Services (1992 and after). Se-lected material is indexed in the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences. Opinionsexpressed in AJISS are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of theeditors or publishers. No photocopying is allowed without the express permission of the pub-lisher. See last page for distributors and subscription rates.

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© International Institute of Islamic ThoughtISSN 0742-6763

CONTENTS

Editorial ................................................................................................................v

ArticlesFraming Political Islam: Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood and the 2011 Uprising

Amir Abdul Reda ................................................................................................1

Female Preachers and the Public Discourse on Islam in MalaysiaNorbani B. Ismail..............................................................................................23

A Model-based Semantic Network for Smart Representationand the Inference of Islamic LawAhmed Mabrouk ...............................................................................................48

Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers at theInternational Islamic University MalaysiaIbrahim M. Zein ................................................................................................77

Review EssayContemplation and Craft in Turkish Material Arts

Tammy Gaber..................................................................................................................95

Book ReviewsThe Shi‘a in Modern South Asia: Religion, History, and Politics

(by Justin Jones and Ali Usman Qasmi, eds.)Philipp Bruckmayr........................................................................................................102

Epistles of the Brethren of Purity. Sciences of the Soul and IntellectPart I. An Arabic Critical Edition and English Translation of Epistles 32-36(by Paul E. Walker, Ismail K. Poonawala and David Simonowitz, Godefroidde Callatay, eds./trans.)Sajjad Rizvi ...................................................................................................................106

Uṣūl al-Tafsīr: The Sciences and Methodology of the Qur’an(by Recep Doğan)Walid Ghali....................................................................................................................110

The Transnational Mosque: Architecture and Historical Memory in theContemporary Middle East(by Kishwar Rizvi)Tammy Gaber ................................................................................................................112

Magic in Islam(by Michael Muhammad Knight)Amina Inloes..................................................................................................................117

Iftā’ and Fatwa in the Muslim World and the West (by Zulfiqar Ali Shah)Saheed Ahmad Rufai.....................................................................................................121

Qur’an in Conversation(by Michael Birkel)Julian Bond ...................................................................................................................126

ForumThe Foundation and Principles of Critical Thinking

Muhammad Mumtaz Ali................................................................................................132Communities of Interpretation: The Case of the Qur’an

Emran El-Badawi .........................................................................................................145

Conference, Symposium, and Panel ReportsIslamic Thought and Secular Modernity

Jay Willoughby..............................................................................................................154IIIT Panels at the 2016 ISNA Convention

Hadeel Elaradi..............................................................................................................160

Editorial

Consensus in the Islamic Legal System:An Indispensable or a Negligible Source?

All Muslims regard the Qur’an as authoritative. The Sunnah, on the otherhand, although authoritative to the majority of Muslims, does not enjoy suchuniversality.1 Yet to the Sunnis and Shi‘ahs, both of them are so authoritativethat they are unquestionable sources of Islamic legal system. Thus, they aresources “from” which Islamic law is directly derived. So what makes “con-sensus” (ijmā‘: whether of the Muslim community or of the scholars) such acompelling candidate for an additional source of the legal system as far asSunnis are concerned? I contend that (1) the early jurists viewed this as thesafest way to inoculate and safeguard that system (and the other sources) fromindividual abuse and personal manipulation and that (2) without consensusand why it was originally construed and framed (notwithstanding how it wasapplied) by the jurists, the Qur’an and the Sunnah (despite their inherent re-ligious and theological authority) would be meaningless or inadmissible aslegitimate sources of law. But before I discuss consensus, I would like to ad-dress the two authoritative sources of law.

All Muslims accept the Qur’an as God’s own words and therefore as themain source of the legal system (fiqh). Before the jurists began to deliberateand codify fiqh, the Shari‘ah was already embedded in the Qur’an and Mus-lims were living their socio-religious and politico-economic lives in accor-dance with its teachings. Therefore, when the jurists were ready to put thelaws into written form, they located all its original rules and expounded uponthem. However, universal recognition differs from universal agreement on themeaning of specific injunctions. In addition, it certainly differs from the claimthat the Qur’an covers every foreseeable legal injunction, for it does not.

For a variety of reasons, the the Sunnah, does not enjoy any universal au-thority, among them (1) Some Muslims have questioned how the Prophet’steachings have been preserved and passed on, (2) classical and modern schol-ars have raised serious doubts about the authenticity of certain hadiths, and

(3) the existence of several versions of obviously credible ones raised ques-tions as to what exactly the Prophet must have said or done.

Early Muslims recognized the problem of fabrication and sought to weedout out spurious traditions and expose inauthentic narrators by focusing on thechain of transmitters instead of the text. Even if they were successful, that doesnot completely remove the core problem of risking or jeopardizing Islamicprinciples or guarantee any credibility for using the Sunnah to enact laws, be-cause in matters of law only impeccable information can be used.

Other problems raised are (1) whether all of the Companions, and by de-fault their narrations, are equally trustworthy; (2) the fact that the Sunnah waswritten down so late; and (3) the acceptance of hadith transmission accordingto the sense (riwāyah bi al-ma‘nā). In fact, Muslims like Chiragh Ali (d. 1895),a follower of Sayyid Ahmad Khan (d. 1898), and Mahmud Abu Rayyah, whowrote in 1958, felt that Sunnah can neither be relied upon nor used as a sourceof the legal system.2 However, the overwhelming majority of Muslims havenot only acknowledged its indispensability, but have also accepted that theearly efforts to weed the hadith were effective and that there are more thanenough authentic hadiths to legitimize the Sunnah’s status.

ConsensusAccording to Imam al-Shafi‘i, the so-called founder and master architect ofjurisprudence,3 consensus, as the third source of the legal system, is defined as“the adherence of the congregation of Muslims to the conclusions of a givenruling pertaining to what is permitted and what is forbidden after the passingof the Prophet.”4 The jurists cite Q. 4:115 to justify or support consensus: “Ifanyone opposes the messenger after guidance has been made clear to him, andfollows a path other than that of the believers, We shall leave him on his chosenpath and burn him in Hell, an evil destination.” On the other hand, consensusderives its sanction from a statement ascribed to the Prophet: “Indeed, my com-munity will never agree on error (ḍalālah).”5

From the above definition, several points merit clarification. Consensus wasnot needed while the Prophet was alive. Besides, as a source of law himself(shāri‘) through God’s delegation (Q. 59:7), the Prophet did not need consensusin legal matters, and so it was not yet in effect. However, the Qur’an did en-courage him to consult others – but only in world matters. Still, according to Q.3:159, it was ultimately up to him to decide the issue and then rely upon God.

Consensus must be arrived at, a priori, among a group of Muslims. Butdoes this process have to literally involve all Muslims? Some scholars argue

vi The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4

that this was possible only among the Companions, for their numbers wererelatively small and they could all be geographically accounted for. When thatreality ended, some scholars interpreted consensus in any given region. Whenthis was no longer feasible, it was further restricted to that of scholars ofany given region. Wael Hallaq writes about the consensus of Iraqis in earlyIslam: “Consensus extended in theory to all countries, but in practice it hada local character. On matters related to general practice, all Muslims weredeemed to participate in forming consensus, whereas on technical points ofthe law, the scholars had the monopoly.”6 Madinah’s scholars sometimesshared the belief in the universal consensus, but they limited consensus tothe practice of their city, which was deemed binding and inerrant.

Consensus is necessary only in jurisprudential matters. But given that thejurisprudential and legal domains encompass all aspects of life, jurists haveto reach a consensus on what to do with those people who break the law anddetermine whether it is a punishable offence or crime. However, because sometheological positions are subsumed under legal matters, consensus is expectedfor certain theological matters, such as belief in angels, without which one’sbelief cannot be considered complete (Q. 2:285 and Q. 2:177). More signifi-cantly, there has to be a consensus as to what the verses mean to the beliefsystem and what their absence means to any Muslim.

Consensus makes sense if it is a source “through” which law is derived,because unlike the Qur’an and Sunnah it cannot be resorted to to locate themaxims and components with which to enact laws. Instead, strictly speaking,it is a mechanism “through” which, rather than a literal entity “from” which,laws are enacted. In this sense, it is a metaphorical source that relies upon theQur’an and Sunnah for its legal vitality and efficacy. Therefore without con-sensus, the understanding and application of the Qur’an and the Sunnah wouldbe delegitimized. Jurists find the Qur’anic injunction, understand and analyzeit, formulate the legal code, and then seek consensus to legitimize their under-standing, analysis, and enactment of the law.

The role ascribed to consensus would be limiting and constricting if itwere applied strictly to wider Islamic learning, for it would mean that noscholar’s opinion would be deemed valid until, at least, a majority of otherscholars agreed with it. That is why it is not widely applied in that sense. Al-though an agreement on any issue and in any analysis is welcome, there hasnever been, nor should there be, a call for consensus in individual expressionsand personal opinions, as a requisite for being accepted. In fact, Muslims havealways anticipated divergent opinions and taken for granted the differencesof analytical positions. The contents and methodologies of Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī

Editorial vii

(d. 923), and the Tafsīr al-Kabīr of Fakhr al-Razi (d. 1209) and others are clas-sic examples this.

Finally, there was still room for different opinions and divergent positionseven in the field of law. No matter how much the jurists disagreed, when itcame to law there had to be consensus both in their understanding of thesources’ contents and their derivation of the applicable laws. This is where cur-tailing abuse and manipulation become important, for no scholar should try toimpose his understanding on the rest. There were also other matters of debate,such as whose consensus should count as well as how wide or inclusive itshould be. The formation of multiple schools of law and the acceptance of theiropinions also indicated that consensus did not mean total agreement. In thiscase, it was construed as operating within the confines of each school.

I think credit should be given to the early Sunni scholars and, by exten-sion, to Islam for making consensus a source of the legal system. Although itmay seem negligible for not being a real, tangible source, construing and fram-ing it as a source of law indicates the understanding that a durable legal systemneeds a system of checks and balances. One of the anticipated positive con-sequences of this was the prevention of any abuse, monopoly, or manipulationof the texts of the Qur’an and Hadith. Even though some verses are not easilysubject to manipulation, numerous other ones are. Consensus, as a supportingsource for the Qur’an and Sunnah, guarantees that no one can unilaterallyenact laws based upon his own understanding. And before consensus, otherscholars will identify the incorrect understandings and conclusions and eithercorrect or discard them.

Scholars took consensus seriously. For instance, in some fiqh books thefirst thing that they do, even before beginning their discussions of legal chap-ters, is almost always cite their textual justification for it before addressingtechnical and practical matters. For example, he would justify the five dailyprayers by first citing those verses that make them obligatory (e.g., Q. 4:103and Q. 2:43) and then the relevant hadiths, such as the one that lists prayersas one of the five pillars.7 He would conclude by stating that the entire Muslimcommunity has reached consensus with regard to these specific prayers.

But why should a scholar insist on citing consensus after having provedthat prayers are sanctioned by the Qur’an and Sunnah? The answer is to fortifyhis understanding of the Qur’anic verses and Hadith, and his use of it withconsensus, to prove that his conclusion is neither unique nor heretical. Giventhis reality, it stands to reason that in the domain of law, consensus may bemore crucial to support one’s understanding than one’s quotation of the Qur’anand Hadith. Unfortunately, in our own day Muslims seem to be ignoring this

viii The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4

mechanism of consensus, which would now be very easy to adopt due to tech-nological advances, thereby allowing abundant space for the manipulationand abuse of Islamic texts and teachings.

This IssueWe begin this issue with “Framing Political Islam: Syria’s Muslim Brotherhoodand the 2011 Uprising” by Amir Abdul Reda. He argues that despite the re-markable evolution in the movement’s cultural/ideological framing, it couldnot attract the military, the masses, and the religious minorities. Abdul Redaposits that its ideological shift toward non-violence and post-1982 reorientationtoward democratic elections prevented its members from playing a leadershiprole. He concludes that these three crucial aspects illustrate how poor cultural/ideological framing can doom an otherwise effective organization.

Next is Norbani B. Ismail’s “Female Preachers and the Public Discourseon Islam in Malaysia.” She analyzes Malaysia’s activist female preachers’recorded online lectures, radio talks, and interviews to identify their preachingstyles and themes. Determining that they are trying to create a sound moraland ethical society by fulfilling their own moral and religious obligations, sheopines that they adhere to the authorities’ rules and their society’s norms sothat they can continue to gain authority and trust from both the established re-ligious authorities and the public.

Ahmed Mabrouk follows with his “A Model-based Semantic Networkfor Smart Representation and the Inference of Islamic Law.” He introduces anovel hybrid approach for smart representation and the deduction of legal rul-ings, and also uses an uṣūl-based structure to represent the various elementsof rulings across a multi-dimensional semantic network. Mabrouk argues thatsmart deduction engines provide compact codes of fiqh rules and deduce an-swers to the queries relevant to these rules. He also suggests that a fully com-puterized system that comprises a fiqh knowledge base and smart deductionengines can be developed. Finally, he delineates the proposed system’s selec-tive browsing, comparative analysis, deduction from fiqh rules, and fatwa as-sistance features.

We close with Ibrahim M. Zein’s “Professional Ethics and the Educationof Engineers at the International Islamic University Malaysia.” He applies amethodic strategy to address (1) the discourse’s theoretical aspect that utilizestextual strategies and content analysis and (2) the specific case of the IIUM’sengineering faculty. Zain insists that his paper’s main contributions deal withhow to overcome predicaments in ethical sensibility, ward off dismissive ges-

Editorial ix

tures, and distinguish between values and their realization in the everydayworld. He argues that such a process enables the human agent to discover,rather than make, values and come to understand that ethical sensibility is notabout truth and falsehood, butr ather about one’s degree of realization.

I hope that our readers will find these papers not only thought-provokingand stimulating, but also sources of inspiration and motivation for their ownresearch.

Endnotes

1. Wael B. Hallaq, A History of Islamic Legal Theories: An Introduction to SunniUsul al-Fiqh (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997), 22.

2. L. T. Librande, “Hadith,” in The Encyclopedia of Religion (New York and Lon-don: Macmillan Publishing Company, n.d.), 6:149-150.

3. Hallaq, A History, 30 and 34.4. Abdullah Saeed, Islamic Thought: An Introduction (London and New York:

Routledge, 2006), 49.5. Sunan ibn Mājah, “Kitāb al-Fitan,” hadith no. 3950. 6. Hallaq, A History, 20.7. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, “Kitāb al-Īmān,” hadith nos. 8 and 4515; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, hadith

no. 114; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, hadith no. 2609; and Sunan Ibn Mājah, hadith no.3973.

Zakyi Ibrahim, EditorComparative Religion Department

California State University [email protected]

x The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 33:4

IIIT Proudly Presents

THE MIRACULOUSLANGUAGE OF THE

QUR’AN: EVIDENCE OFDIVINE ORIGIN

Bassam Saeh

PBK: $8.95 ISBN 978-1-56564-665-0eBook: $4.50 Google Play / Google BooksPages: 99

This study illustrates why the language of the Qur’an is miraculous, unique, and evidence ofdivine authority. The author compares the language of the Qur’an with the language of pre-Is-lamic poetry, the Prophet’s words (hadith), and the language of the Arabs both past and present,to demonstrate that although the Qur’an was revealed in Arabic, it was at the same time anArabic which was entirely new. Original and early Muslim audiences viewed this as miraculousand responded to the Qur’an’s words, sounds, rhythms, etc. in a manner consistent with a deeperappreciation of its beauty and majesty which modern ears, trained by familiarity, and despitebeing surrounded by all manner of dictionaries and studies, are at a loss to capture.

The author attempts to remove this veil and present the Qur’an to readers as if hearing it forthe first time, to bring to life some of this wonder. In doing so he guides readers to appreciatethe beauty of the Qur’an, to become more immersed in it, and to have a clearer understandingof its structure and flow. Devoting special attention to Surah Al Muddaththir, to underpin hisanalysis, Saeh thus brings the Revelation to life, demonstrating that each surah has distinct fea-tures and characteristics that make it stand out uniquely within the design and sweep of thewhole.

Dr. Bassam Saeh holds a BA in Arabic literature from Damascus University, Syria, and an MA& PhD in modern Arabic poetry from Cairo University. He has been Head of the Arabic De-partment in Tishreen University, Syria (1977) and has taught in a number of other universities,including: Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Oxford. He was the founder and principal of OxfordAcademy for Advanced Studies (1990 – 2005). He has been presenter of several radio and TVprograms and author of several books.

* * *

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In this issue

ARTICLESFraming Political Islam: Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood and the 2011 Uprising

Amir Abdul Reda

Female Preachers and the Public Discourse on Islam in MalaysiaNorbani B. Ismail

A Model-based Semantic Network for Smart Representationand the Inference of Islamic LawAhmed Mabrouk

Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers at theInternational Islamic University MalaysiaIbrahim M. Zein

REVIEW ESSAY

BOOK REVIEWS

FORUM

CONFERENCE, SYMPOSIUM, AND PANEL REPORTS

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INTERNATIONALINSTITUTE OF

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TH AMERICAN ASSOCIATIONF ISLAMIC AND MUSLIMSSTUDIES (NAAIMS)sociation of Muslim Social Scientists ofmerica (AMSS) has formally changede to the North American Association of and Muslim Studies (NAAIMS). It re-s status as an independent non-profit tax-exempt membership-based organ- run by a board of directors that is every two years. NAAIMS encom-the United States and Canada, and is all scholars dedicated to promoting thef Islam and Muslim societies. It was es-d in 1972 by North American Muslims for the sole purpose of establishing anic forum where scholars could meet an-to debate social issues from an Islamictive.

S produces and disseminates aca-esearch on Islam and the diverse livednce of Muslims. Its conferences, lec-ward programs, research activities, andtions promote reflective and analyticalthrough the disciplines of the social sci-nd humanities. est Graduate Paper Awards” competi-tablished by AMSS in 2001, encouragesship among emerging Muslim scholarsating in its annual conferences. In ad-NAAIMS sponsors regional confer- North America. In 2008, a “University Series” was established to increase theation’s campus profile and facilitate di-with the academy. rship includes a free one-year subscrip-the quarterly American Journal of Is-Social Sciences (AJISS), a peer-ed interdisciplinary journal publishedby NAAIMS and IIIT.

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Editor-in-ChiefAbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman EditorZakyi IbrahimManaging Editor

Aliaa Dakroury

Copy EditorJay Willoughby

Book Review EditorMahdi Tourage

Associate EditorsImad-ad-Dean Ahmad

Mehmet AsutayHaifaa JawadMarcia Hermansen

Ahmad Yousif

Khurshid AhmadAkbar Ahmed

Manzoor AlamKhaled Blankinship

Katherine BullockCharles Butterworth

Ahmad DavutogluJohn L. EspositoMehdi Golshani

M. Kamal HassanMohammad H. KamaliEnes KaricSeyyed Hossein NasrJames P. PiscatoriAnne Sofie RoaldTamara SonnAntony SullivanSayyid M. Syeed

International Advisory Board

A publication of:

Mailing Address:All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at:

AJISS, P.O. Box 669, Herndon, VA 20172-0669 USAPhone: 703-471-1133 ● Fax: 703-471-3922

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The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) is an intellectual andcultural foundation. It was established and registered in the United Statesof America at the beginning of the fifteenth hijrī century (1401/1981) withthe following objectives:

• To provide a comprehensive Islamic outlook through elucidating theprinciples of Islam and relating them to relevant issues of contempo-rary thought.

• To regain the intellectual, cultural, and civilizational identity of theummah by conducting research in the humanities and the social sci-ences.

• To rectify the methodology of contemporary Islamic thought in orderto enable it to resume its contribution to the progress of human civi-lization and give it meaning and direction in line with the values andobjectives of Islam.

The institute seeks to achieve its objectives by:

• Holding specialized academic conferences and seminars.

• Supporting and selectively publishing works of scholars and re-searchers in universities and academic research centers in the Muslimworld and the West.

• Directing higher university studies toward furthering work on issuesof Islamic thought.

The institute has a number of overseas offices and affiliates, as well as ac-ademic advisors, for the purpose of coordinating and promoting its variousactivities. It has also entered into joint academic agreements with severaluniversities and research centers to implement its objectives.

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[email protected] • www.iiit.org/ajiss

Editor-in-ChiefAbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman

EditorZakyi Ibrahim

Managing EditorAliaa Dakroury

Copy EditorJay Willoughby

Book Review EditorMahdi Tourage

Associate EditorsImad-ad-Dean Ahmad

Mehmet AsutayHaifaa JawadMarcia Hermansen

Ahmad Yousif

Khurshid AhmadAkbar Ahmed

Manzoor AlamKhaled Blankinship

Katherine BullockCharles Butterworth

Ahmad DavutogluJohn L. EspositoMehdi Golshani

M. Kamal HassanMohammad H. KamaliEnes KaricSeyyed Hossein NasrJames P. PiscatoriAnne Sofie RoaldTamara SonnAntony SullivanSayyid M. Syeed

International Advisory Board

A publication of:

The International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT)

Mailing Address:All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor at:

AJISS, P.O. Box 669, Herndon, VA 20172-0669 USAPhone: 703-471-1133 ● Fax: 703-471-3922

[email protected] ● www.iiit.org

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AMERICAN JOURNALOF

ISLAMICSOCIAL SCIENCES

VOLUME 33 2016 NUMBER44

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ISLAMIC THOUGHT

AMERICAN

JOU

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F ISLAMIC SO

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VOLU

ME 33 N

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In this issue

ARTICLESFraming Political Islam: Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood and the 2011 Uprising

Amir Abdul Reda

Female Preachers and the Public Discourse on Islam in MalaysiaNorbani B. Ismail

A Model-based Semantic Network for Smart Representationand the Inference of Islamic LawAhmed Mabrouk

Professional Ethics and the Education of Engineers at theInternational Islamic University MalaysiaIbrahim M. Zein

REVIEW ESSAY

BOOK REVIEWS

FORUM

CONFERENCE, SYMPOSIUM, AND PANEL REPORTS

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