Introduction Earlier this year, a debate between the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb and Mohamed Othman al-Khosht, President of Cairo University went viral.[1] Khosht argued that Islam needs renewal by...
Islamic Law
A Sober Second Thought: When and How Should Changes in Islamic Law be Made?
Introduction It is common for us to hear talk about the need for change and adaptability in Islamic law. The unprecedented developments that human society has gone through since industrialization have made...
In Defense of Faith: Principles and Guidelines for Islamic Apologetics
This essay has been summarized based on an intensive course delivered by Dr. Hatem Al-Haj entitled Islamic apologetics in December 2019 and presented in essay format by Dr. Nazir Khan with additions and...
Reviving the Waqf Tradition: Moral Imagination and the Structural Causes of Poverty
Abstract This paper builds on recent research classifying Islamic charitable endowments—the institution of the waqf—into distinct stages of historical and institutional development. It aims to imagine how...
Shari’ah in Today’s World: Renewing Islamic Discourse
Introduction Renewal of religious discourse in Islam (tajdeed) has taken center stage due to the turmoil in Muslim lands nowadays. While the concept of tajdeed is legitimate, the implication (occasionally...
Difference of Opinion: Where Do We Draw the Line?
Introduction The core tenets of Islam are established by unequivocal statements of the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. On those subsidiary matters that are subject to interpretation, the Islamic...
Women in Islamic Law: Examining Five Prevalent Myths
Abstract Concerns are often raised about the status of women in Islamic law. Often, misrepresentations and misconceptions about how women are treated by sharīʿah are used to advance the notion that Islam is...
Shari’ah: From Diverse Legal Discourse to Colonial Misrepresentation
Introduction Just over a century after the Prophet’s passing, Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ, the well-known Persian secretary and vizier to the second Abbasid caliph al-Manṣūr, penned his famous Risāla fī al-Ṣaḥāba (Epistle...
Is Islam a Conquest Ideology? On Jihad, War, & Peace
Abstract Does the construct of jihad equate to ‘perpetual war’ in Islam’s grand political scheme? And was the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ mostly about blood and gore and body counts? These are the core issues...
The Issue of Apostasy in Islam
Introduction The Shari’ah consists of some laws that remain the same regardless of changing circumstances and others that change with them. Most of the Shari’ah is up to individual Muslims to follow in their own lives...
Islam and Violence Against Women: A Critical Look at Domestic Violence and Honor Killings in the Muslim Community
Note Presented at the 12th Annual Conference on Crimes Against Women. Foreword by Dalia Mogahed During a November 17th, 2001 radio address, then first lady Barbara Bush sought to rally support for the war in Afghanistan...
Slavery and Islam: What is Slavery?
Introduction Is there slavery in Islam? When people pose this question they usually assume it’s the Islam part that needs clarification. Everyone already knows what slavery is. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. The...
