
Mohammad Hashim Kamali
Professor Dato' Dr. Mohammad Hashim Kamali is founding CEO of the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) Malaysia.
Let's Read the Quran in the language you best understand (in Bahasa Malaysia)
Setiap orang pastinya mengingati pengalaman terawal mereka dengan Al-Quran. Bagi Prof. Mohammad Hashim, pengalaman terawalnya dengan Al-Quran adalah bersama Allahyarham bapanya, yang merupakan seorang cendiakawan agama dan seseorang yang amat berpengetahuan tentang Al-Quran. “Allahyarham bapa saya akan bangun pada awal pagi pada waktu subuh, selalunya langit masih lagi gelap. Allahyarham juga akan mengajar saya dan abang saya pada usia 6 atau 7 tahun dari awal pagi sehinggalah waktu sarapan pagi dan waktu sekolah. Beginilah rutin kami. Bukan sahaja allahyarham bapa mengajar kami untuk membaca Al-Quran, tetapi, beliau akan mengajar kami maknanya. Sedikit sebanyak, ini membolehkan kami untuk memahami Al-Quran secara mendalam,” katanya...............................Download the full article in pdf attachment (below)
In the past, fasting was attributed to human spiritual belief in worshiping God for meditation reasons. It has been practised for thousands of years in serving various purposes of life. It is still a practice today. Generally, the practitioners are subjected to certain dietary procedure which trains them to be better disciplined to gain better self-control.
Fasting to Muslims is a practice of abstaining from food and drinks, sexual contact, arguments and unkind language or acts from dawn to sunset. It is the fourth pillar of Islam.
Muhammad Abū Zahra (updated version)
Human dignity in Islam and its impact on society
Islamic history has witnessed varying patterns of Muslim-non-Muslim relations, and contemporary Muslim societies are also seeing occasional lapses into negative patterns and advice. The launderette issue, which arose when one or two outlets attempted to offer their services to Muslims only, has, to all intents and purposes, been settled by the Malay Rulers, who rightly sought to put a stop to divisive activities that prejudiced social harmony in the country. Here, we place the issue in the larger context of human dignity as follows........................Download the full article in pdf attachment (below)
Human Benefits: Science and technology in Islam
Questions have been asked on how Islam relates to science and technology. We respond to this from the perspective of maqasid, which refers to the higher purpose of syariah, and the benefits it seeks to realise for the people. Many have argued that the whole of syariah is meant to promote human benefits, which are, however, beyond enumeration and too many to count........................Download the full article in pdf attachment (below)
A Quranic perspective on thinking
The Quran repeatedly invites its readers to think about the signs of God in the universe and within themselves, and to understand His illustrious presence. Thinking is a movement driven by intellect (al-Naql), and this can only occur when an initial image of the subject is attainable in the mind. Thinking cannot proceed over something of which no image exists in the mind.......................Download the full article in pdf attachment (below)
Organ, blood donation acts of great merit
The permissibility in Islam of organ and tissue transplant and blood donation is supposed to be a settled issue here in Malaysia and elsewhere in the Muslim world, yet questions keep arising on whether this is also permissible between Muslims and non-Muslims.......................Download the full article in pdf attachment (below)
Religion not the root cause of conflicts
Mainstream media tend to associate extremism and terrorism with Islam, but evidence shows otherwise. The root causes of most present-day conflicts have very little to do with religion even if they may appear to have religious implications. For instance, the Israeli-Arab conflict is about land, dispossession and the right of self-determination, even if some religious fanatics are exploiting the issue for their own ends. The conflict in Kashmir is also about the right of self-determination; it is not a Hindu-Muslim conflict......................Download the full article in pdf attachment (below)
Islam and sustainable growth
Sustainable development (SD) gained traction in the 1960s due to heightened apprehensions over crucial issues of human survival. The key question asked was: Are we moving towards a sustainable future considering the poverty trap, human dignity deficit, HIV/lethal diseases and ecological degradation?.....................Download the full article in pdf attachment (below)
Universalism of the ummah
Notwithstanding its wide-ranging diversity in the currents of ideas, schools of thought and madhhabs, the ummah has maintained an impressive profile of unity and inclusivism. This is a function largely of the ethical universalism of the Quran, and its call to enjoin what is good and praised (maʿruf) and forbid what is morally evil and disliked (munkar). This is evidently not a culture-specific injunction, just as it is also addressed to all peoples, regardless of their religious affiliations...................Download the full article in pdf attachment (below)
The higher purposes of syariah
Maqasid have taken centre stage in the contemporary studies of syariah, just as it has also become an engaging theme of the government. March saw the introduction of Malaysia’s Syariah Index at a Jakim (Islamic Development Department)-sponsored convention in Putrajaya, with the participation of more than 130 experts and researchers from local universities..................Download the full article in pdf attachment (below)