Ongoing Research

Research Updates - (September - December 2018)

Professor Mohammad Hashim Kamali is currently finalising his book, ‘Lawful and Harmful in Shariah and the Halal Industry’. His Occasional Paper Series, Actualisation of the Higher Purposes (Maqasid) of Shariah will be published jointly by IAIS Malaysia and IIIT UK, and his Separation of Powers will be published by IAIS Malaysia.

He co-authored with Apnizan Abdullah, PIP No: 5 - Shari’ah Parameters for the Halal Industry in Malaysia, and PIP No: 6 with Mohammad Mahbubi Ali, Shari’ah Non-Compliance in Tawarruq Financing in November 2018.

He published two articles in the ICR: “Classical Islamic Political Thought and Its Contemporary Relevance,” and “Stoning as Punishment of Zina: Is it valid?,” Vol. 9 No: 4 (October 2018) and Vol. 9 No: 3 (July 2018) respectively. Also two of his articles were published in New Straits Times: “Female Genital Mutiliation Forbidden in Islam,” 14 December 2018 and “Was the Public Caning Justified,” 21 September 2018. His article, Tayyibat, Spirituality and Fitrah, was carried in IAIS Bulletin No. 45 (July-August 2018).

Prof Kamali was interviewed by Jenni Ruippo and Monique Kastermans from Wali Media Production Center (WMPC), Finland on 5 November 2018 at IAIS Malaysia.

He gave opening remarks at two IAIS events. One on 1 November 2018 and the other at the “10^th Year Anniversary Seminar – The Rise of Smart Society and the Role of Islam in Navigating Civilisational Renewal,” on 13 November.

Professor Kamali presented his paper on “Civilisation and Commerce in Islam: Global Halal Movement with Special Reference to Malaysia”, at Kyoto University International Symposium: Japan-Malaysia Initiatives on New Asian-Islamic Civilisational Paradigm, 10 December 2018 and was a panelist at the RTD: Hadhari Global Network, 12 December 2018, Kyoto.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohamed Azam Mohamed Adil has published Islamic Law in Malaysia – Issues, Developments and Challenges (with Mohammad Hashim Kamali), IAIS Malaysia & CLJ Publication, 2018; “Intervention Notes On Majority and Minority in the Context of Freedom of Religion in Malaysia: 50-Year Developments” (with Azril Mohd Amin), Developments in Malaysian Law - Essays Commemorating 50Years of Legal Education at UiTM (1968-2018), Sweet & Maxwell and Thomson Reuters Asia Sdn Bhd, Subang Jaya, 2018; Democratic Transitions in the Muslim World (with Ali Salman & Mohammad Hashim Kamali), Pelanduk Publications, IAIS Malaysia & Islam & Liberty Network, 2018; “The Role of Islamic Think Tanks in Human Capital Development: IAIS Malaysia’s Experience” (with Ahmad Badri & Wan Naim), The 10^th Year & The Road Ahead - IAIS Malaysia Special Anniversary Issue, November 2018; “Preserve Essential Foundations”, NST, 5 September 2018; “The Right to Life and Death in Syariah”, NST, 2 November 2018; and “Is Malaysia a Secular State?”, NST, 28 December 2018. A book dissection on Pelaksanaan Undang-undang Islam di Malaysia – Khayalan Atau Realiti? with Assoc. Prof. Dr Shamrahayu Abd Aziz & Khairul Anwar Ismail, Co-organised by IAIS Malaysia & ABIM, 26 September 2018. He appeared on a programme FIKRAH - Sebat Syarie on TV 1, 26 October 2018 and on a programme Mingguan Wanita (live) on Astro Prima, 8 November 2018. He was invited by SUHAKAM as a moderator for Panel Discussion 1 at the National Seminar on Islam and Human Rights, organized by JAKIM & SUHAKAM, 27 November 2018. He was invited as a presenter on Maqasid al-Shari’ah and VBI for Sustainable Islamic Finance, Kyoto University International Symposium: Japan-Malaysia Initiatives on New Asian-Islamic Civilisational Paradigm, 10-11 December 2018. He was live interviewed over the phone on Abolition of Death Penalty on Astro Awani, 12 November 2018. He was interviewed by Jenni Ruippo and Monique Kastermaus for a TV programme in Finland, 5 November 2018. He appeared on the programme Islam Today, TV1, 15 December 2018.

Alexander Wain recently published an article in the New Straits Times, entitled ‘A Continuity of Prejudice’ (republished in IAIS Bulletin no. 46) and two book reviews, one for Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde and the other for ReOrient: Journal of Critical Muslim Studies. Forthcoming publications include a chapter covering Southeast Asia in the Oxford Handbook of Islamic Archaeology (Oxford University Press) and a translation of the Hikayat Raja Pasai’s conversion narrative with an accompanying commentary in A Sourcebook for Pre-Modern Conversion to Islam (University of California Press). Alexander’s ongoing research projects include two articles for the ICR, one critiquing Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas’s general theory of Islamisation, the other an exploration of Acehnese (Islamic) nationalism. He is also preparing a monograph on the conversion of the Nusantara to Islam, to be published with a major academic publisher.

Mohammad Mahbubi Ali completed a research grant report entitled “Strengthening Islamic Financial System Framework Toward Improving Financial Inclusion in Indonesia,“ for the Central Bank of Indonesia. He also published two articles: “Islamic Finance Promotes Inclusion” in NST (19 Oct 2018), and “Islamic Finance and Financial Inclusion” in IAIS Bulletin no. 46/2018. Currently, he is finalising a working paper for IAIS-UNICEF-IMAN research project, entitled “Exploring the Viability of Corporate Zakat for Child Grant in Malaysia.” His co-authored paper, “Developing Islamic Financial Inclusion Index for Islamic Banks in Indonesia: A Cross-Province Analysis,” was conferred the best paper award at the 4th International Islamic Monetary Economics and Finance Conference, 13-14 Dec 2018 in Surabaya Indonesia.

Ahmad Badri Abdullah has finalised two policy issue papers entitled Malay Traditional and Contemporary Customs from the Shariah Perspectives and ‘Challenges Facing the Halal Vaccine: Issues & Proposed Solutions?’. The first part of his article on ‘The Many Challenges Facing the Jurisprudence of Maqasid’ appeared in the Sept-Oct Bulletin while the second part appeared in the Nov-Dec Bulletin. He also prepared several memorandum as requested by the High Level Committee on Federal Institutions of Islamic Affairs on issues relating to the application of maqasid al-shari’ah in the Malaysian religious institutions as well as on Malay customary practices. He is also finalizing an OPS entitled ‘Artificial Intelligence from The Islamic Perspectives’ with another fellow members in the Islam & Science, Environment and Ethics unit.

Shahino Mah Abdullah contributed articles for the IAIS Bulletin in the previous and current issues entitled, “Intelligent Robot and Legal Rights Issues: An Islamic Perspective” and “Artificial intelligence and the rising ethical issues”, respectively. His article was also published in the newspaper, namely “Artificial intelligence: Ethical Code Needed for AI” (New Strait Times, 30 November 2018). On 17 – 20 October 2018, he attended the International Greentech & Eco Product Exhibition & Conference Malaysia (IGEM) 2018 at KLCC and contributed a brief report on this event for the bulletin. His collaborative work with the University of Malaya in the field of green technology entitled, “UV- ozone treated graphene oxide/ PEDOT:PSS bilayer as a novel hole transport layer in highly efficient and stable organic solar cells”, was published online in the ‘Organic Electronics’ (Elsevier) in December. His submitted article and viewpoints will be published in ICR (Vol. 9, No. 3, 2018), namely, “Revisiting Traditional, Modern, and Islamic Values in Addressing Haze Issues” and “Intelligent Robot and the Legal Rights: An Islamic Perspective”, respectively.

Adha Shaleh has engaged in three core programs: Global Islamic Fintech summit, WIEF Social Enterprise Forum (AKEPT-WIEF) and Corporate Zakat for Universal Child Grant (UNICEF-IAIS-IMAN). He got the privilege to chair a forum on the future direction of higher learning education in Malaysia Hosted by IAIS Malaysia in its 10^th year anniversary’s seminar. He has successfully published ‘Experiential Learning in the Digital Age: Why it Matters?’ (Head Foundation Singapore). Adha is drafting the final copy of his policy paper, entitled ‘Disruptive trends in Education (IAIS).

Apnizan Abdullah has completed two policy briefs, entitled, “Why Halal matters in Malaysia should be centralised under the federal jurisdiction: An Appraisal” and “Sadaqah as a social finance instruments in Malaysia: Selected Proposed Models”. Her short article on “Value-Based Intermediation (VBI): the Next Big Shift in Islamic Financial Landscape in Malaysia”, featured in the IAIS Bulletin for July-August 2017 issue was subsequently published (with IAIS’ permission) in the Current Law Journal under the citation of “[2018] 1 LNS(A) cviii”. She has broadened this topic by preparing the first draft of an article under the title of “Value-Based Intermediation (VBI): A maqasidi approach within Islamic banking and finance framework”. She is also in the midst of collecting secondary data for another research works on “Halal vs Halalan Toyyiban: An Analysis of its theoretical and practical dimensions” and “Standardisation of Shariah parameters for halal industry practice for OIC countries: A potential movement or a myth?”.

Tengku Ahmad Hazri completed an occasional paper, ‘The Scope of Syariah Offences under Malaysia’s Constitutional Framework’ and two viewpoints, ‘The Case of the Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang’ and ‘On Identity Politics’. In addition, his article, ‘On Religious Freedom in Constitutions’ was also published in CLJ Bulletin [2018] 1 LNS(A) cxlii. Hazri also helped in the preparation of the Institute’s Memorandum of Recommendations and presentation materials to the newly established Federal Supreme Committee on Islamic Religious Affairs. He also served as rapporteur at the Round Table Discussion on Syariah Offences (8 October) and helped towards preparing the seminar resolution. Currently he is working on Islam and democracy as part of his wider research on Islam and constitutionalism.

Wan Naim Wan Mansor recently completed a short essay entitled Revisiting Majority-Minority Relations in the Era of New Malaysia to be submitted to a local publisher. He is also currently finalising a Policy Issue Paper (PIP) on Shariah Judiciary (co-authored with Prof Hashim Kamali, TA Hazri, and Ilham Ramli). He has also prepared a memorandum on Shariah law and child conversion, as requested by the newly formed Supreme Committee on Federal Institutions of Islamic Affairs, which is under the authority of the Conference of Rulers. He also attended a three-day intensive workshop on countering violent extremism in Malaysia and SEA, which was jointly conducted by the University of Maryland (USA) and IIUM-ISTAC (Dec 4-6). A report on the workshop is featured in this Bulletin issue. He also attended two other events, the Malaysian Freedom Summit held at the Malaysian Parliament (Dec 1), and a talk on the subject of normalising ties with Israel by a Palestinian scholar (Dec 24)..

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Sadly, not a day passes that we do not hear of acts of violence, conflict, kidnapping, terrorist attacks, killings and destruction, it is horrible that at times, to justify such barbarism, the name of a religion or the name of God himself is invoked. – Pope Francis addressed the representatives of different religions at Vatican City, November 2016

The sage is self-effacing and scanty of words. When the task is accomplished and things have been completed, all the people say, "We ourselves have achieved it!" – Chinese Text, Tao Te Jing

Food is the chief of all medicines. – Indian Text, Upanishads

One on tip-toe cannot stand. One who parades his own success will not endure. – Chinese Text, Tao Te Jing

It is the fate of every truth to be the object of ridicule when it is first acclaimed. It was once considered foolish to suppose that black men were really human beings and ought to be treated as such. – Albert Schweitzer

I asked the tree to speak to me about God, and it blossomed. – Rabindranath Tagore

There is a variety of gifts, but it is always the same Spirit. There are all sorts of services to be done, but always to the same Lord, working in all sorts of different ways in different people. It is the same God working in all of them. – Paul in 1 Corinthians (12:4-6)

The Native American Cree people say, "Only when the last tree has been cut, the last river poisoned, and the last fish caught, only then will you realize that one cannot eat money. – Thomas Menamparampil

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them. – Albert Einstein (d. 1955)

I have often regretted my speech, never my silence. – Xenocrates (d. 314 BC)

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. – Sir Winston Churchill (d. 1965)

There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship. - Thomas Aquinas

He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals. - Benjamin Franklin

The test of a man or woman’s breeding is how they behave in a quarrel. - George Bernard Shaw

Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once. - William Shakespeare

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. – Dao de Ching by Lao Tzu

A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. – Dao de Ching by Lao Tzu

Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained. – Dao de Ching by Lao Tzu

People are qualified for civil liberty, in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains on their own appetites. It is ordained in the eternal constitution of things that men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters. – Edmund Burke

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. – Jawaharlal Nehru (d. 1964)

Religion is never more tested than when our emotions are ablaze. At such a time, the timeless grandeur of the Law and its ethics stand at our mercy.– Timothy J. Winter (Abdal Hakim Murad)

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. – Mother Theresa

Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Do not resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. – Lao Tzu

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. – George Bernard Shaw

In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. – Martin Luther King Jr. (d. 1968)

You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality. – Ayn Rand, Russian novelist (d. 1982)

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. – Samuel Johnson, English writer (d. 1784)

A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both. – Dwight D. Eisenhower (d. 1969)

Justice, mercy, wisdom, righteousness and common good are the basics of Islam. Whatever gets out of justice to injustice is not from Islam. Whatever gets out of mercy to violence is not from Islam. Whatever deviates from common good to harm is not from Islam, and whatever dissents from wisdom to imprudence is not from Islam. – Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

It is reported that Imam Abu Hanifah was passing through the bazar and a small amount of mud fell on his clothes. He went to the local river and washed it. Someone asked him, "O Imam, you say a certain amount of dirt is exonerated and yet you are washing a little mud!" The imam replied, "Yes that was fatwa and this is taqwa." – Fariduddin Attar

For every sin but the killing of Time there is forgiveness. – Essential Sufism

Enlightenment must come little by little, otherwise it would overwhelm. – Idries Shah

To let go of attachments and belongings doesn’t mean you should own nothing. It means nothing should own you. – Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)

Hearts are vessels of God on earth. And the most beloved heart to Him is the one most clean, pure and pristine. – Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal

Knowledge is not what is memorised. Knowledge is what benefits. – Imam Shafi’i

Learn to be quiet just as you learn to talk, because if talking guides you, being quiet protects you. By being quiet, you attain two characteristics: you are able to take knowledge from those more knowledgeable than you and you are able to repel the ignorance of those more ignorant than you. – Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)

If words come out of the heart, they will enter the heart, but if they come from the tongue, they will not pass beyond the ears. – Al-Suhrawardi (Essential Sufism)

Shall I tell you who is kept away from Hell?...Everyone who is gentle and kindly, approachable and of an easy disposition. – Hadith

God is merciful to those who show mercy to others. – Hadith

A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves a thousand moments of regrets. – Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)

Lead such a life that, when you die, the people may mourn you, and while you are alive they long for your company. – Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA)

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself. – Jalaluddin Rumi

Power consists not in being able to strike another, but in being able to control oneself when anger arises. - Hadith

The highest status amongst the forgiving is of that person who has all the power to avenge, yet chooses to forgive. – Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib

Hearts are vessels of God on earth. And the most beloved heart to Him is the one most clean, pure and pristine. – Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal

To get what you love, you must first be patient with what you hate. – Imam al-Ghazali

To be humble is to accept the truth and submit to it even when you heard it from the tongue of a child, an educated one, or an ignorant person. – Fudhayl ibn Iyadh

Some people have passed away but their characters keep them alive. Others are alive but their character have killed them. – Imam Shafi’i

And still, after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, "Earth! You owe me". Look at the love like that. It illuminates the whole sky. – Hafez

As the very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake, we Muslims and Christians should let the unpleasantness between us become a thing of the past. - The Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Dr Ahmad al-Tayyeb's speech in Abu Dhabi

Declare your jihad on twelve enemies you cannot see _ egoism, arrogance, conceit, selfishness, greed, lust, intolerance, anger, lying, cheating, gossiping and slandering. If you can master and destroy them, then you will be ready to fight the enemy you can see. – Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you will become happy. And if you get a bad one, you will become a philosopher. – Socrates

Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. – Wernher Von Braun (d. 1977)

Buzi, a native of Zhengxian, asked his wife to make him a new pair of trousers. When asked the style of the new trousers, Buzi said: “Just like my old trousers.” His wife put a few holes in them so they would resemble the old pair.

A man was trapped by a tiger. In an attempt to save him, the man’s son took a cutlass and rushed towards the wild beast. At this juncture, the man shouted at the top of his lungs, “My dear son! My dear son! Attack its feet, not its skin, which is worth its weight in silver!”

At an art gallery, a woman and her ten-year-old son were having a tough time choosing between one of my paintings and another artist's work. They finally went with mine. "I guess you decided you prefer an autumn scene to a floral, " I said. "No," said the boy. "Your painting is wider, so it'll cover three holes in our wall."

I once gave my husband the silent treatment for an entire week, at the end of which he declared, “Hey, we’re getting along pretty great lately!”

They say we learn from our mistakes. That’s why I am making as many as possible. I will soon be a genius!

A men fell on the ground, and soon after fell down again. He said to himself: "Had I known I was going to fall a second time, I would have not gotten up so soon."

A government office issued an urgent document to be distributed among its subsidiaries. To ensure that it would be delivered in time, the messenger was provided with a horse. Running behing the horse, the messenger whipped the horse until it was galloping at full speed. Someone asked him in amazement: "If it's such an urgent mission why don't you ride the horse?" The messenger asnwered: "Running on six legs is certainly quicker than on four, isn't it?"

Hija purchased a sack of flour and hired a labourer to carry it. The labourer ran off with the whole sack. On seeing the labourer after a few days, Hija hid from him. "Why are you hiding from him?" the people asked. He replied, "I fear that he may ask for his wage."

The Ameer of the town appealed for funds to build a wall around the graveyard. Mulla Nasruddin, who was also present, got up and responded: "There is absolutely no need for any wall around the graveyard!"

A Mullah's friend asked the mulla how old are you? Forty replied the mullah. The friend said but you said the same thing two years ago! Yes, replied the mullah, I always stand by my word.

Young man: Ya Shaykh, I have repented, Alhamdulillah, but I cannot forget the woman I love. Shaykh: Pray to Allah using various supplications Young man: Please tell me some that I may use Shaykh: Oh Allah, put Iman in my heart, in my hearing, in my sight and in my path The young man interrupted and said, "Ya Shaykh, the woman that I love is called Iman."

Three people were praying salat in congregation. A man walks by and without knowing they are in salat says, "Assalamu Alaykum". One man in salat says "Waalaykum Assalam". The second person angrily says, "Astaghfirullah, you are not supposed to talk in salat." The third person praying says "Alhamdulillah, I didn't talk."

Here is the story of an Imam who got up after Friday prayers and announced to the people: "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building programme. The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets".

During a Q&A session, a scholar was asked, "Will we get cigarettes in Jannah?" to which he replied, "Maybe, but you'd have to go to Jahannam to light it".

A man who was an adherent of the Magian religion died and left behind a huge debt. Some of his creditors said to his son, "Sell the house and pay off your father's debt." The son said, "If I sell the house and pay off his debt, will he enter paradise?" They said, "No". He said, "Then leave him wherever he is and leave me in the house."

Hasan bin Sahl asked Dinar bin 'Abdullah,: "What is your religion?" He said, "I never thought that anyone alive would have to answer this question, for it is the question the angels of death, Nakir and Munkar, ask the dead."

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Ongoing Research

Research Updates - (September - December 2018)