Hadith

The Book by Fatima Mernissi “The Veil and the Male Elite” has challenged the misogynists regarding the rights and role of women. The title of the book itself “The Veil and the Male elite” implies the word “veil”, in other words hijab, as a symbol of oppression. The arguments of Mernissi focus mainly on the hijab and the role of women as Muslims. She uses both the Islamic reference and her ideas on the interpretations on the hadit given by the scholars. Islam does provide equality regarding the…

Sharia is the law of Islam and it is Islam’s legal system which is derived from both the Holy Quran which is the Islam’s central text, the Sunnah (the practice and teachings of the prophet Muhammad) and also from the fatwas which are the rulings of the Islamic scholars. Sharia is an Arabic word which means: “The clear, well-trodden path to water.” Sharia law acts as a code for living that all Muslims should adhere to, including prayers, fasting and donation to poor. It aims to help Muslims…

B. Grammatical structure or syntax of the text: This requires the analysis of each verse, within its contextual constraints, in light of similar language, syntactical and grammatical structures used elsewhere in the Qur'an. Amina Wadud, in her book Qur’an and Woman, writes: Systematic attention to the relationship between universals and particulars would also bear on our understanding the Qur'an's usage of particular terms, since it establishes its own paradigmatic field of meaning for key…

Muhammad and the Believers presents us with a historical narrative of the early life of Islam and its formation. The five chapters inform the reader with the necessary exposition and background as well as subtle and reoccurring criticisms. While Donner makes it clear that not every story, reading, and text in the Quran is believable, they are in fact important as they give us insight and understanding. The book presents itself as a historical reading yet is familiar enough for the average reader…

Maurice Bloch’s definition of formalization is demonstrated in Heiko Henkel’s case study “Between Belief and Unbelief Lies the Performance of Salāt: Meaning and Efficacy of a Muslim Ritual”. In this essay I will first venture through Bloch’s definition of formalization with specific reference to rituals, language, and dance. Secondly, I will apply that definition to Henkel’s essay on Muslim salāt to demonstrate how salāt maintains traditional authority with formalization using specific…

The architects of the Dome of the Rock deliberately designed the space with the intention of portraying a message both to the followers of the Islamic faith and to the other prominent religions in the area. The Dome of the Rock is one of the earliest and elaborate major construction projects of the Islamic rulers. The reason for the Dome of the Rock’s creation can be seen through the thoughtful choices made for its location, the structural design, and the inscriptions and mosaics within the…

Let me start with a sort of disclaimer: I have no significant pull or push toward you. I find myself to be neither a liberal nor a conservative. I seek, like yourself, to be a servant of the American people. However (Yes, there is a however), I feel as though you forget that the duty of the POTUS is exactly that: to serve the American people at large, not the few that agree with your point of view. There are times where I feel that you have neglected this responsibility, one which you swore to…

"The Road to Mecca", is a book written by Muhammad Asad. He is an Austrian Jewish who converted to Islam by the end of the 1920's. The Road to Mecca was not only a description for the author's trip to Mecca, but an intellectual, historical, political and novel book that describes the author's feeling of Islam and the Muslim World. Muhammad Asad was a journalist, traveler, philosopher, historian, diplomat, thinker, scholar and a great believer in the religion he decided to convert to. In this…

Did you know that an Islamic woman once had to suffer ninety lashes and was sentenced to prison for associating in public with a man that she had no relations with (Harrison)? For years Islamic women have been oppressed by government laws and their status as human beings has almost been reduced to nothing. The Quran and the Sharia are at the soul of the Muslim faith, yet government changes done to the Sharia laws have oppressed Islamic women, altering their marital liberties, they way they dress…

Women of Islam are taught to be very conservative. Some women are taught to be like this at a very young age and others take modesty in to consideration once they become older. To be completely modest, some Muslim women wear hijab and other full-body covering clothes. Hijab is a headscarf that covers the woman’s hair and neck. Muslim women wear hijab for several different reasons. However, not all women of Islam wear it because they may face discrimination and possible harm due to the practice…