By Dr.Lubna Almenoar on 7-6-2010 5:36

 

Selected verses from Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s English language translation of the Quran were used as a literary text to teach both descriptive and figurative imagery. Several steps were taken for the preparation of this case study.

 



1.      The selected verses can be obtained through websites under the list of topics of the Quranic verses. A teacher can choose from a wide range of suitable topics for students. For this case study, the selected verses were Surah (37) As-Saffat (Those Ranged in Ranks), verses 62-68, 74. Verses 62-68 are verses about Hell and verse 74 is a verse about Heaven.

2.      The source of these verses was The Holy Quran, the English Language Translation of the Quran by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. The exemplary verses were found to be suitable in content for the teaching of both descriptive and figurative imagery. The presence of literary devices such as similes, metaphors...

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By Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer on 7-6-2010 3:40

After the fatwa from Deoband (some of the Deobandis deny that fatwa was ever issued) that Muslim women cannot work with strangers from amongst the men and that in that case her earnings will be haram (prohibited) to her family, a debate is raging on the need for ijtihad (creative reinterpretation of law) and it is often suggested that gates of ijtihad were closed after sack of Baghdad in 1258 and that these gates be reopened.

 

First of all we would like to point out that there is no church in Islam and no single authority and hence no one can issue a dictat to close the gates of ijtihad. Or re-open it. When Ibn Taymiyyah issued the fatwa on jihad after sack of Baghdad he went against the authority of his own Hanbali School and gave fatwa on his own authority. Hanbali school requires submission to the ruling authority.

 

Before we proceed further we would like to point out that ijtihad has been the very part of process of law making in Islam. The root meaning of ijtihad...

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