The actual function (not the declared purpose) of all modern media (print media, radio, tv, the film industry and the new so-called social media) is to connect those who want to sell something with potential buyers, in other words, modern media are a vehicle for the transfer of marketable information about consumers and products. Social… Continue reading Using social media
Gender justice
Gender justice cannot be, and is not deliverable by means of a mechanical conception of gender equality. The differences that are expressed as gender are intimately connected to the biological difference between male and female. That difference exists to enable diversification and distribution of genetic traits. Gender is partly socially constructed to prepare individuals for… Continue reading Gender justice
The Classical persistent western attitude to the natural world
1- The natural world is world as given. This world includes the human being before it is influenced by other human beings. In other words, the natural world includes the human being as an animal, not as an human. 2- This distinction between animal and human echoes throughout the ideas that have dominated western philosophy… Continue reading The Classical persistent western attitude to the natural world
Inheritance in Islam and European law
The inheritance laws in Islam are designed to contribute to the re-distribution of property in order to prevent excessive concentration of private wealth while at the same time maintaining the solidarity of family property. In other words, the role of wealth and family sharing in it is part of the bond of family and the… Continue reading Inheritance in Islam and European law
The Qur’anic translations
(Revised version) Q. Mr Haider Ali Nadwi, an `alim from Bhopal in India, wrote to me asking whether I can recommend an English translation of the Qur’an, if so which one? A. The most popular translation now is by Prof. Abd al-Halim, and it is one that I have advised my students to consult it… Continue reading The Qur’anic translations
How to convey belief, and so preserve religion
By Dr Mohammad Aram Nadwi The problem for all teachers and students in all subjects from primary level to the highest grades of post-doctoral research is that belief in religion is irrelevant to competence in the subject matter, even when the subject matter is religion in general or a particular religion. The whole of modern… Continue reading How to convey belief, and so preserve religion
Specialized/technical language
This is a way of using words that fix their meanings for yourself and others. It is useful and necessary to have precise terms for highly specialized tools and instruments, and for designating certain measures or quantities and, in certain disciplines for designating certain concepts. This use of language is strictly limited to communication with… Continue reading Specialized/technical language
Purpose of Islam
The purpose of Islam is not to create an Islamic social or political system; rather the point is for individuals, young and old, men and women to strive to please God. Collective life, customs, manners and laws should help that purpose, not to replace it. When we come into the world, we come as dependent… Continue reading Purpose of Islam
Writing for one’s time
There have been many great Muslims who did not commit their religious wisdom to writing. We know about them and have some of their sayings only because they taught their disciples who recorded them. We cannot say such Muslims were self-absorbed or self-centred, not concerned with fellow human beings, because they were teachers and improved… Continue reading Writing for one’s time
Modern science seeks power, not wisdom
Modern science is dedicated to explaining events and processes in the natural world, most of the time by means of some degree of mastery of the chain of the causes and effects that lead to specific events and processes. The problem with this approach is two-fold. Firstly, in respect of the knowledge generated and, secondly,… Continue reading Modern science seeks power, not wisdom