The Islamic Concept of Justice

Allah has blessed His slaves with certain seasons of goodness, in which rewards for good deeds are multiplied, bad deeds are forgiven, people’s status is raised, the hearts of the believers turn to their Lord, those who purify themselves attain success, and those who corrupt themselves fail. Ramadan, the month of fasting, is one such season. Fasting is one of the greatest acts of worship, and Allah has made fasting obligatory for His slaves. As the status of this act of worship is so high, it is essential to learn the rulings that have to do with the month of fasting, so that the Muslims will know what is obligatory, in order to do it, what is forbidden, in order to avoid it, and what is permissible, so that they do not need to subject themselves to hardship by depriving themselves of it. Matters Related to Fasting is a good summary of the rulings, the etiquette, and the manner of fasting according to the Sunnah.

Our soul inevitably follows a route starting from birth, passing through death, and ending with our resurrection in the next life. The inevitable journey discusses over a sequence of titles: sickness, inheritance, funerals, Life in Barzakh and so on…

Are Muslim men allowed to interact with female students, and vice versa, in a virtual classroom? Can a Muslim woman pursue a professional career that necessitates her interaction with men? Is it appropriate for a woman to serve her husband’s guests? Do mixed wedding ceremonies comply with the Sharia? Read this bilingual book to find the answers and more!

This book offers a detailed presentation of the theory of Muslim law (usul al-figh). Often regarded as the most sophisticated of the traditional Islamic disciplines, Muslim jurisprudence is concerned with the way in which the rituals and laws of religion are derived from the Qur’an and the Sunna – the precedent of the Prophet. Revelation, which is given to man to restore unity and help him achieve a just and devout order in society as well as in the soul, must be interpreted so as to render it practicable in every culture, while not betraying its spirit and immutable provisions. To achieve this, additional sources of legal authority are recognized, including consensus (ijma), analogical deduction (qiyas), public interest (maslaha) and local customary precedent (urf). In employing these, the jurist guards the five principles which it is the purpose of Islamic law to uphold, namely, the right to life, sound mind, property, lineage and religion.

Written by a number of Islamic religious authorities and Muslim scholars, this work presents the views and teachings of mainstream Sunni and Shi’i Islam on the subject of jihad. It authoritatively presents jihad as it is understood by the majority of the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims in the world today, and supports this understanding with extensive detail and scholarship. No word in English evokes more fear and misunderstanding than “jihad.” To date the books that have appeared on the subject in English by Western scholars have been either openly partisan and polemical or subtly traumatized by so many acts and images of terrorism in the name of jihad and by the historical memory of nearly 1,400 years of confrontation between Islam and Christianity. Though jihad is the central concern of War and Peace in Islam: The Uses and Abuses of Jihad, the range of the essays is not confined exclusively to the study of jihad. The work is divided into three parts: War and Its Practice, Peace and Its Practice, and Beyond Peace: The Practice of Forbearance, Mercy, Compassion and Love. The book aims to reveal the real meaning of jihad and to rectify many of the misunderstandings that surround both it and Islam’s relation with the “Other.”

Reviews:

“A dynamic myth-busting clarification of the real position of mainstream orthodox Islam on the whole question of violence and jihad.” —T. J. Winter, University of Cambridge

“This is the best book on the subject in English. It will be of inestimable value.” —Shaykh Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti Emeritus of Bosnia