Paediatric oral health research in Malaysia is governed by international ethical frameworks and national regulatory requirements. While reporting of ethics approval and parental consent is well established, the documentation of child assent remains inconsistent. The frequent classification of dental studies as minimal risk may permit expedited review pathways or consent waivers, raising concerns about transparency. This scoping review aimed to map the reporting of ethics approval, parental consent and child assent in Malaysian paediatric oral health research published between 2001 and (...) 2025, with particular focus on describing current practices and documenting how assent procedures are reported in the absence of mandated requirements. The review followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation guideline. An electronic search of five databases: PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, MyJurnal and the National Medical Research Registry (NMRR) was conducted. Eligible studies comprised empirical research involving children aged 0–17 years in Malaysia. Data extraction focused on ethics approval, parental consent, and child assent. Transparency of assent reporting was assessed using a structured three-point framework informed by Malaysian Medical Research and Ethics Committee (MREC) guidelines for children aged 7–17 years. Seventy-one articles met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 88.7% (n = 63) reported ethics committee approval and 91.5% (n = 65) documented parental consent, whereas child assent appeared in only 6.9% (n = 5). Reporting of ethics committee approval and parental consent increased substantially, rising from below 50% in 2001–2005 to above 95% after 2015. Child assent was not reported until 2021–2025, appearing in 17.9% of studies during this period. Among the five studies reporting assent, three used written forms, two relied on implied assent, and only one provided a detailed procedure aligned with ethical standards. Ethics approval and parental consent are now routinely reported in Malaysian paediatric oral health research. However, documentation of child assent remains limited and often lacks procedural detail. Strengthening ethical transparency will require standardised, age-appropriate assent procedures and clearer editorial expectations. Improving reporting practices will better support children’s developing autonomy, reinforce responsible research conduct, and promote greater trust in paediatric oral health research. (shrink)

Studies on phenomenology and pedagogy in the context of physical education in schools are lacking in the literature, and often approaches are dominated by pragmatism. As such, Phenomenology and Ped...

Feminist New Materialisms, Sport and Fitness: A Lively Entanglement explores the interaction between technology and physically active humans, with a particular focus on sport and feminist concepts....

This study aimed to analyse the contribution of infaq funds to the social and economic resilience of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic in West Papua, Indonesia. This study uses a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative and quantitative studies. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions with administrators, Dai [Islamic preacher] and mosque congregations to obtain information about the form and mechanism for disbursing infaq funds. Furthermore, the state of distribution of infaq funds is confirmed to the recipient community with (...) an online survey as quantitative data. The data obtained were tabulated and analysed with descriptive and inferential statistics using multiple linear regression assisted by SPSS software 25 version. The research findings show that: firstly, the form of the social-economic contribution of infaq funds is carried out by: (1) financial assistance, (2) social assistance, and (3) health assistance. Secondly, infaq, an instrument of Islamic economics, can contribute to tackling the social and economic impacts of the community amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Thirdly, of the three forms of assistance provided, the health assistance aspect contributed 38.320%, the financial assistance aspect amounted to 37.173% and 24.339% to social assistance. This study shows that the community most needed health and financial assistance from infaq funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.Contribution: This study complements the existing literature and provides a new scientific treasure. That the infaq fund, as a philanthropy, turned out to be able to contribute to realising the social-economic resilience of the community during a disease outbreak. The form of health, financial and social assistance from infaq funds is a priority in accelerating the community’s economic recovery. It can be a countermeasure to socio-economic impacts during disasters and disease outbreaks. (shrink)

Biomedical Science Law & Practice is a practical strategic guide to the management of legal risks in biomedical science transactions, and commercialization of innovation and technology through strategic intellectual property licensing. This book provides a concise introduction to strategic legal risk management issues and strategic value creation in the entire biomedical science value chain, including legal liability issues from R&D, clinical trials, production of devices and market roll-out, protection of innovation through intellectual property (patents, copyrights, trade marks and trade secrets); (...) and commercialization of biomedical science innovation through strategic licensing and technology transfer, including unique licensing arrangements relating to genome. Checklists, sample agreements and biomedical patents and real life and hypothetical case studies used in the book facilitate learning at the operational or technical level of execution. (shrink)

In _Knowing God_, Ismail Lala investigates the nature of God and whether we can truly know Him according to the influential mystic, Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ʿArabī, and his disciple, ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Qāshānī.

This article intervenes in a vigorous debate in the study of medieval Islamic philosophy over whether Avicenna's epistemology is rationalist or empiricist. To settle the debate, scholars have so far focused almost entirely on Avicenna's emanationism or abstractionism. In this study, the author articulates two core theses of rationalism: first, innatism, the view that the mind starts out with certain basic truths or concepts; and second, necessitarianism, the view that we can attain necessary or absolutely certain and substantive knowledge. The (...) former has been insufficiently discussed in the debate while the latter has been entirely overlooked. The author demonstrates that Avicenna is not committed to innatism but does subscribe in his natural philosophy to necessitarianism. Thus, he concludes that Avicenna is a rationalist by virtue of the necessitarianism of his natural philosophy. This finding sheds new light on how we should understand Avicenna's philosophical project. (shrink)

Our research investigates how the inclusion of a company on an independent ethics index affects its attractiveness to institutional investors. Using a sample of 864 U.S. firms over the 2010–2018 period, we find that institutional investors significantly increase their holdings in companies in the quarter that they are included on the ethics index and maintain larger holdings in the four quarters following the inclusion on the Ethisphere list relative to pre-inclusion period, with dedicated institutional investors being more swayed to invest (...) than transient investors. This paper adds to the emerging literature on intermediate signaling by showing that a firm's inclusion on an ethics index reduces information asymmetry with institutional investors. Our evidence suggests that public companies should effectively, rather than ceremonially, adopt sound governance structures and invest in socially responsible activities, as these actions can increase their likelihood of being included on ethics indices. By doing so, these firms send credible signals about their ethical compass, granting them access to valuable institutional investments. (shrink)

This study explores the ways in which trust deficit undermines anti-corruption initiatives in a context with systemic corruption. Anti-corruption measures as panacea to systemic corruption are not new, but their effectiveness is debatable. Whilst understanding the causal relationship between corruption and trust remains germane to fighting corruption, a growing number of recent studies advocate better context sensitivity in developing anti-corruption initiatives. Consistent with this, we unpack the perceptions of a significant section of the population in which corruption is rampant to (...) identify factors that could enhance trust in the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures. Using commentaries from Nigerian Netizens on two critical corruption incidents that are significant to corporations, we uncover poignant narratives of perception of incompetence, dishonesty and confusion that undermine the anti-corruption measures in the context. We argue that donors, international organisations and businesses must encourage and support beneficiaries’ governments to secure and sustain trust in the anti-corruption initiatives as a condition for better results. (shrink)

Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) is regarded as one of the foremost mystical thinkers in Islam. This paper explores the ways in which he and his followers distinguish between the reality of Muḥammad (al-ḥaqīqa al-Muḥammadiyya) or the light of Muḥammad (al-nūr al-Muḥammadī), as the metaphysical reality of Muḥammad, and his metahistorical manifestation as Muḥammad Ibn ‘Abd Allāh. In his metaphysical reality, Muḥammad is the manifestation of the qur’ān, which ‘brings together’ the divine and His creation. Muḥammad’s metaphysical reality, as (...) the primary recipient of the divine outpouring, enables further differentiations of the divine to emerge in the form of the universe, and establishes his connection to the divine. Yet the Qur’an is also temporal in terms of being an historical act of revelation. Likewise, Muḥammad Ibn ‘Abd Allāh, in terms of his physical reality, was temporally circumscribed. It is in these ways, argues Ibn ‘Arabī and his acolytes, that Muḥammad, as reality and personality, brings together the divine and the temporal, in the same manner as the qur’ān/Qur’an respectively. (shrink)

ABSTRACT The connection between the unity of God and the multiplicity seen in the universe represents the central concern for the Sufi thinker, Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240). It deeply affected the thought of the Southeast Asian mystic, Ḥamza Fanṣūrī (d. 1590?), and his alleged disciple, Shams al-Dīn al-Sumatra’ī (d. 1630). Traces of this idea, through its popularisation in the poems of Fanṣūrī, exert a powerful influence on the Indonesian intellectual topography to this day. This article investigates the concept (...) of unity and multiplicity, of the One expressed as the many in the phenomenal world, in Ibn ‘Arabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam (Ringstones of Wisdom). Through a close textual reading of the chapters of Ādam (Adam) and Ibrāhīm (Abraham) and their various commentaries by the most influential followers of Ibn ‘Arabī, it concludes that the representation of ‘oneness of being’ (waḥdat al-wujūd), which was extensively taught by Fanṣūrī in Aceh, as an erasure of the God-Man divide, is untenable. (shrink)

Since the Iraq-Iran war in the 1980s, Iraq has turned into a place of living in perpetual mourning. The US invasion in 2003, sectarian fighting, and terrorism have set Iraq on a course of disintegration and destruction. Iraq has become the space where necropolitics (i.e., Achille Mbembe’s definition of politics as the work of death) is the (dis)order of the day. Focusing on the subject in times of crisis, the present study sits at the nexus of necropolitical experimentation, digital media, (...) satire, and dissent. The paper zooms in on Iraqi people’s uprising in October 2019 in conjunction with one of its major voices, namely Al-Basheer Show, an Iraqi satirical news program hosted by Ahmed Al-Basheer. Key contents of some selected videos and viewers’ reactions will be systematically analyzed to flesh out how satire and sociologies of the everyday continue the struggle against contemporary experiences of unspeakable environmental and human destruction. (shrink)

Indonesia has recently faced problems in various aspects of life. The results of a social media survey in Indonesia in early 2021 that the biggest threat to the Pancasila ideology is communism and other western ideologies. Communism has a dark history in the life of the Indonesian people. It shows the problem of thinking and philosophical views of the Indonesian people. This research is textbook research that aims to analyze philosophy books, namely mathematics education philosophy textbooks written with a Western (...) cultural background by Paul Ernest. This book was chosen as the object of analysis because this book is the essential reference textbook for the philosophy of mathematics education in universities providing prospective mathematics teachers in Indonesia. The research results show that this book contributes to developing Western thoughts that are contrary to Pancasila. It needs to eliminate the most critical thing in this book. It is the atheistic and individualistic philosophy underlying the ideology of mathematics education because this is not in line with the theistic collectivistic Pancasila. Therefore, this research recommends developing a textbook on the philosophy of mathematics education. It should be under the Pancasila ideology or written based on the Pancasila ideology. (shrink)

Nursing ethics today is often guided by policies, professional codes, and principle-based frameworks. These structures are essential for protecting patients and ensuring professional accountability. However, ethical practice cannot be reduced to following rules alone. Many nurses continue to experience moral distress, emotional strain, and loss of professional meaning, even when they comply with institutional guidelines. This suggests that ethical principles, while necessary, are not sufficient to sustain morally grounded practice in complex healthcare environments. This paper argues that nursing ethics requires (...) a stronger focus on moral agency – the capacity of nurses to act with integrity, reflection, and moral responsibility in challenging clinical situations. Drawing on Islamic ethical frameworks, particularly its emphasis on moral intention, trust ( amanah ), human dignity, and proportional responses to harm, the discussion offers a complementary perspective for strengthening ethical practice. In this sense, Islamic ethics is not presented as a replacement for existing frameworks; it is presented as a moral tradition that can enrich ethical reflection in diverse and plural healthcare settings. Through a structured normative conceptual analysis informed by contemporary scholarship in nursing ethics and Islamic bioethics, this paper proposes a reframing of nursing ethics that supports the development of reflective, ethically grounded practitioners in contemporary healthcare. (shrink)

Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) bifurcates mercy (_raḥma_) into two distinct categories: “the mercy that is freely given by God” (_raḥmat al-imtinān_), which he also calls “the mercy of existence” (_raḥmat al-wujūd_), and “the mercy that is obligated” by human actions (_raḥmat al-wujūb_). While all things are beneficiaries of the first type of mercy by virtue of the fact that they exist, only humans who conform to God’s laws receive the latter. Ibn ‘Arabī then proves that the ontological reality (...) of the feminine is such that it exhibits this duality of divine mercy most perspicuously. He adduces examples of women, as physical instantiations of spiritual symbols that reveal the connection between humanity and the divine truth, which must be divorced from their material and social lives. Whether it is through their ability to give birth that is emblematised by Ḥawwā’ (Eve) and Maryam (Mary)—the former being the first one to give birth, the latter giving birth without masculine intervention—or their life-giving sweet smell of purity that ‘Ā’isha, the wife of Prophet Muḥammad, had; or their divinely inspired speech that gives life, like that of Āsiya, the wife of Pharoah; or their mercy-based leadership that is both life-giving and rewarding, which is exhibited by Bilqīs, the Queen of Sheba. These are the five symbols of the mercy that is freely given and/or the mercy that is obligated through actions, but in very different ways. Through these five women, Ibn ‘Arabī exalts the metaphysical essence of women as emblematic of God’s most powerful attribute: mercy. This article makes an original contribution by presenting the ways in which Ibn ‘Arabī explores the ontological reality of the feminine principle through these exceptional women. (shrink)

Terminal kidney patients are faced with lower quality of life, restricted diets and higher morbidity and mortality rates while waiting for deceased donor kidney transplantation. Fortunately, living kidney donation has proven to be a better treatment alternative (e.g. in terms of waiting time and graft survival rates). We observed an inequality in the number of living kidney transplantations performed between the non-European and the European patients in our center. Such inequality has been also observed elsewhere in this field and it (...) has been suggested that this inequality relates to, among other things, attitude differences towards donation based on religious beliefs. In this qualitative research we investigated whether religion might indeed (partly) be the explanation of the inequalities in living donor kidney transplants (LDKT) among non-European patients. Fifty patients participated in focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. The interviews were conducted following the focus group method and analyzed in line with Grounded Theory. The qualitative data analyses were performed in Atlas.ti. We found that religion is not perceived as an obstacle to living donation and that religion actually promotes helping and saving the life of a person. Issues such as integrity of the body were not seen as barriers to LDKT. We observed also that there are still uncertainties and a lack of awareness about the position of religion regarding living organ donation within communities, confusion due to varying interpretations of Holy Scriptures and misconceptions regarding the process of donation. Faith leaders play an important educational role and their opinion is influential. This study has identified modifiable factors which may contribute to the ethnic disparity in our living donation program. We argue that we need to strive for more clarity and awareness regarding the stance of religion on the issue of living donation in the local community. Faith leaders could be key figures in increasing awareness and alleviating uncertainty regarding living donation and transplantation. (shrink)

The application of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of large language models (LLMs) like Deep Seek and ChatGPT to provide Islamic theological, legal, hermeneutic, and spiritual guidance presents unique opportunities to respond to issues that are specific to our time. Most studies have understandably focused on the practical problems of AI implementation, yet there are metaphysical and epistemological issues to consider. This article argues that AI causes a desacralisation of knowledge and reduces it to a single practical plane (...) of formalisation. The omission of the metaphysical foundation of religious knowledge has epistemological consequences. Without considering the metaphysical and epistemological superstructure that forms the basis of the practical issues of AI and religious guidance, our understanding of the challenges of AI in this new space remain ineluctably parochial. The conflation of all guidance—theological, legal, hermeneutic, spiritual—to a single plane in generative AI models poses significant risks. Nevertheless, the unprecedented scope for personalisation they offer provides an enormous opportunity that warrants further exploration. (shrink)

Can we know God or does he reside beyond our ken? In Ibn 'Arabi and 'Abd al-Razzaq al-Qashani's Metaphysics of the Divine, Ismail Lala conducts a forensic analysis of the nature of God and His interaction with creation. Looking mainly at the exegetical works of the influential mystic, Muhyi al-Din ibn 'Arabi (d. 638/1240), and one of his chief disseminators, 'Abd al-Razzaq al-Qashani (d. 736/1335?), Lala employs the term huwiyya, literally "He-ness," as an aperture into the metaphysical worldview of (...) both mystics. Does Al-Qashani agree with Ibn 'Arabi's conception of God? Does he agree with Ibn 'Arabi on how God relates to us and how we relate to Him? Or is this where Sufi master and his disciple part ways? (shrink)

The renowned mystical thinker Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) believes uncertainty (ḥayra) has a higher epistemological value than certainty. This is because certainty is only of ostensible reality, which ignores the true ontological underpinnings of phenomenality. To become cognisant of the reality that palpitates beneath the facade of the sensible world, we only have recourse to uncertainty. Uncertainty makes us realise that all existents are loci of divine manifestation. Nevertheless, God is simultaneously transcendent and immanent, which means we can (...) only know God through discarding the rule of the excluded middle. This, says Ibn ‘Arabī, gives rise to metaphysical uncertainty. Ibn ‘Arabī’s notion of uncertainty was subsequently taken up by an important commentator, Nūr al-Dīn al-Jāmī (d. 898/1492), who systematises uncertainty into different levels and offers an original hierarchy that defines which types of uncertainty are positive and which are negative. (shrink)

This study is the first part of an attempt to settle a vigorous debate among historians of medieval philosophy by harnessing the resources of analytic philosophy. The debate is about whether Avicenna's epistemology is rationalist or empirical. To settle the debate, I first articulate in this article the three core theses of rationalism and one core thesis of empiricism. Then, I probe Avicenna's epistemology in his major works according to the first core thesis of rationalism (the intuition thesis). In the (...) end, I find Avicenna committed to this thesis in at least one substantive way, namely, in his claim to intuit the intelligible forms or essences. This suffices to count Avicenna as rationalist. In a subsequent article, I shall probe Avicenna's epistemology according to the other two core theses of rationalism, presenting further evidence that he was a rationalist, not an empiricist. (shrink)

Genesis 1:26 states that humankind has been created in the image of God. There are three general interpretations of what this means. While the substantial view emphasises the essence of humankind and the relational view underscores the social aspect, the functional view highlights the responsibility of humankind to God’s creation. Recent studies have suggested that the substantial view was dominant in the pre-modern period and the functional view has become more popular in contemporary Christian theology. Contribution: This study carries out (...) a diachronic analysis that demonstrates that the functional view was always implicit in the substantial and relational views. Therefore, the responsibility that humankind bears towards the natural world is not a departure from the original denotation of imago Dei ; rather, it is a faithful representation of it. The second encyclical of Pope Francis, Laudato si’, testifies to this. Pope Francis draws attention to the functional view of imago Dei as an implicit part of the substantial view because of the just dominion that humankind should exercise over the rest of God’s creation, which would reflect the dominion of God in a spatiotemporal way. Further, he asseverates that the vertical relationship with God cannot be extricated from the horizontal relationship with God’s creatures, thereby functionalising the relational view. (shrink)

Being the largest Muslim country in the world, the conversation of Islam in Indonesian social media has grown to the distinctive opposite poles of belief among the Islamic communities. This study presents the discussions of theological selections among the application users, as evident from their contesting schools of thought. This study identifies the data by content analysis. It presents the information with the digital ethnography design by analyzing and interpreting data from online sources to identify themes, patterns, and trends. The (...) results show that social media greatly influences socio-religious development as religious organizations have responded to their participation in social media. The community then experienced social changes that prioritized relevant options in understanding religion according to their natural or developed preference, thus potentially creating an echo chamber. Some towering figures rise by the mobs with different proposals and will color the selection of Islamic ideology and views now and then. (shrink)

Big Data plays a central role in the progress and development of society, reshaping the ways in which societies function and determine the future across a variety of industries. Its value from the economic standpoint is evident from its capacity to improve decision-making, enhance economic growth, and raise living standards. Big Data encompasses numerous opportunities and challenges, centered on such points as optimizing project management, fostering socioeconomic development, and data privacy management. It allows better planning because it enables a much (...) more understandable and quicker decision-making experience from which the response time can be reduced and risk management, operational resolutions straightforward. It takes less time for changes to be made and eliminates enterprise-related risks, thereby advancing risk management. The greatest contribution from an economic angle is made to social and economic development, encouraging sustainable development and shedding light on the new perspectives emerging indicators can offer. Nevertheless, successfully realizing the full transformative potential of Big Data implies overcoming certain obstacles and solving numerous ethical issues related to the extensive use of data. To overcome these challenges is critical to ensure that Big Data does make a difference in society and helps to improve the lives of people everywhere. (shrink)

The renowned mystical thinker Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) believes uncertainty (ḥayra) has a higher epistemological value than certainty. This is because certainty is only of ostensible reality, which ignores the true ontological underpinnings of phenomenality. To become cognisant of the reality that palpitates beneath the facade of the sensible world, we only have recourse to uncertainty. Uncertainty makes us realise that all existents are loci of divine manifestation. Nevertheless, God is simultaneously transcendent and immanent, which means we can (...) only know God through discarding the rule of the excluded middle. This, says Ibn ‘Arabī, gives rise to metaphysical uncertainty. Ibn ‘Arabī’s notion of uncertainty was subsequently taken up by an important commentator, Nūr al-Dīn al-Jāmī (d. 898/1492), who systematises uncertainty into different levels and offers an original hierarchy that defines which types of uncertainty are positive and which are negative. (shrink)

This article explores the political implications of Muslim public self-presentation and forms of self-fashioning associated with the ongoing processes of re-Islamisation in both Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority societies. It sketches how projects of the Muslim public self contribute to a refiguring of the public sphere. The argument put forward is that public practices of self-reform grounded in religion and presented in pietistic terms are political by virtue of being tied to projects of societal reform and because they have a bearing on (...) the public sphere and public space. Proceeding from the premise that the public sphere is not neutral and that the subjectivities inhabiting it are shaped by power relations, the article examines the ways in which projects of Muslim public selves are imbricated in the material conditions of the settings in which they develop and as such are underpinned by dynamics of power and contestation. (shrink)

Governing halal has become an important topic of discussion not only in terms of halal concerns but also in understanding the Islamic governance process with regard to consumer interest, satisfaction and innovations. Halal governance in Malaysia has been in place since 1974, and it has seen many changes, difficulties and innovations. This chapter examines the evolution of halal governance in Malaysia as well as the advances made in the halal certification process from 2017 to the present in order to meet (...) customer interest and satisfaction. The discussion looks at how customer interest and satisfaction drive halal governance innovations, and how these innovations have improved halal practices and performance. The methods used in this study include interviews, a literature review and document analysis, notably the annual reports and Client Charter of Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM, Department of Islamic Development Malaysia). Thematic and content analyses are also used. Ten innovations are highlighted in addition to major client concerns. The four most common customer complaints are about slow management, difficult processes, dubious halal confirmation status and expensive fees. In response, the innovations in halal governance include: success in accelerating the processing of halal certification, the appointment of a special officer to handle halal complaints, the setting up of monitoring and enforcement officers, establishing a special task force, providing halal-specific counters, enhancing investigation and halal online procedures, implementing a privacy policy, resolving customer complaints, avoiding middlemen, and monitoring of halal certification and an awareness programme. (shrink)

This research critically analyzes the historiographical debate surrounding the transmission of Greek philosophy to the Islamic world, polarized into two main paradigms: dehellenization and Islamization. The background of this research lies in the unresolved epistemological tension within contemporary academic discourse concerning the nature of the Islamization of philosophy, as well as the legitimacy of philosophy in the Islamic intellectual tradition. The research question posed is: how to comprehensively understand the process of the Islamization of philosophy, moving beyond the simplistic dichotomy (...) between purification and hybridization? This research aims to offer a new, more holistic perspective on the dialectic between Islamic philosophy and Greek heritage, focusing the analysis on concrete intellectual practices. This research uses a qualitative-interpretive approach with intellectual history methods, literature, and integrates three theories, namely: the transmission of knowledge from Dimitri Gutas, the theory of cultural hybridity from Homi K. Bhabha, and the philosophical hermeneutics from Hans-Georg Gadamer. Research findings indicate that the Islamization of philosophy is a multidimensional phenomenon encompassing aspects of creative selection, transformative adaptation, and original synthesis. This process involves interconnected intellectual operations, namely filtering, embedding, and generating. Furthermore, this research reveals the distinctive methodology of Muslim philosophers, which includes tafsiriyyah hermeneutics and integrative epistemology with its various models. The theoretical contribution of this research is a new model for understanding the transmission of knowledge across cultures and a historical foundation for contemporary Islamic-Western philosophical dialogue. (shrink)

As a result of the shortcomings that accompany the enforcement of institutional measures and sanctions on perpetrators of criminal offences, a system of community-based sanctions and measures has emerged. These are intended to relieve the criminal and penal system, maximize the principle of individualization, improve the reintegration of offenders into society, reduce recidivism, and protect society. The organizational units that implement such measures and sanctions are known as probation services. This paper analyses international standards, the emergence and development of probation, (...) a comparative analysis, and the establishment of probation under the Law on Probation in the Republic of North Macedonia, as well as perspectives for the full and effective functioning of the probation service. The probation service is a special organizational unit formed within the Administration for the Execution of Sanctions under the Ministry of Justice. The probation service is tasked with implementing community-based penalties, including measures such as suspended sentences under supervision, community work, and home confinement. It also follows the enforcement of conditional release decisions issued by the courts. Through its activities, the service assists offenders in their social reintegration and rehabilitation, contributing to public safety and the reduction of the prison population. In addition, the service prepares assessments of the risk level of defendants during ongoing criminal cases and provides the court with recommendations regarding the appropriate form of sanction. (shrink)

Traditional Sunni commentaries of verses 33:72, 6:38, 24:41, and 2:30 of the Qur’an make it clear that Sunni exegetes endorsed the belief that creatures, imbued with consciousness, who were subject to moral law, and similar to humans, existed long before the creation of Adam. This would seem to allow creationism, human exceptionalism, and Adamic exceptionalism. However, traditional Sunni scholars dissociate the existence of creatures before and with Adam from he and his early progeny interbreeding with them. The qualifier of ‘single’ (...) in Q4:1 is taken by Sunni exegetes as textual proof of exclusive descent from Adam, which would preclude Adamic exceptionalism. Yet the acceptance of human-jinn unions by some scholars in the Islamic tradition casts doubt on whether all exegetes would have denounced Adamic exceptionalism if that option were available. On the other hand, the fact that most Sunni exegetes accept Eve was created from Adam’s rib in order to affirm exclusive descent from Adam intimates that this would be their preference. The exceptionally high bar of universal scholarly agreement required for a consensus on the issue of exclusive descent cannot be claimed. Whether the more realistic bar of majority consensus is attained on this issue continues to be a vexed question. Further, it is difficult to argue that this majority consensus, even if it were attained, would be doctrinally binding since it only represents an exegetical consensus that is inherently of low evidentiary value. Therefore, all we can legitimately claim is most traditional Sunni exegetes’ views would only be consistent with creationism or human exceptionalism. (shrink)

This article examines the Bā ʿAlawī—a group of Ḥaḍramī diaspora acknowledged as the descendants of the Prophet—in post-colonial Indonesia. In particular, it looks at the ḥawl, an annual commemoration of, or collective pilgrimage to, the tombs of Bā ʿAlawī saints/scholars. Focusing on two contemporary ḥawls in Central Java—that of Aḥmad b. ʿAbdullāh al-ʿAṭṭās (d. 1346/1927) in Pekalongan, and that of ʿAlī b. Muḥammad al-Ḥabashī (d. 1330/1912) in Solo—the article charts the transformations of both ḥawls from diasporic Arab gatherings into Indonesian (...) public expressions of Islam. In the post-colonial period, when the place of the Ḥaḍramīs in the national imagination was far from being settled, the ḥawls have enabled the recasting of the Bā ʿAlawī as an integral part of the nation while allowing them to maintain their genealogical and spiritual distinctions. The sites, rituals, and commentaries of the ḥawl sustained the construction of networks connecting Bā ʿAlawī scholars to local Muslim scholars, providing the Bā ʿAlawī with cultural ties that maintain their distinction while anchoring them to the wider Muslim public. Examining the Bā ʿAlawī ḥawl underlines the importance of rituals in the creation and maintenance of informal Muslim networks, which in turn facilitate the practical integration into the larger public of a group previously considered an ethnic minority. (shrink)

The night journey (isrā’) and ascension (mi‘rāj) represent arguably the most significant and unique events in the life of Prophet Muḥammad. However, the influential Sufi thinker Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) argues that the Prophet had thirty-four night journeys of which only one was physical. This physical night journey, and the ascension that took place with it, was the one in which he was given the five daily prayers. Ibn ‘Arabī thus employs the secondary night journeys and ascensions of (...) Prophet Muḥammad to delineate a point of emulation between the Prophet’s spiritual experience and those of his nation. Muslims can also have their own ascensions, but their journeys cannot be physical, and, analogously, cannot have autonomous legislative authority. They can, nevertheless, cause a change in their perception that allows them to see the world as it truly is: a manifestation of the divine Names. (shrink)

The coronavirus has brought unprecedented shifts to our world. Fracturing social arrangements, yet evincing also long-time weaknesses therein, the pandemic beckons from us now new forms of organizi...

This study investigates the prophetic tradition in Islam, which states that the fabric of time will become erratic with the coming of the Antichrist. The temporal ontology of one of the most influential philosophical thinkers in the Islamic tradition, Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240), is employed to decode the tradition and expatiate on the nature of time and how it will manifest in the apocalyptic future. Ibn ‘Arabī explains that there are three modalities of temporal reality: ‘the day of (...) rest’ (yawm al-sabt), ‘the omitted days’ (ayyām al-salkh), and the ‘rotary days’ (ayyām al-takwīr). While the first is entirely beyond human perception, the others are not. These three types of days delineate the nature of the future during the apocalyptic days of the Antichrist when the first day of his emergence will be the length of a year, the second a month, and the third a week. (shrink)

History is replete with instances of faithful individuals enduring atrocities. Even in contemporary times, many have suffered unjust imprisonment and targeted persecution under authoritarian regimes. Prominent among these figures are Said Nursi (1877–1960) and Aleksander Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008), both of whom, despite their dedication to their countries and the production of remarkable works, were subjected to egregious mistreatment. They persevered in combating ignorance, sedition, and lawlessness within the legal frameworks of their respective nations. A central argument of this chapter is that (...) the spiritual resilience of these scholars enabled them to perceive hidden beauty, kindness, and goodness even amidst profound injustices and suffering endured during their incarceration. Nursi and Solzhenitsyn transformed their prison experiences into opportunities for spiritual exploration and rediscovery, viewing every phenomenon as a manifestation of God's presence. In their worldview, the stark dichotomy between sorrow and joy, suffering and peace, faded, as they transformed their confinement into a form of spiritual enlightenment. This chapter also examines the prison experiences of Nursi and Solzhenitsyn, two revered figures who endured persecution under authoritarian regimes, shedding light on their enduring faith and resilience in the face of adversity. Despite enduring years of exile, isolation, surveillance, and imprisonment, Nursi remained steadfast in his faith, while Solzhenitsyn faced imprisonment, forced exile, labour camps, and suppression. Despite their immense trials, they maintained exemplary lives, unwavering in their faith, and steadfast in their commitment to their beliefs. (shrink)

The present study attempts to investigate the effect of emotional intelligence, corporate ethical values, and ethical climates on the ethical judgment of auditors in Malaysia. The study used a questionnaire survey comprising instruments on emotional intelligence (Law et al. Journal of applied Psychology, 89(3), 483, 2004), corporate ethical values (Chonko and Hunt Journal of Business Research, 13(4), 339–359, 1985), ethical climate (Victor and Cullen Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy, 9 51–71, 1987), and ethical vignettes related to the auditors’ (...) job (Loeb et al. Journal of Accounting Research, 9(2), 287–306, 1971 and Cohen et al. 1994). A total 263 usable responses were obtained and analyzed using statistical tests of mean score, standard deviation, correlation, and multiple regression. The results reveal that emotional intelligence and corporate ethical values significantly influenced the ethical judgment of auditors. Likewise, instrumental and independence ethical climates have significant effect on ethical judgment of auditors in Malaysia. (shrink)

Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) is arguably the most influential philosophical mystic in Islam. He is also a presentist. This paper responds to the arguments of contemporary philosophers, Norman Kretzmann, William Lane Craig, Garrett DeWeese, and Alan Padgett, who argue that divine atemporality and temporal presentism are incompatible, through the temporal ontology of Ibn ‘Arabī. Ibn ‘Arabī asserts that all entities in the universe are loci of manifestation of God’s most beautiful Names. These divine Names constitute sensible reality. The (...) principal response of Ibn ‘Arabī to the arguments of contemporary scholars is that the divine Names as they are manifested in the cosmos cannot be conflated with the divine Names as they are in themselves, which, in turn, cannot be conflated with God in His numinous essence. This allows him to simultaneously maintain the atemporality of God and temporal presentism. (shrink)

Kierkegaard raises many issues in his account of the near sacri­fice of Isaac by his father. Responding to and critiquing Hegelian and Kantian depictions of Abraham, Kierkegaard moves to elevate Abraham into a position as a knight of faith. The Sunnī perception of the incident in the exegetical tradition is far more ethically unequivocal than that of the Latin philosophical tradi­tion. The ubiquitous Sufi theorist, Ibn ʿArabī, however, in a single act of interpretive ingenuity, managed to extirpate the central root (...) of contention raised by the philosophers when he alleges that Abraham was only ever commanded to sacrifice a ram. Despite his abiding commitment to spiritual unveiling and his insistence on the personal nature of God, Ibn ʿArabī advo­cates the employment of a Kantian criterion of universal ratio­nality to adjudicate between literal and metaphorical dreams. (shrink)

The chapter delves into the contrasting approaches of Nursi and Solzhenitsyn regarding spirituality during their time in prison. It aims to explore their personal, intellectual, and spiritual transformations, examining their quests for expansion of heart (bast), inner peace and spiritual growth. Additionally, it analyzes how their experiences in prison influenced their literary works. Incarceration provided them with an opportunity for introspection, allowing them to diagnose prevalent societal issues such as atheism, materialism, and lack of spirituality. They sought to address these (...) issues both within their immediate circles and for the broader public. By comparing and contrasting their perspectives, as framed by Francis J. Clooney, S.J.'s comparative theological approach, we can better understand their profound efforts to improve the lives of others. Despite similarities in their reflections on faith and humanity, Nursi's spirituality centred on Islamic teachings, while Solzhenitsyn's focused on ethical and existential considerations within atheist and authoritarian contexts. Their deep understanding of this mission enabled them to endure the hardships of prison and transform adversity into meaningful endeavours. (shrink)

Book review of _Antisemitic Discourse and Historical Amnesia in Bosnia: The Case of Mustafa Busuladžić._ Kjell Magnusson. Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, Uppsala Jewish Studies, 2024.

This paper discusses the contribution of a prolific author and an Egyptian scholar Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd and his hermeneutical approach to the Qur’an. The article argues that Abu Zayd is a Muslim reformer of the twentieth century through his takwil. His hermeneutical concept is questioning the “an-nash ” tradition of the Qur’an and the transformation of Arab culture from oral to text-oriented culture in the earliest history of the Qur’an. He differentiates between tanzil to takwil. This article further argues (...) that Abu Zayd’s hermeneutical concept should be understood from the history of revelation which speaks to a particular community and respond to a particular situation. Thus, the Qur’an itself is a living phenomenon and open for interpretation, rather than a closed corpus. (shrink)

Al-Qāḍī al-Nuʿmān, The Disagreements of the Jurists: A Manual of Islamic Legal Theory. Edited and translated by Devin J. Stewart. Library of Arabic Literature. New York: New York University Press, 2015. Pp. xxxviii + 405. $40.

This paper discussed the life background of Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd and the hermeneutical method used to the interpretation of the Qur’an. Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd was among productive Muslim scientists. He wrote over twenty-nine works from 1964 to 1999. His works included books and articles. Nasr’sthought was a product of his educational background and religious thought. An interesting discussion of Nasr’s thought was the conceptual discourse. In the historical trajectory of the Arabic world, the text had a crucial position, (...) especially when we saw the development of Islamic literature from pre-Islamic to the Islamic era. The oral tradition was deeply rooted. The text was ultimately believed to have a major influence in the formation of civilization through a hermeneutical approach, developed by modernists such as Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, which became an attempt to develop an approaching understanding the Qur’an which had been widely opposed among Muslims. Because there was a very basic difference between hermeneutics on the other hand, and tafsir-takwil on the other hand, so it is considered inappropriate to be used to study the Qur’an. Therefore, this paper will discuss the concept of the hermeneutical method of the Qur’an by Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd as a repertoire of Islamic studies. (shrink)