Islamic Studies

Three Treatises on the I’jAz of the Qur’An contains three important Arabic treatises from the fourth and fifth centuries of Islamic history, published here in English translation for the first time. They deal with the Islamic concept of I’jaz, that is, the inimitability of the Qur’An because of its sublime style and divine content. While analyzing I’jaz, they also partake in the development of the science of rhetoric in Arabic and the evolution Arabic literary criticism.

Al-Itqan is the most important work of al-Suyuti in the field of Qur’anic Sciences. The work found its way to many circles both near and far in the Islamic world. It was first published in the years 1271, 1278, 1279, 1306, 1317 and 1318 AH, in two volumes, but the translation presented here is of a publication of four volumes published in 1387 AH (1967 AD). The translation at hand is of the first volume. Al-Itqan is perhaps the most outstanding work of its kind in the field of Qur’anic Sciences.

The author of the “Epistle on Sufism, Abu ‘l-Qasim al-Qushayri” (376/986-465/1074), was a famous Sunni scholar and mystic (Sufi) from Khurasan in Iran. His Epistle is probably the most popular Sufi manual ever.

The paper is an attempt to identify the continuities and discontinuities between the religious Islamic notion and practice of 

Migration and Islamic Ethics, Issues of Residence, Naturalization and Citizenship addresses how Islamic ethical and legal traditions can contribute to current global debates on migration and displacement; how Islamic ethics of muʾakha, ḍiyāfa, ijāra, amān, jiwār, sutra, kafāla, among others, may provide common ethical grounds for a new paradigm of social and political virtues applicable to all humanity, not only Muslims.

The power of biomedical technology lies not only in treating diseases and relieving pain, but also in intervening in our bodies at the molecular level in a way that makes us wonder if this is (re)shaping our very human nature. This technology raises ethical, philosophical and religious questions related to understanding and identifying our essential humanity, that which is “uniquely human” in us, and how far genetic interventions in our human bodies may affect all this.

When the Human Genome Project (HGP) took off in 1990, experts in the field were aware of the fact that this scientific megaproject would generate ethical questions and conundrums that should be taken seriously.2 So, an ethical arm for the HGP was established, namely the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) program. Five percent of the total HGP budget was dedicated to the ELSI program, making the project one of the largest-ever investments in bioethics research.

By the beginning of the twentieth century, it became clear that the ramifications of the breathtaking biomedical advancements and associated technologies will not remain within the confines of scientific and clinical practices. The complex questions and challenges raised by these advancements and technologies also necessitated profound ethical considerations.

Islamic Perspectives on the Principles of Biomedical Ethics presents results from a pioneering seminar in 2013 between

This book explores the position of Islamic theology and jurisprudence towards people with disabilities. It investigates how early and modern