Basheer Nafi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Basheer Nafi
Journal of Church and State, 2000
A work which, while terse, is of disproportionate importance for the study of medieval Islam, Suf... more A work which, while terse, is of disproportionate importance for the study of medieval Islam, Sufism and Abu Hamid al-Ghazäli, has at last been made fully available in English by Buchman. It is presented parallel with the Arabic text in a single volume, in line with the format of the increasingly impressive Brigham Young University Islamic Translation Series. The Arabic is taken from cAfifi's Cairo 1964 critical edition, but is given without the apparatus criticus. For over seventy years the only English translation has been W. H. T. Gairdner's plentiful in both enthusiasm and chaos. Buchman's volume is by contrast measured and careful, and benefits from half a century of Ghazäll studies. The Niche of Lights is also of importance for Qur'anic studies. In his introduction Ghazäll presents the work as 'an interpretation [ta'wil] of the apparent meanings
American Journal of Islam and Society, 1994
lbis seminar, sponsored jointly by the International Institute of IslamicThought and the Waqf Fun... more lbis seminar, sponsored jointly by the International Institute of IslamicThought and the Waqf Fund of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf, washeld at Herndon, Virginia. Twenty-five papers were presented during theseminar's eight sessions, which were attended by scores of Arab Muslimscholars and intellectuals from the United States and abroad, either as primaryauthors of research papers, commentators, or contributors to theserious and in-depth debate that followed each session.Issues of democratization and how to deal with ethnic and sectariandiversity in a context of modem society have become topical and centralto the political and intellectual debates in the Arab world. During the pastfew decades, social and political instability has nndermined profoundlythe prospects for progress and prosperity in the Arab world. Pertinent tothis instability was the failure to establish consensual policies and institutionsin the post-Ottoman era. Hence, questions relating to "traditional"a...
Die Welt des Islams, 2002
18. Yuzyilin ilk yarisinda Hicâz’in Medine sehrindeki en onde gelen bir hadis âlimi olan Muhammed... more 18. Yuzyilin ilk yarisinda Hicâz’in Medine sehrindeki en onde gelen bir hadis âlimi olan Muhammed Hayât es-Sindi, tartismalara yol acan Necidli islah onderi Muhammed b. Abdilvehhâb’in hocalarindan birisidir. Erken modern donem Islâm dusuncesi arastirmacilari, Sindi’nin Ibn Abdulvehhâb’a etkisi hususunda hemfikir degildirler. Bu calismada Hayât es-Sindi’nin, fikhin temel kaynagi olan hadise bakisi, ictihâd cagrisi, mezheplerin biraktigi mirasa ve bir mezhebe tarafli bir sekilde baglanmaya muhalefeti uzerinde odaklanarak onun yasami ve eserlerine dair kisa bir inceleme sunacagim. Hanbeli olan Ibn Teymiyye’nin tesirinde kalmis olmasina ragmen, Hayât esSindi’nin bakis acisi ve metodolojisi klasik Ehl-i Hadis’e daha yakindir. Hayât es-Sindi gibi Ibn Abdulvehhâb da yerlesik mezhep sistemini elestirmis, fikih usulunun araclarini dikkate almamis ve fikih mirasina kayitsiz bir tavir icerisinde gorunmustur
The Muslim World, 1994
... p. 338 ff. ' Ahmad Qadri. ... p. 111... more ... p. 338 ff. ' Ahmad Qadri. ... p. 111. Page 4. 32 0 THE MUSLIM WORLD ';/an@: notables and intelligentsia, the founders of the Party included Rafiq al-(Azm, Muhammad Rashid Rida, Shibly Shmaiyyl, Iskander (Amun, Haqi al-'Azm, SBmi Jraydini and Muhib al-Din al-Khatib. ...
Journal article by Basheer M. Nafi; Arab Studies …, 1997
... 4. Ahmad al-Sharabasi, Shakib Arslan Da&#... more ... 4. Ahmad al-Sharabasi, Shakib Arslan Da'iyat al-'Uruba wa al-Islam (Beirut: Dar al-Jil, 1978), 37; Fritz Grobba, Manner and ... Islam Against the West, 146-8. Arslan's defense appeared in al-Jami'a al-'Arabiyya, 9 May 1935, and in Shakib Arslan, al-Sayyid Rashid Rida wa ...
... By the early twentieth century, the idea of nationhood had been long established in the ... w... more ... By the early twentieth century, the idea of nationhood had been long established in the ... which a wide range of social, ideological and political changes in modern Arab history looked ... Hourani suggested that the urban notables - local ulema, military of the local garrison, family ...
Journal of Islamic Studies, 1997
... ' Muhammad 'Abd al-LatTf Salih Farfur, 'Alam Dimashq f... more ... ' Muhammad 'Abd al-LatTf Salih Farfur, 'Alam Dimashq ft l-Qarn al-Rabi' 'Ashar al-Hijn (Damascus: Dar al-Mallah, 1987), 208 ... 188 BASHEER M. NAFI ... 14 Zeine N. Zeine, The Struggle for Arab Independence: 'Western Diplomacy and the Rise and Fall of Faisal's Kingdom in Syria ...
The Muslim World, 1996
The outcome of World War I and the "peace' settlements that followed dealt severe blows to Arabis... more The outcome of World War I and the "peace' settlements that followed dealt severe blows to Arabism and pan-Islamism alike. Moreover, the Turkish decision in 1924 to abolish the Caliphate left the Muslim world without a political center, however symbolic, with which to identify. During the next few decades, rival attempts to re-establish the Caliphate, the convening of several pan-Islamic congresses, and the emergence of different proposals for Arab unity proved to be inconclusive. Notwithstanding, these uncertain and in many ways erratic schemes gradually reasserted and redefined pan-Islamism and Arab nationalism. The pressing and unique issue of Palestine, promoted by politically enterprising Palestinian leaders, was to effect, and be affected by, the pursuit of Arab and h4uslim ideals. One of the most significant developments in this context was the holding of the Jerusalem General Islamic Congress in 1931. Following a number of pan-Islamic gatherings in the 1920s, and the Palestinians' growing quest for pan-Islamizing their anti-Zionist and anti-British struggle, especially after the Western Wall bloody events of 1929, the Congress proved to be a turning point in the course of pan-Islamic politics. If the Caliphate institution represented for centuries the symbolic embodiment of Muslims' solidarity and their integral community, the Jerusalem Congress turned out to be, paradoxically, a closing chapter to the 1920s debate and scramble for the Caliphate seat. On the other hand, it was to place Palestine on the political agenda of many Islamic nations and forces. What follows is a reassessment of the General Islamic Congress, in which special attention is given to the difficulties that surrounded the preparations for the Congress, and to the causes that precipitated the Congress's decline as a permanent organization. The Congress represents a high point in the political and cultural development of the Arab-Islamist movement in the interwar period; studying it with care sheds light on the relations between the modern Arab state and popular forces, the inner cohesion of Arab-Islamist forces, and the deepening mistrust between the Arab movement, on the one hand, and the Western imperialists and the Zionist movement, on the other.
Islamic Law and Society, 2006
Muhaammad Hayāt al-Sindī, the most eminent hadīth scholar in the Hijazi city of Madina in the fir... more Muhaammad Hayāt al-Sindī, the most eminent hadīth scholar in the Hijazi city of Madina in the first half of the eighteenth century, was one of the teachers of the controversial Najdī reformist Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Wah-hāb. Scholars of early modern Islamic thought disagree about al-Sindī's influence on Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhāb. In this article I present a brief study of the life and works of Hayāt al-Sindī, focusing on his approach to hadīth as a primary source of fiqh , his call for ijtihād , and his opposition to the legacy of the madhhab s and to the divisions caused by partisan adherence to the madhhab . Although he was influenced by the Hanbalī Ibn Taymiyya, Hayāt al-Sindī's outlook and methodology are closer to those of the classical ahl al-Hadīth . Like Hayāt al-Sindī, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhāb was critical of the established madhhabī system, disregarded the instruments of usūl al-fiqh , and appears to have been irreverent to the legacy of fiqh .
Choice Reviews Online, Mar 1, 2005
Challenging prevalent misconceptions and oversimplifications , this unique volume offers the read... more Challenging prevalent misconceptions and oversimplifications , this unique volume offers the reader several in-depth discussions of modern Islamic thinkers and thought. Highlighting the effects of dramatic social and political change beginning at the end of the nineteenth century, the ten contributors, all experts in their fields, provide contextual grounding and lucid analysis on issues ranging from democracy and pluralism to the gender debate and perceptions of the West. Throughout the volume, ruptures with tradition as well as continuities are identified and explored, and the sheer diversity of intellectual output in the twentieth century, both over time and space, is brought to the fore. The emphasis on Muslim self-expression, as opposed to restricted classifications by outside forces, provides valuable insights into perspectives too often ignored.
Marife Dini Araştırmalar Dergisi, Dec 31, 2009
1298/1881'de Iraklı âlim Nu'mân el-Alûsî, on dördüncü yüzyıl Hanbelî âlimi İbn Teymiyye&#... more 1298/1881'de Iraklı âlim Nu'mân el-Alûsî, on dördüncü yüzyıl Hanbelî âlimi İbn Teymiyye'yi savunmak için yazılmış en dirayetli eserlerden biri olan Cilâ'ü'l-'ayneyn fî muhâkemeti'l-Ahmedeyn adlı kitabını yayımladı. Bu makale, yazarının hayatı ve öğrenim çevresi, kitabın mevzuu, görünür hale geldiği formatı ve yayımlanış şartlarını araştırmak suretiyle Cilâ'ü'l-'ayneyn'in önemini ortaya çıkarmaya çalışmaktadır. Cilâ'ü'l-'ayneyn'in büyük Arap kent merkezlerinde çağdaş Selefîliğin ortaya çıkmasında inşa edici bir metin olduğu hususunda pek az şüphe vardır. Vehhâbî hareketin Selefî İslam'ın yeniden dirilişindeki katkısını göz önünde bulunduran bu makalenin amaçlarından birisi, çağdaş Selefîliğin çeşitli ifade biçimlerini incelemektir. Nu'mân el-Alûsî'nin eserinin etkisinin önemli bir vechesi, onun, konusunu Müslümanların gele-neklerine dair tasavvurlarında İbn Teymiyye'nin bıraktığı mirası yeniden oluşturarak el...
African and Asian Studies
Journal of Islamic Studies, 1997
Islamic Law and Society, 2004
The domination of the world system by the nation-state poses a formidable challenge to modern Isl... more The domination of the world system by the nation-state poses a formidable challenge to modern Islamic political and juristic discourse, especially when the state is secular and non-Islamic. In this article, I examine a collective fatwā, issued a few weeks after the September 11 attacks on Washington D. C. and New York City. The fatwā gave permission to American Muslim soldiers to participate in the American military efforts against the perpetrators of the attacks, even if that involved the declaration of war against a Muslim country. By giving such permission, the fatwā implies that the principle allegiance of the American Muslim soldier is to his own country, especially in a situation of war. Issued by a group of Muslim 'ulama' and intellectuals with a Salafī-reformist background, this fatwā represents an Islamic attempt by Muslims to address some of the major changes in the world system. I also examine Muslim opposition to the fatwā, mostly from other Islamic Salafī circles, which points to a profound division within Salafism.
Journal of Church and State, 2000
A work which, while terse, is of disproportionate importance for the study of medieval Islam, Suf... more A work which, while terse, is of disproportionate importance for the study of medieval Islam, Sufism and Abu Hamid al-Ghazäli, has at last been made fully available in English by Buchman. It is presented parallel with the Arabic text in a single volume, in line with the format of the increasingly impressive Brigham Young University Islamic Translation Series. The Arabic is taken from cAfifi's Cairo 1964 critical edition, but is given without the apparatus criticus. For over seventy years the only English translation has been W. H. T. Gairdner's plentiful in both enthusiasm and chaos. Buchman's volume is by contrast measured and careful, and benefits from half a century of Ghazäll studies. The Niche of Lights is also of importance for Qur'anic studies. In his introduction Ghazäll presents the work as 'an interpretation [ta'wil] of the apparent meanings
American Journal of Islam and Society, 1994
lbis seminar, sponsored jointly by the International Institute of IslamicThought and the Waqf Fun... more lbis seminar, sponsored jointly by the International Institute of IslamicThought and the Waqf Fund of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf, washeld at Herndon, Virginia. Twenty-five papers were presented during theseminar's eight sessions, which were attended by scores of Arab Muslimscholars and intellectuals from the United States and abroad, either as primaryauthors of research papers, commentators, or contributors to theserious and in-depth debate that followed each session.Issues of democratization and how to deal with ethnic and sectariandiversity in a context of modem society have become topical and centralto the political and intellectual debates in the Arab world. During the pastfew decades, social and political instability has nndermined profoundlythe prospects for progress and prosperity in the Arab world. Pertinent tothis instability was the failure to establish consensual policies and institutionsin the post-Ottoman era. Hence, questions relating to "traditional"a...
Die Welt des Islams, 2002
18. Yuzyilin ilk yarisinda Hicâz’in Medine sehrindeki en onde gelen bir hadis âlimi olan Muhammed... more 18. Yuzyilin ilk yarisinda Hicâz’in Medine sehrindeki en onde gelen bir hadis âlimi olan Muhammed Hayât es-Sindi, tartismalara yol acan Necidli islah onderi Muhammed b. Abdilvehhâb’in hocalarindan birisidir. Erken modern donem Islâm dusuncesi arastirmacilari, Sindi’nin Ibn Abdulvehhâb’a etkisi hususunda hemfikir degildirler. Bu calismada Hayât es-Sindi’nin, fikhin temel kaynagi olan hadise bakisi, ictihâd cagrisi, mezheplerin biraktigi mirasa ve bir mezhebe tarafli bir sekilde baglanmaya muhalefeti uzerinde odaklanarak onun yasami ve eserlerine dair kisa bir inceleme sunacagim. Hanbeli olan Ibn Teymiyye’nin tesirinde kalmis olmasina ragmen, Hayât esSindi’nin bakis acisi ve metodolojisi klasik Ehl-i Hadis’e daha yakindir. Hayât es-Sindi gibi Ibn Abdulvehhâb da yerlesik mezhep sistemini elestirmis, fikih usulunun araclarini dikkate almamis ve fikih mirasina kayitsiz bir tavir icerisinde gorunmustur
The Muslim World, 1994
... p. 338 ff. ' Ahmad Qadri. ... p. 111... more ... p. 338 ff. ' Ahmad Qadri. ... p. 111. Page 4. 32 0 THE MUSLIM WORLD ';/an@: notables and intelligentsia, the founders of the Party included Rafiq al-(Azm, Muhammad Rashid Rida, Shibly Shmaiyyl, Iskander (Amun, Haqi al-'Azm, SBmi Jraydini and Muhib al-Din al-Khatib. ...
Journal article by Basheer M. Nafi; Arab Studies …, 1997
... 4. Ahmad al-Sharabasi, Shakib Arslan Da&#... more ... 4. Ahmad al-Sharabasi, Shakib Arslan Da'iyat al-'Uruba wa al-Islam (Beirut: Dar al-Jil, 1978), 37; Fritz Grobba, Manner and ... Islam Against the West, 146-8. Arslan's defense appeared in al-Jami'a al-'Arabiyya, 9 May 1935, and in Shakib Arslan, al-Sayyid Rashid Rida wa ...
... By the early twentieth century, the idea of nationhood had been long established in the ... w... more ... By the early twentieth century, the idea of nationhood had been long established in the ... which a wide range of social, ideological and political changes in modern Arab history looked ... Hourani suggested that the urban notables - local ulema, military of the local garrison, family ...
Journal of Islamic Studies, 1997
... ' Muhammad 'Abd al-LatTf Salih Farfur, 'Alam Dimashq f... more ... ' Muhammad 'Abd al-LatTf Salih Farfur, 'Alam Dimashq ft l-Qarn al-Rabi' 'Ashar al-Hijn (Damascus: Dar al-Mallah, 1987), 208 ... 188 BASHEER M. NAFI ... 14 Zeine N. Zeine, The Struggle for Arab Independence: 'Western Diplomacy and the Rise and Fall of Faisal's Kingdom in Syria ...
The Muslim World, 1996
The outcome of World War I and the "peace' settlements that followed dealt severe blows to Arabis... more The outcome of World War I and the "peace' settlements that followed dealt severe blows to Arabism and pan-Islamism alike. Moreover, the Turkish decision in 1924 to abolish the Caliphate left the Muslim world without a political center, however symbolic, with which to identify. During the next few decades, rival attempts to re-establish the Caliphate, the convening of several pan-Islamic congresses, and the emergence of different proposals for Arab unity proved to be inconclusive. Notwithstanding, these uncertain and in many ways erratic schemes gradually reasserted and redefined pan-Islamism and Arab nationalism. The pressing and unique issue of Palestine, promoted by politically enterprising Palestinian leaders, was to effect, and be affected by, the pursuit of Arab and h4uslim ideals. One of the most significant developments in this context was the holding of the Jerusalem General Islamic Congress in 1931. Following a number of pan-Islamic gatherings in the 1920s, and the Palestinians' growing quest for pan-Islamizing their anti-Zionist and anti-British struggle, especially after the Western Wall bloody events of 1929, the Congress proved to be a turning point in the course of pan-Islamic politics. If the Caliphate institution represented for centuries the symbolic embodiment of Muslims' solidarity and their integral community, the Jerusalem Congress turned out to be, paradoxically, a closing chapter to the 1920s debate and scramble for the Caliphate seat. On the other hand, it was to place Palestine on the political agenda of many Islamic nations and forces. What follows is a reassessment of the General Islamic Congress, in which special attention is given to the difficulties that surrounded the preparations for the Congress, and to the causes that precipitated the Congress's decline as a permanent organization. The Congress represents a high point in the political and cultural development of the Arab-Islamist movement in the interwar period; studying it with care sheds light on the relations between the modern Arab state and popular forces, the inner cohesion of Arab-Islamist forces, and the deepening mistrust between the Arab movement, on the one hand, and the Western imperialists and the Zionist movement, on the other.
Islamic Law and Society, 2006
Muhaammad Hayāt al-Sindī, the most eminent hadīth scholar in the Hijazi city of Madina in the fir... more Muhaammad Hayāt al-Sindī, the most eminent hadīth scholar in the Hijazi city of Madina in the first half of the eighteenth century, was one of the teachers of the controversial Najdī reformist Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Wah-hāb. Scholars of early modern Islamic thought disagree about al-Sindī's influence on Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhāb. In this article I present a brief study of the life and works of Hayāt al-Sindī, focusing on his approach to hadīth as a primary source of fiqh , his call for ijtihād , and his opposition to the legacy of the madhhab s and to the divisions caused by partisan adherence to the madhhab . Although he was influenced by the Hanbalī Ibn Taymiyya, Hayāt al-Sindī's outlook and methodology are closer to those of the classical ahl al-Hadīth . Like Hayāt al-Sindī, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhāb was critical of the established madhhabī system, disregarded the instruments of usūl al-fiqh , and appears to have been irreverent to the legacy of fiqh .
Choice Reviews Online, Mar 1, 2005
Challenging prevalent misconceptions and oversimplifications , this unique volume offers the read... more Challenging prevalent misconceptions and oversimplifications , this unique volume offers the reader several in-depth discussions of modern Islamic thinkers and thought. Highlighting the effects of dramatic social and political change beginning at the end of the nineteenth century, the ten contributors, all experts in their fields, provide contextual grounding and lucid analysis on issues ranging from democracy and pluralism to the gender debate and perceptions of the West. Throughout the volume, ruptures with tradition as well as continuities are identified and explored, and the sheer diversity of intellectual output in the twentieth century, both over time and space, is brought to the fore. The emphasis on Muslim self-expression, as opposed to restricted classifications by outside forces, provides valuable insights into perspectives too often ignored.
Marife Dini Araştırmalar Dergisi, Dec 31, 2009
1298/1881'de Iraklı âlim Nu'mân el-Alûsî, on dördüncü yüzyıl Hanbelî âlimi İbn Teymiyye&#... more 1298/1881'de Iraklı âlim Nu'mân el-Alûsî, on dördüncü yüzyıl Hanbelî âlimi İbn Teymiyye'yi savunmak için yazılmış en dirayetli eserlerden biri olan Cilâ'ü'l-'ayneyn fî muhâkemeti'l-Ahmedeyn adlı kitabını yayımladı. Bu makale, yazarının hayatı ve öğrenim çevresi, kitabın mevzuu, görünür hale geldiği formatı ve yayımlanış şartlarını araştırmak suretiyle Cilâ'ü'l-'ayneyn'in önemini ortaya çıkarmaya çalışmaktadır. Cilâ'ü'l-'ayneyn'in büyük Arap kent merkezlerinde çağdaş Selefîliğin ortaya çıkmasında inşa edici bir metin olduğu hususunda pek az şüphe vardır. Vehhâbî hareketin Selefî İslam'ın yeniden dirilişindeki katkısını göz önünde bulunduran bu makalenin amaçlarından birisi, çağdaş Selefîliğin çeşitli ifade biçimlerini incelemektir. Nu'mân el-Alûsî'nin eserinin etkisinin önemli bir vechesi, onun, konusunu Müslümanların gele-neklerine dair tasavvurlarında İbn Teymiyye'nin bıraktığı mirası yeniden oluşturarak el...
African and Asian Studies
Journal of Islamic Studies, 1997
Islamic Law and Society, 2004
The domination of the world system by the nation-state poses a formidable challenge to modern Isl... more The domination of the world system by the nation-state poses a formidable challenge to modern Islamic political and juristic discourse, especially when the state is secular and non-Islamic. In this article, I examine a collective fatwā, issued a few weeks after the September 11 attacks on Washington D. C. and New York City. The fatwā gave permission to American Muslim soldiers to participate in the American military efforts against the perpetrators of the attacks, even if that involved the declaration of war against a Muslim country. By giving such permission, the fatwā implies that the principle allegiance of the American Muslim soldier is to his own country, especially in a situation of war. Issued by a group of Muslim 'ulama' and intellectuals with a Salafī-reformist background, this fatwā represents an Islamic attempt by Muslims to address some of the major changes in the world system. I also examine Muslim opposition to the fatwā, mostly from other Islamic Salafī circles, which points to a profound division within Salafism.