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In the Qurʾan, the sense of hearing and its agent the ear are both linked to the heart whereas sight and its organ the eye are associated with the head. The sense of hearing, which is a channel to spiritual knowledge, is privileged to the sense of sight, the gateway to the realm of carnal knowledge. The ear and the heart are channels to the sphere of absence while the eye and the head are associated with the realm of presence. Knowledge of the world of absence is twofold: The first incarnates in the type of knowledge obtained from God and his angels and the other is that which is acquired from Satan and Jinn. The primacy of the ear over the eye is further substantiated by the Qurʾanic repudiation of the charges that the origin of the Prophet Muhammad's words is fables breathed into his ears from the underworld of absence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of variant versions of the same story is not uncommon in the Qurʾān. In response to this phenomenon, different approaches have been developed; one of which was Wansbrough's variant traditions hypothesis. The hypothesis, which emerged mainly from an analysis of three accounts of the prophet Shuʿayb's story in the Qurʾān, posits that the different tellings of the same story existed as independent pericopes that later found their way into the text of the Qurʾān, a claim that has many implications on the authorship and composition of the Qurʾān. Consequently, the reactions to this hypothesis were varied. In this paper, I present one of the critiques to the hypothesis, that of Stewart. Then, I employ elements of textual criticism to provide further ways for viewing the variant traditions. I do this by drawing attention to empirical evidence from the Near East, pre-Islamic poetry, orality theory, and to some of the internal characteristics of the Qurʾān. The general conclusion is neither surprising nor new: Wansbrough's findings regarding the genealogy of the variant traditions and the authorship of the Qurʾān are far from self-evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vagus nerve (the tenth cranial nerve), is responsible for several vital physiological conditions and several motor and sensory actions in the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Because of its importance, scientists usually stimulate it electrically in certain medical conditions, or naturally for the wellbeing of individuals. The aim of this study is to compare between the natural ways that stimulate the vagus nerve, that were suggested by anatomists, physiologists and medical doctors, and between what it is mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah and practiced by Muslims. The study found that many of the documented natural practices that stimulate the vagus nerve are actually mentioned in the Quran or Sunnah. We concluded that some natural methods of vagus nerve stimulation are mentioned in many Islamic textual sources and Islamic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tense systems in English and Arabic are markedly similar, but one striking feature makes the two-part ways: Arabic boasts the capacity of expressing the past and the future in forms that are not tallied with what English does. Arabic and English can express the future and the past in the present form. Yet Arabic, especially Qurʾanic Arabic, has the singular capacity for expressing the future in past form and the past in present form. The mismatch in the Arabic tense system in the English translation of the Qurʾan is given due attention in the present paper, and a new approach is presented to address this significant problem. The four translations selected are Arberry's, Yusuf Ali's, Pickthall's and Asad's. A model is proposed to analyze significant selections of such mismatches, based on graphical representations of TOC, TOE and linking form. The study concludes that the most inconsistent translation is Pickthall's, while Arberry's is the most consistent of all. It also reveals that although Asad is not fully proficient in English like Arberry, he succeeds in clearing the hurdle of translating tense form-content mismatch most of the time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays in four corners of the world, there are groups rising and violating human dignities and social orders by the name of religion. The existence of such belief is due to misconceptions about religion, especially when speaking of Islam versus the West. In the other, "tolerance" occurs in a society wherein different social groups and parties live together with different beliefs and customs. Nevertheless, different ideas regarding the sound meaning of the term tolerance, which basically in Islam comes from the Qurʾan and Hadith literature, led to contradict practices by different religious sects. The present paper, based on the analytical descriptive method and through Qurʾanic notions, traditional and Islamic teachings and thinkers' views, aims to discuss the extent and limits of tolerance in Islam, particularly concerning freedom, and how misconceptions about it brings about the disaster phenomenon of "holy ignorance". It will show the meaningful connection between intolerance, holy ignorance, radicalism, lack of sound understanding about religion, and lack of religious freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the educational theory of peace in the Holy Qurʾan by conducting a holistic, systematic analysis of the word "peace" and introducing its different meanings in the Holy Qurʾan. To achieve this aim, the researchers utilized a scientific approach that consisted of the following procedures: conducting a meta-analysis of the word "peace" in the Holy Qurʾan by using statistics from Quran Explorer, resulting in 136 words for peace mentioned in 48 chapters; classifying the meanings of "peace", resulting in 13 different meanings; and creating a meta-synthesis of the word "peace" according to three different subgroups that share common concepts. Finally, the theory of Islamic interactive peace was formulated. The paper concludes that of all mentions of peace in the Qurʾan, external peace constitutes 68%, internal peace 21% and meta peace 11%. This result emphasizes the importance of peace between nations and states to gain stability in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses and examines intercultural differences between the Arabic use of ironic language in the Quran and its English translation equivalents by Arberry. The data samples of the study are methodologically classified and interpreted in accordance with Haverkate's "Speech Acts Theory of Irony" (SATI), the "Echoic Account Theory" by Sperber and Wilson, and Nida's "Theory of Equivalence". Throughout the application of pragmatic and translation theories, qualitative analysis is used. Analysis and interpretation led to the conclusion that Arabic traditional culture, semantically complex language concepts like polysemy, idiomatic multi-word expressions and, above all, emotive images play fundamental roles that are impeding the translations of ironic speech acts from the Qurʾan into adequate English equivalents. The study also shows how verbal irony intersects with other figures and tropes. Its interface produces a vast range of various functions and dissociative thoughts, while being open to many interpretations. Lastly, the study shows how translational techniques can mitigate, minimize and overcome the problems of corresponding equivalence. The study suggests future research into the role that discourse parameters play for the translational transfer of Qurʾanic ironic speech acts and for all other figurative language types that are interrelated with verbal irony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proving the resurrection of the body by logic is one of the most challenging issues of our time as many people deny the resurrection nowadays. Badīʿ al-Zamān Saʿīd al-Nūrsī has used thematic exegesis to prove the resurrection of the body through two ways: first, studying this topic through surveying all the verses of the Qurʾān. Secondly, studying the main topic and core of the sūra and then interpreting its verses accordingly. Further, the main aim of this article is first, to explain the logical approach which Badīʿ al-Zamān Saʿīd al-Nūrsī has followed in order to eliminate all the doubts about resurrection possibility and the resurrection of the body. Second, it aims at explaining how thematic tafsīr could be used to explain the major Qrʾānic and creed issues such as resurrection. The methodology used in this article is surveying all the writings of Badīʿ al-Zamān Saʿīd al-Nūrsī to well explain his methodology. Finally, the conclusion reached in this article is that proving the resurrection of the body through logic which is derived from the holy Qurʾān is very easy through the methodology used by Badīʿ al-Zamān Saʿīd al-Nūrsī, and his argument could be used to strengthen the belief in the Day of Judgement and to disprove those who deny it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The academic field of Qur'ānic Studies employs a wide range of approaches, each one of which helps to open up a new perspective on the Qur'ānic text. The Holy Book was revealed to guide people; it is thus of relevance to all aspects of people's lives. This article focuses on the way social actors are represented in one Meccan sūra, entitled "Ya-Sin", and employs a case-study approach to do so. The analysis carried out includes the socio-semantic processes that the sūra uses in order to represent social actors either by behavior (action) or meaning (reflection), and it also analyzes the actors as they are represented in processes such as activation and passivation. The methodology adopted is eclectic and analytic. It is a hybrid of Swales' move analysis, El-Awa's identification of shift-markers, and Halliday's and Van Leeuwen's theories of social actor representation. This study shows how such an analysis can contribute to understanding the apparently fragmented and non-linear nature of "Ya-Sin". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study attempts to identify and deal with some Qur'anic verses on Islamic beliefs in the light of their interpretation in the first thirteen sections of Sayyid Qutb's Tafsīr "Fī Ẓilāl al-Qur'ān", covering fourteen chapters from SŐrah al- Fātiḥah until SŁrah Ibrāhīm. The paper is divided into two parts: (1) explanation of Islamic beliefs and their significance in Islamic life, and (2) discussion on the objectives of the Qur'an derived from Sayyid Qutb’s interpretation of the verses on the education of Islamic beliefs. The researcher reached conclusion in the study that Islam is a unit that cannot be split; and that Allāh is the only one to be followed everywhere in the life, beliefs, rites, devotional matters, legislation of law, and political sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the claim of the Qur'an's distortion by Ibn Abī al-Sarḥ, from the perspective of the books of Hadith. The historical approach, which is critically and analytically based, is used to analyse the narratives which are related to this issue in the books of Hadith. In addition, the author of this article has used the al-jarḥ wa al-tacdīl. The conclusion is that there is no authentic ( saḥīḥ) hadith or even weak ( da'īf ) in the books of Hadith that mentions ibn Abi Sarh's distortion of the Qur'an. All narratives which are mentioned in the books of Hadith and that are associated with him, do not refer to his distortion of the Qur'an. Those narratives only indicate that Satan made ibn Abi Sarh turn his back on Islam, then later return to Islam. Narratives which indicate that ibn Abi Sarh altered the Qur'an or that he was inspired by the final part of the 14th verses of Al-Mu’minun, are fabricated. Finally, the story of distortion of the Qur'an had been imputed to more than one revelation scribe. This indicates that the whole story is a fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is concerned with analyzing the aims of education in the Qurān. It involves an investigation into relevant Quranic verses and their exegesis. Due to the nature of the research problem, a qualitative methodology has been adopted, and content analysis employed to examine the data when addressing the research questions. The ques tions addressed are: How does the Qurān treat the aims of education? What are the main aims of education that are treated by the Qurān? What are the practical implications of this on developing an Islamic education curriculum? The findings of this study show that the Qurān, as well as the Sunna, has prescribed a range of aims for educa ion, distinguished into three important aspects: constancy, consistency, and universality through harmonizing, integrating, and encompassing the different dimensions of the human personality. The Qurān has a particular view of man since it deals with human nature from a realistic perspective, one which takes the human being as he really is, as regards all aspects of his personality: spiritual, material, and intellectual. To conclude, and to elucidate the implications of the findings on the development of an Islamic education curriculum, this study emphasizes the need to preserve the originality of Quranic teachings and their feasibility in order to actualize the meanings of the Qurān in human life. The curriculum should clearly reflect these aims in such a way that educational practitioners should be able to actualize the desired model of man as prescribed by the Qurān. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]