Abstract
This paper presents a discussion of how the Qur'an articulates the concept of a just social order. This includes its claim of universal authority for Islam in religious and political experience.

From the Paper
"No account of Islam is complete without sufficient account being taken of its fundamental organizing document, the holy Qur'an. That text is of course the equivalent of the Christian Bible or the Jewish Torah and Talmud, the scripture that forms the basis of Islamic religious dogma. It is generally accepted that Islam reveres the prophets of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, among whom Jesus is included. Of these, Muhammad was the last and greatest. (Campbell) "

Tags:Qur'an, Islam, religious, political, sharia, ulama, ungainsayable consensus

Abstract
This paper discusses the composition process and the final book of the Qur'an. It describes the history of the text and how it was catalogued and brought together. The paper then discusses the five pillars that are central to the ritual of the practice of Islam and discusses the understanding of these rituals according to the Qur'an and Islamic law.

From the Paper
"All Muslims are brothers (Durant, 182). A critical part of the modern politicization of Islam is that the political movement seeks to impose on Islamic societies as a whole. This is a distinct development from traditional Islam, which is a religion, and one which has offer "reassuring, familiar, and functional" faith to millions for centuries (Fuller, 16-17). The distinctive emergence of a political Islam means that there are strong forces within Islam which reject the concept of an inclusive religion in which all Muslims are seen as brothers, and attempting to impose on all of Islam something of a nationalistic movement (Fuller, 17, 21; Schwartz, 17)."

Tags:code, modernization, Muhammad, surah

Abstract
This paper focuses on the e stories within the Qur'an, which are extremely complex yet imminent and informative of past history. The paper specifically explores the story of Moses (Musa or Alai) and Al-Khidr (the verdant one or the fertile one), who gives great enlightenment. The paper follows Moses' story, and offers intepretative analysis along the way.

From the Paper
"The stories within the Qur'an are extremely complex yet imminent and informative of past history. Specifically, the story of Moses (Musa or Alai) and Al-Khidr (the verdant one or the fertile one) gives great enlightenment. One day, Moses delivered a sermon that was so powerful that people were so overwhelmed. Everyone had his attention and vowed to follow his advice. A person asked Moses, since he is the messenger of Allah, is there anyone else that is so equivalent in his teachings. Moses replied no, thinking to himself that Allah gave him this wisdom to persuade and guide, which is an ..."

Tags:islam, muslim, Koran

Abstract
This paper explains the story from the Qur'an, Surat Al-Kahf, about Moses (Musa or Alai) and Al-Khidr (the Verdant One or the Fertile One). The author points out that research states that Al-Khidr was Koranic Idris that appears in Sura 18/66 in terms of the cave. The paper relates that, during the point when Moses met Khidr at the rivers, there were five particular laws of teachings or hanifs or illuminati: laws of involuntionary and evolutionary cycles, of emanation and manifestation, of the heart-mind (galb), of science of light (hikmat al-ilraq) and of the spiritual communion with the hierarchical beings. The author states that popular tradition suggests that Al-Khidr, the Green One, lived during the time of the biblical prophet Abraham and that he still may be seen at sacred places. The paper concludes that the person named, the Verdent One, still plays the critical role in Islamic mysticism.

From the Paper
"One day, Moses delivered a sermon that was so powerful that people were so overwhelmed. Everyone had his attention and vowed to follow his advice. A person asked Moses, since he is the messenger of Allah, is there anyone else that is so equivalent in his teachings. Moses replied no, thinking to himself that Allah gave him this wisdom to persuade and guide, which is an honor coming from the Torah. However, Moses thought to himself, there have to be another person with greater wisdom and further knowledge than me. Moses prayed to Allah to identify this person or give him a sign that would notify him of this person with greater wisdom and knowledge (min ladunni ilma) than Moses."

Tags:hadith, green, immortality, servant, mysticism

Abstract
This paper explains that a socially just society, which relies upon the unity and equality of all believers, is visualized by the Quran. The author describes the ways Islamic moral and social justice offsets all kinds of oppression and exploitation. The paper stresses that, even though this social order is focused upon practical concerns that make the observance of Islam advantageous and just, problems occur when the Jihadis attempt to compulsorily extend this social order to the whole world by means of coercion.

From the Paper
"The Qur'an indicates that in Islam, no supremacy, no discrimination and no pre-eminence could be legally claimed by one over that of another other than with regard to the virtue of piety. All are alike in terms of their social status and this is completely apparent in the congregational prayers where there is no scope for designation and special advantage. All are alike in the eyes of God irrespective of being a caliph or slave. Prophet Muhammad viewed that all persons were equal similar to that of the teeth of a comb."

Tags:environment, sunnah, mission, equal, compulsion

From the Paper
"INTRODUCTION
A connection exists between religious doctrine and social ethics in the Holy Qur'an because one of the goals of Islam is the establishment of a holy, organized society. Ideally, this society would be based on eternal principles of righteousness and fair dealing, cleanliness and sobriety, honesty and helpfulness. The moral code in the Qur'an is an attempt to put these principles into concrete form, to create a complete system of religion that suits the times and circumstances, and the varying needs of the average individual. The laws governing human conduct in the Qur'an define both social and economic justice, and the pursuit of a good life in society.

The Qur'anic code of social ethics sets forth spiritual guidelines regarding lawful and unlawful actions, and rewards for.."

Abstract
This paper shows that similar to the Jewish and Christian traditions, where scholars wrote commentaries on the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, Islamic scholars throughout the centuries since the rise of Islam in the first half of the 7th century have written commentaries, or tafsirs, on the Quran. It discusses how, ironically, many tafsirs contradict the content of the Quran but are extremely valuable because they reflect ideas and interpretations shared in prestigious centers and schools of Islamic learning. Eve's (Hawwa?) depiction in the Quran, for example, is in stark contrast with her representation in tafsir. The paper shows how the Quran, therefore, portrays an egalitarian position between man and woman, whereas the majority of tafsirs reflect a more hierarchical view. It discusses how this phenomenon is still attested and debated in the late twentieth century, especially by female Muslim scholars educated in a variety of academic fields.

From the Paper
"Al-Tabari and al-Razi both wrote Quranic commentaries that continue to hold great authority and influence in modern Islamic exegesis. It is important to note that both al-Tabari and al-Razi use many of the hadith materials the actions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad which may explain for the discrepancy between the Quran's depiction of Eve and that found in tafsir. Stowasser states, "extraneous detail transmitted in Hadith form and frequently originating in the Bible and Bible-related sources not only fleshes out the story of Adam and Eve but drastically changes it, especially with regard to the woman's role." As a result, Muslim interpretations of Eve's creation and the couple's exile from the Garden often depart from scriptural content."

Tags:surah, Garden, of, Eden, al-Tabari, Al-Musaiyib, Hadith, Sadawi

Abstract
This paper explains that the tendency to view Islam as intrinsically constraining women owes a great deal to fundamentalist movements that rest on interpretations of the Qur'an that do not hold up to scrutiny. The author points out that these fundamentalist overlook the Islamic project of building the Ummah, which the Prophet meant for women and their status vis-a-vis men. The paper relates that the Qur'an states what men must do to support and protect women and to give them liberty. The author stresses that effort must be devoted to encouraging re-education of Muslim males to understand that their attitudes and practices expecting female subservience and confinement to the domestic sphere are not signs of Muslim adherence and respectability. The paper states that the same poles of mysticism versus fundamentalism in the treatment of women may be said for fundamentalist Christianity in Western countries.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Islam, Women and Environment
The Qur'an
Strengthening Men's Obligations
Concluding Remarks

From the Paper
"Again and again, one sees efforts to clarify what the Qur'an does say concerning the sexes and women's status. Fundamentalist Muslim males do violate what was intended. For instance, Allah is said to hold women in the same position of men, rules working both for and against them, according to conduct. (2:228) Women are not to be passed from one household to another against their will, are not to be treated harshly and deserve kindness and equity. (4:19) Both men and women are to display their obedience to Allah, the righteous woman one who makes this adherence plain, as does the righteous man. (4:34) The Qur'an stresses how Allah created men and women to live in a complementary peace and tranquility. (30:21)"

Tags:ummah, complementary, christianity, mysticism, re-education

Abstract
This paper examines the Qur'an's description of creation and God's role in humanity. It looks at how from the story of creation we learn that God's relationship with mankind has many elements including labor, planning, possession, protection and provision. It evaluates how with so many different characteristics, it is difficult to develop one universal description of God's relations with mankind. It show how even though the Qur'an is not as explicit as the Old and New Testaments in their description of a shepherd god, it's description of God's relationship with us retains many of the features of a shepherd with his flock.

From the Paper
"That God had an ultimate plan for Creation is made quite clear in the Qur'an. First, from the Qur'an we specifically learn that Creation was not some haphazard process in which God made decisions as he went along. Creation was a well-planned, deliberate act. Each thing created was done so with precision and to serve a very real purpose. Second, the Qur'an tells us that all things created by God are perfect and without fault suggesting that God had already planned a use for all things. Thus one needs only to look to nature to find signs of God's greatness and his benevolence. Third, we learn that God created the world and everything in it to aid mankind. He created stabilizers to hold the earth steady. The night exists that we might have rest and the day so that we may toil. Beasts of burden were created that we may eat, clothe ourselves and bear loads that we cannot bear alone. Fish and wild animals give us food and plants give us their fruit. Water sustains us and nourishes the earth causing it to bear fruit. All things reflect and are signs of God's glory and thus nourish our souls that we may be reminded of God always. Since Man was the last thing that God created, He must have created the rest of the world knowing that He would create mankind and what we would need to sustain us."

Tags:creation, islam, muhammad, old, new, testaments

Abstract
This paper looks at the theological debate within Islam over the problem of the creation of the Qur'an. The writer discusses that this issue has sometimes been viewed as a conflict between reason and rationalism as represented by Mu'tazilite thought and traditional orthodoxy as represented by the Hanbalite school of thought. This essay examines the main points of disagreement.

From the Paper
"The theological debate within Islam over the problem of the creation of the Qur'an has sometimes been represented as a conflict between reason and rationalism (as represented by Mu'tazilite thought) and traditional orthodoxy (as represented by the Hanbalite school of thought). While this generalization has some points of validity, it does not capture the full complexity of the debate over the creation of the Qur'an, nor the significant implications of this difference for how Muslims understand the existence of God and his role in their daily lives."

Tags:islam, reason, history