New Scholarship on Islam

We are proud to announce the most recent work of KARAMAH scholar, Dr. Zainab Alwani.  Dr. Alwani’s article, Maqasid Qur’aniyya: A Methodology on Evaluating Modern Challenges and Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat, was published in September of this year in The Muslim World: Special Issue on “Judaism and Islam in America.” This work was part of a joint four year project by Dr. Alwani and Professor Burton Visotzky of the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Within the special journal, there are eleven short articles, four from Muslim scholars, and seven from Jewish scholars. The special journal examines how to remain true to theological values and beliefs within the modern context. Among the topics of focus were the continuation of ijtihad, interpretation of the Qur’an, and the maqasid of philosophy and ethics.

Dr. Alwani’s article on Maqasid Qur’aniyya discusses a paradigm her father, Dr. Taha Jabir al-Alwani, sets forth. The article focuses on Dr. Taha al-Alwani’s thought and works on the concept of al-maqasid al-qur’aniyya (the Qur’anic objectives). In her piece, Dr. Alwani “clarifies his methodology, for how to interact with the Qur’an, the sunnah, and the turath (the Islamic legacy), as well as describes his approach to al-maqasid al-qur’aniyya.” In this article, Dr. Zainab Alwani furthermore expounds upon her father’s methodology and extends it to issues of gender and family. Dr. Alwani says about her father’s work, “al-Alwani’s understanding of the Qur’an and sunnah, which enables him to read and examine the turath with a critical eye, reveals the need for a new way to review this legacy.”

To mark the publishing of this historic work, there will be a luncheon-colloquium on November 18th at the Jewish Theological Seminary (3080 Broadway, New York, NY) celebrating the conclusion of the four year project.

KARAMAH warmly congratulates Dr. Alwani on her successful publication of such an important work.