Browsing by Author "Nadzrah Ahmad, Ph.D"

Suicide is a worldwide phenomenon that is experienced in different countries across all cultures and in varying degrees; however, youth suicide is the most worrying aspect, as it affects the most vulnerable segment of society. As evident in the literature, familial factors can help minimize suicide risk. Hence, the family institution is a vital component in providing the solution. There are several Qur’?nic injunctions and prophetic teachings concerning family values, particularly those related to the parent-child and sibling relationship. This study emphasizes Islamic revealed guidance by using selected commentaries to discuss Qur’?nic verses related the family relationship. Furthermore, it offers an analysis of the family values highlighted in the Qur’?n, and how they can be implemented when dealing with suicide cases among youth. A qualitative research method through library research to review the previous literature on the issue of suicide and a semi-structured interview to collect the feedback from Qur’?n experts, psychologists, and family counsellors were used respectively. The findings indicated that the family values found in the Qur??n are faith, affection, patience, understanding, knowledge, responsibility, forgiveness and gratitude. The experts agreed that these family values need to be implemented in suicide prevention to build a positive environment, support youth development and guide youth in ethical behaviour. Additionally, the current study suggests parental roles and teaching styles of family values to assist family members in increasing their awareness of suicide and how to offer support. Lastly, the responsibility of combating youth suicide has to be shared by all parties involved, including teachers, professionals and government agencies as well as NGOs.

Recent developments in Malaysia have witnessed the flourishing of Islamic creative writing, inculcating the core of faith and akhlaq in the readers of Islamic novels. The increasing number of novels published and sold on the market and the tremendously positive public reception towards novels can be seen. However, the Islamic novels have been questioned as to whether they are Islamic and show the true Islamic identity, in line with the Qur’anic perspective, as a way of life. Thus, this study focused on the Islamic novel Nur by Rose Harissa as the object of analysis. Questions concerning the effectiveness of the plot development and the character portrayals in the novel Nur in promoting Islamic values and Qur’ān-approved Islamic identity were raised. The criteria of creative writing are based on the Islamic perspective; the formation of Islamic identity in creative writing; the representation of Islamic identity features in the novel Nur in reflecting the Qur’ānic perspective; and the compatibility of scenes in the novel Nur with the Qur’anic perspective were analyzed. For this qualitative study, content analysis was used to examine scenes in the novel Nur related to Islamic identity. Textual analysis was employed to interpret the Islamic identities and the corresponding lifestyles depicted in the novel. The inductive method was utilized in data collection. The intrinsic approach was used to investigate the elements of the novel. Then, the structuralist approach was used to accurately elaborate the relationship between these elements in the novel and Islamic identity. This study has suggested ways to improve the content of Islamic creative writing. The results showed that the novel Nur beautifully presented the features of Islamic identity in writing. Unfortunately, some scenes contravened Islamic identity as a way of life and disregarded the Qur’anic perspective, confusing the reader. Repeated narrations of sexual scenes should be avoided. Instead, elements of education and the antagonist returning to the true path should be included. The novel Nur should have used the stories in the Qur’ān as examples in its writing and plot development,

This qualitative study attempts to analyse the term al-nisa’ in its narratives about the role of women in Islam. This is achieved by examining Qur'anic verses which mention the term al-nisa’ in conveying women’s affairs. This study merges the terminology of the term and its interpretations from the scholars of tafsir to form an interpretation through which the role of Muslim women is assessed. In the terminology approach, semantic analysis is used to present the nature of the meaning of al-nisa’ in the Qur’an. The subject of women through the term al-nisa’ facilitates the understanding of the role of women in Islam. The study then scrutinizes textual materials to identify the various aspects of women’s roles in the domestic and public spheres of Islamic society. Previously, the role of women in Islam is examined from the normative perspective of Islam to identify the basic framework of the study. The study found that the role of women in Islam can be observed in family and social activities. The social activities are delineated in three areas; economy, education, and politics. The historical approach also verifies the different ways in which women were treated based on what is norm in their culture before and after the coming of Islam, by exploring the improvements that took place in women’s role with the advent of Islam. As such, this study proposes a solution to remedy the invisibility of women in Islam and their roles by creating a terminology approach to the causes of the said invisibility. Hence, it improves knowledge in this area by analysing women’s history in Islam.

Darul Hadith, Assyafaah Mosque is a well-known hub of Islamic learning particularly hadith, catered for Muslims community in Singapore. The main purpose of this research is to educate the people of public pertaining hadith on supplication after salah in particular. Yet, even the knowledge on the sciences of hadith such as sound (ssahih), good (hasan), weak (da'if) and fabricated (mawdi') were unlikely exposed in the community. While in reality, they are inclined to the wrong practices of sunnah, remain ignorance and allow random assumptions regarding knowledge of hadith . Furthermore, the focus of this research is to study the hadith on supplication after hadith. Besides, quantitative research methodological approach was applied by distributing assessment test which consists of closed-ended questions to the participants of Darul Hadith. It was to evaluate their understanding of hadith on supplication after salah . Fortunately, the outcome was positive and acceptable, yet room for improvement is still highly required from many potential parties. Finally, this research also suggested comprehensive guidelines to develop and enrich the learning and teaching of hadith amongst learners and teachers, as well as the public, and also the future society as a whole.

This research aims at carrying out a typical study in the light of Quranic stories on “The methods of Shayṭᾱn (Satan) in seducing mankind”. Thus, Allah the Almighty has informed us in the Holy Qur’an that the misguidance only occurred to the previous nations from Satan. Likewise, Satan remains to misguide the children of Adam till the last day; So, no one can escape from his trick and temptation except by identifying the real identity of Satan and his evils, as well as the fact that his aggression is against mankind. This can be discovered by adopting an inductive method to derive the methods of Satan in seducing the children of Adam, through the stories mentioned in the Qur’an, and by mentioning the effects of Satan tricks on the sons of Adam. Therefore, the researcher has followed two methodologies in this research: first an inductive approach gathering most of the addition’s verses of the Qur’an and texts related to the tricks and temptations of Satan, and the story of his seduction that mentioned in the Qur’an will be studied. Likewise, other related kinds of literature, magazines and websites will be reviewed. More so, an analytical approach has been applied in the research to analyse the verses of the Qur’an, exegetic opinions of the scholars, and to derive the proof from the related sources to reveal the objective of the Qur’an on the topics related to the seduction of Satan to mankind. The researcher has reached some important conclusions, among which the main one is the fact that Satan has various methods of seduction to achieve his goal, which was the permission that he sought from Allah to be able to mislead mankind. Thus, Satan misled many people among the previous generations; many of them went astray, while many others failed to acknowledged Allah’s favour upon them.

This research aims to study the Qur’anic context and its relationship to the method of inference according to the editor (al-muḥaqqiq) Saeed bin Khalfan Al-Khalili, through analyzing his book, Introduction to the Rules of Faith (Tamhid Qawa'id al-’Iman). Also, the research highlights the importance of investigating the Qur’anic context in understanding the meanings and deriving rulings from them, and the benefits and rules that must be taken into account in using the Qur’anic context as a tool for inference. The research follows the editor Al-Khalili methodology in deriving the relationship of the Qur’anic context to the fields of Qur’anic sciences that he employed in his book, such as stop and start, abrogator and abrogated, frequent and infrequent readings (Mutawatir and Non-Mutawatir), and dealing with the causes for revelation. The research also focused on deducing contextual links in the editor's interpretation of Surat Al-Fatiḥah, Al-An'am, Al-Ḥadid, and some Quranic stories. All this has been achieved according to the descriptive and analytical methodology based on collecting information and sources related to the subject, analyzing and evaluating them, and extracting results from them. Finally, the research concludes that editor Al-Khalili’s book Al-Tamhid, with its thirteen parts, contains many Qur’anic verses in which he followed the Qur’anic context method in interpreting them, and thus demonstrated the extent of the Qur’anic context’s influence on understanding the Qur’an and inferencing from it.

Al-Qiwamah is a Qur’anic concept that maintains the accountability of man to protect and supervise the affairs of woman. The Qur’an explicitly indicates that “men are caretakers of women” (4:34). The concept has been considered contentious by many, particularly considering its remarkable focus on the creation of a male-centric social structure. A number of critiques also believes that the doctrine works as a basis of misogyny within the Qur’anic worldview. There is a void of adequate academic attention on the approach of exegetes of the Qur’an in dealing with the doctrine of al- Qiwamah. With this background, the present research attempts to evaluate the viewpoints of prominent exegetes of the Qur’an on the doctrine of al-Qiwamah as well as to compare the point of views on between classical and contemporary scholars. Accordingly, the researcher has cautiously selected five exegetes from each the classical and modern periods, namely, al-Ṭabari, al-Razi, al-Zamakhshari, al-Qurṭubi and Ibn Khathir from the classical scholars; Rashid Riḍa, Sayyid Qutb, Ibn 'Ashur, Mawdudi and Sha'rawi from the modern Qur’an scholarship. In order to achieve this, the procedure employed is a combination of different research methods, namely, inductive, analytic, comparative and critical. The study suggests that, a gradual development in the meanings of the doctrine of al-Qiwamah is evident within the tafsir collections. Compared to the medieval exegetes, modern mufassirun were more vigilant against the feminist discourses and the accusations of misogyny. However, it is pertinent to note that none of the exegetes, neither classical nor the modern, considered al-Qiwāmah as a tool of male oppression. The study also reveals that according to the entire collections of Qur’anic exegesis, al-Qiwamah represents the construction of a social structure intended at attaining twofolded objectives of the Quranic worldview: to uphold an ideal system of familial institution on the basis of biologically balanced gender roles and to ensure the ultimate result of protection of woman. In examining a highly significant area of Qur’anic studies, the study is expected to be a valuable contribution to the discourse on al-Qiwamah, as well as its remarkable addition to the discussions of gender roles in Islam.

Shaikh Muḥammad Maḥmud Ḥijazi and Sayyid Muḥammad Baqir al-Ṣadr were among the most prominent scholars who have contributed significantly to the scientific debate in the area of thematic interpretation. This research is an attempt to study and analyse methodology employed by al-Ṣadr and Ḥijazi in their approach towards thematic interpretation at both theoretical and practical levels. Throughout this study, the researcher has relied on the inductive approach by gathering the opinions and concepts expressed by both Ḥijazi and al-Ṣadr on thematic interpretations. The study was done through their prominent works within the area namely; al-Wiḥdat al-Mawḍu'iyyah fī al-Qur’an al-Karīm by Ḥijazi and al-Tafsīr al-Mawḍu'iy wa al-Filsafat al-Ijtima'iyyah fī al-Madrasat al-Qur’aniyyah by al-Ṣadr. Following the collection and gathering of views, the researcher adopted an analytical method by analysing the texts and opinions of each of scholar on thematic interpretation. The researcher then employed comparative analysis between the views of the two and their approach towards thematic interpretation in terms of theory, methodology and practice. This step is necessary in order to highlight the points of agreements and disagreements between them, and to reveal the complementarity dimension between their approaches. This research reveals an important aspect of contribution by both Ḥijazi and al-Ṣadr in discovering proper methods of approaching the Qur’anic discourse, simultaneously keeping abreast of recent developments on issues pertaining to the Muslims’ life. It also provides a systematic lesson for researchers and interpreters on how to deal with Qur’anic text and to clarify the theories and rules of the Qur’an in various matters of thought and life.