ABU RAYHAN AL-BIRUNI’S STUDY OF OTHER RELIGIONS: A CASE ON HINDUISM

Studying other religions is a legacy left by medieval Muslim scholars. As a Muslim scholar, al-Biruni’s Kitab al-Hind was a unique contribution to the study of Hinduism. This study explores al-Biruni’s approaches to studying Hinduism, culture, and civilisation by reviewing related manuscripts and literature. Al-Biruni studied the Hindu scripture in its original language. He investigated Hindu theology and philosophy, their caste system in the society, law and ethics, rituals, and festivals. In Kitab al-Hind, an entire chapter was dedicated to Hindu scriptures which included Veda and Puranas. Concerning religious beliefs and divinity, there were various perceptions between the educated and uneducated people. Murti puja was a form of worship to express love and devotion towards God. However, the educated classes considered that idols were no more than intermediaries, and the idol-worshippers were being deluded from the actual worship of God. The Hindu caste system was established upon religious foundations where every caste used to have their mode of living and daily routine. Furthermore, Hindu rules, guidelines, and religious laws were developed by divine sages called Rishis, who provided laws of murder and theft, punishment of adultery, treatment for prisoners, and inheritance law. Al-Biruni took an objective, in-depth, scientific and authentic approach in presenting Hinduism, which made his work accepted by both Muslim and nonMuslim religious scholars. It is hoped that this paper would offer new perspectives to Muslim scholars on studying other religions, which may consequently enhance religious harmony in a multireligious society.   Keywords: Al-Biruni, Hinduism, religion, comparative religion, Muslim scholar. Cite as: Al Masud, A., & Abdullah, M. F. (2021). Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni’s study of other religions: A case on Hinduism.  Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(2), 116-132. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss2pp116-13

Security of Citizens of Bangladesh through Digitalization: A Review

The security of the citizens of Bangladesh through digitalisation is an important issue in the current context In this case digitization facilities especially e-policing will also play a role in online based i e cyber criminal identification Citizens get digital benefits related to the safety of citizens regarding online GDs lost passports certificates bank check-books night guard emergency flights or domestic help Since apocalyptic initiatives involve issues such as national databases such as case docket management crime statistics crime intelligence geo-policing and motor vehicle clearing certificates and GIS mobile crime mapping it contributes significantly to crime reduction in any country including Banglades

Flow field and performance study of vertical axis Savonius type SST wind turbine

It has been suggested that waste heats or naturally available heat sources can be utilized to produce swirling flow by a design similar to that of split channels which is currently used to initiate fire whirls in laboratories. A new hybrid power system has been proposed combining the conventional Savonius wind turbine and split channel mechanisms. Previous computational and experimental works indicate a performance improvement in the new hybrid design (named as swirling Savonius turbine, SST) compared to the conventional Savonius turbine. However, the lack of detailed descriptions of the flow field around the swirling Savonius turbine inhibits complete understanding of performance of the hybrid power system. The aim of this study is to numerically explore the three-dimensional unsteady flow around the rotor, and develop a simulation method for predicting their aerodynamic performance using control volume based CFD package of ANSYS CFX. Sliding mesh feature of CFX allowed to solve the motion of the moving blades. Numerical simulations results of SST were compared with the experimental results. A discussion on the detailed flow field characteristics, including velocity vector, velocity streamlines, pressure distribution, vorticity analysis, and examination of power and torque coefficients behavior are presented

Geometrical optimization of a swirling Savonius wind turbine using an open jet wind tunnel

It has been suggested that waste heats or naturally available heat sources can be utilized to produce swirling flow by a design similar to that of split channels which is currently used to initiate fire whirls in laboratories. The new design combines the conventional Savonius wind turbine and split channel mechanisms. Previous computational and preliminary experimental works indicate a performance improvement in the new design (named as swirling Savonius turbine) compared to the conventional Savonius design. In this study, wind tunnel experiments have been carried out to optimize the swirling Savonius turbine geometry in terms of maximum power coefficient by considering several design parameters. The results indicate that the blade overlap ratio, hot air inlet diameter and the condition of the top end plate have significant influence on power and torque coefficients, while a larger aspect ratio and closed top end plate have some favourable effects on the performance. The optimum configuration has been tested in four different wind velocities to determine its influence on the performance, and power coefficients were found to be higher in high wind velocities. The performance comparison of optimum configuration with conventional Savonius rotor showed an increase of 24.12% in the coefficient of power

The relationship between acne vulgaris and irritable bowel syndrome: A preliminary study

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal disease characterized by chronic abdominal pain and changes in bowel movements without underlying organic pathology. Many skin diseases have been reported to be more common in individuals with functional bowel diseases. Aims: In this study, we aimed to investigate a possible relationship between acne vulgaris (AV) and IBS. Patients/Methods: This prospective controlled study included patients with AV and healthy volunteers. All the subjects were evaluated in terms of the presence of IBS. The diagnosis of IBS was made based on the ROME IV diagnostic criteria. The clinical severity of AV was calculated using the global acne grading system (GAGS). Results: A total of 300 patients with acne vulgaris and 300 age and gender-matched healthy controls were included in the study. The majority of the patients were female (n = 175, 58.3%). The mean ages of the patients and controls were 20.22 ± 5.24 years and 20.49 ± 5.36 years, respectively. A total of 183 patients (61.0%) and 84 (28.0%) controls were diagnosed with IBS based on the Rome IV diagnostic criteria. The frequency of IBS was statistically significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group. (P =.001). There was also statistically significant relationship between the GAGS scores and IBS diagnosis (P =.001), abnormal stool form (P =.001), abdominal distention (P =.001), and feeling of incomplete evacuation (P =.001). Conclusion: Our study showed that IBS is significantly more common in patients with AV than in healthy controls. Additionally, GAGS scores were higher in patients diagnosed with IBS. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study focusing on the subject. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LL

THE WORLD'S OLDEST UNIVERSITY AND ITS FINANCING EXPERIENCE: A STUDY ON AL-QARAWIYYIN UNIVERSITY (859-990)

Al-Qarawiyyin University's independence in terms of finances had been a significant and influential factor in making it possible for the university to maintain its high quality. Therefore, this paper aims to examine and analyse the financial sources for the development and operation of this university. It reviews and analyses historical data through relevant literature and documents. Waqf played a significant role in providing financial assistance to the university's communities and in strengthening its academic quality. There were four significant types of waqf sources which were the individual fund, the collective waqf fund, the Sultan fund and the alumni fund along with different other types of charities, i.e. sadaqah. This article adds new knowledge by examining the financing experiences of the world's oldest university. It is expected that the instance of Al-Qarawiyyin University may contribute to finding out a solution for the funding crises in contemporary institutions. This review is hoped to constitute a significant contribution to scholarship in general and act as a suggestion for solving the contemporary funding crisis of higher educational institutions.   Keywords: Al-Qarawiyyin University, financing higher education, Morocco, Waqf.   Cite as: Hoque, M. N., & Abdullah, M. F. (2021). The world's oldest university and its financing experience: A study on Al-Qarawiyyin University (859-990).  Journal of Nusantara Studies, 6(1), 24-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol6iss1pp24-4

Obstacles to Lawful Earnings and Their Solutions from Quran and Sunnah Perspective

Islamic Shariah encourages individuals to fulfil their financial needs in a prescribed lawful manner. However, a group of people strive for financial means without following a lawful approach while ignoring the principles of the Shariah. This study aims to focus on Islamic principles on lawful and unlawful earnings. This paper examines the Qur'anic and Prophetic stance on lawful and unlawful financial income. It explores the main barriers that impede a person to earn financial resources using lawful approaches. This study adopts a qualitative analytical approach to study this critical issue. It analyses the relevant data from Islamic primary sources, i.e. the Qur'an and the Sunnah, along with jurisprudential views of the classical scholars and provides solutions to the problems related to earning lawfully. The study concluded that if humankind practice Islamic teachings and values regarding lawful earnings in their lives, it will help them to get closer to Allah and minimize unequal financial status among people

Socio-Demographic Factors Associate with Fear of Crime in Bangladesh: A Study in Urban Area

Fear of crime is a concerning issue which led to a whole series of behavioral reactions which negatively affect the quality of life in the society. This study examines the public perceptions of the risks and fear of crime in Bangladesh in relation to urban environment. Drawing upon fear of crime literature and collecting primary data this study will enable researchers to explore the nature of the urban fear of crime in Bangladesh and will find association between socio demographic factor and fear of crime by identifying the possible vulnerable time and place of crime victimization; level of safety at the neighborhood and home and identifying factors affecting victim’s level of fear of crime. The subject of this study was composed of 3957 respondent’s selected from 12th city corporations followed by probability sampling method for collecting information from the general peoples who have victimized and have a fear of crime. The study found that fear of crime is found to be higher with the stranger; people seem to be feared while in the dark time after 6 pm. Many factors affect the fear of crime such as lengthy procedure of criminal justice system, news of crime at their locality, news of crossfire and poor neighborhood physical condition have impact on fear of crime. The perceptions gathered through this study will helps to take important measures and strategies to ensure safe livelihood as well as increase the performance of the law enforcement agencies

Application of umra and ruqba in disbursement of family takaful benefit:An analysis from shariah perspective

The paper aims to analyse the validity of practicing umra and ruqba concepts in disbursement of family takaful benefit from the shariah perspective. In the current practice of takaful, the disbursement of family takaful benefit is subject to the demise of takaful certificate holder. Upon maturity of the certificate, if the certificate holder is alive, he will enjoy takaful benefit but not the beneficiary or hibah recipient. Accordingly, he takes back the donation that he made earlier, which makes the arrangement contentious, as long as the Islamic value is concerned. To resolve this issue, the paper suggested that the takaful benefit could be disbursed based on umra and ruqba concepts as they are subject to the survival of the contracting parties. Umra and ruqba are valid provided that once the donation is executed, the donated object should never be returned to the donor. These concepts are appropriate for takaful because the beneficiary can enjoy takaful benefit only when the certificate holder dies before the maturity of certificate. Once the certificate holder dies, takaful benefit cannot be provided to him. The paper argues that the application of umra and ruqba concepts minimises the consequential issues that arise when takaful benefit is disbursed by nomination or inheritance or absolute hibah. Analysing the opinions of the classical Islamic jurists, the paper concludes that the application of umra and ruqba in disbursement of takaful benefit could be done with a structured checklist form