Muslim reformist action in nineteenth-century Tunisia

This article revisits the origins of the Islamic reformist movement that arose in the nieneteenth century. Tunisia was chosen because the spirit of reform manifested itself in the form of intellectual activity and socio-political action. The article highlights the features of the Tunisian experience before the French occupation in 1881, reveals the cooperation and complementary relationship between religious scholars and statesmen that gave the reform efforts their substance and form, and discusses the dynamic of the forces that were in play and helped determine the attempted reforms' fate

Promoting Islam through research and publication: theses and journals

Theses and journals are key indicators for academic achievement of a University. Analyzing these academic output assists in assessing and evaluating not merely the quality of students' researches but also the productivity level of supervisors and the contributions made by the faculties and departments of the University. It would also help in identifying research trends and monitoring research and publication activities. The purpose of the present research work is to provide an overall view of International Islamic University Malaysia, IIUM academic output as manifested in Master and Ph. D. dissertations produced by the University students in the different postgraduate programmes as well as the refereed journals that are published the University through its different Kulliyyahs and Institutes and Centres. Therefore, concerning the first component, the chapter will cover a long time span since the first postgraduate programme was launched. This requires comprehensive statistical data that will be classified and compared according to different criteria, including years, Kulliyyahs, levels (MA/Ph.D.), specializations, etc. As for journals, similar but not identical criteria will be applied. The end result of the chapter shall consist in providing as accurately as possible a general picture of the volume of academic products in these two respects, without however delving into any analysis of their specific contents, as this will require time and efforts that the immediate purpose of the University commemorative book does not allow for. As such, the chapter will map out the University’s academic output in terms of dissertations and journals, thus paving the ground for any future thematic and in-depth analysis and critical evaluation of its contents. Keywords: IIUM, academic output, research, scholarship, students, dissertations, journals, publication

From al-Shāṭibī’s legal hermeneutics to thematic exegesis of the Qurʾān

Writings on al-Shāṭibī have focused on his views on maṣlaḥah (utility) and Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (objectives of the Sharīʿah). His approach to the interpretation of the Qurʾān (the main source of the Sharīʿah) and the implications of such an approach have only rarely been heeded. This study addresses this aspect of al-Shāṭibī’s work. It essentially asserts that in restructuring Islamic legal theory (uṣūl al-fiqh) around the idea of Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah, al-Shāṭibī brought jurists and Qurʾān commentators closer to one another. It further argues that his contribution went beyond the interest of jurists centred on legal reasoning by holding a comprehensive hermeneutical view of the Qurʾān informed by belief in the thematic unity of its sūrahs and verses. Taking such unity as the cornerstone of a sound understanding of the Qurʾān capable of grasping its eternal values and universal principles, he developed a methodology that has inspired a few eminent contemporary Muslim scholars who have developed what has come to be known as thematic interpretation of the Qurʾān (al-tafsīr al-mawḍūʿī). This article discusses al-Shāṭibī’s hermeneutics of the Qurʾān by delineating his epistemic and methodological propositions. Thus, the author aims to show the existence of semantic unity and epistemic interconnectedness among different disciplines in Islamic scholarship

Exploring the Qur’an: Context and Impact

تشهد الدراسات القرآنية في الغرب الأوروبي-الأمريكي تطورًا كبيرًا من الناحيتين الكمية والنوعية، وخاصة في اللغة الإنجليزية. وبقطع النظر عن مقاصد الباحثين في شؤون القرآن وموضوعاته وما يتصل به من قضايا تاريخية وغير تاريخية، ومهما تكن مسلماتهم النظرية وأدواتهم المنهجية في بحوثهم، فإن وجهًا مهمًّا من التطور المشار إليه يتمثل في الاهتمام بالقرآن في ذاته بوصفه نصًّا معطى ينطوي على خطاب خاص يقتضي منطقُ البحث العلمي التعاملَ معه والإصغاءَ إليه والنظر في نصوصه لفهمه وإدراك مضمونه ورسالته. والأستاذ محمد عبد الحليم -مؤلف الكتاب الذي بين أيدينا – ذو إسهام مقدر في هذا الصدد من موقعه بوصفه أستاذًا للدراسات العربية والإسلامية بكلية لندن للدراسات الشرقية والأفريقية التابعة لجامعة لندن، ومحررًا لمجلة الدراسات القرآنية التي يعود له الفضل في إنشائها أواخر القرن العشرين، ومديرًا لمركز الدراسات الإسلامية.Book Review: Exploring the Qur’an: Context and Impac

Effect of Soil pH, Liming Materials and Phosphorus on Growth and Nutrient Uptake of Sugarcane

Sugarcane (Variety H59-3775) yield and nutrient composition was studied in relation to soil pH, liming with caco3 and CaSi03, and P fertilization. The pH levels investigated were 4.7, 5.0, 5.2, 5.6, 5.8, 6.0 and 6.7 obtained with either Caco3 or CaSi03. Two P levels, 0.006 and 0.025 ppm Pin solution, were also included in the study as the main plots. Liming Wahiawa soil (Tropeptic Eutrustox) significantly increased sugarcane yield. Maximum yield was obtained at pH 5.8 in the caco3 system and at pH 6.0 in the CaSi03 system. In general, an optimum soil pH for sugarcane was about 5.8. Liming resulted in a significant increase in Ca, Mg, and N concentrations in various plant tissues. Besides supplying Ca and some Mg, the liming materials substantially improved the retention of these elements within reach of plant roots. This was due to the marked increase in CEC obtained with increasing soil pH. This can be of practical importance since the well aggregated condition of Wahiawa soil can result in rapid leaching of the basic cations under acid conditions. In the unlimed treatment, and at the low liming rates (pH 5.2 and 5.6) large amounts of K moved down the soil profile to the 45 cm depth. Potassium extracted from the surface was 30% greater from the high lime treatments (pH 6.7) than from the control (pH 4.7). Increasing soil pH significantly reduced soil Al and Mn in the surface. Mn was also reduced markedly in the soil profile down to the 30 cm depth in the high liming treatments. Phosphate sorption studies suggested that the first rates of liming decreased P sorption by reducing Al activity which otherwise could immobilize P by precipitation as Al-phosphate or adsorption on the surface of hydrous Al oxide. The silicate applications at the high rates decreased P sorption markedly by anion exchange. An attempt was made to study the direct effect of H ion concentration on sugarcane growth in a nutrient solution culture using a split-root technique. In the pH range investigated (3.0, 4.0, 5.5, 6.5, and 8.5) supplied with 45 ppm Ca in solution, the maximum yield of cane was obtained at solution pH 5.5 and 6.5. Yield declined slightly at pH 8.5 and significantly at pH < 4.0. Absorption of nutrients was severely curtailed at pH 3.0 and 4.0, probably due to the high H ion concentration. Symptoms of Fe deficiency occurred at pH 8.5, and it appeared that the Fe absorbed was precipitated in the stalks. In general, growth and nutrient absorption of sugarcane was best in the pH range 5.5 - 6.5

Computer based information system for the Bank of Sudan adopting modern design and evaluation techniques

Introduction of computer based systems is slow in developing countries. Financial and social cost of the non-availability of information or manual information processing tends to be higher than the cost of an EDP system. This thesis is an investigation in the Bank of Sudan - a Central Bank in a developing country - to study the feasibility of introducing a computer based system. Also it is an adoption of the modern ETHICS and BASYC techniques in the design and evaluation of these systems. ETHICS is concerned with the design of man-machine system allowing for equal consideration for its technical and social variables. BASYC provides the multi-dimensional framework to assess the benefit of the changed system for the several groups of people who will be influenced by that change. While in other banks saving by replacement of clerical staff may be the main objective of introducing computer based systems, in a Central Bank the important objective is the improvement of the information necessary for control and planning. The ETHICS and BASYC techniques are applied to design and evaluate a computer based information system for export trade - a cluster of related activities within the foreign exchange operation. An integrated computer based management information system was the best of two viable solutions. It was a good demonstration of the design of socio-technical systems allowing for technical and social requirements. Besides its contribution to staff and user satisfaction because of the availability of information for control and planning, the predicted payoff in financial terms is far more than the cost of the system

The seismic velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle in Sudan and East Africa

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, 2015.In this thesis the crustal structure beneath two areas of Africa is investigated. In Sudan, the new constraints on the crustal structure beneath the northern part of the Khartoum basin have been obtained. In East Africa, the size of the Tanzania Craton, and the differences between the Eastern and Western branches of the East African Rift System (EARS) have been determined. In southern Tanzania, the debate on the secular variation between Proterozoic and Archean crust has been investigated. The approach used in this thesis involves different data sets and methods. In first part of the thesis, the crustal structure of the northern part of the Mesozoic Khartoum basin is investigated by using two modelling methods: H-k stacking of receiver functions, and a joint inversion of receiver functions and Rayleigh wave group velocities. H-k stacking indicated that the crust is 33-37 km thick with an average of 35 km, and the crustal Vp/Vs ratio is 1.74-1.81 with an average of 1.78. Similar results were obtained from the joint inversion for Moho depth, as well as an average shear wave velocity of 3.7 km/s for the crust. These results provide the first seismic estimates of Moho depth for a basin in Sudan. When compared to average crustal thickness for unrifted Proterozoic crust in eastern Africa, our results indicate that only a few kilometers of crustal thinning may have occurred beneath the Khartoum basin. This finding is consistent with estimates of effective elastic plate thickness, which indicate little modification of the Proterozoic lithosphere beneath the basin, and suggests that there may be insufficient topography on the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary beneath the Sudanese basins to channel plume material westward from Ethiopia. In the second part of the thesis, the uppermost mantle structure beneath East Africa is investigated by using a standard singular value decomposition algorithm model. Results reveal fast Pn velocities beneath the Mozambique Belt to the east of the craton, the Kibaran Belt west of the craton, and beneath the northern half of the Ubendian Belt to the southwest of the craton. These results indicate that the cold, thick lithosphere of the Tanzania Craton extends beneath the Proterozoic mobile belts and the areal extent of the cratonic lithosphere is much larger than is indicated iv by the mapped boundaries of the craton. The results also show that the Pn velocities beneath the volcanic provinces along the Western Branch are not anomalously slow, which indicates little, if any, perturbation of the uppermost mantle beneath them. This is in contrast to the upper mantle structure at depths ≥ 70 km beneath the volcanic regions, which is clearly perturbed. The fast Pn velocities beneath the Western Branch contrast with the slow Pn velocities (7.5-7.8 km/s) beneath the Eastern Branch in Kenya, indicating that the upper mantle beneath the Eastern Branch has been altered more than beneath the Western Branch. In the third part, the crustal structure beneath two Proterozoic mobile belts, the Usagaran and the Ubendian belts, is investigated by using the Non-Dominated Genetic Algorithm method. In the Usagaran belt, results show an average Moho depth of 35 km for station MAFI and 41 and 42 km for stations MOGR and MIKU, respectively. In the Ubendian Belt, results showed an average Moho depth of 43 km beneath the Ufipa sub-terrane compared to 39 km for Wakole sub-terrane. These results indicate localized thickening in the Ufipa sub-terrane, but not beneath the entire Ubendian Belt. These results indicate that is no clear evidence that Paleoproterozoic crust in East Africa is substantially thicker than Archaean crust

Outcome of shaft fractures among children treated with elastic stable intramedullary nailing

Background: Long bone fractures are frequent occurrence among children and considered a frequent pediatric orthopedic injury requiring hospitalization. Authors aimed to retrospectively analyze the outcome of fixation of long bone fractures with elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) among children and adolescents.Methods: From 2010 to 2018, ESIN was performed on 128 children aged 2 to 17 years having single shaft fractures of long bones. The data related to associated injuries, postoperative complications, postoperative treatment, till bony union or removal of rods, mal-union, functional deficit, need for secondary surgical intervention and subjective complaints at follow-up originated from postoperative clinical and radiological consultations carried out regularly. The primary end points were time of complete radiological union or removal of rods.Results: The mean age at the time of accident was 9.5 years. There were 37 (28.9%) femoral fractures, 16 (12.5%) of the lower leg, 51 (39.8%) fractures of radius/ulna and 24 (18.8%) of the humerus. In 2 (2.3%) children, reoperation was necessary due to prominent ends of elastic rods and 6 (4.7%) had early removal of rods due to same reasons. End point of the study, removal of rods noted in 126 (82.8%), radiological evidence of union in 7 (5.5%) and 15 (11.7%) cases were lost at follow-up.Conclusions: ESIN fixation of diaphyseal fractures in children and adolescents is safe. ESIN was found to be minimally invasive method, noted to produce excellent functional as well as cosmetic outcomes