Inner Peace in Islam

The notion that Islam means peace has almost become a cliché in a world where Islam’s relationship with peace is emphasised in an attempt to reclaim it from any association with terrorism. Islam does mean peace. Not only does Islam mean peace, but it also has a strong affiliation with inner peace through the tranquillity and peace it offers as a result of internalising the Islamic faith. Despite this strong affiliation with inner peace, there is minimal contemporary English literature regarding the relationship between Islam and inner peace. This is not because there is no connection between the two, but rather, it is a matter of language and conceptualisation. Most of the Islamic literature related to inner peace is encompassed within tasawwuf (Islamic spirituality) and extensively discussed in Arabic, Persian and Turkish. On the other hand, contemporary English literature on inner peace is predominantly from a Buddhist perspective, but also includes Hindu, Christian, Jewish and non-religious perspectives. When tasawwuf is delved into, various Islamic concepts can be identified that have a strong association with inner peace. The three concepts that will be analysed in this paper are riḍā (contentment), sakīna (serenity) and iṭmīnān (peace). These concepts can be brought together to produce a definition of inner peace that is true to the Islamic tradition: inner peace is attained when life and events are given a tawḥīd-centric meaning in a way that satisfies the heart and mind

Attaining inner peace according to the Risale-i Nur

Islam meaning peace becomes an important point in the discussion of inner peace; Muslims believe the religion of Islam is a source of inner peace for them, citing various Qur’ānic verses and ḥadīth in support of this notion. Furthermore, tasawwuf (Islamic mysticism) is rich with discussion of concepts relating to inner peace, such as riḍā (contentment), sakīna (serenity) and iṭmīnān (peacefulness). This further strengthens the idea that inner peace is part and parcel of Islam. However, when Islamic literature is reviewed, very little is found on the topic of inner peace. Based on the approach of Said Nursi (d. 1960), a twentieth century Islamic scholar, I would argue that the little information found on inner peace can be attributed to a consensual assumption among Muslims scholars that one who has belief has inner peace; that is, inner peace is a default state for one who believes. According to Nursi, the intellectual and spiritual decline within the Muslim world in the twentieth century has shaken belief, so certain states and specific beliefs can no longer be assumed to be inherent in a believer; inner peace as a state and belief in the hereafter as a specifi belief would be prime examples. This awareness becomes Nursi’s driving force in his writings; the Risale-i Nur (Treatise of Light), a commentary of the Qur’ān. This puts Nursi in a unique position, where seeks to convincingly argue and thus establish the foundational beliefs and states which are necessary for a prosperous life and after life for a believer. Specific to this thesis his emphasis on the notion Islam gives its adherents inner peace. Thus the objective of this thesis is to draw out Nursi’s understanding of how one attains inner peace though Islam. However, the description of inner peace is not so simple and necessitates formulating based on inductive research of the Risale-i Nur. Through the research, it becomes apparent that inner peace is a process, according to Nursi, a process that has three phases. The process commences with belief and knowledge of God with great emphasis on the names of God while still remaining focused on the oneness of God (tawḥīd). This is followed by x knowledge of one’s self, which feeds back to knowing God, since knowing the self means knowing God. But it also becomes the starting point to understanding how to best use the self for optimal outcomes. The final part of the process is the tawḥīd-centric worldview one should have, particularly in relation to suffering and calamities. The previous two steps (knowing God and knowing one’s self) become the building blocks to construct the worldview. It is a cyclic process so the worldview further enhances belief and knowledge of God, and so the cycle continues spiralling upwards. Based on this process, inner peace is attained when the world is decoded through the names of God, so life and events can be given meaning in a way that satisfies the heart and mind. More briefly, it is giving life and events a tawḥīd-centric meaning. If this is the definition of inner peace according to the Risale-i Nur, then Nursi become the lived example of inner peace. While one is the theory, the other is the practise

Islamic Studies in Australia’s Universities

Islamic studies is an in-demand discipline area in Australia, including both classical Islamic studies and contemporary Islamic studies. While the field of classical Islamic studies has evolved over the centuries alongside the needs of the societies it serves, it has, nevertheless, remained within a well-established Islamic framework. This type of knowledge is sought by many, especially Muslims. Contemporary Islamic studies also plays a critical role in understanding Islam and Muslims in the contemporary context. The higher education sector in Australia contributes to this knowledge base via the Islamic studies courses it offers. This article discusses the positioning of the higher education sector in fulfilling Islamic educational needs, especially in the presence of other non-accredited education institutions such as mosques and madrasas. Despite the presence of other educational institutions, the higher educational sector appeals to a large pool of students, as evidenced by the number of Islamic studies courses offered by fourteen Australian universities. The teaching of classical Islamic studies in the higher education sector is not without its challenges. These challenges can be overcome and have been overcome to a large degree by the Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation (CISAC), Charles Sturt University (CSU). CISAC was used as a case study, as it is the largest Islamic studies department offering the greatest number of classical Islamic studies focused courses with the highest number of Islamic studies students in Australia. This article, overall, demonstrates that there is an ongoing need for Islamic studies to be taught, both in a classical and contemporary capacity, in the higher education sector

Delayed versus immediate surgery following short-course neoadjuvant radiotherapy in resectable (T3N0/N+) rectal cancer

WOS: 000405312900020PubMed ID: 28374169Purpose Preoperative short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) followed by surgery has shown advantage over surgery alone in patients with resectable rectal carcinoma (RC); however, the importance of the timing of surgery after SCRT has not been well defined. This study aimed to investigate the effect of this duration on treatment outcomes. Methods Patients who underwent surgery after SCRT (25 Gy/500 cGy/daily/5fr, monday-friday) for resectable and infraperitoneal rectal adenocarcinoma (T3N0/(+)) were included into the study. Patients were divided into two groups in terms of the timing of surgery: delayed surgery (>4 weeks) or immediate surgery (= 4 weeks). The two groups did not differ in terms of surgical margin positivity, pathological tumor regression, N downstaging, or T downstaging (p > 0.05 for all). However, the number of positive lymph nodes was higher in the immediate surgery group [median 3 (0-18) vs. 1 (0-17), p = 0.009]. Median follow-up time was 36 +/- 9 (6-93) months. Delayed surgery group had significantly longer mean overall survival (p = 0.038); however, the two groups did not differ in terms of local recurrence, mean time to local recurrence, or mean disease-free survival. Conclusions Our findings seem to support the benefit of a longer time interval between radiotherapy and surgery after short-course neoadjuvant radiotherapy in resectable rectal cancer in terms of overall survival. However, there is a need to better define patient characteristics that might benefit from delayed surgery

Efficacy and Safety of Trastuzumab Emtansine in Her2 Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: Real-World Experience

Aim The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) in cases with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) in different lines of treatment. Method Retrospective analysis of T-DM1 results of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) positive 414 cases with mBC from 31 centers in Turkey. Findings Except 2, all of the cases were female with a median age of 47. T-DM1 had been used as second-line therapy in 37.7% of the cases and the median number of T-DM1 cycles was 9. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) times were different according to the line of treatment. The median OS was found as 43, 41, 46, 23 and 17 months for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th line, respectively (p = 0.032) while the median PFS was found as 37, 12, 8, 8 and 8 months, respectively (p = 0.0001). Treatment was well tolerated by the patients. The most common grade 3-4 adverse effects were thrombocytopenia (2.7%) and increased serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (2%). Discussion The best of our knowledge this is the largest real-life experience about the safety and efficacy of T-DM1 use in cases with mBC after progression of Her2 targeted treatment. This study suggests and supports that T-DM1 is more effective in earlier lines of treatment and is a reliable option for mBC