Is the British weather anti-Islamic? Prayer times, the ulama and application of the shari’a

In the absence of clear-cut guidance from the primary sources of the shari‘a, how do Muslim scholars derive a workable religious praxis in changing circumstances and which authorities do they invoke in the process? This article explores possible answers to these questions by conducting a detailed analysis of a debate between two groups of Deobandi scholars in Britain over establishing the correct time for the commencement of morning (Fajr) and the onset of fasting for Ramadan. I argue that besides the primary sources, these Deobandi scholars invoke alternate forms of extra-scriptural authority such as the weight of precedence deriving from the akabir (elders) of the Deobandi tradition, as also their reliance on modern scientific knowledge. The article highlights the complex interplay of factors which determines the way that Muslims in Britain negotiate the practice of their religion in new socio-cultural milieu and the way they attempt to incorporate these changes within the parameters of an established religious discourse

In situ Characterisation of Practical Heterogeneous Catalysts

In situ methods are considered as a curiosity within the standard methodology of practical catalyst characterization. The methods are not commercially available and need to be adapted and validated for each specific problem. The great advantage of these methods is, however, that they deliver immediately relevant characteristics of the working state of a heterogeneous catalyst and allow justified structure-function relations to be deduced. To achieve this it is essential that the experiments are planned and conducted in such away that the proven to be active state of the catalyst is investigated. This can only be ascertained if simultaneous kinetic and spectroscopic data are acquired. The contribution lists a selection of methods with their main characteristics that allows to choose from the wide spectrum of information those that are most relevant for the given problem. A tabulated selection of case studies from the literature gives some insight in the current practice