15-day IOS-AMU Summer School on Islamic Studies

July 5-19, 2019 in collaboration with the Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) at Aligarh



L-R: Professor Tariq Mansoor, Vice Chancellor, Aligarh Muslim University; Professor Akbar Husain (Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences); Prof M Akhtar Siddiqui (Jamia Millia Islamia); Professor Mohammad Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui; Prof. Abdul Ali

Inaugural Session

The Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), in collaboration with the Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi organised a Summer School on Islamic Studies for students (regardless of their subject) who have an interest in developing their knowledge and research skills in Islamic Studies.

At the inaugural ceremony, after the recitation from the Quran by Qari Mohammad Azam, Aligarh Muslim University Vice Chancellor, Professor Tariq Mansoor said that Islam teaches flexibility which enables one to maintain applicability and relevance in the light of changing social, cultural and historical circumstances.

He added that that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) urged his followers to follow a middle path based on the principle of moderation. Muslims are to anchor their lives on a moderate path. They should not practise extremism, he added.

He also released Journal of the Institute of Islamic Studies and Dr. Ziauddin’s book, Jamat-e-Islami ke fuzala ki Qurani khidmaat on the occasion.

Delineating importance of inter-religious dialogue, the keynote speaker, Prof M Akhtar Siddiqui (Jamia Millia Islamia) urged people to have dialogue for removing misunderstandings.

He added that several Western countries had encouraged interfaith engagement, which was instrumental in establishing peace and bringing people of various faith communities on a common ground.

Speaking on the nature and scope of Islamic Studies, the chief guest, Professor Mohammad Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui said that Islamic Studies was not a discipline that taught religion, but a field of interdisciplinary academic research with focus on Islamic civilisation, historiography, law and philosophy, among other areas in which academics from diverse disciplines participated and exchanged ideas about Islamic societies of past and present.

Professor Akbar Husain (Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences) spoke on treatment of psychological disorders in light of the Quran and Hadith.

Professor Obaidullah Fahad, (Chairman, Department of Islamic Studies) said the Summer School Programme, based on pedagogical innovativeness and academic rigour, would provide analysis and discussion on subjects of Islamic knowledge and science, Muslim history and civilisation, and contemporary Islamic thought.

Dr. Abdul Hamid Fazili conducted the programme, while Dr. Ziauddin proposed a vote of thanks.

Audience

6th July 2019[1stDay]

Compere: Dr. Rahmatullah
Tilawat: Dr. Mohd Afzal

The first day of the Summer School on Islamic Studies started with the lecture of Professor Obaidullah Fahad (Deptt. of Islamic Studies, AMU), in which he shed light on Women’s Empowerment in Islam with reference to the Quran and Hadith. While criticising theologians for their out-of-context interpretations of the Quran, he also made severe criticism of feminist interpretations of the Quran. He said that there should be a balance in interpreting the Quranic ayats regarding women.

In the second lecture Professor Abu Sufyan Islahi (Deptt. of Arabic, AMU), delineated the Contribution of Aligarh to Quranic Studies in which he comparatively highlighted Sir Syed, Shibli Numani and Hamiddudin Farahi’s understanding of the Quran. He also made some references to Ahsan Abbasi’s Quran Translation, Abdul Lateef Rahmani’s Tareekh-e-Quran and others like Altaf Ahmad Azmi and Abdur Raheem Kidwai’s contribution to Quranic Studies.

In the third lecture, Professor Latif Hussain Shah Kazmi (Deptt. of Philosophy, AMU) delivered a lecture on Iqbal’s concept of ijtihad, hehighlighted the importance/need of ijithad and the role of Muhamamd Iqbal.

8th July 2019 [2ndDay]

Compere: Mr. Teiser bin Ahmad Shah Goolfee
Tilawat: Mr. Ahmad M. Ahmad Abdullah Amer

The second day of the Summer School opened with the lecture of Professor Aftab Alam (political science, AMU). Professor Alam spoke on Muslim Personal Law in India in which he made a broad analysis of the cases from Shah Bano (1986) to Shayara Bano (2015). While discussing the changing political scenario of India he highlighted the role and responsibilities of Muslim Personal Law Board in India.

The second lecture was delivered by Professor Abu Sufyan Islahi (Deptt. of Arabic, AMU) on Sirah Writings of the Aligarh Movement. Professor Islahi shed light on Sir Syed’s Khutbaat-e Ahmadiya and discussed how Sir Syed corrected the misrepresentation of William Muir. He also highlighted the contribution of Shibli Numani, Hamiduddin Farahi, Sheikh Abdullah and Yaseen Mazhar Siddiqui to Sirah writing.

Professor Sami Akhtar (Deptt. of Arabic, AMU) delivered his lecture on Khairuddin Pasha and his Reforms in Tunisia.

9th July 2019[3rdDay]

Compere: Dr. Saba Anjum
Tilawat: Ms. Kehkashan Naz

The third day of the Summer School started with a lecture of Professor Obaidullah Fahad (Deptt. of Islamic Studies) on Art of Living in Indic Religions. Professor Obaidullah highlighted the teachings of Bhagavad Gita and the Quran and said one should comprehend ten commandments of Bhagavad Gita and Surah Yusuf in order to live his/her worldly life in contentment.

Professor Ehtisham Ahmed Nadvi (formerly from Deptt. of Arabic, University of Calicut), delivered his lecture on Islamic Movements across the Globe. Professor Nadwi shed light on the life and times of Sayyid Ahmad Shaheed and related his role as a warrior in the context of current geo-political scenario of the Muslim world.

Professor Abdul Bari (formerly from Deptt. of Arabic, AMU), delivered a lecture on Significance of Arabic in Oriental Learning. Professor Abdul Bari highlighted the importance of Arabic language in general, and learning Arabic language for understanding of the Quran and Hadith in particular. He also highlighted the contribution of Muslims-Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd and al-Biruni, as the scientific legacy of Islam.

10th July 2019 [4th Day]

Compere: Dr. Lubna Naaz
Tilawat: Teisir bin Ahmad Shah Goolfee

Professor Tawqeer Alam Falahi, (Deptt. of Theology, AMU) delivered his lecture on Orientalist Approach towards the Quran. Professor Falahi briefly highlighted the agenda and impact of Orientalist writing on the Islam and the Quran. He added that the Quran was primarily targeted and branded by medieval Orientalists as a polemical text, but some modern Orientalists acknowledged its divinity.

Professor Syed Jabir Raza (Womens College, AMU) delivered his lecture on Ghaznawid Historians and the Muslims. Professor Raza shed light on the history of Ghaznawids with reference to al-Biruni and other prominent scholars of that time. He mainly focused on the Persian culture established by Ghaznawid’s.

Professor Jalalul Haq (Deptt. of Philosophy, AMU) delivered his lecture on Post- Modernism and Islam. Professor Haq defined the modern European philosophical thought with reference to Nietzsche, Derrida and Freud and comparatively highlighted their thought with Muhammad Iqbal and other modern Muslim philosophers.

11th July 2019 [5th Day]

Compere: Mr. Gowhar Quadir Wani
Tilawat: Dr. Musab Gohar

Professor Mohammad Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui (Deptt. of Islamic Studies, AMU) delivered his lecture on The Prophet’s Role Model for Muslim Minorities. Professor Siddiqui discussed the social order of Makkah and highlighted the significance of brotherhood among diverse communities and the role of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and its contemporary relevance.

Professor Abdul Ali (Deptt. of Islamic Studies, AMU) delivered his lecture on Contribution of Hindus to Islamic Studies. Professor Ali highlighted the contribution of various Hindus to Islamic literature, Quranic Studies and Sirah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He emphasised the need of promoting Hindi literature on Islam among the people in order restore communal harmony.

Professor Abdulrahim P. Vijapur (Deptt. of Political Science, AMU) delivered his lecture on Human Rights, Islam and Muslims in India. Professor Vijapur emphasised the need and importance of human rights in the light of different religions, including Islam, and the Constitution of India. He highlighted several aspects of human rights and explained their relevance in contemporary times.

12th July 2019 [6th Day]

Compere: Dr. Musab Gohar
Tilawat: Hafiz Abdul Bari

Professor Mohammad Yasin Mazhar Siddiqui (Deptt. of Islamic Studies, AMU) spoke on Empowerment of Woman under the Noble Prophet. Professor Siddiqui quoted many classical, modern and Orientalist Sirah writers and highlighted the position and role of women under the Prophet (PBUH). He stressed the significance of following the Prophet (PBUH) Muhammad in contemporary times.

Professor Obaidullah Fahad (Deptt. of Islamic Studies, AMU) delivered his lecture on Triple Divorce in India. Professor Obaidullah discussed the legal aspects of triple divorce in light of the Quran, Hadith and Ijma. While discussing the Supreme Court judgement on triple divorce he said it was politically motivated. On the other hand, he also criticised the Muslim Personal Law Board for their incapability to handle the case properly.

13th July 2019 [7th Day]

Compere: Ms. Khadija
Tilawat: Salma Bi

Professor Saud Alam Qasmi (Deptt. of Sunni Theology, AMU) delivered his lecture on Common Teachings of World Religions. Professor Qasmi emphasised the need of highlighting the commonalties among world religions. While quoting many religious scriptures he said oneness of God, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Day of Judgement are found in all major religions.

Professor Zafar Mahfouz Numani (Deptt. of Law, AMU) delivered his lecture on Constitution of India: Main Features. Professor Numani briefly highlighted the importance and history of the Constitution. While discussing the power of judiciary he explained how the laws were manipulated by political parties in order to justify their stand.

Professor Mohammad Gulrez (Deptt. of West Asian and North African Studies) delivered his lecture on The Arab Spring. Professor Gulrez briefly explained the history of West Asian and North African countries. While discussing the geo-political scenario of the world and the uprisings in the Arab world, he said Arab Spring was a resistance movement against regimes for their failure to handle the affairs of the people.

15th July 2019 [8th Day]

Compere: Mr. Ahmad Mohd Ahmad Abdullah Amer
Tilawat: Mr. Abdussalam Nadir

Professor Waleed Ansari (Deptt. of Management, AMU) lectured on Islamic Economics in India. Professor Ansari highlighted some important aspects of Islamic economic system. He discussed in detail the utilisation of resources through different means and the problems and challenges faced by the world economy.

Professor Muhammad Ali Naqvi (Director, Sir Syed Academy, AMU) delivered his lecture on Sir Syed's Approach to Religion. Shedding light on the religious thought of Sir Syed, he said one should not criticise Sir Syed on his religious thought. He added that Sir Syed dedicated his life to the socio-political and educational uplift of Indian Muslims.

Professor Gulfishaan Khan (Deptt. of History, AMU) delivered her lecture on Shahjahan’s Contribution to Architectural Heritage of India. She highlighted the significance of Mughal architecture and the importance of Taj Mahal in present times. She pleaded that Muslim architectural heritage of India should be given proper recognition.

16th July 2019 [9th Day]

Compere: Ms. Kehkashan Naz
Tilawat: Dr. Saba Anjum

Professor Akbar Hussain (Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, AMU) delivered his lecture on Islamic Counselling-I. He highlighted the importance of Islamic counselling and its need in present world scenario. He added that the field was now being taught in national and international universities and it had great job opportunities in foreign countries and in India.

Professor Shafey Kidwai (Deptt. of Mass Communication, AMU) delivered his lecture on Indian Media and the Muslims, highlighting how media was maligning Muslims nationally and internationally. He said media was the only means to highlight issues and problems of the people, but today it had been hijacked by some to propagate their own agenda.

Professor Shakeel Samdani (Deptt. of Law, AMU) delivered his lecture on Uniform Civil Code: Prospects and Challenges. While highlighting the challenges regarding Uniform Civil Code, he said there had been no model formulated yet. He added that Muslims alone were not opposed to a Uniform Civil Code; there were other communities as well which opposed it.

17th July 2019 [10thDay]

Compere: Ms. Saba Irshad Ansari
Tilawat: Mr. Gowhar Quadir Wani

Professor Akbar Hussain (Dean Faculty of Social Sciences, AMU) delivered his lecture on Islamic Counselling-II: He explained the application of Islamic counselling in the light of the Quran, Hadith and other canonical sources.

Professor Mirza Asmer Beig (Deptt. of Political Science, AMU) spoke on New Educational Policy and Indian Muslims, highlighting the importance of education and role of new policies of Government. He discussed the implications of these policies regarding minorities.

Professor Obaidullah Fahad (Deptt. of Islamic Studies, AMU) delivered his lecture on Pluralism in Islam: The Indian Context, in which he said that modern society had a plural nature. Classification of the world’s territories into Darul Islam, Darul Harb and Darul Aman had become irrelevant today. He said Muslims should actively participate in power-sharing while safeguarding their interests in a democratic view.

18th July 2019 [11th Day]

Compere: Mr. Tanjeel Ahmad
Tilawat: Mr. Mohd Kaif Raza

Professor Kunwar Muhammad Yusuf Amin (Deptt. of Ilmul Advia, AMU) talked on Philosophy and Rationale in Unani Medicine, explaining the benefits of Unani medicine. He said Western medicine was reductionist in nature and there was no human subjectivity in it, while Unani medicine was holistic. He added that serious diseases should be treated with Western medicine.

Professor Arshi Khan (Deptt. of Political Science, AMU) delivered his lecture on Violence and Terror in Islamic Perspective. He said that there was no scope for violence in Islam. While deliberating on examples within Indian and world context, he said Islam has been branded as the religion of terror, but the reality is that terrorism is an industry run by economic hitmen of the world who have no religion.

Dr. Zaki Kirmani (writer) spoke on The Quran and Science Discourse, discussing Quranic paradigm/paradigm of Science/evolution of man and creation of the world. He highlighted the importance and need of integration of science with Islam and the Quran.

L-R: Prof. Obaidullah Fahad, Director, Summer School on Islamic Studies; Prof. Asfar Ali Khan, OSD, VC Secretariat Aligarh Muslim University; Prof. Ishtiyaque Danish, Editor, Journal of Institute of Objective Studies and Finance Secretary IOS, New Delhi; Prof. Zafar Ahmad Siddiqui; Dr. Ziauddin, Convenor, Summer School on Islamic Studies

Valedictory session

The valedictory session of the 15-day Summer School on Islamic Studies was scheduled on July 19, 2019. The Chairman, Professor Ishtiaq Danish, editor Journal of the Institute of Objective Studies, New Delhi, and secretary finance IOS, in his presidential remarks emphasised the movement of rationalism in Europe as a product of last two centuries. The Quran taught rationality even in matters of religion centuries ago, more than the other scriptures of the world. Muslims in human history developed theology and philosophy based entirely on observation and reflection. Professor Danish said that Islamophobia in Europe was not an outcome of spirituality in Islam. The West instead had been opposing social and civilisational values of Islam. Muslims contributed to the world a humane civilisation, and it had been appreciated by intellectuals of the West also.

Professor Asfar Ali Khan, (Officer on Special Duty, V-C Secretariat, AMU) was the chief guest. In his opinion, objectivity and rational approach should be the base of the study of world religions. He appealed to students not to be emotional in their research in Islam. “Our deliberations on religion should be unbiased”, he observed. The guest of honour Professor Zafar Ahmad Siddiqui congratulated the participants who were punctual in following the rules and regulations of the 15-day Summer School.

Mr. Muhammad Muqimuddin, (co-ordinator of Aligarh IOS chapter) expressed his thanks to the organisers of the Summer School. He briefly introduced the academic activities of the Institute of Objective Studies. Professor Arshi Khan, (Deptt. of Political Science, AMU) said the Summer School was unique and unmatched since it was an intellectual activity organised for the first time in India.

Dr. Ziauddin Falahi (convener of the Summer School) presented its detailed proceedings. According to him two hundred students from 13 disciplines had applied, but only 50 students were selected. Twenty seven senior professors of the Faculty of Social Sciences delivered lectures and interacted with participants, responding to their queries and critical comments.

Professor Obaidullah Fahad (director of the Summer School) arranged a test for the participants to determine their intelligence and understanding of the lectures delivered in the Summer School. He asked four questions, which were well answered by Nouman Badr, Mohd. Rizwan Ansari, Kulsum Salahuddin and Sabah Irshad Ansari, who owned prizes. In the valedictory session Bibi Hasan Pithy, Tahmina Zafar and Nida Ashhar briefly made remarks on the successful completion of the Summer School. The senior teachers who distributed the certificates to participants included Prof. Nasim Ahmad, (Chairman Deptt. of Social Work), Nasim Ahmad Khan, (Chairman Deptt. of Chemical Engineering), Professor Iqbalur Rahman Khan, (Deptt. of Political Science), Prof. Mohd. Saud Alam Qasmi, (Deptt. of Sunni Theology) and Muhammad Sirajuddin Khan, (Assistant Co-ordinator, IOS Aligarh Chapter). The valedictory session was conducted by Dr. Bilal Ahmad Kutty.

Reported by: Dr. Ziauddin

Urdu Report