Towards a humanistic approach to the Quran: new direction in contemporary Islamic thought

Historically, Muslim orthodoxy has regarded the Quran as God’s Word dictated to Muhammad through the mediation of the Angel Gabriel, and has thus maintained the corresponding argument that the Prophet played no role in shaping the content of the Quranic revelations. This paper discusses a project of what I shall refer to as ‘reforming theology’ within contemporary Islamic scholarship which stands in contrast to the dominant orthodox view of revelation and the nature of the Quran. In particular, the paper examines how several contemporary Muslim scholars, namely Fazlur Rahman (from Pakistan), Abdolkarim Soroush and Muhammad Mujtahed Shabestari (from Iran) and Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd (from Egypt), challenge the widely accepted idea about the Quran being the literal Word of God. The paper argues that the project of these scholars represents a radically new direction in Islamic theology because of its strong emphasis on the human side of the Quran. It also shows that the implications of these scholars’ re-examination of traditional theories of revelation are not only limited to theological matters, or specifically the communicative relationship between God and His Prophet, but also have a number of consequences for the practice of exegesis.     

Religious Representation in Comenius's Orbis sensualium pictus (1658)*

The Orbis sensualium pictus (1658) was an important element in the pedagogical programme of the Czech Reformer, Jan Amos Komenský (Comenius). Through the use of illustrations with an associated key, it was intended to educate young children about the names and terms of items and activities that they saw in the world around them. Although the significance of the work has long been recognised and has been studied in the wider context of Comenius’ philosophical ideas, comparatively little attention has been paid to the illustrations in this work. The intention of this article is to examine the portrayal of religious faiths in the Orbis sensualium pictus as well as to demonstrate that, in spite of Comenius's rejection of confessional differences, they depict Christian worship and religious practice from a largely Lutheran perspective.     

Religious Leaders and the Environmental Crisis

Despite the presence of forward‐looking religious leaders at higher levels, there is little recognition and understanding among local‐level leaders about climate change and the irreversible impacts of global warming. This article illustrates this lack of insight among religious leaders and provides suggestions to increase their awareness of the environmental crisis and its solutions. It uses as examples Islamic teachings that Muslim muftis can use to protect the environment, and emphasizes religious leaders’ influence, roles, and responsibility in establishing justice for the earth, for the next generations, and for all creation. Although most of the facts and examples in this article are from a Middle East and North Africa Region and Islamic perspective, its arguments can be applied generally.     

Interfaith etiquette in an age of Islamophobia

Islamophobia represents one of the greatest moral dilemmas of our time. Anti‐Muslim hostility and hatred, driven by racism, has manifested itself in exclusionary, discriminatory, and violent actions toward Muslims and those perceived as Muslims. By most metrics, Islamophobia in the United States is only getting worse. This article draws on Krister Stendahl's rules of interfaith engagement as a means of offering Christians a blueprint for how to reach out and engage with their Muslim neighbors in an age of Islamophobia.     

El,Baal, and Allah

This article compares the appropriations of the divine names El and Baal into the Yahwistic faith in ancient Israel with the Christian use of the word “Allah” in contemporary Indonesia. This study finds that, like El and Baal, “Allah” can function as both an appellative and personal name in contemporary Indonesia. However, the term “Allah” in Indonesia is at a crossroads to develop either to be more generic, like El, or to be more personal, like Baal. Learning from the peaceful appropriation of El as a generic name and the polemical appropriation of Baal as a personal name in ancient Israel, Indonesian Christians need to advocate the use of the name Allah as an appellative because it may prevent unnecessary conflicts in the Christian–Muslim relationship in Indonesia. Furthermore, the use of the common word “Allah” in Indonesia to refer to the supreme being is crucial for promoting interreligious dialogue between Islam and Christianity.     

具身模拟在汉语肢体动作动词理解中的作用

通过3个实验, 考察具身模拟在汉语肢体动作动词理解中的作用。实验1考察在整字启动下具身模拟对运动通道中箭头方向判断的影响, 发现理解肢体动作动词在运动通道中存在着动作-汉字相容效应, 汉字的具身方向与箭头方向一致促进被试对箭头方向的判断。实验2考察在整字启动下具身经验对视觉通道中字母位置判断的影响, 发现理解肢体动作动词在视觉通道中存在着动作-汉字相容效应, 汉字的具身方位与字母方位一致促进对字母方位的识别。实验3采用义符启动范式考察义符与整字的具身模拟, 发现理解汉语肢体动作动词不仅在整字层次上存在着具身模拟, 在部件层次上也存在着具身模拟。义符在汉字加工中期被激活了, 并且持续到加工晚期。整个研究表明, 汉语肢体动作动词理解是一个跨通道的具身模拟过程, 具身模拟在汉语肢体动作动词的理解中起着非常重要的作用。     

The Prophet’s Letter to al-ʿAlāʾ b. Al-Ḥaḍramī: An Assessment of Its Authenticity in Light of the Covenants and the Correspondence with the People of Yemen

The letter to al-?Alā? b. al-?a?ramī embodies a number of parallels to the covenants and to the Prophet Mu?ammad's correspondence with the people of Yemen. This study examines the different versions of the letter that have come down to us from the Musnad of al-?ārith b. Abī Usāma and from a recension from al-?abarānī's Al-mu?jam al-kabīr to reconstruct a critical edition. Having translated the critical edition and analysed its contents, the study then concludes that the letter is in all likelihood authentic and that it is, generally speaking, textually accurate. The implication of this is that the letter and the covenants represent mutual attestations of one another and that the religion of Islam was well-established, having attained a great level of maturity in the Prophet's lifetime.     

What Are Degrees of Belief?

Probabilism is committed to two theses:

声旁家族大小和高频同声旁字对汉字命名的影响

该研究探讨了声旁家族大小和高频同声旁字对汉字命名的影响。结果表明：1）声旁家族大起抑制作用,在不一致字上更明显;2）相对于高频同音邻近字,高频异音邻近字对低频字起抑制作用;3）汉字命名中字形相近字的作用点有两个,分别在字形表征水平和语音表征水平。