17. July 2018

Law And Ethics in the Islamic Normative Tradition The Encyclopedia of Islamic Bioethics, Oxford University Online by Khaled Abou El Fadl Introduction There is a wide range of jurisprudential and ethical prescriptions, under the broad rubric of Sharīʿah that apply to ever expanding issues raised by the field of bioethics. The Sharīʿah consists of ethical and legal normative duties and obligations binding to each Muslim individually and to Muslims collectively. The Islamic classical legal...

28. January 2018

Khaled Abou El Fadl on the Islamic Ethics that could guide issues of migration. A powerful talk in which Dr. Abou El Fadl explores what the Islamic message reveals about modern day issues of migration, refugees and the realities of oppression, and the potential to go beyond international law norms to elevate current standards of humanitarian practice. Dr. Abou El Fadl delivers the keynote lecture via Skype entitled, "Islamic Ethics, Human Rights and Migration" for the conference on "Migration...

14. August 2017

The question of how the law becomes known has occupied the minds of Muslim scholars for a long time. In the early centuries, the heated debates, and at times even hostilities, centered around the place and role of ethical principles and reason in the development of the religious tradition. Numerous reports in the Islamic tradition described the very mission of the Prophet Muhammad as part and parcel of an ethical project—a project that builds upon and develops people’s natural ethical...

17. October 2014

By Khaled Abou El Fadl There are those who seem to live blissfully confident of their own moral salvation. They covet whatever they covet, and might wrestle with their resolve, but they have this undaunted, deeply entrenched belief in their own absolution. What will save or absolve them? It does not matter; it could be anything. It could be God, church, or country, or their flag, or perhaps their constitution, their forefathers and heritage, or their prized books or movies, or even nothing more...

19. February 2014

By Khaled Abou El Fadl ABSTRACT In this article, I set forth conceptions of happiness (sa‘ada) from the Islamic tradition, and against this background, I discuss the failure to attain happiness in the modern age. The cumulative Islamic tradition attests to the importance of happiness to faith in God, and to the importance of faith to happiness. While the themes of knowledge, enlightenment, balance, peace, and knowing the other are central to the Islamic theology of happiness, the failure of...

09. December 2008

Chapter 9: Islamic authority By Khaled Abou El Fadl In formulating Islamic law, it has become common in the modern age to use the authority of the Author (God) to justify the despotism of the reader. In effect, by claiming that the only relevant consideration is the Will of the Author, the reader is able to displace the Author and set himself as the sole voice of authority: the reader becomes God, as it were. The replacement of God’s authority with that of the reader is an act of despotism...

01. June 2005

By Khaled Abou El Fadl [FNa1] I. Introduction The purpose of this essay is to answer the following question: Is there a moral duty to obey an Islamic law in an Islamic state? Such an inquiry demands that we define what qualifies as an Islamic law. Furthermore, we will have to attempt a simple definition of an Islamic state, and examine the interrelationship between an Islamic state and Islamic law. Once this is accomplished, we move to identifying the nature of morality under Islam. More...

28. October 2003

By Khaled Abou El Fadl* The Significance of 9/11 and Orphans of Modernity Several years ago, I remember seeing a picture of Bin Laden that ominously foretold the tragedy that would come in 9/11. The picture showed Bin Laden, with his typical slothful and even indifferent look, sitting gripping his Kalashinkov with neatly organized and impressive looking books filling the background. What caught my attention in this picture were the titles of books. With the help of a magnifying glass, I was...

16. November 2002

By Khaled Abou El Fadl* When it comes to the issue of Islam and violence, I must confess that, as a Muslim intellectual, I find myself in a bit of a bind. Islam, as expounded in the classical books of theology and law, does not bear a message of violence. In fact, salam (peace and tranquility) is a central tenet of Islamic belief, and aman (safety and security) are considered profound divine blessings to be cherished and vigilantly pursued. The absence of peace is identified in the Qur'an as a...

01. December 2001

by Khaled Abou El Fadl Since the early 1980s, commentators have argued that Islam is suffering a crisis of identity, as the crumbling of Islamic civilization in the modern age has left Muslims with a profound sense of alienation and injury. Challenges confronting Muslim nations -- failures of development projects, entrenched authoritarian regimes and the inability to respond effectively to Israeli belligerence -- have induced deep-seated frustration and anger that, in turn, contributed to the...