The objective of this article is twofold. First, it investigates mereology in medieval Islamic theology, particularly the theologians’ claim that the whole is identical to its parts and accordingly that at least some attributes common to the parts must by extension be attributed of the whole. This claim was refuted by philosophers and, from the eleventh century onwards, an increasing number of theologians. Second, it offers a new interpretation of the standard theological proof from accidents for creation ex nihilo, to which this problem was central. A wide range of early, classical and later theological and philosophical sources are consulted.

Muṣliḥ al-Dīn al-Lārī (d. 979/1572) was a scientist and philosopher of Shiraz in the 16th century who was active as a scholar first in India and then in the Ottoman land. He was a prolific author who wrote works in various fields. Some of his works on rational sciences, which was his main subjects of interests, became text books in the Ottoman curriculum. His Samples of the Sciences (Unmūdhaj al-ʿulūm), which was written while he resided in Istanbul and dedicated to the grand vizier Rustam Pāshā (d. 968/1561), demonstrates his intellectual chalanges in twenty-one different desciplines.

The following article surveys a few treatises regarding the salvation of the Prophet Muḥammad’s uncle, Abū Ṭālib b. ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib (d. circa 619 CE). The controversy concerning Abū Ṭālib’s place in the hereafter stems from a wealth of reports condemning him to hell due to his refusal to convert to Islam and others which testify to his lifelong belief in God and the prophethood of Muḥammad. The first group of reports was canonized in the collections of Bukhārī and Muslim, while the second group largely appeared in sīra and Shī‘ī ḥadīth literature. Although Shī‘ī thinkers have upheld the faith and salvation of Abū Ṭālib from the earliest periods of Islamic history, very few Sunnīs shared this opinion despite transmitting some of the same proof-texts cited in Shī‘ī works. According to most Sunnīs, these proof-texts were either inconclusive or insufficient in proving Abū Ṭālib's conversion to Islam or his salvation. However, there is a remarkable shift in the sensibilities of some Sunnīs after the ninth century hijrī (fifteenth century CE). In contrast to early Sunnīs who considered such a possibility to be unlikely or flatly denied it, a few Sunnīs over the past five centuries have joined their Shī‘ī co-religionists in their commitment to the salvation of Abū Ṭālib. This article introduces the relevant proof-texts and theological arguments that classical Shī‘ī and modern Sunnī writers have utilized to advocate the belief in Abū Ṭālib’s salvation.

Makalah ini membahaskan berkenaan salah satu sifat wajib bagi Allah SWT iaitu mukhalafatuhu li al-hawadith menurut shurrah matan Jawharah al-Tawhid. Kajian berbentuk kualitatif ini menggunakan kaedah analisis kandungan menerusi matan Jawharah al-Tawhid berdasarkan pandangan al-Imam Ibrahim bin Hasan al-Laqani dan para ulama lain yang telah mensyarahkan matan ini menerusi kitab-kitab syarah mereka. Aspek perbicangan akan berfokus kepada metode syarahan para ulama dalam menghuraikan bait matan ini khusus pada perbahasan sifat tersebut. Para ulama yang telah mensyarahkan matan ini berusaha menzahirkan maksud sebenar perbahasan sifat tersebut agar selari dengan kefahaman Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah. Hasilnya, umat Islam dapat memahami bahawa terdapat jurang perbezaan yang sangat ketara antara Allah SWT dengan makhluk-Nya sehingga tidak mampu untuk diserupakan walau dalam sesetengah aspek sekalipun. Setiap ulama turut bersepakat bahawa Allah SWT adalah bersalahan dengan al-hawadith dalam segenap aspek.

Ibn Surayj, a prominent figure in the formative period of the Shāfiʿī law school, has played an important role in both the transformation of Shāfiʿī substantive law and the development of early Islamic legal theory. Ibn Surayj reportedly wrote approximately four hundred works, few of which are extant today. Thanks to his contribution to the school, he is known as " the second al-Shāfiʿī (al-Shāfiʿī al-ṣaghīr); " indeed, according to some modern scholars, Ibn Surayj is the true founder of the Shāfiʿī school and Islamic legal theory. Although Ibn Surayj's works on Islamic law are no longer available, the later chapters of al-Wadāʾiʿ li-manṣūṣ al-sharāʾiʿ, one of his two extant works, bear the following titles: abrogation (naskh), prophetic traditions (sunan), single-transmitter report (khabar al-wāḥid) , c o n s e n s u s (ijmāʿ), analogy (qiyās), and knowledge (ʿilm). This study presents the edition and translation of relevant titles in al-Wadāʾiʿ to provide Ibn Surayj's views on uṣūl. In addition, this paper discusses Ibn Surayj's place in the evolution of Islamic legal theory, and how Ibn Surayj interprets al-Shāfiʿī's understanding of uṣūl.

Artikel ini membincangkan secara mendalam pemikiran Fakhr al-Din al-Razi berkenaan Ayat al-Sifat dalam karyanya Tafsir al-Kabir. Bagi memenuhi keperluan itu, tumpuan perbahasan adalah kepada aspek metodologi yang digunakan oleh Imam al-Razi dalam memperincikan persoalan Ayat al-Sifat dan penghujahan yang digunakan dalam mentafsir ayat tersebut.