Islamic Studies Commons^™

The Historical Persistence Of Working-Class Culture: How Laborers Created The Ethical Foundation Of Western Civilization, Kenneth Atkinson

Faculty Publications

This article highlights four historical events that shape our present: the world’s first industrial strike in ancient Egypt to protest workers’ health and safety; working-class efforts to improve labor conditions during the Roman Republic and Middle Ages through strikes and the creation of guilds; the social justice activism of the prophets of Western religions (all working-class folks!); and the creation of the selfie and the transition from a culture of character to our present obsession with celebrities and individualism that began during the Renaissance. Each case highlights unique features of working-class culture, working class reactions to societal changes, and the …

Wv Bully Pulpits, Robert Ellison

English Faculty Research

This presentation is grounded in Theodore Roosevelt’s notion of the “bully pulpit,” defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a “public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with the opportunity to speak out and be listened to on any issue” (in this context, “bully” is used in its 19th-century sense of “very good” or “excellent,” not in its modern sense of someone who likes to intimidate, threaten, or actually harm others).

Roosevelt used the term metaphorically, but my presentation will focus on literal pulpits, specifically those occupied by ministers whose sermons challenge the prevailing orthodoxies of a …

Charity Simone, Mark Naison, Anthony Abd-Al Shafi Rosado

Oral Histories

Simone’s path to leadership was inspired by her late mentor, Charles Foster, who encouraged her to be an active voice in their community. After seeing issues with building maintenance and a lack of clear communication, Simone ran for office and was elected Treasurer of her Building Association in 2023. Through this role, she noticed that community work is complex and needs navigating different opinions, yet the experience ultimately reinforced her belief that community is a “verb.” To her, it is an intentional, ongoing action that requires showing up every day to hold the system accountable.

A significant aspect of Simone's …

Ammar Abdul Rahman, Mark Naison, Anthony Abd-Al Shafi Rosado, Jane Kani Edward

Oral Histories

As a leader, Rahman plays many roles beyond leading prayers. He serves as a counselor, advisor, and guide, especially for immigrants and first-generation college students who may lack extended family support. He helps community members navigate not only education but also careers, marriage, and faith-based decisions through an Islamic lens. At Fordham University, he works to build a Muslim community through programs such as Ramadan events, spiritual counseling, mentorship initiatives, and multifaith dialogue.

Overall, Imam Rahman's lived experience demonstrates the role of a religious leader who continues to support minority communities and immigrants. His messages and teachings show how Islam …

Characteristics Of Women Who Fast During Pregnancy: Findings From The Kuwait Birth Cohort Study, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Ali H. Ziyab, Reem Al Sabah, Ahmed N. Albatineh, James Blando, Majeda S. Hammoud

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Fasting during pregnancy is a widespread practice in Muslim communities, yet its health implications remain poorly understood. A lack of conceptual frameworks and limited understanding of the characteristics of women who fast during pregnancy have hindered research in this area. This study examines the differences in several nutritional biomarkers between women who fasted and those who did not and identifies factors associated with fasting behaviour. We analysed data from the Kuwait Birth Cohort in which information on fasting, sociodemographic characteristics and health behaviours was collected via structured interviews between 2017 and 2021. Clinical and laboratory data were extracted from medical …

Bridging Machine Learning And Islamic Scholarship: A Study In Hadith Translation And Similarity Analysis, Asiyah R. Speight

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Translation of Islamic religious texts poses unique challenges requiring both linguistic and theological expertise. This study explores the application of neural machine translation (NMT) models to Arabic-English hadith translation while analyzing semantic similarity patterns across different human translations. Using the complete Sahih Bukhari corpus (7,550 hadiths) as the primary dataset, we adopt a dual approach combining transfer learning and comprehensive neural network analysis to demonstrate the critical impact of corpus size on model performance.

First, we fine-tune a pre-trained MarianMT Arabic-English translation model on the full Sahih Bukhari corpus, comparing models trained on 40 hadiths versus 7,550 hadiths. Performance is …

The Mālikī School In The United Arab Emirates: Historical Roots, Methodological Specificities, And Contemporary Prospects., Dr. Hafiz Abdel Rahman Mohamed

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Papers | بحوث هيئة التدريس المحكمة

No abstract provided.

Cv: Elizabeth Sartell (Theology, Islamic Studies), Elizabeth Sartell

Theology Department Faculty Curricula Vitae

No abstract provided.

Who Really Invented Servant Leadership?, Essraa Nawar

Library Articles and Research

"That program gave me tools and vocabulary I still carry today—frameworks like transformational leadership, emotional intelligence, and ethical decision-making. But one concept stood out to me more than any other: servant leadership.

Robert Greenleaf’s idea that a great leader begins as a servant—putting others’ needs first, listening deeply, and nurturing the growth of others—felt less like something I was learning, and more like something I was remembering.

Because I had seen it before. Not in business school. Not in theory. But in faith, family, and the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ."

Ua12/2/2 Talisman: Connection, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Spring 2025 Talisman:

• Alali, Cecilia & Ragan Harrington. Connection
• Hardesty, Emma. On a Roll – Dungeons & Dragons
• Muscutt, Carson. Grinding Through Life – Molotov Skateshop
• Cox, Kate. Stopwatch
• Harrington, Ragan. 1 Campus, 7 Strangers – Logan Hesse, Nicholas Basile, Spencer Winterbottom, Alliyah Jones, Alex Gehring, Annie McClurg, Rowan Finley
• Vickers, Abigail. Forged in Combat – Mixed Martial Arts
• Wood-Morris, Oli. Survivors to Neighbors – Bosnian Refugees
• Jordan, Shylin. Severed Roots
• Bivens, Emily. Behind the Screen – Social Media
• Dean, Clarissa. Shear Talent – Shake Rag Barbershop
• Sutton, Avery. For the Love of the Old – Thrift Shopping
• Phelps, Maggie. …

A Fiqhi Vision For Investing In Gold Company Stock (Legal, Classifications, Issues, And Alternatives), Dr. Mohamed Hassan Abdel-Wahhab

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Papers | بحوث هيئة التدريس المحكمة

This research addresses the investment in gold company stocks from a fiqhi (juridical) perspective, focusing on the legal classification of purchasing stocks in companies whose primary assets are gold. The study highlights the fiqhi rulings regarding gold and silver, with emphasis on the condition of equivalence and handover in financial transactions. As financial markets have evolved, the trading of gold company stocks has raised questions about the legitimacy of such transactions and their compliance with Islamic law. The research aims to evaluate the Sharia-compliant alternatives for these transactions, especially when physical handover, which is a condition for the validity of …

Recovering Palestinian Lives: Qudsiyya Khurshid From Mandate Palestine To Postwar Pennsylvania, Andrea L. Stanton

Religious Studies: Faculty Scholarship

This article works to recover the life story of Qudsiyya Khurshid, a once well-known Mandate Palestinian intellectual and educator, who wrote essays for publication and for broadcasting on the Palestine Broadcasting Service, while working as a principal at girls’ schools in al-Bireh and Jerusalem. One of a number of educated women active in the Mandate public sphere, she disappeared from public consciousness after the Nakba. But in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, where she had moved with her husband, a naturalized U.S. citizen, she became a prominent figure in civic work and as a community speaker on Palestinian and Middle Eastern life …

The Social Interpretation Of Surat Al-Balad And Its Impact On Addressing Poverty, Dr. Ali Abdul Aziz Sayour

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Papers | بحوث هيئة التدريس المحكمة

This research is titled The Social Interpretation of Surat Al-Balad and Its Impact on Addressing Poverty answers a question: How does Surat Al-Balad, through its interpretation from a social perspective, provide solutions to the phenomenon of poverty prevalence? The research has two topics: the first is indicating the research terminology, and the second is dividing Surat Al-Balad into Four Sections; each section contains several verses presenting a method that contributes to addressing poverty. In this research, both descriptive and deductive methodology was used. It concluded with several results, including: proving that Surat Al-Balad provides us with a model that is …

., Dr. Abdulkerim Mustafa

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Papers | بحوث هيئة التدريس المحكمة

No abstract provided.

A Discourse On Madina Fāzila, Virtuous State, In Muslim Thought: An Overview Of Jalāl-Al-Dīn Muḥammad Davānī’S Aḵlāq-E-Jalālī, Nazim Aman-Hunzai, Muhammad Nazir, Faizeh Zehra Mirza

Institute for Educational Development, Karachi

This study focuses on Jālāl-al-Dīn Muḥammad Davānī (1426–1502) as an illustrative figure in Muslim political thought, who offered a comprehensive perspective on the characteristics of an ideal Muslim state. Drawing on Davānī’s magnum opus, Akhlaq-e-Jalālī, the study explores his ethical framework for understanding the interrelationship between the individual, the state, and society. This work remained among the most influential writings on Muslim ethics, particularly in the Indian context, and continued to shape Muslim intellectual discourseand educational curricula well into the late 20th century. Its enduring presence highlights its intellectual relevance and its capacity to inspire ongoing debates on Muslim ethics.This …

Impacts Of Ramadan Fasting During Pregnancy On Pregnancy And Birth Outcomes: An Umbrella Review, Abdullah Al-Taiar, Md Estiar Rahman, May Salama, Ali H. Ziyab, Wilfried Karmaus

Epidemiology, Biostatistics, & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background

Despite a large number of primary research studies, and systematic and narrative reviews, there is no consensus on the impact of fasting during Ramadan while pregnant on pregnancy and birth outcomes. Currently, there is no evidence-based guideline for Muslim women regarding Ramadan fasting during pregnancy and clinicians cannot provide firm recommendations.

Objectives

To review the current evidence regarding the impact of Ramadan fasting during pregnancy on pregnancy and birth outcomes.

Search Strategy

We conducted an umbrella review of all systematic and narrative reviews examining the impacts of fasting during Ramadan while pregnant on pregnancy and birth outcomes by searching …

Disorienting "Western" Viewers With Nacer Khemir's Desert Trilogy, Kristian Peterson

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In this essay, I explore tensions that arise when creating alternative cinematic visions of Muslim life, specifically frictions emerging from the goal of shifting public perception of the community and patterns of self-orientalization. Here, I complicate assumptions about the representation of Islam by looking at a self-articulated presentation of Muslims through the narrative feature series the Desert Trilogy, by Tunisian director Nacer Khemir (born 1948). I argue that Khemir is ensnared by ahistorical Islamic nostalgia and largely reinforces romantic orientalist aesthetics in his films. While his portrait of Muslims is much more “positive” than those in the broader archive, it …

Teaching Madhhab -Based Fiqh: Challenges And Solutions, Dr. Mohamed Hassan Abdel-Wahhab

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Papers | بحوث هيئة التدريس المحكمة

No abstract provided.

Methods Of Teaching Jurisprudence In The Classical Schools: Between Tradition And Academic Study., Dr. Abdulkerim Mustafa

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Papers | بحوث هيئة التدريس المحكمة

No abstract provided.

Features Of Comparative Jurisprudence According To Imam Ibn Mawdud Al-Mawsili Al-Hanafi (D. 683 Ah) Through His Book Al-Ikhtiyar Li’L-Mukhtar., Dr. Abdulkerim Mustafa

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Papers | بحوث هيئة التدريس المحكمة

This research, entitled: Features of Comparative Jurisprudence according to Imam Ibn Mawdud al-Mawsili al-Hanafi (d. 683 AH) through his book Al-Ikhtiyar li’l Jalīl Al-Mukhtar, aims to: explain the description of the printed book from the book Al-Ikhtār li’l Al-Mukhtar, compare its manuscript version on which the investigators relied, and show the features of comparative jurisprudence in Imam Ibn Mawdud Al-Mawsili, and what was his approach to preferences and their discussion, and his presentation of comparative jurisprudential issues within and outside the Hanafi school of thought.

The nature of the research required that it consist of: an introduction, followed by the …

Interfaith Teaching And Preaching In West Virginia, Robert Ellison

English Faculty Research

I propose to discuss two assignments I used in “Religion and the Sermon in Appalachia,” an Honors seminar I taught in Fall 2023. The first belongs to the “teaching” aspect of my title. In the summer of 2020, the Charleston-based Islamic Association of West Virginia published a four-part video series entitled “Understanding Christianity” on its YouTube channel. In a total running time of approximately three hours, Imam Nasir Abdussalam gives an Islamic perspective (not necessarily the Islamic perspective) on “Christian History,” “Paul & the Original Christians,” “The Early Church & Sectarianism,” and “American Culture.”

On the “preaching” side, we discussed …

The Ideal Family In The Holy Qur'an, Dr. Ali Abdul Aziz Sayour

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Papers | بحوث هيئة التدريس المحكمة

No abstract provided.

The Ideal Family In The Prophetic Sunnah : The Household Of The Prophet (Peace Upon Him), Dr. Atef Abdelhamid Ahmed

Faculty Peer-Reviewed Papers | بحوث هيئة التدريس المحكمة

No abstract provided.

Considering The Historical Houri In Early Islamic History, Vivek K. Rallabandi

Student Publications

This paper examines the question of how the houri (heavenly maidens in Islamic theology) figure into the historical context of early Islam. While the houri have been the subject of much discussion in terms of contemporary affairs, it is worth exploring how the houri may have played a utilitarian role in the growth of Islam. This paper conducts that analysis.

"No, Not Even Water": A Dei Approach To Embracing Ramadan's Richness, Essraa Nawar

Library Presentations, Posters, and Audiovisual Materials

"As Ramadan commences tomorrow, March 11, 2024, it presents a unique opportunity for both observant Muslims and those from other faiths or practices to come together in a period marked by reflection, renewal, and community. This sacred month offers a window into the discipline and devotion of fasting from dawn until dusk, underscoring values of empathy, gratitude, and solidarity with those less fortunate. For non-Muslims, it's an opportunity to learn about and respect these practices, perhaps by participating in communal Iftars, engaging in dialogue, or simply offering support and understanding to those observing the fast. By embracing the spirit of …

Image Of Women In Islam: Maqāsid Approach For Correct Interpretation, Maher Haswa, Man Baker, Moath Alnaief

All Works

The current study attempted to outline the necessity of using the purposes method (al-manhaj al-maqāṣidi) to understand the correct meaning of Islamic religious texts, particularly those related to the image of women, by analysing a set of Prophetic Hadiths in the canonical works of al-Bukhari and Muslim. When the purposes method is not utilized, these texts are typically understood as hostile towards women, leading many to question their validity. The current study employed the analytical and critical methods derived from holistically viewing the religious texts. The study argued that the purposes method should be used by gathering all the texts …

The Role Of Endowments In Achieving The Goals Of Security And Freedom, Eiman Alhashmi

All Works

This research explores the expansive concept of freedom within Islamic endowments, or Waqf, emphasizing liberation from societal constraints like poverty and disability. It asserts that moral constraints restrict human freedom, necessitating a call to Allah for liberation. Historical examples, such as Al-Azhar University, highlight endowments' pivotal role in fostering independence from state pressures, particularly in the realms of thought and education. Endowments are depicted as vital in sustaining and liberating society, offering financial autonomy to scholars and educational institutions. The text also delves into the economic impacts of endowments, detailing their role in employment, income redistribution, and fostering various industries. …

Lost & Found (Game Series) [Book Chapter], Owen Gottlieb

Articles

Description of game series for use in the classroom with best practices.

Between Religion And Politics: The Case Of The Islamic Movement In Israel, Suheir Abu Oksa Daoud

Political Science

The power of the “moderate” branch of the Islamic Movement (Alharaka al-Islamiyya, subsequently referred to as IM) Southern Faction (IMSF) in Israel stems from its ability to adapt to different situations, reconcile with the complex reality of being an indigenous minority in a state that defines itself a “Jewish state”, and operate within the state structure accepting democratic processes that have long been debated to clash with Islamism. Besides being represented in the Israeli Knesset since 1996, the culmination of this adaptation was the joining of the movement to the short-lived Zionist coalition government on 2 June 2021 (the government …

How To Overcome Poverty With Zakat, Eiman Ahmed Khaleel Alhashmi

All Works

This research paper explores the multifaceted role of Zakat in alleviating poverty within the Islamic economic framework. Emphasizing its significance in preserving wealth and promoting economic stability, the paper delves into various dimensions of Zakat, ranging from its impact on economic cycles to its flexible provisions that safeguard against inflation and recession. The study underscores Zakat's contribution to poverty eradication through the development of human capital, morally and materially, and its role in fostering goodwill and compassion in society. Additionally, the paper discusses Zakat as a tool for preserving wealth, demonstrating its ability to prevent economic crises and redirect money …