Islamic Ethos: Examining Sources of Authority
This paper investigates the construction of Islamic ethos in the early Islamic period, highlighting what constitutes the guiding principles of its authority. As a religion that is currently subject to many ugly charges, a careful examination of its core historic values provides a counternarrative to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-10-01
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| Series: | Humanities |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/8/4/170 |
| _version_ | 1818016071059243008 |
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| author | Lana Oweidat |
| author_facet | Lana Oweidat |
| author_sort | Lana Oweidat |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper investigates the construction of Islamic ethos in the early Islamic period, highlighting what constitutes the guiding principles of its authority. As a religion that is currently subject to many ugly charges, a careful examination of its core historic values provides a counternarrative to the distorted ideology perpetuated by extremists such as The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as well as to the Islamophobic and anti-Muslim racist discourse circulating in the West. The counternarrative presented here serves scholars of ethos whose expertise lies elsewhere than in religious studies. While providing this historical narrative, I highlight how Islamic ethos is derived from multiple sources of religious and cultural/communal authority, mainly from The Qur’an (the holy book of Muslims); the <i>Sunnah</i> (the Prophet Muḥammad’s example, deeds, and customs); and <i>ijtihad</i> (the interpretations and deductions of Muslim religious leaders). Tracing the construction of Islamic ethos through the creation of the Muslim community (<i>Ummah</i>) in 622 CE and the establishment of the Caliphate in 632 CE reveals guiding principles of conduct that are, in contrast to the discourses mentioned above, realistic, practical, and adaptable to current global needs and exigencies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T07:06:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-32b723d868ba498d84f11970ebe99234 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T07:06:49Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities |
| spelling | doaj.art-32b723d868ba498d84f11970ebe992342022-12-22T02:06:32ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872019-10-018417010.3390/h8040170h8040170Islamic Ethos: Examining Sources of AuthorityLana Oweidat0Center for Contemporary and Creative Writing, Goucher College, Baltimore, MD 21204, USAThis paper investigates the construction of Islamic ethos in the early Islamic period, highlighting what constitutes the guiding principles of its authority. As a religion that is currently subject to many ugly charges, a careful examination of its core historic values provides a counternarrative to the distorted ideology perpetuated by extremists such as The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as well as to the Islamophobic and anti-Muslim racist discourse circulating in the West. The counternarrative presented here serves scholars of ethos whose expertise lies elsewhere than in religious studies. While providing this historical narrative, I highlight how Islamic ethos is derived from multiple sources of religious and cultural/communal authority, mainly from The Qur’an (the holy book of Muslims); the <i>Sunnah</i> (the Prophet Muḥammad’s example, deeds, and customs); and <i>ijtihad</i> (the interpretations and deductions of Muslim religious leaders). Tracing the construction of Islamic ethos through the creation of the Muslim community (<i>Ummah</i>) in 622 CE and the establishment of the Caliphate in 632 CE reveals guiding principles of conduct that are, in contrast to the discourses mentioned above, realistic, practical, and adaptable to current global needs and exigencies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/8/4/170islamic ethosnonwestern rhetoricsauthorityislamophobiathe qur’an<i>sunnah</i><i>ijtihad</i>islamic statemuslim community (<i>ummah</i>)caliphate |
| spellingShingle | Lana Oweidat Islamic Ethos: Examining Sources of Authority Humanities islamic ethos nonwestern rhetorics authority islamophobia the qur’an <i>sunnah</i> <i>ijtihad</i> islamic state muslim community (<i>ummah</i>) caliphate |
| title | Islamic Ethos: Examining Sources of Authority |
| title_full | Islamic Ethos: Examining Sources of Authority |
| title_fullStr | Islamic Ethos: Examining Sources of Authority |
| title_full_unstemmed | Islamic Ethos: Examining Sources of Authority |
| title_short | Islamic Ethos: Examining Sources of Authority |
| title_sort | islamic ethos examining sources of authority |
| topic | islamic ethos nonwestern rhetorics authority islamophobia the qur’an <i>sunnah</i> <i>ijtihad</i> islamic state muslim community (<i>ummah</i>) caliphate |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/8/4/170 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lanaoweidat islamicethosexaminingsourcesofauthority |