Vol. 1 No. 1 (2016): al-Irsyad: Journal of Islamic and Contemporary Issues

The Editorial Board of al-Irsyad: Journal of Islamic and Contemporary Issues is pleased to announce the publication of its inaugural issue (December 2016) of volume 1, number 1. This issue consists of ten articles on Quranic sciences, linguistics, comparative religion, Islamic law, education, and Islamic thought.

In Quranic sciences, Baharudin and Jamil wrote "Makki and Madani Sciences and Their Importance for Islamic Preachers." This paper contributes to the science of Makki and Madani, one of the extraordinary Quranic sciences that must be mastered by Preachers in order to comprehend the methods of da'wah in order to guarantee the success of da'wah and then have a positive impact on their mad'u.

In the field of linguistics and translation, Nasimah Abdullah, in her article titled "The Importance of Context in the Authentic Translation," emphasises the significance of context in achieving an exact translation, particularly in translating the Quranic metaphorical connotations into the Malay language based on the semantic equivalence between the source and target texts to the closest possible meaning of the original Arabic text.

In their paper titled "A Comparison of the Messiah Concept from Islamic and Christian Perspectives," Syihab and Afnan attempted to contribute to the field of comparative religion. This research suggests that both religions share the same concept of the Messiah, but apply it to vastly distinct principles and concepts.

Rabi'ah Muhammad Serji, an expert in Islamic law, presented a paper entitled "Application of Islam and Malay Customs to the Torrens System in Malaysia." She discovered that Islamic law and Malay customs were only occasionally recognised and applied. The exclusive authority granted to the Syariah Court by the amendment to the Federal Constitution allows Islamic law and Malay customs to be applied to the administration of land law in Malaysia.

In their paper titled "Relationship Between Learning and Behavioural Evaluation Between Religious Officers to Deal with ODHA in Malaysia," Kadir@Shahar et al. investigate the relationship between learning and behavioural evaluation among religious officers in Malaysia following attendance at the Manual on HIV/AIDS in Islam Training Programmes organised by the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (JAKIM). The training programmes were designed to disseminate the most accurate and up-to-date information on HIV/AIDS and to train religious officers in Malaysia to address the issues among Muslims. Participants can engage in outreach activities with People Living with HIV/AIDS (ODHA) as a result of the training programmes' theoretical and practical components. They discovered that the knowledge gained through the training programme Manual Islam and HIV/AIDS had successfully altered the behaviour and understanding of religious officers regarding the function of da'wah in ODHA.

In Islamic thought, Daud et al. authored "The Attitudes of Youth towards Non-Religious Thinking" with the participation of 43 adolescents from a Malaysian university. This study seeks to examine the youth's background in atheism and evaluate their attitudes. The results indicate that the level of youth appreciation is moderate, with the majority of youth concerned about Islam and interested in undertaking religious programmes.

In her paper titled "Facing the Modern World Challenges: A Review of Islamic Scholars Strategies," Mariam Abd. Majid outlined a few strategies that Islamic Scholars must implement in order to reach out to the masses (ummah). Her research reveals four primary focuses of Islamic scholars when formulating a strategy to approach the ummah: dominating the mental requirements of the elements (spiritual, soul, and physical).

In his paper titled "Status of Islamic and Non-Islamic States: Views of Contemporary Muslim Scholars," Abdul Hakim Baharudin@Ismail analysed the distinction between Muslim and non-Muslim countries in Muslim scholars' perspectives on various Syariah laws. He discovered that contemporary and traditional scholars have divergent perspectives on this topic, with the distinction being based on reality and current necessity.

In their paper titled "Extremism of Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) as an Islamic Movement in the Philippines," Abdullah et al. argued that the movement of Islamic activities in the Philippines has always been hampered by the deceptive ideologies of certain Muslim leaders, who engage in murder, kidnapping, terrorism, etc. In this instance, they discussed the extremism or radicalism of the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM), which gives non-Muslims a negative perception of Islam as a religion of terrorism.

In addition, Norsaleha Mohd. Salleh's "The Roles of Islamic NGOs in Dealing with the Feminism Agenda in Malaysia" is the final paper on Islamic thought in this issue. She examined the roles of Wanita Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Wanita ISMA), an Islamic non-governmental organisation whose efforts directly oppose the feminist agenda in Malaysia. She argued that the feminist movement is among the goals of Islam's adversaries and seeks to mutilate the identities and personalities of Muslim women. It is an invasion of the mind that demands liberty, gender equality, and humanity. Like an oasis in the desert, these slogans successfully created deception and delusion in the minds of Muslim women until they were perceived as genuine and evident.