Vol. 4 No. 2 (2019): al-Irsyad: Journal of Islamic and Contemporary Issues

The Editorial Board is delighted to announce volume 4, issue 2 (December 2019) of al-Irsyad: Journal of Islamic and Contemporary Issues. This issue includes seven articles on Islamic education and teaching, family issues, linguistics and translation, Islamic thought, and Quranic studies.

Ismail et al. examine the degree of religious observance among students at Malaysian Islamic Institutes of Higher Education (IPTI). This quantitative study utilised a cross-sectional survey by administering the Muslim Religiosity Personality Inventory (MRPI) (2011) questionnaire to students from four IPTI. UIAM (West), USIM (South), UniSHAMS (North), and KUIPSAS (East) were the zone-based methodologies utilised in the selection process. The findings indicate that pupils have an extensive understanding of Islamic values and a robust religious personality. This study is thus a foundation for establishing a specific paradigm for the development of religious life so that periodic empowerment can be conducted under the supervision of the university.

Abd. Majid et al. detail the primary influences on adolescent sexual transgression, which has resulted in premarital pregnancies. A method of semi-structured interviews with an administrator, a superintendent from the Selangor Rehabilitation Centre, and four adolescents involved in sexual misconduct yielded the results. According to the findings, the leading causes of teenage sexual misconduct are as follows: love, voluntarily acting, rape, pornographic film and video, family institution weakness, family conflict, ignorance, weak religious practise, peer influence, drug addiction, and illegal racing participation. It is anticipated that the findings of this study will aid all parties in addressing the issue of sexual misconduct and unwed teen pregnancies in this country.

Awang et al. investigate the degree to which Muslim women employees at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) and Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) are conscious of their rights and responsibilities within their families and careers. The objective is to ensure that Muslim women employees better understand their rights and responsibilities to balance their careers and families. This study found that Muslim women employees at UNITEN and UPNM strongly understand their rights and responsibilities towards their families and careers. Nonetheless, it is necessary to address several significant aspects of women employees’ awareness of the provisions of the law and policies about women.

Nonverbal communication skills (NVC) are the foundation of effective teaching and facilitation processes among instructors, according to Norul’Azmi and Zakaria. Due to the advancement of information technology and its impact on educational practises, teachers must also master implementing this communication via the online platform. The results revealed some problems with NVC practice in Arabic language instruction and online process facilitation. Despite their knowledge of the subject matter, the issue of NVC practice among instructors during the teaching process in traditional or online classrooms persists. Inadequacies in verbal communication practice and external factors such as burden and technology support are examples.

In their article titled “The Translation of Mutashābihāt Verses (Anthropomorphism): An Analysis on the Procedure of Explicitation,” Abdullah et al. examine how the Quran’s mutashābihāt verses are explained and how they relate to the translators’ ideas. This research adopted a qualitative methodology that led to an analysis of the Quran’s textual content, which is elaborated descriptively by selecting three (3) Allah-related words from the Quran’s text as the study’s sample, namely يد, استوى and أعين. The corpus texts utilised are the translations of the Quran into Malay by Abdullah Basmeih, Mahmud Yunus, and Zaini Dahlan. The findings revealed that the translation of the mutashābihāt verses made use of various forms of explicitation, such as lexical specification, the addition of explanatory remarks, and additional information in brackets and footnotes, to improve the target readers’ comprehension of the Quran’s meaning. In addition, research revealed that Mahmud Yunus and Zaini Dahlan retained the literal meaning of translated mutashābihāt verses without providing an esoteric interpretation of the Quran and were occasionally influenced by the ideology of al-Ta’wīl. In translating the verses, Abdullah Basmeih was more susceptible to the ideologies of al-Ta’wīl and al-Ithbāt bi Ḍawābiṭ.

Aini and Sabri discuss the impact of Christianity on the Orang Asli in Perak by concentrating on the manifestations of the Christianization movement. This study employed semi-structured in-depth interviews with six research participants, including a religious officer from the Dakwah Division of Jabatan Agama Islam Perak, Penggerak Masyarakat Orang Asli (PMOA), Muslim preachers, and apostate Orang Asli. The study reveals that the Christianization movement occurs via non-aggressive proselytising and entertainment, humanitarian aid, the dissemination of love messages, and leadership caderization programmes. Thus, this study suggests that a concerted effort should be made to enhance the missionary method among Muslim preachers to teach the Orang Asli how to practise Islam’s teachings.

Abu Bakar et al. disclose the evolution of thematic exegesis (al-tafsīr al-mawḍū'ī) in Malaysia from the 1940s to the beginning of the 20th century. The results indicated that the pattern of Quranic tafsir in Malaysia began with the translation of exegetes’ original works. Then, a comprehensive interpretation was produced; al-tafsīr al-taḥlīlī and al-mawḍū'ī were the predominant interpretive styles. The development of thematic exegesis revealed the significance of the 20th century. In addition to the lafaz (metonym) and sūrah (chapter), topic-based writing became thematic’s preferred method of composition in Malaysia. The life of the Prophet, faith, the economy, the family, and ‘ibādah (the act of worship) were among the topics studied. Consequently, this study revealed significant developments in thematic exegesis in Malaysia, highlighting the need for this type of exegesis in society. This study provided Malaysian researchers with new information regarding general exegesis and thematic exegesis.