Vol. 7 No. 2 (2022): al-Irsyad: Journal of Islamic and Contemporary Issues

The Editorial Board is delighted to announce volume 7, issue 2 (December 2022) of al-Irsyad: Journal of Islamic and Contemporary Issues. This issue contains ten articles pertaining to Quranic studies, Islamic thought, linguistics and translation, Islamic education and teaching, Islamic law and legal theory, Islamic psychology, and Islamic economics.

In Tafsir Al-Quran Nik Abdul Aziz: Surah al-Fātiḥah, Ahmad and Baharudin concentrate on the prayer technique. This study revealed that the primary message of Tuan Guru Dato' Haji Nik Abdul Aziz bin Nik Mat is that the recitation of supplications must be plain and understandable and that one should always seek Allah's guidance.

Ismail and Mohd find the methods utilised by Haji Abdul Malik Karrullah Amrullah (HAMKA) in his Tafsir al-Azhar to extract the highlights and lessons from the verses about prophetic history (Fiqh al-Sīrah). The significance of this study derives from the fact that it examines the best and most exhaustive exegesis written in Malay. This study discovered that the essential Hamka's trends are: elucidating highlights and lessons in Islamic propagation and politics; emphasising highlights and lessons in belief and behaviour; relating the prophetic history's reflections to the current situation; linking the highlights and lessons of the prophetic history's reflections to the Islamic-Nationalism ideology; determining the jurisprudence rulings deduced from the prophetic events; and correcting the society's ugliness. These developments reflect Hamka's Islamic propagation, reform, politics, and societal objectives. Therefore, this research will make a scholarly contribution to the field of reflection on prophetic history and Quranic exegesis (al-Tafsīr) by presenting a model of the practical and living approach to extracting the highlights and lessons of prophetic history from the primary source, the Holy Quran.

Through al-Taysīr fī Aḥādīth al-Tafsīr, Rozani et al. investigate the ideas of a Moroccan Islamic scholar, Muḥammad al-Makkī al-Nāṣirī on al-Iṣlāḥ and their applications in combating the endemic phase. The results indicate that the restoration of the endemic phase is not restricted to external factors such as environmental reform. It is also essential to consider the spiritual disintegration and social conflict between communities, both of which contribute to the causes of global catastrophe. This study is significant for all parties working to improve the world after the COVID-19 pandemic while broadening the scope of the endemic phase improvement strategy.

From previous research, Tuan Mat et al. identify discourse on translating Arabic prose literature into Malay. Two aspects are the focus of this study: i) Arabic-Malay translations of literary works, frequently used as research materials to observe the trend of aspects of scholarly research, and ii) translation method and strategy for figurative language in Arabic-Malay translations of literary works. The Arabic-Malay literature translations Kalīlah wa Dimnah, Riḥlah Ibn Baṭṭūṭah, Ḥikāyat Alf Laylah wa Laylah and Masrūr wa Maqrūr are frequently used as research materials. The study's findings indicate that previous research has analysed the translation of Arabic-Malay prose from the perspectives of theory, method, and translation strategy. Choosing a theory, method, and strategy can result in high-quality translations in the target language and the preservation of literary values as intended by the source text.

Abdullah and Samsudin compare the strategies employed by the Restu Foundation and al-Hidayah House of Quran for translating synecdoche in Quranic discourse to determine the correspondence between the actual meaning of the Quran and the target text. As data sources, this analysis employs al-Burhān fī ‘Ulūm al-Qurān (2001) and al-Itqān fī ‘Ulūm al-Qurān (2003). Based on explicit concepts introduced by Vinay and Darbelnet (1995) and the standard transfer operation of explicit proposed by Klaudy and Károly (2005), translation data for two (2) chosen corpora are analysed. This investigation found that thirteen out of forty-eight translations of synecdoche were translated differently. Similarly, a word-by-word approach provides the source text with no sense of meaning. This approach should be avoided as Arabic and Malay use their languages differently. To accomplish compatibility in the translation, the implicit meanings of the Quranic synecdoche must be incorporated into the target text.

In their paper "External Rhythmic Features in the Poem "Li Annaka Khayr Khalq Allāh Ḥaqqan" by Aḥmad Nanāwī: A Prosodic Analytical Study," Mohammed Hafees et al. investigate the aesthetic features resulting from al-‘Arūḍ (Arabic prosody) and al-Qāfiyah (Rhyme) in Aḥmad Nanāwī’s poem. Using the analytical method, the research analyses the poem based on the science of prosody and rhyme. This study concluded that the poet invested the rhythmic dimension provided by al-Baḥr al-Wāfir itself, as well as strengthening the rhythmic structure through the use of ziḥāf al-‘aṣb and scansion of the poem (al-Taqṭī’ al-‘Arūḍi), to shed light on the intended purpose of this poem, which was to pay homage to the Prophet (PBUH) by defending him and responding to the statements made against him by some extremists. The poet was also successful in selecting the letter al-lām with ḍamma vowel as the letter of rawī and composing the rhyme elements, elevating the poem's rhythmic intensity to its highest level. It demonstrates that the poet's creativity was consistent with the poem's character.

Ismail et al. identify the challenges lecturers in Malaysia's Klang Valley face when teaching and learning logic. The study results indicate that lecturers' challenges when teaching logic are primarily theoretical and difficult to comprehend. Moreover, lecturers must be inventive when presenting examples and address students' inability to comprehend the relationship between logic and other sciences. This study also uncovered the need for lecturers to diversify their teaching methods through a blended learning approach to attract and motivate students to master the subject.

Abdul Mutalib et al. describe the concept of diyya property, its implementation in Malaysia, and the categories of property that can be used to pay diyya. This article will also discuss the diyya rate in Malaysia and the methods used to determine it. This article summarises the concept of national property. In the context of Malaysia, the Malaysian Ringgit (RM) is the national currency. The Dirham to Malaysian Ringgit exchange rate is applicable in Malaysia.

Mohamad Shariff et al. investigate the connection between listening to Islamic music, spiritual well-being, and exhaustion among university employees. During the COVID-19 movement control order in Malaysia (April to May 2021), a cross-sectional study utilising an online survey was conducted with 140 university employees. The set of questionnaires includes socio-demographic information, the categories and frequency of music employees listen to, the Modified Maslach Inventory Burnout (MBI), the Duke University Religion Index (DUREL), and spiritual well-being (SWB). The data were analysed with SPSS version 26.0, and hypotheses were tested with the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman correlation. Most employees listened to music daily, and 51.4% of those surveyed listened to Islamic music or audio. The participants in the study have a high level of religiosity (DUREL Mean = 24.02, SD=±2.352) and a high level of spiritual well-being (SWB) (mean = 109.84, SD = ±9.014). Employees with burnout exhibited low depersonalisation (mean = 8.54, SD=±5.728), moderate emotional exhaustion (mean = 20.51, SD=±9.866), and high personal accomplishment (mean = 31.87, SD=±7.956). SWB correlates positively with personal success and negatively with emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation (p<.05). This study demonstrates that listening to Islamic music can improve employees' mental health and productivity.

Azwar et al. provide solutions to the epistemological problems of the institutional environment or higher education institutions and examine the Quranic perspective and the position and application of Islamic economics between the influence of economics and Fiqh al-Mu‘āmalah. According to the study's findings, Islamic economics is not only a system or standard, as was previously believed, but also a scientific discipline discovered using scientific methodology. It is difficult to reconcile the position of Islamic economics between the influence of economics and Fiqh al-Mu‘āmalah. Their fundamental distinction, mainly epistemological, necessitates synergy and integration within Islamic economics.