INTIZAR. Until `All Shari`ati (d. 1977) introduced it in his presentation of Shiism, the term intizar (lit. “waiting”), had not been used as a specific concept in Islamic theology. In a general sense, every creed with an eschatological dimension inspires believers to wait for the end of time, the coming of the Savior, the resurrection
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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DIPLOMACY. Muslim writers argue that the international and diplomatic realms are incorporated in the very comprehensiveness of Islam, and analogues to the concepts of international relations exist in Islamic history. The Prophet’s compacts with the Medinans (623624) as well as with the Jews and Christians of the Arabian Peninsula (e.g., in Najran
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INTERNATIONAL LAW. The expansion of Islam, territorial conquests, and the progressive formation of a Muslim empire that had its apogee between the eighth and ninth centuries led Muslim jurists to formulate a certain number of rules and standards that can be described as principles in the domain of international law. The primary sources of this
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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY AT KUALA LUMPUR. Founded in 1983, the International Islamic University, Malaysia, seeks to permeate the teaching of all knowledge with Islamic values. The idea of establishing the International Islamic University (IIU) was first discussed on 12 January 1982 by the prime minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahathir Mohamed at a meeting with the
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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY AT ISLAMABAD. In the wake of the islamization policy in Pakistan, a central institution for the coordination of this policy and for higher learning, the International Islamic University at Islamabad, was established. A SharI’ah Faculty at Qa’id-i A’zam University was founded in 1979, but it could not meet the needs felt during
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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC FEDERATION OF STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS. A worldwide organization of Muslim student associations, the International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations (IIFSO) received its initial impetus from the experience of Muslim students in North America. In 1963, the Muslim Students Association of the United States and Canada (MSA) was established on the campus of the University
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INTERFAITH DIALOGUE. See Muslim-Christian Dialogue; Muslim-Jewish Dialogue.
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INTEREST. The question of whether interest is a legitimate financial instrument has long been a source of controversy throughout the Islamic world. The origins of the controversy lie in Qur’anic verses that prohibit ribs, the ancient Arabian practice whereby borrowers saw their debts double if they defaulted and redouble if they defaulted again. Over the
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INSTITUTE OF MUSLIM MINORITY AFFAIRS. Incorporated in London in 1983, the Institute of Muslim Minority Affairs (IMMA) is an independent body with the objective of studying the conditions of life of Muslim minority communities wherever they reside. In order to fulfill its mandate the IMMA has invited and encouraged research and investigations on minority communities
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