IJTIHAD. In general usage, the Arabic word ijtihad denotes the utmost effort, physical or mental, expended in a particular activity. In its technical legal connotation, it denotes the thorough exertion of the jurist’s mental faculty in finding a solution for a case of law. During the first century of the Hijrah (seventh century CE), when
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IDRISIYAH. The thought and teachings of Ahmad ibn Idris (1749/50-1837) gave rise to a spiritual tradition and various Sufi orders. The term Idrisiyah is used here in two senses: to refer to various Sufi brotherhoods and schools established by his students, and to the tariqah established by his descendants over a generation after Ion Idris’s
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IDRISID DYNASTY. This important early ruling family in North Africa owes its name to Mulay Idris ibn `Abd Allah. In 788 CE Idris became involved in an anti`Abbasid revolt near Mecca and was forced into exile to escape the persecution of Harun al-Rashid, the ‘Abbasid caliph of Baghdad. Idris sought refuge in present-day Morocco, which
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IDEOLOGY AND ISLAM. In Islam, as in other world religious traditions, there is a historical trend toward objectification, making religion into an entity alongside other aspects of social and personal life. As a result, religious beliefs and practices, once central to a coherent vision of the world and often taken for granted, emerge as merely
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`ID AL-FITR. (EID AL FITR)The Feast of Breaking the Fast is celebrated at the end of the month of fasting, Ramadan. Also known as the Minor Festival (`Id al-Saghir) or the Lesser Bayram, `Id al-Fitr is one of two canonical annual festivals celebrated universally throughout the Muslim world (the other is `Id al-Adha). According to
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ID AL-ADHA.(EID AL-ADHA.) The Feast of the Sacrifice is celebrated throughout the Muslim world at the end of the period of the annual pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca. One of the two most important annual festivals (the other is `Id al-Fitr), `Id al-Adha is also known as the Major Festival (`Id al-Kabir) and the Greater Bayram.
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ICONOGRAPHY. A discussion of the iconography of Islamic art must begin by defining the essential components or elements of this art and their application. Next, it is important to address the question of whether traditional iconography has changed in the modern Islamic world, or remained the same since the late seventh century (with the building
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IBRAHIM, ANWAR (born 10 August 1947), Malaysian Muslim activist, thinker, and politician. Anwar was born at Cerok Tok Kun, Bukit Mertajam, Penang; both his parents were active in the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). He received a secular education and also, like most Malay children of the time, studied religion in the afternoon. While at
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