Two Main Linguistic and Semantic Approach in Islamic Theologoical Tradition

Theology is one of the main areas in which linguistics and semantics take up a significant space. The same issue also appears in the Islamic theological works known ＂kalam＂. There are two main semantical approaches regarding the theological doctrines in the Islamic thought. However the theological reasons are the primary aims in these semantical works, but they include serious philosophical and linguistic content. One of them is the main Islamic strand （orthodox Islam） represented by some astonishing Islamic scholars such as Ici, Guwaini, Sahristani, Ghazali, and Razi. According to this tradition, meaning is an inner state and a state of mind which is specified by the intent of the interlocutor or the author. The utterances have only an instrumentel role in speech. This approach can also be compared to the primary semantic view ranging from Aristotele to P. Grice---with some variations in the Western philosophical tradition. The second thesis is argued by the Mu＇tazili sect who are called Islamic rationalists that objected to Ahl us-Sunnah in their prominent ideas. From Mu＇tazila＇s point of view meaning should only be looked for among linguistic facts. There is no intentional content in the mind before the utterances. Meaning is produced within the structure of language itself and the conventional social context. In other words, meaning is nothing but the usage of the language, These two approaches also mean that there is going to arise different forms of interpretation in the theological perception. The aforementioned approach carries similarities with the approaches of Western thinkers like Wittgenstein and his followers. In this paper, the author deal with these two theological approaches by focusing on their linguistic and semantic views and comparing them with some modem western theories.

E-Learning Islamic Studies for Form Four Students

Despite the efforts by Ministry of Education to promote Information and Communication Technology （ICT） in education in Malaysia, the Islamic education syllabus is far behind the intended plan in ICT usage in learning and teaching. Concern was raised that Islamic Studies faced the risk of being misunderstood if the lessons were taught through self-accessing method with minimal intervention from teachers. Using the Dick and Carey instructional model as a framework, an e-learning version was devised for the national Form 4 Islamic Studies syllabus, ＂The steps and procedures of Hajj and Umrah＂. The Islamic Studies textbook for national secondary schools in Malaysia was reviewed using a systematic approach, from identifying the instructional goal through to formative and summative evaluation processes. Interview sessions with students were conducted to assess the developed e-learning Islamic Studies content. A subsequent survey with students was conducted. Results from the study indicated the e-learning Islamic Studies content had the potential to help students, being easy to use, and attracting and retaining students＇ attention.

Notions of Free Market and Social Welfare in Islamic Economics

Trading and business in Islam has been identified as the second best profession after agriculture and Prophet Muhammad （PBUH） himself has been engaged in trading. The Islamic theory of market aims to provide optimization of returns and satisfaction for all stakeholders. It also seeks to make ＂free market＂ an instrument of promoting equity and social justice for the welfare of society. It combines tenants from the free market model as well as those in command market economy. Islamic economics identifies certain functional parameters for the efficient functioning of the market to achieve the optimization of returns and social welfare like absence of middle men, prohibition of hoarding, mode of finance free from interest and usury, taxation and other wealth redistribution instruments like Zakat and Khums, asset-based and risk-sharing partnerships and stakes, etc.. It essentially creates conditions for proper functioning of a competitive market as an instrument of economic progress and social equity. In Islamic economics, the role accorded to the state is to ensure that institutions are set up and vigilance officers are appointed which create the specified condition for the proper and fair functioning of the market and hence preventing what is identified as ＂market failure＂. The role of the state is to improve the functioning of the market as opposed to that of systematic intervention. This paper tries to examine the Islamic notions of ＂free market＂ in the traditional sources like Qur＇an, Hadees, the early texts of Islamic Jurisprudence, and contemporary writings on Islamic economic system and to make a comparative analysis with theories of market in capitalist and socialist frameworks. The paper will examine the extent to which Islamic notions of free market offer an alternative model to resolve the problems of growth, inequity, and risk management.

众口品谈宗教学

21世纪已经来临，回顾百年来的宗教学研究，最重要性的成果无疑体现在已撰写和出版的著作与论文当中。为了纪念百年来学者们的成就，缅怀故人，更好地发展宗教学事业，开拓未来，本刊决定开辟“百年宗教学研究成果”展示，约请有关专家撰文介绍百年内出版的重要学术成果，欢迎读者撰文，并提出意见。