Overview

Anas ibn Malik narrated that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ passed by some people who had been busy grafting trees. Thereupon, he ﷺ said: “If you didn’t do that, it might be good for you.” So, they abandoned this ﷺ practice, and there was a decline in the yield. After some time, he passed by them, and asked: “What’s wrong with your trees?” They said: “You said such-and-such.” So, he ﷺ said: “You have better knowledge on the affairs of your world.”

– (Sahih Muslim, Kitab Al-Fadha-il)

The legal system and rulings of the religion were revealed and originally developed, by God’s decree, in a set time and location. However, the universality and dynamism of the Islamic legal framework allows for it to manifest itself and thrive in even the most diverse and eccentric civilizations that the world has ever seen. The adaptation of this legal system into societies is a process that requires an immense, nuanced study of the Islamic legal philosophy, coupled with, a holistic understanding of the recipient community. This is where the sciences of Islamic law meet the study of civilizations and societies.

The history of how the Malay world accepted Islam is an interesting study of its own. The ethnic Malays, prior to their discovery of Islam, were very much influenced by philosophies of foreign traditions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism. This is further illustrated when one studies the Malay arts and literature, which embeds those philosophical beliefs within itself. The arrival of Islam, then, reformed the thought of Malay minds, and refined its culture to conform to divine direction.

Today, Singaporeans face a whole different plethora of contemporary issues affecting their lives. Can I donate my organ to my ill mother? What is the milk bank all about, and is it acceptable within the scope of Islamic family law? How does ownership of HDB housing affect inheritance disbursements? Do I have to pay the obligatory charity for my CPF savings?

Points Of Discussion Include
• Islam & The Malay World: The Arrival of Islam, The Process of Change & The Religion Administered
• The Construction of The Legal Mind: Understanding The Process of Deriving Rulings
• Tools of Thought: Textual Analysis & Methods of Reasoning
• Tools of Thought: Normative Maxims & Higher Objectives
• Fatwa Formulation: Case Studies of Local Edicts

To answer those questions comprehensively, we need to inquire extensively on how these rulings should be derived. How does a local scholar of Islamic law answer these questions? What is the Islamic legal framework, and how does it work? What are the objectives of the law, and how do we understand the legal discourse that goes unnoticed behind local edicts? What are the mechanisms of Islamic law that assist with the deriving of rulings, in conformity to the objectives of the religion?

This MasterClass, we study the history of Islam’s journey to our shores, understanding our society’s integration to the religion, internalizing concepts of Islamic law and how we, as a community, have reaped the benefits of the dynamism embodied within the Islamic legal framework.