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This study examines the theological debates surrounding the Ibāḍī epistle of Khalaf b. Ziyād al-Baḥrānī, written in the early 2nd/8th century. The epistle, which focuses on the theological concept of al-asmāʾ wa-l-aḥkām (names and rulings), represents one of the earliest known discussions of faith classifications and their legal implications in Islam. Khalaf’s work is compared to Kitāb al-Irjāʾ and the Epistle of Sālim ibn Dhakwān, highlighting how early Islamic sects, particularly the Ibāḍīs, Murjiʾites, and Muʿtazilites, debated the definitions of īmān (faith) and kufr (unbelief). The study situates Khalaf’s epistle within the broader theological discourse of the period, showing how his classification of faith-related rulings influenced later Ibāḍī thought. It also challenges the assumption that Ibāḍism only matured as a structured doctrine in the 6th/12th century, demonstrating its continuous evolution from the early Islamic period.

The recent publication of a new edition of the Qurʾanic exegesis al-Tahḏīb fī ʾl-Tafsīr by al-Ḥākim al-Ǧišumī (d. 494/1101) highlights the topic of naẓm (coherence/consistency/order/ correspondence) as a subject essential to understanding the concept of iʿǧāz al-Qurʾān, the uniqueness of the Qurʾanic text, which is central to conceiving its early exegesis. The present article investigates al-Ǧišumī’s theory of naẓm in the Qur’ ān, while attempting to distinguish his theory from that of his contemporary al-Ǧurǧānī (d. 471/1074). In this article, we compile evidence of al-Ǧišumī’s novel philological theory and offer a broader historical evaluation of the concept of naẓm among Qurʾanic exegetes. Finally, this article examines for the first time how to take account of al-Ǧišumī’s methodology in our understanding of the conceptual structure of the Qurʾanic corpus. While the main focus of this article is on al-Ǧišumī’s approach to the theory of naẓm, it also considers the theory in a wider context. Moreover, although it touches on al-Ǧurǧānī’s views on naẓm, it does not discuss him in any detail, particularly since his ideas have already been examined extensively in numerous other books and academic papers.

Termin „Jedwabny Szlak” ma dwa znaczenia: dosłowne i metaforyczne. W czasach, kiedy termin ten został wprowadzony do obiegu, centrum handlowym ówczesnego globalnego świata był świat arabski. Później centrum to przesunęło się na zachód, w dużym stopniu ze względu na chaos i zaburzenia, które zaczęły wstrząsać Bliskim Wschodem. W kolejnym okresie handel światowy zaczął intensywnie rozwijać się na Dalekim Wschodzie, z którym ściśle powiązana jest Zatoka Arabska/ Perska oraz basen Morza Czerwonego. Dzisiaj gospodarcze znaczenie Jedwabnego Szlaku staje się ważniejsze niż kiedykolwiek. W artykule analizowane są kulturowe aspekty idei Jedwabnego Szlaku oraz formy, w jakich ta idea zaczyna się wyrażać.

This article comparatively assesses the relationship of Arabian Peninsula governments to modern Islamic reform movements after the formation of nation-states by the British Government in post-Ottoman Arabia. Over the last half century the region of the Arabian Peninsula has experienced an Islamic awakening that has played an integral role in the process of modernization in Arabian states. There are three aims of this study: 1) to examine the influence of the traditional Islamic schools of theology on re-shaping the identities of Arabian states. 2) to explore the degree to which the governments of the nation states and the prior political establishments informed the contemporary vision of religious reform 3) to consider the impact that the recent wealth of Arabian States, especially the wealth of the GCC countries, has had on the creation of the modern Islamic revival since the discovery of oil. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

The article is devoted to the achievements and approaches of specialists, mostly American, British, German, French and Italian in the analysis of Ibadi siyar and the new perspectives of the research connected with the analysis of the MSS material. The general tendency in the field now is to follow the footsteps of Van Ess, Madelung and Cook, and rather than developing new theories and hypotheses, to seek out and identify well documented texts that will offer a reliable picture of Islamic thought before the 3rd/9th century. To provide a clearer general context, the texts could also be rearranged in historical order and grouped on the basis of the ideas they present. Most works produced by the different Ibadi groups during the early period are not representative of particular literary genre. However, we do not have precise data on the Islamic material on ‘ilm al-kalam that has been discovered so far from the period up to the end of the 3rd/9th century. Because of the importance attached to siyar by Ibadi ‘ulama’ during the 10th/16th and 11th/17th centuries Ibabi schools began to seek out their roots and collect early manuscripts and works of literature on the Ibadi legacy... The article is devoted to the achievements and approaches of specialists, mostly American, British, German, French and Italian in the analysis of Ibadi siyar and the new perspectives of the research connected with the analysis of the MSS material. The general tendency in the field now is to follow the footsteps of Van Ess, Madelung and Cook, and rather than developing new theories and hypotheses, to seek out and identify well documented texts that will offer a reliable picture of Islamic thought before the 3rd/9th century. To provide a clearer general context, the texts could also be rearranged in historical order and grouped on the basis of the ideas they present. Most works produced by the different Ibadi groups during the early period are not representative of particular literary genre. However, we do not have precise data on the Islamic material on ‘ilm al-kalam that has been discovered so far from the period up to the end of the 3rd/9th century. Because of the importance attached to siyar by Ibadi ‘ulama’ during the 10th/16th and 11th/17th centuries Ibabi schools began to seek out their roots and collect early manuscripts and works of literature on the Ibadi legacy. The latter were copied and preserved per se without diluting them or considering them in the context of the other Islamic schools. That is why the Ibadi school was able to remain united and steadfast in the face of the contemporary modernization movements which continue to this day. Most of the compilations of the texts that are currently in our possession comprise not more than ten volumes in all. Scholars and copyists have rearranged each of these manuscripts, so that each copy has a different number and sequence of siyar texts. The existing text formats raise the important question of whether Ibabi siyar are actually a literary genre. Until now nobody has really studied siyar in such a way that their specific genre characteristics have been defined in detail.

This paper discusses a record of expenses of an early sixteenth-century Portuguese vessel, the Santa Maria do Monte, during its voyage from Goa to Hormuz and back in 1520-1521, stopping in the Omani ports of Qalhāt, Ṭīwī, Qurayyāt, Muscat (Masqat), and Khawr Fakkān along the way. The route sailed during this voyage is examined in light of regional navigational practices, and the composition of the crew is discussed, emphasizing the significant non-Portuguese population on board. The nature of the ship and the specific costs of maintaining this vessel during the voyage are also addressed. Collectively, the cultural intersections involved with the navigation, the crew, and the maintenance regime of this vessel provide specific examples of maritime relationships in the region. In terms of its broader significance, such evidence of a high concentration of regional actors in a Portuguese instrument of maritime power alludes to a more complex and interdependent relationship between the Portuguese and the Arabian Sea maritime spheres. It also highlights a specific segment of the vibrant maritime Indian Ocean mosaic that the Portuguese were compelled to navigate during their imperial endeavours.