Since the Islamic Center's founding, it has honored the intellectual works and ideas of many distinguished leaders, including Dr. Maher Hathout, Dr. Hassan Hathout, Dr. Aslam Abdullah and Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl. And on Sep. 25, the Islamic Center proudly presented a special program based on the teachings and recently published book by renowned scholar Dr. Fathi Osman, "The Permanent and Transitional in Islamic Sources."
"The Qur'an is divine, but the human beings who are hearing it are human beings. If it doesn't connect to their time and place, it's not going to move forward."(Dr. Ghada Osman - Pharos Foundation)
The event was co-sponsored by the Islamic Center, Pharos Foundation, along with Bayan Claremont and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
After years of sorting and compiling lectures by her father, Dr. Ghada Osman (Editor), unveiled the book as Edina Lekovic facilitated discussion among a panel of community thought leaders and students of Dr. Fathi Osman's work, including Salam Al-Marayati, Dr. Gasser Hathout and Jihad Turk.
In his book, Dr. Fathi contextualizes the importance of discerning between permanent universal principles in Islam and transitional local reforms. He emphasizes this by shining a light on topics outlined in Sharia law - jihad (struggle against evil) and hudud (fixed punishments for certain crimes).
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| The room was full to capacity as Dr. Gasser Hathout took his turn in addressing the crowd. His discussion highlighted how classical jurists viewed the notion of jihad. |
Dr. Ghada Osman, (Ph.D in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University, MA from Islamic studies from UCLA and Professor Emerita from San Diego State University) states in the book's overview, "The Qur'an is divine, but the human beings who are hearing it are human beings. If it doesn't connect to their time and place, it's not going to move forward. Part of our job is understanding what connects to the time and place of the revelation in Mecca and Medina in the 7th century, and what connects to eternity and general principles of humankind."
Jihad Turk, President of Bayan Claremont Islamic Graduate School, highlighted the importance of approaching the Qur'an with a two-step process that will bring benefit, stating "the first step is working on our own intentions and purifying our hearts and trying to improve our own sincerity and humility before Allah. And the second one requires us to use our intellect, to use our minds, to appreciate the challenge that God has given us."
The Islamic Center was honored to have Dr. Fathi Osman as a resident scholar for several years until he passed away in 2010. He was a world renowned scholar on Islam, Muslim intellectual developments and contemporary Muslim societies.
You can purchase your copy of his book in the Islamic Center bookstore or on Amazon.
