Zani i Naltë – Abstracts no. 37

Abstracts no. 37

May 07, 2024 Zani i Nalte Editoriale, English 0

Editorial

A century of “Zani i Naltë”

Msc. Andrin Rasha

“Zani i Naltë”, tribune of Albanian Muslim thought, opinion and beyond, which was addressed to lovers of reading, researchers and explorers in the native language, turns 100 years since the first day of publication. It is the first official magazine of the Albanian Muslim Community, founded by the Muslim elite of the time after the First Albanian Muslim Congress, immediately after the constitution and establishment of the institution of the Muslim Community.

Its articles deal with important topics that reflect reality and the main social and educational issues. “Zani i Naltë” analyzed and discussed the most important issues of the time, such as social and family relations, the emancipation of Muslim women, the education of children and young people, the attitude towards good and evil, the selection and adoption of the benefits of civilization of the time, opposing and abandoning social vices, strengthening religious and national brotherhood, all of this in accordance with Islamic and national norms, ethics and culture.

It should be borne in mind that this magazine, despite the fact that it appears at first glance as a magazine with religious themes, topics from various fields, including those of a secular character, were written and published in it, with the sole aim that the message they conveyed was to serve the Islamic Albanian population in particular, but also the rise and elevation of the entire Albanian nation in general.

We can say it out loud that “Zani i Naltë” was a guaranteed source for the Islamic religious education of the Albanian nation, without neglecting its nourishment with feelings of patriotism, cultural and educational upliftment.

Islamic sciences

The fundamental sources of the Islamic religion and civilization

Prof. Dr. Qazim Qazimi

The Qur’an is a divine word, a discourse of Allah, a heavenly book, wonderful, inimitable, inaccessible neither in content nor in artistic aspect, so it is “Mu’jizetun” that was revealed to Muhammad (a.s.) through Jibreel (a.s.), conveyed faithfully by him, written down since it came down, collected in a collection called “Mus’haf”, preserved, cultivated and memorized, and its reading is worship for Muslims.

As the sacred divine work that it is, the Qur’an has a wonderful aesthetic and emotional impact on Muslims who read or listen to its poetic prose. Even non-Muslims are deeply impressed by his literary impeccability and his inimitable perfection.

The Qur’an is not the work of any poet or artist. It is the Word of God; therefore, it is perfect and wonderful. All this said, it is necessary to set forth to enable the reader to understand the reasons for the style of the magical power of the Qur’an, a power which, unfortunately, the reader cannot sense in the translation, however good it may be.

Given the multiple values and themes of the Qur’an, from religious and spiritual, philosophical and social, theoretical and practical to expressive artistic ones, it is of interest to Islamic culture in general that the masters of the mind and pen, do more in illuminating the stylistic values of the Qur’an, because even here the miracle of the artistic expression of the Qur’an and the impossibility of imitating its aesthetic value, come to light.

Studies

“Zani i Naltë” the forerunner – founder of the Islamic periodical in the Albanian language

Ramadan Shkodra

The very initiative to publish a magazine in the format of “Zani i Nalte”, apart from having a special historical importance, there is no doubt that it was also a bold step that clearly showed maturity, vision, professional preparation, and above all responsibility of the Islamic religious elite of the time, to create institutions that carry out their mission before God, the country and the people.

The mission, philosophy and vision of the magazine “Zani i Naltë” become clear and understood in the main article of the first issue of the magazine, in which the initiators and the publisher express the major objectives of the magazine, where it is stated that “Zani i Naltë” aims to: “…Reveal to the Albanian Muslim people the truth of the faith in a simple and uncomplicated way…, as well as complete the brotherhood between all the elements in Albania”. This is in order to, as it is said there, “Strengthen the foundations of a sound and simple national policy in our State”.

See for this, “Zani i Naltë” for a decade and a half, which has been a forum for the opinion of the Islamic and Albanian elite, which competently handled and cultivated professional topics from the national, religious, social and cultural disciplines. Here we find the wisdom and blessings of the Qur’anic disciplines from distinguished pens and enlightened minds, such as the pilgrim Vehbi Dibra and his contemporaries. We also find historical and cultural features that are very eloquent from the past of our people, without neglecting the practices related to humaneness, the cultivation of tolerance and understanding, the sublime values of our people.

Namazgja Mosque and the journey for its construction

by Dorian Demetja

One of the primary aspirations of the Muslim Community of Albania has been the maintenance and construction of as many mosques as possible, in all possible spaces where the community of Muslim believers lies. Mosques are God’s houses, in which His name is mentioned and glorified, where believers perform their worship, build and strengthen their religious life and are equipped with religious and moral knowledge. Regarding the importance of maintaining and building mosques, Allah, in the Holy Qur’an, says: “The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakah and do not fear except Allah, for it is expected that those will be of the [rightly] guided.” (Qur’an, 9:18) However, historically, mosques have been built small and over time the need for a large mosque in Tirana arose.

It is known traditionally that Tirana’s Namazgja was the center of Islamic religious rites for the capital’s inhabitants, where Aid prayers were offered together. The ruins of the walls and hundred-year-old cypress trees spoke of its antiquity. Therefore, the continuous demands of the Muslim Community have been that the great mosque be built exactly on the grounds of Namazgja.

The laying of the foundations for the construction of the Namazgja Mosque in Tirana was carried out on May 13, 2015, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Albania, Mr. Bujar Nishani, the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Rexhep Tajip Erdogan, President of the Muslim Community of Albania, Mr. Skender Bruçaj, President of the Muslim Community of Turkey, Mr. Mehmet Gormez, and important personalities from Albania and Turkey. The ceremony was also attended by the former Chairman of Muslim Community of Albania, Mr. Selim Muça, directors, muftis, imams, as well as a large number of citizens of the capital and beyond. After the greetings of the two presidents and the prayers made by the two heads of the Muslim communities, the button was pressed for the pouring of concrete, where the work on the construction of the Mosque and the Namazgja Complex officially began.

History

Qyrjani Mosque – the first Islamic institution in the region of Kraja

Hamid Alaj

The Qyrjani Mosque, or as some call it the Old Mosque, as the oldest mosque and the first Islamic institution in the Krajë-Shestan region, is one of the largest, the most important, and a work of precious value.

It is one of the most valuable examples of Ottoman architecture. In addition to this, there are also other mosques built during the Ottoman period in this area. The mosque is located at the entrance to the neighborhood of Qyrjan, from where it got its name, and in its composition includes the members (congregation) of the village of Martiq, namely the neighborhoods of this village, such as the neighborhoods of Qyrjan, Sjerçi, Kacej and the neighborhood of Ramushej.

Qyrjani Mosque is the first mosque built in the region of Kraja. The Mosque of Muriq Nalt in Shestan’s territory was built in the same year. There is no other sure track about the construction date of this mosque, but based on some documents it is thought that it was built somewhere around 1602.

The mosque is not the work of a single period of construction, as its entrance had its vestibule built, and over time, that part was closed and another alcove was added to its interior, where it was built mejtepi (primary school) of the mosque. The style of the building, the width of the walls, the type of construction material, its location, give enough data to determine its age. Regarding the builder of the Qyrjan mosque, only assumptions can be made, because no inscription has been preserved to prove this precisely.

Despite all the great work that has been done during the renovation of this mosque, its original shape has not been changed, while its aesthetic appearance has changed every time interventions have been made in the object.

Philosophy

Islamic philosophy

Msc. Ana Gjeçi

Another important and original philosophical tradition of medieval philosophy is Islamic philosophy. Islamic philosophy has made a significant contribution to the history of culture, not only in the preservation of knowledge, but also in the enrichment of new contributions, as Western philosophy entered a “dark age”. From this approach, we understand that Islamic philosophy is a tradition of philosophy that was created between ancient philosophy and the scholastic philosophy of the twelfth century. Islamic philosophy can be described as a tradition of philosophy born from Islamic culture as a whole, since Islamic philosophy is not only expressed in the Arabic language, and others besides Muslims have contributed to its formation.

Islamic philosophy also studies the essence and purpose of objects, their beginning and end, but it goes beyond revelation and prophecy. Therefore, the beginning is God (Allah) and the end is the Last Day. Thus, the two main goals of Islamic philosophy are knowledge about God and the Last Day. Prophet-hood is not a goal of this philosophy, but a means to reach the above two goals.

Islamic philosophy, like metaphysics, does not conflict with sensory, technical knowledge and the laws of nature. It is more special than metaphysics, while metaphysics is broader than it is, because metaphysics does not base the essence of objects and the first beginning (mebde-i eu-uel) on God, on the purpose of objects and on the Last Day.

It should be mentioned that the encounter and engagement of Muslims with philosophy was by no means accidental, as claimed in the West. On the contrary, everything came quite naturally with the spread of Islam and philosophy found the “suitable land” where it could develop, from the very nature of the Islamic religion, which gives importance to knowledge and leaves room for the use of reason. In addition, Islam has served as a bridge connecting ancient philosophy with the Western one, of course, not being content only with conveying, but also with its development.

It should be noted that the schools of that time in the West were not at the level of the Muslim ones, therefore many ministers of religion and people passionate about knowledge attended Islamic schools (madrasas) in various Italian cities, such as in Sicily and Naples. Even imitating the madrasa system of that time, the first universities in Europe were founded (in Bologna, Oxford, Montpellier, Paris, Padua and Lyon). In these universities, in addition to other subjects, were taught also Islamic science and philosophy.

Translation

Early Hanafi authorities on the Imamate

Asim Ayub

This article presents six annotated translations of excerpts on governance/political authority from early (pre-7th century Hijri) classical Hanafi works across a few genres, Islamic law (fiqh), rational theology (kalam), and Quranic exegesis (tafsir).

The majority of scholarly reflection on the imamate is found in theological works, in spite of it being a legal issue. For the Hanafis, this means in works of Maturidi theology. Our next three passages, from the 5th and 6th century Hijri, are all of this type. The first of these comes from one of the earliest Maturidi creedal tracts, Abu Shakur al-Salimi’s (d. after 460/1066) al-Tamhid, though al-Salimi may contend with that description. Apart from those texts directly attributed to Imam Abu Hanifa, this may be one of the most “Hanafi” theological works in existence. The author is nearly fully reliant, for all his positions, on the founder of the Hanafi school himself, never quoting from Abu Mansur al-Maturidi. The Ash’ari school is referenced but is mentioned under the label of heterodoxy (ahl al-bid’a), with Sunni Islam mostly assumed to be a Hanafi endeavour. The author’s unique contribution to the discussion on imamate is to mobilise all three major sources of Islamic law – Quran, Sunna and consensus (ijma’), to prove its obligation, whereas other Maturidi authors would generally suffice with consensus alone, or with some prophetic narrations.

Jurisprudence

“Freedom of conscience and belief according to civil international principles and conventions”

Prof. Asc. Dr. Saimir Shatku, Faculty of Law, University of Tirana

Human rights represent essential rights, which originate from the fact of the existence of the human being by being born with him and as such, they enjoy special protection from state mechanisms. These rights represent the highest human goals and ideals, which, although expressed in different forms, give meaning to the affirmation and realization of human aspects of life. One of them is the freedom of belief and conscience, where for the very importance they represent in this framework of rights, their exercise is protected and sanctioned by the most important international acts.

Regarding the practice of historical developments in the world, we find that this freedom has not been applied everywhere and every time in the same way, as there have been frequent cases of its restriction in many countries of the world for reasons closely related to various political, historical, social developments , etc.

The right to conscience and the free exercise of belief is often violated by the presence of numerous forms of discrimination for that category of persons who choose to manifest their belief in the way they wish to express it. For their realization, it is necessary to combine many factors and foresee many mechanisms in order to implement them.

Among the main mechanisms that serve this purpose are the anticipation and observance of widely accepted principles of international law, which are sanctioned in acts and conventions with interstate force. Here the responsibility and obligation of the state through the effective protection of the rights of its individuals is evidenced

Personality

Hafiz Mustafa Doraci (1894-1974) “Little Hafiz”

One of the outstanding figures of Tirana theologians is Hafiz Mustafa Doraci, who with his activity as a teacher and theologian has left a name in the history of education in the Madrasah of Tirana and as a mosque imam.

The years he spent in Istanbul were among the most important for his cultural, general and religious formation, accompanied by his love for the homeland. Mustafa continued his higher studies in theology, as well as memorizing the Qur’an by heart to become a Hafiz, together with Hafiz Musa Basha from Elbasan, who would show later, when he came to the head of the Albanian Muslim Community, that Hafiz Mustafa Doraci was an excellent student. Both graduated in theology and received the high title “Hafiz”. Hafiz Musa Basha returned to his homeland, while Hafiz Mustafa performed the duties of Hafiz in various famous mosques in Turkey such as: Sultan Fatih, Sultan Selim, Mahmut Pasha and Haxhi Pasha mosques.

In the role of imam, he won the hearts of the faithful, with his behavior, knowledge and dedication to this task, especially in reciting the Qur’an by heart, with deep feeling, beautifully and precisely, deeply touching the souls of the listeners. On Fridays and the months of Ramadan, the faithful filled the mosque to follow their imam, “Little Hafiz”, as they began to call him (because he had a small body).

Retrospective

The struggle of life and the mission of man

Haki Sharofi

“Man’s mission” is to emerge victorious in the “War of Life” by fulfilling the legal requirements that shape his happiness.

The living creatures of the Creator are summed up in two great groups: Man and Animal. Besides these, we also have some invisible creatures under the name Angel…

Angels are endowed with reasoning powers; they do not have lust, ambition and selfishness, therefore, they do not eat, they do not drink, they do not sleep, they are not born, they do not give birth, they always judge rightly.

Animals, on the contrary, do not have the power of reasoning, they do not have spiritual and moral qualities, and they only have lust and greed. They have some kind of love for their offspring, but this fades away very quickly.

Man is clothed with both these opposite qualities, animal quality and spiritual quality, which try to put each other down. Man must be very strong to reconcile and harmonize these two qualities. That is why man is superior to other creatures.

Man is an animal; therefore, he has lust, ambition and desire, therefore he needs to eat, drink, taste and enjoy himself. On the other hand, there is the reason by which he judges and sees that nature responds to his wishes for a very short time, and not forever. He eats and drinks, but after three or four hours, he wants to eat and drink again. His lust for sexual pleasure is ignited, he is satisfied; but after a while, he asks again.

However, as we said, man is also equipped with another quality, the spiritual one with which he resembles the Angel, and when he sees that material pleasures are quickly extinguished, he frees the reins of his mind, which judges and reasons and pushes man to seek a place in the eternal realms; but there is no tool for these spheres. He is numb and depressed, but hope comes to his aid, gives him courage and strengthens his will. Religion comes out on that side and tells him that “Eternal ideals” will be realized through the good deeds he will do in this world, so that everything will be earned by the sweat of his brow and not found ready. Man does not want the ready-made thing, but seeks to earn it himself.