Vol. 10 No. 2 (2025): al-Irsyad: Journal of Islamic and Contemporary Issues

The latest publication of al-Irsyad: Journal of Islamic and Contemporary Issues (IJICI), Volume 10, Issue 2 (December 2025), presents a diverse collection of ten scholarly articles contributed by researchers from four different countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. These works provide an overview of several academic studies focusing on contemporary Islamic thought, methodology, and applications in diverse fields. One major theme is the hermeneutics of sacred texts, examining Nūr al-Dīn ‘Itr’s literary and social critique interpretation of Prophetic hadith using the symbolism of rain, and an analysis of Mahmud Yunus’s translation methods for kināyah (figurative language) in the Quran. Another significant area is epistemology and theological challenges, particularly assessing the scepticism of Orientalists like Goldziher and Schacht towards the authenticity of hadith, and exploring Sa‘īd Ramaḍān al-Būṭī’s approach to theodicy to address doubts about divine justice and suffering. Furthermore, the texts examine the practical application of Islamic principles in contemporary life, including the connection between halal food consumption and spiritual purity based on a key hadith, and the integration of Imam al-Ghazālī’s ethical philosophy into digital Islamic tourism using Augmented Reality (AR). Lastly, there is a focus on Islamic education, specifically identifying the features of a contemporary children’s tafsīr (exegesis) for Surah al-Fātiḥah.