First thing firsts

There is a tartib to be followed - first things first.

Prayer is incomplete without wudhu' (ablution) and ablution starts with niyyah (intention).

Every act to be undertaken by a Muslim should commence with the basmalah. A new Muslim starts with shahadah. A new born baby should hear the adhan.

So is the Islamic Law. No one can just pronounce anyone guilty without due process. And the pronouncement of a mob is not part of due process.

No one can just issue a fatwa (ruling) except one qualified to do so. Qualification to issue fatwa is not self-ascribed, it is based on institutional arrangement, i.e. the Office of Mufti or the Darul-Iftah.

No one can just proclaim jihad ashgar. This is a communal responsibility, not an selective individual option. The declaration is incumbent on the community Imam (Leader), not just on anyone who have studied the law.

This is the beauty of the concept of tartib, there is order to every undertaking, there is progression. Islam is a religion of order and serenity; not a religion of chaos and mob.

Works of the late Prof Dr Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi

Remembering my mentor - He settled my heart on issue of Ijtihad, Mujahidah and Jihad. His articulation on these concepts will forever be etched in my mind. 4 days from now will be his 3rd death anniversary (He died on 26 September 2010 of cardiac arrest).

Dua for my mentor, the late Prof Dr Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi, renowned scholar, researcher, writer and academic of Islam. The first Khateeb of Faisal Masjid – Islamabad, Pakistan, President of International Islamic University – Islamabad, Pakistan, Judge of the Federal Shariat Court – Pakistan and Federal Minister of Religious Affairs of the Government of Pakistan.

Here's a link dedicated to his life, works and achievements. 

His life and contribution by Muhammad Junaid Nadvi (Academia).

Here's a link to a concise Wikipedia article.

Here are links to some of his great works that are freely available online:

1. "The Need of Introducing New Cosmopolitan Fiqh to Meet Challenges of Globalization", International Seminar on “Islamic Legal Thought and Institutions in South Asia”, organized by Islamic Research Institute (IRI), of the International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIUI).
2. "Islamic Shari‘ah and the Question of Minorities", Policy Perspectives , Volume 6 , Number 1, January - June 2009
3. "The Law of War and Concept of Jihad in Islam", Policy Perspectives, Vlm. 5, No.1, 2008
4. Other IPS published papers of the late Prof Dr Mahmood Ahmad Ghazi
5. "Need for dialogical reasoning ..." (2006), Roundtable on ‘Islamic Education: Continuity and Growth’ organized by the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI)
6. "The Role of the Judiciary in the Promotion of the Culture of Tolerance", Pakistan Supreme Court 

Shari'ah, anyone?

I'm a Muslim professional. Graduated primary education from a local madrasah, and took a short course training from the IIU-Islamabad Shari'ah Academy. Since then my interest on Islamic jurisprudence persists.

Islamic jurisprudence is my interest in general. In specific terms, on its contemporary application (and supports Cordova Institute's initiative on Shari'ah and Rule of Law Index); the evolution of Minority Fiqh, Shafi-e Jurisprudence, interface between Common Law and Shari'ah in minority Muslim communities and the application of the Rule of Law in Moroland.