NEWS

Date and Time: October 25, Sun. 2015. 13:00 ～18:30
Place: Room 615a, 6th floor, Bldg.2, Sophia University Yotsuya Campus, Tokyo. (5 min. walk from JR and Metro Yotsuya Station).
http://www.sophia.ac.jp/eng/info/access/accessguide/access_yotsuya
http://www.sophia.ac.jp/eng/info/access/map/map_yotsuya

Proogram:

1. Dr. Kushimoto Hiroko. International Islamic University of Malaysia.
“Description of the Day of Judgement and the Prophet’s Intersession in Malay Manuscripts: al-Raniri’s ‘Akhbar Akhirah’ and Related Texts”.

2. Dr. Farouk Yahya. The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
“Magic and Divination in Malay Illustrated Manuscripts”

3. Prof. Aoyama Toru. Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo.
“Death, Reincarnation, and Moksha in the Ramayana Reliefs in Prambanan Temple".

Discussant:
Prof. Edwin Wieringa. University of Cologne, Germany; Guest professor of ILCAA , Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

For registration and inquiry, please contact Professor Kawashima of Sophia University at: midori-k[at]sophia.ac.jp



ABSTRUCT:
1. Dr. Kushimoto Hiroko.
　This paper aims to compare Jawi kitabs that have descriptions about the matters of hereafter in order to find out the varieties and relationships among the kitabs. For this purpose, the presenter analyzes manuscripts of Akhbar Akhirah wa Ahwal al-Kiyamah written by al-Raniri as the main text and compare the description of the day of judgement with some other major kitabs distributed in the Southeast Asia on the same topic, such as Daqaiq al-Akhbar (both Arabic version by Abd al-Rahim al-Qadhi and Malay version by Ahmad bin Muhammad Yunus Lingga), Kashf al-Ghaibiyah by Zainul Abidin bin Muhammad al-Fathani and Khabarol Akhirah in Maranao (partially translated in [Kawashima 2015]) with reference to other major kitabs from the Middle East, such as “the Book of the Rememberance of Death” from al-Ghazali’s Ihya Ulum ad-Din and al-Qurtubi’s al-Tadhkirah.
　The first part of this paper discusses the variations of the sequence of the matters on the day of judgement that is found in above mentioned books. The selection of topics and their explanation can be categorized into some types from certain perspectives. For example, the way to begin the story of hereafter with the explanation of the creation of the world (that begins with the creation of the Light of Muhammad) is common for Akhbar Akhirah, Daqaiq, Kashf and Khabarol Akhirah but not shared by other books mentioned above.
　The second part of this paper focuses on the explanation of the concept of intercession (shafaa) among various matters of the day of judgement, to compare the characteristics of the above-mentioned kitabs from another perspective. The explanation of the intercession by the Prophet Muhammad, that is to be done upon the request from the people of the concourse, is almost the same in all books based on similar hadiths. However, a great variety is found in the explanation of the intercession by the Prophet and other people that is to rescue the believers from the hell. For example, while al-Ghazali explains the intercession by ulama and other pious people under the topic of intercession, Akhbar Akhirah mentions the process of salvation from the hell in different context without using the concept of “intercession”.


2. Dr. Farouk　Yahya.
　Malay magic and divination manuscripts contain a variety of images that are very important for our understanding of Malay art, but yet have been little studied. This paper will identify some of the imagery contained in the manuscripts, trace their sources and place them within the Malay as well as a broader Asian artistic and cultural context. The research undertaken has found that the imagery includes the survival of pre-Islamic iconography that shares much in common with other cultures in the region.