doi: 10.3329/iiucs.v3i0.2668   IIUC STUDIES Vol. - 3, December 2006 (p 93-104)

No abstract

The paper aims to analyse the validity of practicing umra and ruqba concepts in disbursement of family takaful benefit from the shariah perspective. In the current practice of takaful, the disbursement of family takaful benefit is subject to the demise of takaful certificate holder. Upon maturity of the certificate, if the certificate holder is alive, he will enjoy takaful benefit but not the beneficiary or hibah recipient. Accordingly, he takes back the donation that he made earlier, which makes the arrangement contentious, as long as the Islamic value is concerned. To resolve this issue, the paper suggested that the takaful benefit could be disbursed based on umra and ruqba concepts as they are subject to the survival of the contracting parties. Umra and ruqba are valid provided that once the donation is executed, the donated object should never be returned to the donor. These concepts are appropriate for takaful because the beneficiary can enjoy takaful benefit only when the certificate holder dies before the maturity of certificate. Once the certificate holder dies, takaful benefit cannot be provided to him. The paper argues that the application of umra and ruqba concepts minimises the consequential issues that arise when takaful benefit is Md. Habibur Rahman et al. 108 disbursed by nomination or inheritance or absolute hibah. Analysing the opinions of the classical Islamic jurists, the paper concludes that the application of umra and ruqba in disbursement of takaful benefit could be done with a structured checklist form.

Muslim theology admits on diversity of faiths followed by mankind. The existence of religious diversity is aimed at, among other things, seeking a common ground in disseminating goodness and eradicating evil practices in the community. The study attempts to reveal the guidelines on religious dialogue from the passages of the Qur'an. The Qur'an emphasizes on the importance of communication and dialogue especially with the People of the Book. The Prophetic tradition also indicates on presence of other religious adherents. They are expected to work together in promoting goodness and establishing justice on the basis of divine precepts. Moreover, it highlights the importance of dialogue with different religious groups, as well as the prospect to wipe off misunderstandings that can lead into communal tension and crisis. The study will also shed light on the obstacles faced by religious leaders in conducting the dialogue and to contributing to the promotion of peace and justice. The most important part is that it attempts to expose the ethical guidelines as stated in the Qur'an which could be adopted as principles of dialogue. It is not aimed at condemning other faiths; rather it is aimed at exposing awareness on the differences and similarities which, in the long run, can give chance to restoring misconceptions.

Managing time means engaging activities that generate greater benefits to human beings. To a Muslim, benefits encompass for both worlds, i.e., life in this mundane world as well as life in the hereafter. Previous research on time management resulted in a variety of findings depending on the aspects under study. The objective of this research is to investigate the components of time management that have significant relationship with job performance, especially in the context of Malaysian employees. This research also intends to relate the concepts and attributes of “al-wasatiyyah” that have direct relationship to job performance. To pursue the research objectives, 223 employees working in different sectors in Malaysia were contacted. The researchers found that certain time management factors namely “prioritisation of tasks,” “usage of schedules,” and “time management instrument” sustained statistically significant positive relationships to job performance. Meanwhile, the al-wasatiyyah variables that have been found to have statistically significant positive relationships to job performance are “working with sincerity/pure intention (niyyah),” “following the middle path to avoid excessiveness in working place (wasatan),” “practicing values in working place (qiam),” and “ensuring fairness in task assignment (adl).” These findings have important implications. Most importantly, managers of organisations can practice them to motivate employees in order to enhance their job performance which by and large will improve the performance of the whole organisation in the long run.