Introducing an Unexplored South Asian Treatise on I‘jāz Al-Qur’an

The present paper explores and introduces a manuscript on i‘jaz al-Qur’ān (inimitability of the Qur’ān) named Nūr al- Īqān bi i‘jaz al-Qur’ān written by a profound South Asian Sindhi Scholar, Maulana Muhammad Ismā‘īl al-Ūdvī. The field of i‘jaz al-Qur’ān has been and is the field of interest of many Muslim as well as non-Muslim theologians and scholars. Many Muslim scholars of the Middle East and the West have written books and research papers from third/ninth Century up to present times. The main and significant reason for this is that the doctrine of i‘jaz al- Qur’ān proves the prophecy of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. This paper argues that Shaikh al-Ūdvī is the first South Asian Sindhi Muslim Scholar, who wrote a separate treatise in Arabic on the doctrine of i‘jaz al-Qur’ān, which is not introduced properly in academic circles of the day. In this treatise, al-Ūdvī has advanced some new and original arguments to support the doctrine and the prophecy of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

Facilitating Social Studies Teachers to Use Issue Based Enquiry in a Government School

This action research project aims to facilitate social studies teachers in government school to develop their pedagogical skill, especially the use of issue-based inquiry as an instructional strategy in teaching and learning of Social Studies. This study was conducted in Class 7th of one of the government school of Karachi, Pakistan. In doing so, the action research also aimed to improve the knowledge and skills as a teacher educator facilitating teachers of Social Studies. This action research involved the process of formulating a general idea, conducting reconnaissance, making a general plan of action, implementing, and evaluating it, using the cyclical process of action research. The data were collected through use of: semi-structured interviews, classroom observation, document analysis, field-notes, and feedback of my research participants. The data were qualitatively analyzed on an ongoing basis to inform each subsequent step of action and reflection. The findings of the study suggest that teachers can learn the instructional strategy of issued based inquiry, by going through different phases, such as: reading the relevant literature and engaging in discussion about enquiry with teacher and teacher educator, self-experiencing the process through conducting small-scale inquiry, demonstration of lesson by a mentor, putting their learning's into practice, receiving peer-feedback and constant follow-up by the teacher educator. The study also shows that a teacher educator can be an effective facilitator (in this regard) by: becoming self-reflective, balancing his/her role as a teacher educator and action researcher within the time frame of the study and seeking feedback from research participants. In the process, a teacher educator can face challenges such as: his own time-constraint for keeping balance in his role of action and research, as a teacher educator and action researcher.