Submissions

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Author Guidelines

(D) Draft — must be adopted by the editorial board. This text is a model proposed by the journal starter catalog. It is not an effective journal policy until the editorial board has reviewed, adapted and formally adopted it.

Aims and scope

The journal publishes original research, critical editions of heritage texts, review articles and book reviews in Qur'anic sciences and tafsir, Hadith and its sciences, Aqidah and contemporary Islamic thought, Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh, Islamic economics and finance, Islamic judiciary and Siyasa Shar'iyya, and Da'wah and Islamic culture. It welcomes foundational and comparative studies, and research addressing contemporary issues in the light of the objectives of the Sharia. [The editorial board defines the covered fields precisely.]

Article types

  • Original Research: double-anonymous peer review, up to 10,000 words, abstract up to 250 words.
  • Critical Editions of Manuscripts: double-anonymous peer review, up to 12,000 words, abstract up to 250 words.
  • Review Articles: double-anonymous peer review, up to 9,000 words, abstract up to 250 words.
  • Book Reviews: assessed by the editorial board, up to 2,500 words.
  • Letters to the Editor: assessed by the editorial board, up to 1,000 words.

Preparing the manuscript

  • Submit the manuscript as an editable word-processor file in a clear font with 1.5 line spacing and numbered pages and lines.
  • Provide two abstracts, in Arabic and in English, within the limit set for each section and regardless of the language of the article, with 3 to 6 keywords in both languages.
  • Structure the manuscript logically for its type; empirical studies usually follow Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion.
  • Number tables and figures consecutively, cite them in the text, and give each a title and source.

Qur'anic verses

Write Qur'anic verses in the Uthmani script from a recognised electronic mushaf, enclose them in ornate brackets ﴿ ﴾ and reference each by surah and verse number, e.g. [al-Baqarah: 255], either in the text after the verse or in a note, using one method throughout. Indicate the reading where it is other than Hafs from Asim.

Hadith and reports

Verify (takhrij) hadith and reports from their primary sources, citing the book, chapter and hadith number, or volume and page. A hadith found in both Sahihs or one of them may be referenced to them alone; otherwise it is referenced to its other sources with its grading, quoted from the hadith authorities or established by the author with the grounds stated.

Attribution of opinions

Attribute the opinions of schools and scholars to the authoritative sources of each school. Second-hand attribution through works on juristic disagreement or contemporary studies is acceptable only where the original is inaccessible, and must be indicated. Define the point of disagreement precisely, and present the evidence, its mode of inference and its discussion before stating a preferred view (tarjih), observing the etiquette of scholarly disagreement.

Transliteration and terms

Transliterate Sharia terms and names in the English abstract, and in articles written in other languages, with one recognised system [proposal: ALA-LC], explaining each term at first mention.

Footnote documentation

Document quotations in consecutively numbered footnotes, give the Hijri death date of pre-modern scholars at first mention, and add a brief biographical note on lesser-known figures where needed.

Citations and references

The proposed default is footnote documentation: each note gives the author's best-known name, the title, the editor (muhaqqiq) if any, and the volume and page, while the full details are given in the bibliography at the end of the article: the author's full name and death date, the title, the editor, the publisher and place of publication, and the edition and its year. The bibliography is in alphabetical order, headed by the Holy Qur'an, with non-Arabic sources listed separately. The Chicago Manual of Style (notes and bibliography) may serve as a reference for standardising citation elements, and the editorial board may require a romanised list of the Arabic sources for indexing purposes. [The editorial board adopts the final style.]

Files required at submission

  • The full manuscript (article text).
  • An anonymised version for review with authors' names, affiliations and any identifying information removed, including from file properties.
  • A title page: the title in both languages, the authors' names, institutional affiliations, e-mail addresses and ORCID iDs, and the corresponding author.
  • Other files as applicable: cover letter, figures, tables, supplementary data, research-ethics approval.

Declarations

At submission the author confirms that the work is original and not under consideration elsewhere, and discloses funding, competing interests, ethics approvals, data availability and any use of AI tools, according to the journal's published policies.

Fees

[The editorial board sets the journal's fee policy and publishes it here before submissions open.]

Submission Preparation Checklist

(D) Draft — must be adopted by the editorial board. This text is a model proposed by the journal starter catalog. It is not an effective journal policy until the editorial board has reviewed, adapted and formally adopted it.

  • The article has not been published before and is not under consideration elsewhere.
  • The manuscript is an editable word-processor file prepared according to the author guidelines.
  • An anonymised version for review is attached, with all identifying information removed, including from file properties.
  • A title page with all authors' details, affiliations and ORCID iDs where available is attached.
  • The Arabic and English abstracts are within the limit, with keywords in both languages.
  • References follow the journal's citation style and include DOIs where available.
  • Tables and figures are numbered and cited in the text.
  • The declarations on funding, competing interests, ethics approvals, data availability and use of AI tools are completed.
  • The authors have written permission to reproduce any copyrighted material from other sources.
  • Qur'anic verses are written in the Uthmani script and referenced by surah and verse number.
  • Hadith and reports are verified from their sources, with the grading of any hadith not found in the two Sahihs.
  • Opinions of schools and scholars are attributed to their authoritative sources.
  • Sharia terms and names are transliterated with one consistent system in the English abstract.

Original Research

Original, previously unpublished research that makes a clear contribution to knowledge or method. Recommended length up to 10,000 words including references, with Arabic and English abstracts of no more than 250 words each. Double-anonymous review by at least two reviewers.

Critical Editions of Manuscripts

Scholarly editions of heritage texts not previously published in a critical edition, or previously published in a deficient one. Includes a study of the author and text, a description of the manuscripts used with sample images, the editorial method, and apparatus, documentation and commentary. Recommended length up to 12,000 words. Double-anonymous review.

Review Articles

In-depth critical reviews of the literature on a defined topic that analyse trends and identify research gaps, rather than merely describing studies. Recommended length up to 9,000 words, with Arabic and English abstracts of no more than 250 words each. Double-anonymous review.

Book Reviews

Critical reviews of recent scholarly books within the journal's scope that present the book's content and assess its contribution and method. Recommended length up to 2,500 words, with full bibliographic details of the book. Assessed by the editorial board; not externally peer reviewed.

Letters to the Editor

Brief scholarly comments on material recently published in the journal, or short scholarly observations. Recommended length up to 1,000 words. Assessed by the editorial board and possibly a reviewer; the authors of the original article are offered a right of reply.

Copyright Notice

(D) Draft — must be adopted by the editorial board. This text is a model proposed by the journal starter catalog. It is not an effective journal policy until the editorial board has reviewed, adapted and formally adopted it.

Authors retain copyright in their work and grant the journal the right of first publication. Accepted items are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0) [proposal requiring adoption by the journal], which allows others to copy, distribute, adapt and build on the work for any purpose, provided the authors are credited and the original publication in the journal is acknowledged.

Authors may deposit the published version in institutional or subject repositories or on personal websites with full acknowledgement of its original publication in the journal.

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to use any third-party material and for acknowledging it in the article.

Privacy Statement

(D) Draft — must be adopted by the editorial board. This text is a model proposed by the journal starter catalog. It is not an effective journal policy until the editorial board has reviewed, adapted and formally adopted it.

Names, e-mail addresses and other personal data entered in this journal's system are used only for the journal's stated purposes: managing submission, review and publication and communicating with users. They are not made available to any other party or used for any other purpose.

Data is processed in accordance with applicable personal-data protection legislation and the policies of the journal's publisher. Reviewers' identities are kept confidential in line with the review model in use, and authors' data is published only to the extent needed to publish and cite their work.

Users can view and correct their data in their profile and may request deletion of their account by contacting the journal, subject to what must be retained to preserve the scholarly record of published items.