The Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam

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Publisher : Univ of North Carolina Press
ISBN 13 : 9780807856574
Total Pages : 356 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (565 download)

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Book Synopsis The Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam by : Omid Safi

Download or read book The Politics of Knowledge in Premodern Islam written by Omid Safi and published by Univ of North Carolina Press. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The eleventh and twelfth centuries comprised a period of great significance in Islamic history. The Great Saljuqs, a Turkish-speaking tribe hailing from central Asia, ruled the eastern half of the Islamic world for a great portion of that time. In a far-r

Progressive Muslims

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Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 178074045X
Total Pages : 579 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (87 download)

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Book Synopsis Progressive Muslims by : Omid Safi

Download or read book Progressive Muslims written by Omid Safi and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2003-04-01 with total page 579 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Developed in response to the events of September 11, 2001, these 14 articles from prominent Muslim thinkers offer a provocative reassessment of Islam's relationship with the modern world. Confronting issues such as racism, justice, sexuality and gender, this book reveals the real challenges faced by Muslims of both sexes in contemporary Western society. A probing, frank, and intellectually refreshing testament to the capacity of Islam for renewal, change, and growth, these articles from fifteen Muslim scholars and activists address the challenging and complex issues that confront Muslims today. Avoiding fundamentalist and apologetic approaches, the book concentrates on the key areas of debate in progressive Islamic thought: "Contemporary Islam," "Gender Justice," and "Pluralism." With further contributions on subjects as diverse and controversial as the alienation of Muslim youth; Islamic law, marriage, and feminism; and the role of democracy in Islam, this volume will prove thought-provoking for all those interested in the challenges of justice and pluralism facing the Muslim world as it confronts the twenty-first century.

The Impossible State

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Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231530862
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis The Impossible State by : Wael B. Hallaq

Download or read book The Impossible State written by Wael B. Hallaq and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2012-11-20 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wael B. Hallaq boldly argues that the "Islamic state," judged by any standard definition of what the modern state represents, is both impossible and inherently self-contradictory. Comparing the legal, political, moral, and constitutional histories of premodern Islam and Euro-America, he finds the adoption and practice of the modern state to be highly problematic for modern Muslims. He also critiques more expansively modernity's moral predicament, which renders impossible any project resting solely on ethical foundations. The modern state not only suffers from serious legal, political, and constitutional issues, Hallaq argues, but also, by its very nature, fashions a subject inconsistent with what it means to be, or to live as, a Muslim. By Islamic standards, the state's technologies of the self are severely lacking in moral substance, and today's Islamic state, as Hallaq shows, has done little to advance an acceptable form of genuine Shari'a governance. The Islamists' constitutional battles in Egypt and Pakistan, the Islamic legal and political failures of the Iranian Revolution, and similar disappointments underscore this fact. Nevertheless, the state remains the favored template of the Islamists and the ulama (Muslim clergymen). Providing Muslims with a path toward realizing the good life, Hallaq turns to the rich moral resources of Islamic history. Along the way, he proves political and other "crises of Islam" are not unique to the Islamic world nor to the Muslim religion. These crises are integral to the modern condition of both East and West, and by acknowledging these parallels, Muslims can engage more productively with their Western counterparts.

Voices of Islam

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 : 031305116X
Total Pages : 1397 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Voices of Islam by : Virginia G. Blakemore-Henry

Download or read book Voices of Islam written by Virginia G. Blakemore-Henry and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2006-12-30 with total page 1397 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite frequent and extensive publications on Islam, very few Americans, indeed very few non-Muslims, truly understand the faith or the more than one billion adherents who live it. This set presents the diversity and richness of Islam, filling in the blanks and expanding our knowledge and understanding. Portraying Muslims in all their humanity and diversity balances the images that have bombarded society and presents the reader with a fuller and more accurate picture of the Islamic faith and what it means to live as a Muslim—in Muslim communities, and as part of a broader tapestry of pluralism in the nations of the world. What does it mean to share Muslim concerns? To experience Muslim spirituality? What is the difference between Sunni and Shiite sects? Why do Muslims pray so frequently? What is the reality of Muslim marriage and gender relations? What is the meaning of jihad and martyrdom to a practicing Muslim? What role do the arts and humanities play in modern Muslim life? How are Islamic children raised? These questions and others are answered in these volumes, which bring together Muslim voices from around the world, including men and women, scholars and laypersons, fundamentalists and progressives, and others from various cultural, political, and Islamic backgrounds. Personal experiences and poetry are included to illustrate the many different expressions of Islam.

When Sun Meets Moon

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Publisher : UNC Press Books
ISBN 13 : 1469626780
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (696 download)

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Book Synopsis When Sun Meets Moon by : Scott Kugle

Download or read book When Sun Meets Moon written by Scott Kugle and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2016-05-02 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The two Muslim poets featured in Scott Kugle's comparative study lived separate lives during the eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries in the Deccan region of southern India. Here, they meet in the realm of literary imagination, illuminating the complexity of gender, sexuality, and religious practice in South Asian Islamic culture. Shah Siraj Awrangabadi (1715-1763), known as "Sun," was a Sunni who, after a youthful homosexual love affair, gave up sexual relationships to follow a path of personal holiness. Mah Laqa Bai Chanda (1768-1820), known as "Moon," was a Shi'i and courtesan dancer who transferred her seduction of men to the pursuit of mystical love. Both were poets in the Urdu language of the ghazal, or love lyric, often fusing a spiritual quest with erotic imagery. Kugle argues that Sun and Moon expressed through their poetry exceptions to the general rules of heteronormativity and gender inequality common in their patriarchal societies. Their art provides a lens for a more subtle understanding of both the reach and the limitations of gender roles in Islamic and South Asian culture and underscores how the arts of poetry, music, and dance are integral to Islamic religious life. Integrated throughout are Kugle's translations of Urdu and Persian poetry previously unavailable in English.

Ancient Religions, Modern Politics

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691173346
Total Pages : 562 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

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Book Synopsis Ancient Religions, Modern Politics by : Michael A. Cook

Download or read book Ancient Religions, Modern Politics written by Michael A. Cook and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016-12-06 with total page 562 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why Islam is more political and fundamentalist than other religions Why does Islam play a larger role in contemporary politics than other religions? Is there something about the Islamic heritage that makes Muslims more likely than adherents of other faiths to invoke it in their political life? If so, what is it? Ancient Religions, Modern Politics seeks to answer these questions by examining the roles of Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity in modern political life, placing special emphasis on the relevance—or irrelevance—of their heritages to today's social and political concerns. Michael Cook takes an in-depth, comparative look at political identity, social values, attitudes to warfare, views about the role of religion in various cultural domains, and conceptions of the polity. In all these fields he finds that the Islamic heritage offers richer resources for those engaged in current politics than either the Hindu or the Christian heritages. He uses this finding to explain the fact that, despite the existence of Hindu and Christian counterparts to some aspects of Islamism, the phenomenon as a whole is unique in the world today. The book also shows that fundamentalism—in the sense of a determination to return to the original sources of the religion—is politically more adaptive for Muslims than it is for Hindus or Christians. A sweeping comparative analysis by one of the world's leading scholars of premodern Islam, Ancient Religions, Modern Politics sheds important light on the relationship between the foundational texts of these three great religious traditions and the politics of their followers today.

Knowledge and Education in Classical Islam: Religious Learning between Continuity and Change (2 vols)

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Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004413219
Total Pages : 1174 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (44 download)

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Book Synopsis Knowledge and Education in Classical Islam: Religious Learning between Continuity and Change (2 vols) by : Sebastian Günther

Download or read book Knowledge and Education in Classical Islam: Religious Learning between Continuity and Change (2 vols) written by Sebastian Günther and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2020-07-13 with total page 1174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Knowledge and Education in Classical Islam: Religious Learning between Continuity and Change offers fascinating new insights into key issues of learning and human development in classical Islam, including their shared characteristics, influence, and interdependence with historical, non-Muslim educational cultures.

Professional Mobility in Islamic Societies (700-1750)

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Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004467637
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (44 download)

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Book Synopsis Professional Mobility in Islamic Societies (700-1750) by : Mohamad El-Merheb

Download or read book Professional Mobility in Islamic Societies (700-1750) written by Mohamad El-Merheb and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-08-16 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present edited volume offers a collection of new concepts and approaches to the study of mobility in pre-modern Islamic societies. It includes nine remarkable case studies from different parts of the Islamic world that examine the professional mobility within the literati and, especially, the social-cum-cultural group of Muslim scholars (ʿulamāʾ) between the eighth and the eighteenth centuries. Based on individual case studies and quantitative mining of biographical dictionaries and other primary sources from Islamic Iberia, North and West Africa, Umayyad Damascus and the Hejaz, Abbasid Baghdad, Ayyubid and Mamluk Syria and Egypt, various parts of the Seljuq Empire, and Hotakid Iran, this edited volume presents professional mobility as a defining characteristic of pre-modern Islamic societies. Contributors Mehmetcan Akpinar, Amal Belkamel, Mehdi Berriah, Nadia Maria El Cheikh, Adday Hernández López, Konrad Hirschler, Mohamad El-Merheb, Marta G. Novo, M. A. H. Parsa, M. Syifa A. Widigdo.

The Medieval Islamic Republic of Letters

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Publisher : University of Notre Dame Pess
ISBN 13 : 0268158010
Total Pages : 480 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (681 download)

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Book Synopsis The Medieval Islamic Republic of Letters by : Muhsin J. al-Musawi

Download or read book The Medieval Islamic Republic of Letters written by Muhsin J. al-Musawi and published by University of Notre Dame Pess. This book was released on 2015-04-15 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Medieval Islamic Republic of Letters: Arabic Knowledge Construction, Muhsin J. al-Musawi offers a groundbreaking study of literary heritage in the medieval and premodern Islamic period. Al-Musawi challenges the paradigm that considers the period from the fall of Baghdad in 1258 to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in 1919 as an "Age of Decay" followed by an "Awakening" (al-nahdah). His sweeping synthesis debunks this view by carefully documenting a "republic of letters" in the Islamic Near East and South Asia that was vibrant and dynamic, one varying considerably from the generally accepted image of a centuries-long period of intellectual and literary stagnation. Al-Musawi argues that the massive cultural production of the period was not a random enterprise: instead, it arose due to an emerging and growing body of readers across Islamic lands who needed compendiums, lexicons, and commentaries to engage with scholars and writers. Scholars, too, developed their own networks to respond to each other and to their readers. Rather than addressing only the elite, this culture industry supported a common readership that enlarged the creative space and audience for prose and poetry in standard and colloquial Arabic. Works by craftsmen, artisans, and women appeared side by side with those by distinguished scholars and poets. Through careful exploration of these networks, The Medieval Islamic Republic of Letters makes use of relevant theoretical frameworks to situate this culture in the ongoing discussion of non-Islamic and European efforts. Thorough, theoretically rigorous, and nuanced, al-Musawi's book is an original contribution to a range of fields in Arabic and Islamic cultural history of the twelfth to eighteenth centuries.

The Essence of Reality

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Publisher : NYU Press
ISBN 13 : 1479816590
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (798 download)

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Book Synopsis The Essence of Reality by : ʿAyn al-Quḍāt

Download or read book The Essence of Reality written by ʿAyn al-Quḍāt and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2022-04-26 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Essence of Reality consists of one hundred brief chapters interspersed with Qur anic verses, prophetic sayings, Sufi maxims, and poetry. The book takes readers on a philosophical journey, with expositions of questions including the problem of the eternity of the world; the nature of God's essence and attributes; the concepts of "before" and "after"; and the soul's relationship to the body"--

Esoteric Traditions in Islamic Thought

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Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 0861548655
Total Pages : 508 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (615 download)

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Book Synopsis Esoteric Traditions in Islamic Thought by : Leonard Lewisohn

Download or read book Esoteric Traditions in Islamic Thought written by Leonard Lewisohn and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2024-09-12 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The notion of esoteric knowledge is one of the pillars of Islamic intellectual tradition. Though most visible in Sufism, it also dominated the first three and a half centuries of Shi‘ite thought. In this rich anthology, Leonard Lewisohn explores Islamic esotericism through the works of eleven authors who flourished in Persia, Central Asia and Asia Minor from the eleventh to the nineteenth centuries. He presents excerpts from each text in translation, accompanying these with introductions to the author’s life, works and thought. In the course of his erudite and enlightening commentary, he explores the common ground of esoteric thought and terminology, revealing a unity of perspective among Muslim thinkers.

In the Path of God

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Publisher : Transaction Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1412826160
Total Pages : 394 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (128 download)

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Book Synopsis In the Path of God by : Daniel Pipes

Download or read book In the Path of God written by Daniel Pipes and published by Transaction Publishers. This book was released on with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Americans' awareness of Islam and Muslims rose to seemingly unprecedented heights in the immediate aftermath of September 11, 2001, but this is not the first time they have dominated American public life. Once before, during the period of the Iranian revolution and hostage crisis of 1979 to 1981, Americans found themselves targeted as a consequence of a militant interpretation of Islam. Daniel Pipes wrote In the Path of God in response to those events, and the heightened interest in Islam they generated. His objective was to present an overview of the connection between in Islam and political power through history in a way that would explain the origins of hostility to Americans and the West. Its relevance to our understanding of contemporary events is self evident. Muslim antagonism toward the West is deeply rooted in historical experience. In premodern times, the Islamic world enjoyed great success, being on the whole more powerful and wealthier than their neighbors. About two hundred years ago, a crisis developed, as Muslims became aware of the West's overwhelming force and economic might. While they might have found these elements attractive, Muslims found European culture largely alien and distasteful. The resulting resistance to Westernization by Muslims has deep roots, has been more persistent than that of other peoples, and goes far to explain the deep Muslim reluctance to accept modern ways. In short, Muslims saw what the West had and wanted it too, but they rejected the methods necessary to achieve this. This, the Muslim trauma, has only worsened over the years. "Scholarly, far-ranging, and thoughtful... the debate is interesting, and Pipes has made a stimulating contribution to it."-The New Republic "Brilliant, authoritative... demonstrates encyclopedic knowledge of Muslim intellectual history... Few other writers have explained so lucidly such complex developments in Muslim history."-The Washington Post "He has resisted a widespread tendency to translate Muslim self-expression into social science jargon as unintelligible as any mosque harangue. His unadorned interpretation strikes a judicious balance between faithfulness to sources and clarity of presentation."-The American Spectator Daniel Pipes is director of the Middle East Forum and a columnist for the New York Post and the Jerusalem Post. Among his books are The Long Shadow: Culture and Politics in the Middle East (published by Transaction), Greater Syria: The History of an Ambition, Friendly Tyrants: An American Dilemma, and The Rushdie Affair: The Novel, the Aftermath and the West.

Islam in der Moderne, Moderne im Islam

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Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004364048
Total Pages : 627 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (43 download)

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Book Synopsis Islam in der Moderne, Moderne im Islam by :

Download or read book Islam in der Moderne, Moderne im Islam written by and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2018-04-10 with total page 627 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Festschrift brings together a range of scholars who congratulate Reinhard Schulze on the occasion of his 65th birthday, by shedding light and reflecting on the relation between Islam and modernity. Scholars from the fields of Islamic studies, religious studies, sociology and Arabic literature connect in various ways to Reinhard Schulze’s work to constructively criticize a Eurocentric understanding of modernity. The more specific aspects dealt with under the overarching topic of Islam and modernity make for the four thematic sections of this volume: the study of religion, Islam, and Islamic studies; Islamic knowledge cultures and normativity; language and literature as media of modernity; Islam and Islamic studies in the public sphere. Die Beitragenden zu dieser Festschrift gratulieren Reinhard Schulze zu seinem 65. Geburtstag, indem sie mit der Beziehung zwischen Islam und Moderne ein Lebensthema des Jubilars beleuchten. Vertretende der Islamwissenschaft, Religionswissenschaft, Soziologie und der arabischen Literaturwissenschaft beziehen sich in verschiedener Hinsicht auf Reinhard Schulzes Werk, um ein eurozentrisches Verständnis von Moderne konstruktiv zu kritisieren. Die unter dem Oberthema Islam und Moderne näher behandelten Aspekte sind aus den vier thematischen Sektionen des Bandes ersichtlich: Islam(wissenschaft), Religion und der Eigensinn der Moderne; islamische Wissenskulturen und Normativität; Sprache und Literatur als Medien der Moderne; Islam(wissenschaft) in der Öffentlichkeit. Contributors are: Mona Abaza, Hüseyin Ağuiçenoğlu, Aziz al-Azmeh, Katajun Amirpur, Monica Corrado, Ahmad Dallal, Peter Dové, Susanne Enderwitz, Anne Grüne, Stephan Guth, Kai Hafez, Albrecht Hofheinz, Michael Kemper, Hans G. Kippenberg, Karénina Kollmar-Paulenz, Felix Konrad, Gudrun Krämer, Volkhard Krech, Anke von Kügelgen, Jamal Malik, Jürgen Paul, Frank Peter, Stefan Reichmuth, Armando Salvatore, Johannes Stephan, Anna Trechsel, Yves Wegelin, Florian Zemmin.

Preaching Islamic Renewal

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Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 0520963210
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (29 download)

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Book Synopsis Preaching Islamic Renewal by : Jacquelene G. Brinton

Download or read book Preaching Islamic Renewal written by Jacquelene G. Brinton and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2015-10-27 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Preaching Islamic Renewal examines the life and work of Muhammad Mitwalli Sha‘rawi, one of Egypt's most beloved and successful Islamic preachers. His wildly popular TV program aired every Friday for years until his death in 1998. At the height of his career, it was estimated that up to 30 million people tuned in to his show each week. Yet despite his pervasive and continued influence in Egypt and the wider Muslim world, Sha‘rawi was for a long time neglected by academics. While much of the academic literature that focuses on Islam in modern Egypt repeats the claim that traditionally trained Muslim scholars suffered the loss of religious authority, Sha‘rawi is instead an example of a well-trained Sunni scholar who became a national media sensation. As an advisor to the rulers of Egypt as well as the first Arab television preacher, he was one of the most important and controversial religious figures in late-twentieth-century Egypt. Thanks to the repurposing of his videos on television and on the Internet, Sha‘rawi’s performances are still regularly viewed. Jacquelene Brinton uses Sha‘rawi and his work as a lens to explore how traditional Muslim authorities have used various media to put forth a unique vision of how Islam can be renewed and revived in the contemporary world. Through his weekly television appearances he popularized long held theological and ethical beliefs and became a scholar-celebrity who impacted social and political life in Egypt.

Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199545723
Total Pages : 177 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (995 download)

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Book Synopsis Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction by : Adam J. Silverstein

Download or read book Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction written by Adam J. Silverstein and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-01-21 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How did Islam arise from the obscurity of seventh century Arabia to the headlines of the 21st century? This introduction answers that question; exploring the cultural & religious diversity of Islamic history. Adam Silverstein explains its significance & considers its impact on Islamic society today.

Islam and Good Governance

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Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137548320
Total Pages : 294 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (375 download)

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Book Synopsis Islam and Good Governance by : M. A. Muqtedar Khan

Download or read book Islam and Good Governance written by M. A. Muqtedar Khan and published by Springer. This book was released on 2019-04-08 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book advances an Islamic political philosophy based on the concept of Ihsan, which means to do beautiful things. The author moves beyond the dominant model of Islamic governance advanced by modern day Islamists. The political philosophy of Ihsan privileges process over structure, deeds over identity, love over law and mercy and forgiveness over retribution. The work invites Muslims to move away from thinking about the form of Islamic government and to strive to create a self-critical society that defends national virtue and generates institutions and practices that provide good governance.

Muhammad's Body

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Publisher : UNC Press Books
ISBN 13 : 1469658925
Total Pages : 215 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (696 download)

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Book Synopsis Muhammad's Body by : Michael Muhammad Knight

Download or read book Muhammad's Body written by Michael Muhammad Knight and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2020-08-06 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Muhammad's Body introduces questions of embodiment and materiality to the study of the Prophet Muhammad. Analyzing classical Muslim literary representations of Muhammad's body as they emerge in Sunni hadith and sira from the eighth through the eleventh centuries CE, Michael Muhammad Knight argues that early Muslims' theories and imaginings about Muhammad's body contributed in significant ways to the construction of prophetic masculinity and authority. Knight approaches hadith and sira as important religiocultural and literary phenomena in their own right. In rich detail, he lays out the variety of ways that early believers imagined Muhammad's relationship to beneficent energy—baraka—and to its boundaries, effects, and limits. Drawing on insights from contemporary theory about the body, Knight shows how changing representations of the Prophet's body helped to legitimatize certain types of people or individuals as religious authorities, while marginalizing or delegitimizing others. For some Sunni Muslims, Knight concludes, claims of religious authority today remain connected to ideas about Muhammad's body.