Modern Muslim Theology by
This book aims to bring Muslim theology into the present day. Rather than a purely academic pursuit, Modern Muslim Theology argues that theology is a creative process and discusses how the Islamic tradition can help contemporary practitioners negotiate their relationships with God, with one another, and with the rest of creation.
An Anthology of Qur'anic Commentaries by
The vast and varied corpus of Islamic scriptural commentary is attracting much interest from contemporary western scholarship. Of seminal value within the Muslim tradition, Qur'an interpretation has been and continues to be the expression of diverse theological, legal, and mysticalunderstandings of the letter and meanings of God's word. In this first volume, the interpretations of a selection of Sunni, Shi'i, Ibadi, Mu'tazili, and Sufi scholars on six key Qur'anic verses are presented as a chronological and doctrinal cross-section stretching from the second century of Islamto the present day. This selection represents thirteen centuries of exegetical activity from the principal theological and confessional groups of Islam, reflecting the plurality and diversity of Qur'anic interpretation in the Muslim world. The work has been conceived with the general reader inmind, but it has also been designed to meet the specialist needs of those engaged in Islamic studies, its sub-fields, and related academic fields. The way in which the primary material is introduced, analyzed, and supported with extensive annotation will particularly appeal to teachers and studentswithin the field.
The Qur'an and Its Interpreters by
The Qur'an and Its Interpreters introduces the Western reader to the Qur'an as Muslims have understood it. The record of the Qur'an in the community as a force shaping the life of Muslims can be most clearly discerned through the vast literature of interpretation known as tafsir. This multivolume work is based on a large number of tafsir sources, representing all the major religious schools and stages of Muslim history for the last one thousand years. It will cover the entire Qur'an. This first volume consists of an introduction to the science and sources of interpretation of the Qur'an and the first two surahs of the Qur'an. The treatment is comprehensive and thorough. While the work is based entirely on primary sources, this volume includes a substantial bibliography of works on the Qur'an in Western languages. The Qur'an is the word of God as it was revealed to the prophet Muhammad, interiorized by the community, then shaped into an earthly book whose original archetype is with God. Dr. Ayoub concerns himself not with the history of the Qur'an, but with the way it was collected and fixed into an official codex, the recension of which has voiced the community's prayers and devotions, set its legal norms and moral standards, and occupied its best minds for more than thirteen hundred years.
Tafsir Al-Jalalayn by
A collection of the long-unavailable tafasir, or commentaries on the Qur'an, which help to properly explain and contextualize the revelation, this series aims to make leading exegetical works--in translation, unabridged, and faithful to the letter and meaning of the Arabic--widely available for study and research. Available for the first time in accurate and annotated English, this fundamental tome--originally written by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti--presents one of the most easily accessible works of Quranic exegesis in a simple style and concise single-volume length. This volume is not only the classic introduction to tafsir but also the standard reference work for the language of the Qur'an in its literal meaning.
Tafsir Al-Tustari by
A collection of the long-unavailable tafasir, or commentaries on the Qur'an, which help to properly explain and contextualize the revelation, this series aims to make leading exegetical works-in translation, unabridged, and faithful to the letter and meaning of the Arabic-widely available for study and research. The earliest surviving Sufi commentary on the Qur'an, this record is not only one of the few authenticated works in Tustari's name but is also a key source for understanding the mystical thought and teachings of this important and influential Sufi. In addition to insights into the spiritual significance of almost 1,000 verses of the Qur'an, this commentary, presented in complete English translation for the first time, includes numerous references to traditions of the Prophet, explanations of the ethical and mystical dimensions of the religious life, stories of the prophets, and anecdotes about earlier mystics. Generously augmented with explanatory footnotes throughout, the book will provide readers with an invaluable introduction to the Sufi tradition of Qur'anic interpretation and acquaint them with spiritual doctrines fundamental to the later development of Sufism.
Asbab Al-Nuzul by
This series aims to make widely available leading exegetical works in translation for study and research in unabridged form, which are faithful to the letter and meaning of the Arabic.
Qur'an and Woman by
Fourteen centuries of Islamic thought have produced a legacy of interpretive readings of the Qu'ran written almost entirely by men. Now, with Qu'ran and Woman, Amina Wadud provides a first interpretive reading by a woman, a reading which validates the female voice in the Qu'ran and brings it out of the shadows. Muslim progressives have long argued that it is not the religion but patriarchal interpretation and implementation of the Qu'ran that have kept women oppressed. For many, the way to reform is the reexamination and reinterpretation of religious texts.Qu'ran and Woman contributes a gender inclusive reading to one of the most fundamental disciplines in Islamic thought, Qu'ranic exegesis. Wadud breaks down specific texts and key words which have been used to limit women's public and private role, even to justify violence toward Muslim women, revealing that their original meaning and context defy such interpretations. What her analysis clarifies is the lack of gender bias, precedence, or prejudice in the essential language of the Qur'an.Despite much Qu'ranic evidence about the significance of women, gender reform in Muslim society has been stubbornly resisted. Wadud's reading of the Qu'ran confirms women's equality and constitutes legitimate grounds for contesting the unequal treatment that women have experienced historically and continue to experience legally in Muslim communities. The Qu'ran does not prescribe one timeless and unchanging social structure for men and women, Wadud argues lucidly, affirming that the Qu'ran holds greater possibilities for guiding human society to a more fulfilling and productive mutual collaboration between men and women than as yet attained by Muslims or non-Muslims.
Keys to the Arcana by
Only preserved in a single manuscript in Tehran, this remarkable twelfth-century Qur'anic commentary by Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Karim al- Shahrastani marks the achievement of a lifelong, arduous quest for knowledge. Shahrastani began writing Mafatih al-asrar or Keys to the Arcana towards the endof his life and the work reflects the brilliant radicalism of his more private religious views. The introduction and opening chapter of this virtually unknown work is presented here in a bilingual edition, which also includes an introduction and contextual notes by Dr Toby Mayer.In Keys to the Arcana, Shahrastani breaks down the text of the Qur'an and analyses it from a linguistic point of view, with reference to the history of Qur'anic interpretation. The author's ultimate aim is to use an elaborate set of complimentary concepts - the 'keys' of the work's title - tounearth the esoteric meanings of the Qur'anic verses, which he calls the 'arcana' of the verses (asrar al-ayat). A historian of religious and philosophical doctrines, Shahrastani has generally been considered to be a spokesman for the Sunni religious establishment under the Seljuqs. Thecomplimentary concepts in question, however, appear to derive from the Isma'ili Shi'i intellectual tradition, indicating that the author may have been secretly involved in the Isma'ili movement.Shahrastani 's unusually esoteric and highly systematic exegesis of the Qur'an provides a vivid picture of the mature state of scriptural commentary in the twelfth-century CE. Dr Mayer's meticulous translation of Shahrastani 's Introduction and Commentary on Surat al-Fatiha, supplemented by theArabic text, allows the reader and scholar access to this intriguing Muslim intellectual work for the first time.
Selections from the Comprehensive Exposition of the Interpretation of the Verses of the Qur'an by
Tabari's Comprehensive Exposition of the Interpretation of the Verses of the Qur'an, also known as Tabari's Tafsir, is one of the great monuments of classical Arabic and Islamic scholarship which, over a millennium, has been a fundamental reference work for scholars engaged in the tradition of Qur'anic exegesis. This two-volume translation focuses on thirty selected verses and Suras, or Chapters, associated with special merits and blessings and also includes Tabari's own introduction to the Comprehensive Exposition.
Reliance of the Traveller by 
Islamic Jurisprudence According to the Four Sunni Schools by
A translation of the first of four volumes, this detailed reference provides the four legal views of Islamic acts of worship according to the interpretations of more recent traditionalists rather than from a medieval perspective. Dealing with the forms of worship, the volume elucidates the laws concerning ritual purity, ritual prayers, fasting, spiritual retreats, and the pilgrimage to Mecca which are discussed in-depth. A comprehensive glossary of Islamic terminology is also included, making this foundational text an ideal selection for academic libraries or individuals interested in an essential manual for the performance of religious duties of Islam.
Al-Muwatta of Iman Malik Ibn Ana by
First published in 1989. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
The Ordinances of Government by
Abu al-Hasan al-Mawardi was a 10th-century jurist who wrote on many subjects, including Qur'anic interpretations, religion, government, public and constitutional law, language and ethics. This is the first English translation of one of his key texts.
Shah Wali Allah's Treatises on Islamic Law by
Shah Wali Allah's two important treatises on juristic diversity and the nature of binding and independent authority in Islamic law, Al-In'af fi Bayan Sabab al-Ikhtilaf and 'Iqd al-Jid fi A'kam al-Ijtihad wa-l Taqlid, are here translated from the original Arabic with critical introductions and annotations to the author's sources and the legal issues used to illustrate his arguments. Addressing relevant and crucial contemporary issues, these new scholarly translations of the important treatises provide access to important debates on authority and reform in Islamic legal reasoning. The question of ijtihad (independent critical reasoning) versus taqlid (adherence to the classical schools and rulings of Islamic law) continues to inform contemporary discussions of how Muslims--as individuals and in their institutions and practice--can maintain fidelity and authenticity while addressing the compelling issues of the present age.
The Life of Muhammad by
Professor Guillaume's translation of the Sira of Ibn Ishaq is now reissued. The translator used Ibn Hisham's abridgement and also included many additions and variants found in the writings of early authors. The book thus presents in English practically all that is known of the life of theProphet.In the introduction, the translator discusses the character of the Sira in the light of the opinion of early Arabian scholars, noting especially the difficulties of the poetry. As the earliest monument of Arabian prose literature, the Sira remains a work of the first importance.
The Expeditions by
The Expeditions is one of the oldest biographies of the Prophet Muḥammad to survive into the modern era. Its primary author, Maʿmar ibn Rāshid (96-153/714-770), was a prominent scholar from Basra in southern Iraq who was revered for his learning in prophetic traditions, Islamic law, and the interpretation of the Qurʾan. This fascinating foundational seminal work contains stories handed down by Maʿmar to his most prominent pupil, ʿAbd al-Razzāq of Sanaa, relating Muḥammad's early life and prophetic career as well as the adventures and tribulations of his earliest followers during their conquest of the Near East. Edited from a sole surviving manuscript, the Arabic text offers numerous improved readings over those of previous editions, including detailed notes on the text's transmission and variants as found in later works. This new translation, which renders the original into readable, modern English for the first time, is accompanied by numerous annotations elucidating the cultural, religious, and historical contexts of the events and individuals described within its pages. The Expeditions represents an important testimony to the earliest Muslims' memory of the lives of Muḥammad and his companions, and is an indispensable text for gaining insight into the historical biography of both the Prophet and the rise of the Islamic empire. A bilingual Arabic-English edition.
Early Sufi Women by
This earliest known work in Islam devoted entirely to women's spirituality was written by the Persian Sufi Abu 'Abd ar-Rahman as-Sulami. The long-lost text provides portraits of 80 Sufi women who lived in the central Islamic lands between the 8th and 11th centuries C.E. As spiritual masters and exemplars of Islamic piety, they served as respected teachers and guides in the same way as did Muslim men, often surpassing men in their understanding of Sufi doctrine, the Qur'an, and Islamic spirituality. This bilingual edition includes pages from 10th-century manuscript.
Letters of a Sufi Master by
These letters, written by Shaikh al-'Arabi ad-Darqawi, contain instructions on spiritual technique and manifest an insight into metaphysical truths. Each one contains wisdom to act as a key to open certain doors which stand before the traveller on the spiritual path.
Seven Doors to Islam by
Seven Doors to Islam reveals the religious worldview and spiritual tradition of the world's one billion Muslims. Spanning the breadth of Islamic civilization from Morocco to Indonesia, this book demonstrates how Muslims have used the literary and visual arts in all their richness and diversity to communicate religious values. Each of the seven chapters opens a "door" that leads progressively closer to the very heart of Islam, from the foundational revelation in the Qur'an to the transcendent experience of the Sufi mystics. However, unlike most studies of Islam, which see spirituality as the concern of a minority of mystical seekers, Seven Doors demonstrates its central role in every aspect of the Islamic tradition.
Windows on the House of Islam by
Over the centuries and across the globe, Muslim authors and artists have given moving testimony to their experience of being members of the Islamic community. Their many vantage points come together in this collection, one that represents major Islamic groups from the past through the present and covers a range of themes essential to understanding Islamic spirituality and religious life. More than thirty leading Islam scholars present translations originating from a dozen languages, including Arabic, Persian, Chinese, and Indonesian. Texts include samples of virtually every major literary form of significance to the Muslim faith: the Qur'an, hadith, scriptural commentary, letters, treatises, lyric and didactic poetry, hagiography, historical chronicle, aphorism, endowment deeds, and personal diary entries. In addition, over five dozen illustrations thematically document a full range of artistic forms and historical periods, from ritual objects and architecture to manuscripts of religious texts. This volume and its companion, John Renard's 1996 book, Seven Doors to Islam, are the only books available that integrate such a wide range of Islamic literary and visual forms. Together they offer a superb introduction to the primary religious sources as well as a general understanding of Islamic spirituality and culture.
Hallaj: poems of a Sufi marty by
Winner of the Global Humanities Translation Prize Hallaj is the first authoritative translation of the Arabic poetry of Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj, an early Sufi mystic. Despite his execution in Baghdad in 922 and the subsequent suppression of his work, Hallaj left an enduring literary and spiritual legacy that continues to inspire readers around the world. In Hallaj, Carl W. Ernst offers a definitive collection of 117 of Hallaj's poems expertly translated for contemporary readers interested in Middle Eastern and Sufi poetry and spirituality. Ernst's fresh and direct translations reveal Hallaj's wide range of themes and genres, from courtly love poems to metaphysical reflections on union with God. In a fascinating introduction, Ernst traces Hallaj's dramatic story within classical Islamic civilization and early Arabic Sufi poetry. Setting himself apart by revealing Sufi secrets to the world, Hallaj was both celebrated and condemned for declaring: "I am the Truth." Expressing lyrics and ideas still heard in popular songs, the works of Hallaj remain vital and fresh even a thousand years after their composition. They reveal him as a master of spiritual poetry centuries before Rumi, who regarded Hallaj as a model. This unique collection makes it possible to appreciate the poems on their own, as part of the tragic legend of Hallaj, and as a formidable legacy of Middle Eastern culture. The Global Humanities Translation Prize is awarded annually to a previously unpublished translation that strikes the delicate balance between scholarly rigor, aesthetic grace, and general readability, as judged by a rotating committee of Northwestern faculty, distinguished international scholars, writers, and public intellectuals. The Prize is organized by the Global Humanities Initiative, which is jointly supported by Northwestern University's Buffett Institute for Global Studies and Kaplan Institute for the Humanities.
Sufi Poems by
Sufi Poems is a selection of poems from the golden period of Sufism especially chosen and translated from the Arabic by the distinguished scholar Dr Martin Lings. Dr Lings is the author of numerous best-selling works on Sufism and is a published poet in his own right. Inlcuding poems here translated for the first time, Sufi Poems brings together selections from the giants of Sufism; for example, Rabia, Hallaj, Ibn al-Farid and Ibn Arabi. Sufi Poems is published as bi-lingual Arabic-English edition which will be of interest to all those wishing to read the original Arabic and will also be helpful for university students of Arabic.
The Conference of the Birds by
Composed in the twelfth century in north-eastern Iran, Attar's great mystical poem is among the most significant of all works of Persian literature. A marvellous, allegorical rendering of the Islamic doctrine of Sufism - an esoteric system concerned with the search for truth through God - it describes the consequences of the conference of the birds of the world when they meet to begin the search for their ideal king, the Simorgh bird. On hearing that to find him they must undertake an arduous journey, the birds soon express their reservations to their leader, the hoopoe. With eloquence and insight, however, the hoopoe calms their fears, using a series of riddling parables to provide guidance in the search for spiritual truth. By turns witty and profound, The Conference of the Birds transforms deep belief into magnificent poetry.
Mystical Poems of Rumi by
My verse resembles the bread of EgyptOConight passes over it, and you cannot eat it any more. Devour it the moment it is fresh, before the dust settles upon it. Its place is the warm climate of the heart; in this world it dies of cold. Like a fish it quivered for an instant on dry land, another moment and you see it is cold. Even if you eat it imagining it is fresh, it is necessary to conjure up many images. What you drink is really your own imagination; it is no old tale, my good man. Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207OCo73), legendary Persian Muslim poet, theologian, and mystic, wrote poems acclaimed through the centuries for their powerful spiritual images and provocative content, which often described RumiOCOs love for God in romantic or erotic terms. His vast body of work includes more than three thousand lyrics and odes. This volume includesafour hundredapoems selected by renowned Rumi scholar A. J. Arberry, who provides here one of the most comprehensive and adept English translations of this enigmatic genius.a"Mystical Poems" is the definitive resource for anyone seeking an introduction to or an enriched understanding of one of the worldOCOs greatest poets. "a" OC Rumi is one of the worldOCOs greatest lyrical poets in any languageOCoas well as probably the most accessible and approachable representative of Islamic civilization for Western students.OCOOCoJames W. Morris, Oberlin Collegea"
The Book of Jihad of ‘Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami by
This 12th century work records one of the Muslim responses to the European Crusaders, a call to defense of the land, along with specifications of how/whom/when to engage in warfare
