Islam Books

Book SynopsisThis study, done within the comprehensive Weberian framework, focuses on religion and social change in Bangladesh through an imaginative use of qualitative as well as quantitative methods of modern social research. It first provides a sociological interpretation of the origin and development of Islam in Bengal using historical and literary works on Bengal. The main contribution is based on two sample surveys conducted by Mrs. Banu in 20 villages of Bangladesh and in three areas in the metropolitan Dhaka city. Using these survey data, she gives a sociological analysis of Islamic religious beliefs and practices in contemporary Bangladesh, and more importantly, she studies the impact of the Islamic religious beliefs on the socio- economic development and political culture in present-day Bangladesh. She also shows how Islam compares with modern education in social 'transforming capacity'. This careful and rigorous work is a notable contribution to sociology of religion and helps to deepen our understanding of the interactions between religious and social changes common to many parts of the Third World.Table of ContentsList of Tables Preface I Social Anomalies, a Prophetic Break and the Growth of Islam in Bengal (from AD 1201 to 1757) II Changes in Islam in Bengal Area during the British and post-British Periods III Religious Beliefs in Bangladesh Islam IV Social bases of Islamic Religious Beliefs V Islamic Religious Practice in Bangladesh and its Social Bases VI Islam and Muslim-Hindu Relations in Bangladesh VII Islam and Socio-economic Development in Bangladesh VIII Islam and Women in Bangladesh IX Islam and Political Culture in Bangladesh X Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisUnder the enlightened rule of the Buyid dynasty (945-1055 A.D.) the Islamic world witnessed an unequalled cultural renaissance. This book is an investigation into the nature of the environment in which the cultural transformation took place and into the cultural elite who were its bearers. After an extensive introductory section setting the stage, the book deals with the main schools and circles and with the outstanding individual representatives of this renaissance. The main expression of this renaissance was a philosophical humanism that embraced the scientific and philosophical heritage of Classical Antiquity as a cultural and educational ideal. Along with this philosophical humanism, a literary humanism was cultivated by litterateurs, poets, and government secretaries. This renaissance was marked by a powerful assertion of individualism in the domains of literary creativity and political action. It thrived in a remarkably cosmopolitan atmosphere — Baghdad, the center of the ‘Abbāsid empire and of Buyid rule.Trade Review'...a colourful picture of the life of an interesting group of people.' W. Montgomery Watt, Middle East Journal, 1987. '...a wealth of detailed information...' Ira M. Lapidus, American Historical Review. '...rendra bien des services à tous ceux qui s'intéressent à ce 'siècle buyide'.' Abdallah Cheikh Moussa, Studia Islamica, 1991. '...a fascinating book, full of stimulating views and of a wide erudition.' Remke Kruk, Bibliotheca Orientalis, 1988.

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Book SynopsisThe growing demand for concise and factual information about the history and culture of Islam has now been met with the Islamic Desk Reference. This handy one-volume work contains a condensation of the subject-matter of The Encyclopaedia of Islam, the most prestigious and valuable reference work for Islamic studies published this century. In a brief, orderly and intelligible form the Islamic Desk Reference provides thus a unique and valuable quick reference tool for those interested in the religion, the believers and the countries of the Islamic world. All entries in the Islamic Desk Reference are given in English. Thus, names of Arabic origin which in the West were corrupted to another spelling, e.g. Ibn Sina to Avicenna, al-Kuhl to alcohol, are found under the latter term. The Islamic Desk Reference contains maps, diagrams and genealogical tables for easy reference, and illustrations.Trade Review'Un instrument de travail et de référence fort utile, surtout pour des non-spécialistes.' Yves Thoraval, Le Monde Diplomatique, 1994. 'The reference is a handy, one-volume condensation of the subject matter found in the much larger Encyclopaedia of Islam...the book would be most useful to the general reader and in libraries catering to the general public, although experts will also find the volume of use in quickly ascertaining dates or basic information.' David L. White, American Reference Books Annual, 1995. 'Concise, factual, and all-inclusive…' The Reader's Catalog Bulletin, 1994. '...on félicitera E. van D. pour cette initiative et pour le résultat réussi de ce travail.' Claude Gilliot, bulletin d'Islamologie et d'Etudes Arabes, 1995. '...an extremely useful introduction to the major characters, places, institutions, and customs of the Muslim world...The Islamic Desk Reference's major accomplishment is to offer an accurate and fast access to the history and religion of the Muslim peoples.' Middle East Quarterly.

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Book SynopsisThe celebrated Great Mosque of Damascus was built in the early eighth century by the Umayyad caliph al-Walīd b. ‘Abd al-Malik. This book provides a detailed study of this Mosque. Using textual, visual, and archaeological evidence, the author attempts to reconstruct some of the basic formal and decorative features of the Umayyad mosque, to locate it within its broader urban context, and to consider its role within al-Walīd's unprecedented programme of architectural patronage. The work explores the intracultural and intercultural functions of religious architecture within an official visual discourse intended to project a distinctive Muslim identity in a manner determined by Umayyad political aspirations. It will be of particular interest to those concerned with the relationship between the Umayyad caliphate and Byzantium.Trade Review'...a compelling account...a book that will be read with profit by all those concerned with the material culture of the Early Islamic and Byzantine worlds.’ Marcus Milwright, Journal of Islamic Studies. '...this is a superbly informed, enthusiastically written, imaginatively crafted book for the historian of art or culture.' Oleg Grabar, JSAH, 2001.

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses a group of medieval carved ivory horns, namely oliphants. It draws upon medieval visual as well as literary sources both Arabic and Latin, with an eye to providing an original interpretation of these objects. In doing so, it breaks new ground in the understanding of both oliphants and the historical context of medieval artefacts in general.

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Book SynopsisLaunched in 1992, the Civil Society in the Middle East program has brought together dozens of leading scholars to analyze political life through an exploration of civil society within the states of the region. This is the first of two volumes to be published by E.J. Brill; it contains original studies of Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Tunisia, the West Bank and Gaza, as well as the prospects for democratization in the Arab world, the consequences of economic liberalization and contemporary Islamic thought on civil society and democracy. This first volume offers a wealth of new material on unions, political parties and professional syndicates, and other components of civil society, as the authors weigh the prospects for political reform in the Middle East, and provide readable yet richly informed assessments of state-society relations.

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Book SynopsisThe theme of this book is the early encounters between Christianity and Islam in the eastern provinces of the Byzantine Empire and in Persia from the beginnings of Islam in Mecca to the time of the Abbasids in Bagdad. The contributions in this volume deal with crucial subjects of political and theological dialogue and controversy that characterized the varying responses of the Christian communities in the Byzantine Eastern provinces to the Islamic conquest and its subsequent impact on Byzantine society and history. This volume opens up new research perspectives surrounding the confrontation of Christianity with the early theological and political development of Islam. The present publication emphasizes the importance of the study of the beginnings and the foundations of the relations between the two religions.

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