Islamic and Arab philosophy Books

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Book SynopsisNonbelievers, Apostates, and Atheists in the Muslim World offers a contemporary, cross-cultural look at nonbelief and nonreligion in Islam. Providing historical, conceptual, statistical, and ethnographic data on nonbelievers from Morocco to Egypt, Turkey, and Bangladesh, it explores the unique nature and challenges of nonreligion for Muslims.It includes 11 chapters by experts on nonbelief, nonreligion, and atheism in an array of Muslim-majority countries. The book features multiple disciplines and offers both ethnographic and statistical information on this important, growing, but neglected population. It explores the unique nature of nonreligion in Islam, illustrating that nonbelief is specific to a particular religious tradition. It also examines how ex-Muslims navigate complexities and dangers of their societiesâespecially for womenâand how nonbelief and nonreligion do not equate to atheism or the total repudiation of religion or of Muslim identity. This book

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Book SynopsisThis book explains what tolerance means to the leaders of the world's largest Islamic organizations. It is based on two years of research in Indonesia - the world's largest Muslim-majority country and a consolidated democracy - including hundreds of archival documents, in-depth interviews, personal observations, and a new survey.Trade Review'The world's largest Muslim-majority country, Indonesia's success at transitioning to democracy has perplexed students of comparative Muslim politics - as has the tendency for Indonesian democracy to show a decidedly non-liberal attitude toward matters of religious pluralism. In this richly researched and elegantly argued book, Jeremy Menchik explains how both phenomena have been possible. In so doing, he also offers a study of great importance, not just to Indonesianists, but to scholars and readers interested in the prospects for democracy in the broader Muslim world.' Robert Hefner, Director of the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs, Boston University'At a time when calls for tolerance usually impugn religion and imply the secular, political scientist Jeremy Menchik proposes an original vision of democracy that includes and is even grounded in religion - godly nationalism, he calls it. To make his case, he turns to Indonesia, the world's largest Islamic democracy, where he conducted tireless research that he presents here with assertive vivacity and intellectual versatility. Ranging across political theory, sociology, religious studies, and political science, the product is a major contribution to scholarship on religion and politics.' Daniel Philpott, Director, Center for Civil and Human Rights, University of Notre Dame, Indiana'Jeremy Menchik's thought-provoking and carefully crafted study examines the complex and politically productive role of Islamic organizations in the world's largest Muslim-majority democracy. He challenges the notion that liberal modes of tolerance are a sine qua non of democratization. This book opens new possibilities for the study of religion, governance, politics, and power in a world than can be neither dominated nor defined by Euro-American history and experience.' Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Northwestern University, Illinois'Brilliant! This is by far the best book on the complex relationships between the state and the three major Islamic civil-society organizations in Indonesia. It is a conceptual and empirical tour de force, integrating political science, anthropology and history.' Alfred Stepan, Wallace Sayre Professor of Political Science, Columbia University, New York'Menchik's illumination of an alternative to the Rawlsian vision of secular-liberal democracy operating in Indonesia challenges long held assumptions that place religion on the fringes of political science. He provides a different way of conceptualizing religion and politics that is productive for not only the field of political science, but also religious studies, area studies, Islamic studies, and Indonesian studies. His notions of godly nationalism and communal tolerance deserve further analysis and inclusion in other contexts outside of Indonesia.' James Edmonds, Reading Religion'Jeremy Menchik's wonderful new book takes the challenges of doing constructivist political science theory seriously. That is no simple task, since even the best works in the constructivist tradition often avoid the difficult work of actually defining the approach and its implications. What Menchik achieves is not a replacement for the grand theoretical traditions of religion and politics that he criticizes but something more useful. He provides a careful research design that produces a handful of empirically consequential mechanisms explaining why leading Indonesian Islamic organizations are sometimes more or less tolerant of non-Muslim minorities, a credible account of how these mechanisms might generalize to other times and places, and a clear examination of their normative consequences. … [t]his is a book that deserves to be widely read and debated not only by Indonesia scholars but also by all who study religion and democratic politics.' Brandon Kendhammer, Perspectives on Politics'His revealing research into local history shows how the diverse experiences of different Muslim organizations have produced a wide range of beliefs about religious tolerance and even about what a belief system has to look like in order to be counted as a religion.' Andrew Nathan, Foreign Affairs'This line of argumentation is invigorating, but what makes it convincing - and a joy to read - is the richness of the data Menchik draws from and the unique structure in which the book is arranged. Each chapter describes a new point upon which he builds his main argument, highlighting attitudes towards a different segment of Indonesian society during a given time period by each of the three Islamic organisations he has selected as a case study. … the book provides a significant contribution not only for those concerned with Islam in Indonesia but for political theorists more broadly.' Chris Chaplin, South East Asia Research'Islam and democracy in Indonesia was a co-winner of the International Studies Association Religion and International Relations Best Book award in February 2017 and it is easy to see why. … Menchik has some real insights into the Islamization of Indonesia, and the concept of Godly nationalism offers opportunities to generalize and rethink our understanding of the ways in which religion can operate in the public sphere. His argument is supported by a weight of material and detail, and a careful exposition of the book's methodology.' Katherine Brown, International Affairs'Jeremy Menchik's data rich and insightful book, Islam and Democracy in Indonesia: Tolerance without Liberalism, is a valuable contribution to the political science scholarship on Indonesia's particular brand of democracy and religious pluralism.' Zeynep Atalay, American Journal of SociologyTable of Contents1. After secularization; 2. Explaining tolerance and intolerance; 3. Local genealogies; 4. Godly nationalism; 5. The coevolution of religion and state; 6. Communal tolerance; 7. Religious democracy; Methodological appendices; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisWidely regarded as the founder of the Islamic philosophical tradition, and as the single greatest philosophical authority after Aristotle by his successors in the medieval Islamic, Jewish, and Christian communities, Alfarabi was a leading figure in the fields of Aristotelian logic and Platonic political science. The first complete English translation of his commentary on Aristotle''s Topics, Alfarabi''s Book of Dialectic, or Kitab al-Jadal, is presented here in a deeply researched edition based on the most complete Arabic manuscript sources. David M. DiPasquale argues that Alfarabi''s understanding of the Socratic art of dialectic is the key prism through which to grasp his recovery of an authentic tradition of Greek science on the verge of extinction. He also suggests that the Book of Dialectic is unique to the extent to which it unites Alfarabi''s logical and political writings, opening up novel ways of interpreting Alfarabi''s influence.Trade Review'David M. DiPasquale’s translation and interpretation of Alfarabi’s Book of Dialectic advances our understanding of Alfarabi’s innovative approach to philosophy and subtle attempt to breathe new life into its pursuit. DiPasquale renders Dominic Mallet’s path-breaking edition of the Arabic text in a manner that captures Alfarabi’s nuances while respecting his unique reticence.' Charles E. Butterworth, University of Maryland'A dependable English translation of Alfarabi’s indispensable work, Book of Dialectic, is a great boon - especially given that the only critical Arabic edition exists in an unpublished French dissertation. In addition, DiPasquale’s fine book reveals why dialectic is central not only to political philosophy but also to the whole of philosophy.' Josh Parens, University of DallasTable of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Alfarabi's Kitāb al-Jadal: complete English translation; 2. Dialectic and political science; 3. Dialectic and the principles of all science; 4. Dialectic and the method of natural and divine science; 5. Dialectic and education; 6. Conclusion: Alfarabi and the taxonomy of the medieval Arabic Organon; Glossary A: English–Arabic; Glossary B: Arabic–English; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisWidely regarded as the founder of the Islamic philosophical tradition, and as the single greatest philosophical authority after Aristotle by his successors in the medieval Islamic, Jewish, and Christian communities, Alfarabi was a leading figure in the fields of Aristotelian logic and Platonic political science. The first complete English translation of his commentary on Aristotle''s Topics, Alfarabi''s Book of Dialectic, or Kitab al-Jadal, is presented here in a deeply researched edition based on the most complete Arabic manuscript sources. David M. DiPasquale argues that Alfarabi''s understanding of the Socratic art of dialectic is the key prism through which to grasp his recovery of an authentic tradition of Greek science on the verge of extinction. He also suggests that the Book of Dialectic is unique to the extent to which it unites Alfarabi''s logical and political writings, opening up novel ways of interpreting Alfarabi''s influence.Trade Review'David M. DiPasquale’s translation and interpretation of Alfarabi’s Book of Dialectic advances our understanding of Alfarabi’s innovative approach to philosophy and subtle attempt to breathe new life into its pursuit. DiPasquale renders Dominic Mallet’s path-breaking edition of the Arabic text in a manner that captures Alfarabi’s nuances while respecting his unique reticence.' Charles E. Butterworth, University of Maryland'A dependable English translation of Alfarabi’s indispensable work, Book of Dialectic, is a great boon - especially given that the only critical Arabic edition exists in an unpublished French dissertation. In addition, DiPasquale’s fine book reveals why dialectic is central not only to political philosophy but also to the whole of philosophy.' Josh Parens, University of DallasTable of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Alfarabi's Kitāb al-Jadal: complete English translation; 2. Dialectic and political science; 3. Dialectic and the principles of all science; 4. Dialectic and the method of natural and divine science; 5. Dialectic and education; 6. Conclusion: Alfarabi and the taxonomy of the medieval Arabic Organon; Glossary A: English–Arabic; Glossary B: Arabic–English; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Masooda Bano presents an in-depth analysis of a new movement that is transforming the way that young Muslims engage with their religion. Led by a network of Islamic scholars in the West, this movement seeks to revive the tradition of Islamic rationalism. Bano explains how, during the period of colonial rule, the exit of Muslim elites from madrasas, the Islamic scholarly establishments, resulted in a stagnation of Islamic scholarship. This trend is now being reversed. Exploring the threefold focus on logic, metaphysics, and deep mysticism, Bano shows how Islamic rationalism is consistent with Sunni orthodoxy and why it is so popular among young, elite, educated Muslims, who are now engaging with classical Islamic texts. One of the most tangible results of this revival is that Islamic rationalism - rather than jihadism - is emerging as one of the most influential movements in the contemporary Muslim world.Table of Contents1. Global shifts and the rise of Islamic rationalism; Part I. Specialist versus Tacit Knowledge: 2. What is Islam?; 3. Learning from the old geographies of Islam; 4. Teaching in the new geographies of Islam; 5. Mixing dispersed knowledge; Part II. Affluence and Creativity: 6. Material conditions and attitudes towards the texts; 7. Elites and institutional consolidation.

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This volume examines the philosophy of Avicenna, the greatest philosopher of the Islamic world. Leading scholars deal with his ideas in areas ranging from medicine to theology and his impact on the Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions. The book is of interest to graduate students of Arabic and medieval philosophy.

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Book SynopsisEthics was a central preoccupation of medieval philosophers, and medieval ethical thought is rich, diverse, and inventive. Yet standard histories of ethics often skip quickly over the medievals, and histories of medieval philosophy often fail to do justice to the centrality of ethical concerns in medieval thought. This volume presents the full range of medieval ethics in Christian, Islamic, and Jewish philosophy in a way that is accessible to a non-specialist and reveals the liveliness and sophistication of medieval ethical thought. In Part I there is a series of historical chapters presenting developmental and contextual accounts of Christian, Islamic, and Jewish ethics. Part II offers topical chapters on such central themes as happiness, virtue, law, and freedom, as well as on less-studied aspects of medieval ethics such as economic ethics, the ethical dimensions of mysticism, and sin and grace. This will be an important volume for students of ethics and medieval philosophy.Table of ContentsIntroduction Thomas Williams; Part I. History: 1. From Augustine to Eriugena Erik Kenyon; 2. From Anselm to Albert the Great Ian Wilks; 3. From Thomas Aquinas to the 1350s Eric W. Hagedorn; 4. Islamic ethics Jon McGinnis; 5. Ethics in medieval Jewish philosophy T. M. Rudavsky; Part II. Concepts and Themes: 6. Happiness Jeff Steele; 7. Virtue Thomas M. Osborne, Jr; 8. Law Jean Porter; 9. Freedom without choice: medieval theories of the essence of freedom Tobias Hoffmann; 10. Practical reasoning M. V. Dougherty; 11. Will and intellect Thomas Williams; 12. Emotions Martin Pickavé; 13. Medieval Islamic and Christian mysticism and the problem of a 'mystical ethics' Amber Griffioen and Mohammad Sadeg Zahedi; 14. Economic ethics Roberto Lambertini; 15. Self-interest, self-sacrifice, and the common good John Marenbon; 16. Sin and grace Eileen Sweeney.

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Book SynopsisCoherence of the Incoherence: Between Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd on Nature and the Cosmos is the first of a two-part critical examination of the seminal debate carried out in the pages of Ghazali's Incoherence of the Philosophers and Ibn Rushd's Incoherence of the Incoherence. While an upcoming second volume focuses on the elements in that debate related to the God and the soul, this volume focuses on questions related to nature and the cosmos, including the controversies over the eternity of the universe and necessity of natural causation. The debate, I argue, is not simply a polemic between faith and reason,' but a penetrating philosophical discussion with enduring potential to inform work in philosophy and analytic theology. To that end, I analyze and evaluate the arguments made by both sides, explaining the philosophical concepts involved in their historical context and the core questions on which their differences turn. In the process, I draw some illuminating connections between po

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Book SynopsisI.B.Tauris in association with the Institute of Ismaili Studies This is the first English translation of the final philosophical work of the great eleventh-century Ismaili thinker, poet, and Fatimid emissary, N?sir-i Khusraw. Appointed from Cairo by command of the Fatimid Imam-caliph al-Mustansir to serve first as a d?'?, and then as the hujjat, for the entire region of Khur?s?n, he maintained his allegiance both to his mission and his Imam-caliph for the rest of his life, even when threatened and driven into exile. Written during his exile in Badakhsh?n in the year 1070, N?sir-i Khusraw here develops a powerful presentation of both Aristotelian philosophy and Ismaili exegesis, or ta'w?l, and strives to show that they are ultimately in harmony. The work is presented as a learned commentary on a long philosophical poem, written in the previous century and sent to N?sir by the am?r of Badakhsh?n, 'Al? b. al-Asad, who copied the poem out in his own hand from memory and asked the poet-philosopher to explicate it. In doing so, N?sir ranges over a huge span of topics from logic and language to the nature of the physical world, from the spheres of the highest heavens to the plants and animals of the earthly realm, and, most importantly, hidden spiritual realities: the esoteric (b?tin) as well as the exoteric (z?hir) realms. He thus discusses the nature of God, the creation of human beings, and the mysteries concealed in the physical world, itself a reflection of a higher, transcendent realm. Between Reason and Revelation: Twin Wisdoms Reconciled is an annotated translation of the Persian text prepared by Henry Corbin and Mohammed Mu'?n based on the single surviving manuscript of the work, now in the Süleymaniye Mosque Library in Istanbul. It is a work of great philosophical and spiritual insight, which is also a pioneering attempt to tackle difficult intellectual problems in the Persian language; it is at once lucid and lyrical, precise and speculative. N?sir’s influence has been immense as both a poet and a thinker, and the Kit?b-i J?mi' al-hikmatayn is his crowning work.

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Book SynopsisEver since they became conscious of their relative decline, the societies of the Middle East, and other Islamic countries more generally, have turned to Islam as an antidote to humiliation and decadence. This book examines the political environments, lives and works of those diverse nineteenth and twentieth century Muslim thinkers who believed that Islam was capable of providing practical solutions to the problems of the modern world. The volume provides a balanced account of their contribution to contemporary revolutionary Islam and to political developments in countries from Morocco to Indonesia. The writings and political activity of al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh, Ayatollah Khomeini, Sayyid Abu'l-A'la Mawdudi, Hasan al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, Musa al-Sadr, Ali Shariati and Muhammad Baqr al-Sadr are considered, explaining the roots of movements as diverse as the Muslim Brotherhood, the Jama'at-i Islami, the radical Iranian clergy and the militant Shi'i of Lebanon. The book provides an ideal introduction to the complexity and variety of Islamic revival, revealing the motivations of the thinkers who have reshaped the political vocabulary of Islam. Ali Rahnema's major new introductory chapter puts these still hugely influential Muslim thinkers and the movements they inspired in the context of the extraordinarily changed circumstances confronting Islamic countries both internally and internationally since 9/11. He explores the dangers of any Western-Islamic standoff in a situation where both Muslim terrorists and certain chauvinist Christian elements are misusing the religions they ostensibly espouse. It becomes all the more important for Muslims and non-Muslims to understand the real thinking that has long gone in influential Islamic circles. This book intends to make a contribution in this regard.Trade Review'This is a judicious and well-conceived collection of studies by experts on prominent figures in the modern Islamic political revival... Anyone concerned with the politics of the modern Islamic world will find it useful to have this detailed Who's Who within reach.' Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Bulletin 'Well written articles on nine of the best known Islamic ideologues of the past century, the majority authored by a scholar who has published major work on the figure or his movement... The articles are appropriate to undergraduates and the book could well serve to structure an introductory course in modern Islamic thought'. Religious Studies Review 'The scholarly profiles in Pioneers of Islamic Revival give readers an opportunity to judge for themselves where the truth lies.' Third World Resources 'This is an excellent anthology about nine of the most influential thinkers of the past century who have contributed significantly to the shape of popular Islamic thought.' American Sufi Muslim Association (ASMA) 'The new edition of this book is welcome. Its essays dissect the contrasting approaches of eight of the most significant figures to develop political Islam.' Chris Harman, International SocialismTable of Contents Introduction to 2nd Edition: Contextualizing the Pioneers of Islamic Revival - Ali Rahnema 1. Introduction to 1st Edition - Ali Rahnema 2. Sayyid Jamal al-Din 'al-Afghani' - Nikki R.Keddie 3. Muhammad Abduh: Pioneer of Islamic Reform - Yvonne Haddad 4. Khomeini's Search for Perfection: Theory and Reality - Baqer Moin 5. Mawdudi and the Jama'at-i Islami: The Origins, Theory and Practice of Islamic Revivalism - Syyed Vali Reza Nasr 6. Hasan al-Banna (1906-1949) - David Commins 7. Sayyid Qutb: The Political Vision - Charles Tripp 8. Musa al-Sadr - Augustus Richard Norton 9. Ali Shariati: Teacher, Preacher, Rebel - Ali Rahnema 10. Muhammad Baqer as-Sadr - Chibli Mallat Index

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Book SynopsisThe tradition of philosophy in the Persian-speaking world is extraordinarily rich, creative and diverse. This anthology, which is divided into three volumes, aims to communicate something of that richness and diversity. The term 'philosophy' is understood to in its widest sense to include theological debate, philosophical Sufism and philosophical hermeneutics (ta'wil). Extending over a period of more than two millennia, and showcasing translations by well-established scholars, the anthology offers full bibliographical references throughout. For anyone interested in exploring, in all their varied manifestations, the fascinating philosophical traditions of Persia, such a wide-ranging and ambitious work will be an indispensable resource. Volume 1 starts with the Zoroastrian period and extends to the time of Biruni and Oma Khayyam, paying special attenton to the peripatetic school associated with Ibn Sina (Avicenna). During the pre-Islamic period philosophy was intertwined with religion, and it is within Persian religious texts such as the "Gathas", the "Denkard", and the Zoroastrian texts of the "Bundahisn" that philosophical discussions of subjects ranging from metaphysics to cosmology and eschatology are to be found.

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Book SynopsisThe tradition of philosophy in the Persian-speaking world is extraordinarily rich, creative and diverse. This anthology, which is divided into three volumes, aims to communicate something of that richness and diversity. The term 'philosophy' is understood to in its widest sense to include theological debate, philosophical Sufism and philosophical hermeneutics (ta'wil). Extending over a period of more than two millennia, and showcasing translations by well-established scholars, the anthology offers full bibliographical references throughout. For anyone interested in exploring, in all their varied manifestations, the fascinating philosophical traditions of Persia, such a wide-ranging and ambitious work will be an indispensable resource. Volume 2 covers five centuries of Ismaili philosophy, and includes extracts from outstanding Ismaili works including the "Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa" ("Treatises of the Brethren of Purity") and the philosophical odes of Nasir Khusraw. It is of great siginificance that, in the early centuries of Islam, philosophers were influenced by Pythagorean and Hermetic ideas, which are usually associated with Shi'i thought in general and Ismailism in particular. Ismaili philosophy at this time was able to integrate strands of Greco-Alexandrian thought such as Hermeticism and Neo-Pythagoreanism, as well as aspects of Mazdaeism and Manichaeism. It also showed marked interest in Neo-platonism.

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Book SynopsisThe fourth volume of the Anthology of Philosophy in Persia deals with one of the richest and yet least known periods of philosophical life in Persia, the centuries between the seventh/thirteenth century, that saw the eclipse of the school of Khorosan, and the tenth/sixteenth century that coincided with the rise of the Safavids. The main schools dealt with in this volume are the Peripatetic (mashsha'i) School, the School of Illumination (ishraq) of Suhrawardi, and various forms of philosophical Sufism, especially the school of Ibn 'Arabi, that had its origins in the works of Ghazzali and 'Ayn al-Qudat Hamadani. This period was also notable for the philosopher-scientists such as Nasir al-Din Tusi and Qutb al-Din Shirazi.

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Book SynopsisAvicenna’s Metaphysics (in Arabic: Ilâhiyyât) is the most important and influential metaphysical treatise of classical and medieval times after Aristotle. This volume presents studies on its direct and indirect influence in Arabic, Hebrew, and Latin culture from the time of its composition in the early eleventh century until the sixteenth century. Among the philosophical topics which receive particular attention are the distinction between essence and existence, the theory of universals, the concept of God as the necessary being and the theory of emanation. It is shown how authors such as Averroes, Abraham ibn Daud, Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas and John Duns Scotus react to Avicenna’s metaphysical theories. The studies also address the philological and historical circumstances of the textual tradition in three different medieval cultures. The studies are written by a distinguished international team of contributors, who convened in 2008 to discuss their research in the Villa Vigoni, Italy.

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Book SynopsisDer Einfluss der platonischen Ideenlehre umfasst nahezu alle Epochen und zahlreiche Disziplinen der westlichen Philosophiegeschichte. Kaum bekannt ist, dass auch arabisch und persisch schreibende Philosophen zu allen Zeiten „Platonische Ideen“ und „Platonische Urbilder“ diskutierten, obwohl ihnen die platonischen Dialoge selbst nicht zugänglich waren. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht, in welcher Weise und auf welchen Grundlagen diese islamischen Konzeptionen „Platonischer Ideen“ ohne jegliche Rückbindung an das platonische Œuvre doktrinal gefüllt wurden. Der erste, begriffsgeschichtliche Teil geht terminologischen und systematischen Fragen der arabisch-islamischen Auseinandersetzung mit diesen Konzeptionen in zahlreichen Werken aus dem 9. bis 17. Jahrhundert nach, darunter solchen von al-Farabi und Avicenna. Im zweiten Teil werden einige der relevanten arabischen Texte erstmals in deutscher Übersetzung zugänglich gemacht. Die Studie eröffnet damit auch dem Nichtarabisten einen ersten Einblick in einen bisher unerforschten Zweig der Rezeptionsgeschichte des Platonismus, der zugleich ein integraler Bestandteil der islamischen Geistesgeschichte ist.

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Book SynopsisA unique collection of studies, the present volume sheds new light on central themes of Ibn Taymiyya's (661/1263-728/1328) and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya's (691/1292-751/1350) thought and the relevance of their ideas to diverse Muslim societies. Investigating their positions in Islamic theology, philosophy and law, the contributions discuss a wide range of subjects, e.g. law and order; the divine compulsion of human beings; the eternity of eschatological punishment; the treatment of Sufi terminology; and the proper Islamic attitude towards Christianity. Notably, a section of the book is dedicated to analyzing Ibn Taymiyya's struggle for and against reason as well as his image as a philosopher in contemporary Islamic thought. Several articles present the influential legacy of both thinkers in shaping an Islamic discourse facing the challenges of modernity. This volume will be especially useful for students and scholars of Islamic studies, philosophy, sociology, theology, and history of ideas.

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Book SynopsisThis study is the first comprehensive analysis of the physical theory of the Islamic philosopher Avicenna (d. 1037). It seeks to understand his contribution against the developments within the preceding Greek and Arabic intellectual milieus, and to appreciate his philosophy as such by emphasising his independence as a critical and systematic thinker. Exploring Avicenna’s method of "teaching and learning," it investigates the implications of his account of the natural body as a three-dimensionally extended composite of matter and form, and examines his views on nature as a principle of motion and his analysis of its relation to soul. Moreover, it demonstrates how Avicenna defends the Aristotelian conception of place against the strident criticism of his predecessors, among other things, by disproving the existence of void and space. Finally, it sheds new light on Avicenna’s account of the essence and the existence of time. For the first time taking into account the entire range of Avicenna’s major writings, this study fills a gap in our understanding both of the history of natural philosophy in general and of the philosophy of Avicenna in particular. This monograph has been awarded the annual BRAIS – De Gruyter Prize (Kulturpreis Bayern) in the Study of Islam and the Muslim World and the Iran World Award for Book of the Year (2020).

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Book SynopsisThis book offers for the first time a comprehensive study of the reception and reworking of the Peripatetic theory of the soul in the Kitāb al-Nafs (Book of the Soul) by Avicenna (d. 1037). This study seeks to frame Avicenna’s science of the soul (or psychology) by focusing on three key concepts: subject, definition, and activity. The examination of these concepts will disclose the twofold consideration of the soul in Avicenna’s psychology. Besides the ‘general approach’ to the soul of sublunary living beings, which is the formal principle of the body, Avicenna’s psychology also exhibits a ‘specific orientation’ towards the soul in itself, i.e. the human rational soul that, considered in isolation from the body, is a self-subsistent substance, identical with the theoretical intellect and capable of surviving severance from the body. These two investigations demonstrate the coexistence in Avicenna’s psychology of a more specific and less physical science (psychologia specialis) within a more general and overall physical one (psychologia generalis).

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Book SynopsisThis book offers for the first time a comprehensive study of the reception and reworking of the Peripatetic theory of the soul in the Kitāb al-Nafs (Book of the Soul) by Avicenna (d. 1037). This study seeks to frame Avicenna’s science of the soul (or psychology) by focusing on three key concepts: subject, definition, and activity. The examination of these concepts will disclose the twofold consideration of the soul in Avicenna’s psychology. Besides the ‘general approach’ to the soul of sublunary living beings, which is the formal principle of the body, Avicenna’s psychology also exhibits a ‘specific orientation’ towards the soul in itself, i.e. the human rational soul that, considered in isolation from the body, is a self-subsistent substance, identical with the theoretical intellect and capable of surviving severance from the body. These two investigations demonstrate the coexistence in Avicenna’s psychology of a more specific and less physical science (psychologia specialis) within a more general and overall physical one (psychologia generalis).

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Book SynopsisThe authoritative reference study on the work of Mohammed Arkoun, The Construction of Belief is essential reading for students and scholars of Islam, Muslim societies and cultures, modernity, religious studies, philosophy and semantics.Table of ContentsContents Professor Mohammed Arkoun (1928C2010) Preface: Situating Arkoun Abdou Filali-Ansary 1. Mohammed Arkoun: A Personal Tribute and an Intellectual Assessment Aziz Esmail 2. The Authenticity of Sacred Texts R. Stephen Humphreys 3. Constructing Islam in the Classical +- Period: Maqalat Literature and the Seventy-two Sects +- Josef van Ess 4. Modern Discourses of Superiority: Muslims and Christians in Contact Stefan Wild 5. The Socio-economics of Tafsir: Egypt and the Heirs of Muhammad (R)Abduh Mark Sedgwick 6. Believing and Belonging: the Impact of Religion for Muslim +- Adolescents in a Pluralistic Society C Empirical Findings from Hamburg, Germany Ursula GA'nther 7. Veiling and Unveiling Muslim Women: State Coercion, Islam, and the (R)Disciplines of the Heart AZ Malika Zeghal 8. Coming to Believe: the (Elusive) Time of Conversion Souleymane Bachir Diagne 9. The Shadow of Terror on Distant Muslims Akeel Bilgrami 10. Citational Exegesis of the Qur AZan: Towards a Theoretical Framework for the Construction of Meaning in Classical Islamic Thought. The Case of the Epistles of the Pure Brethren; Omar Al*-de-Unzaga Afterword by Mohammed Arkoun, November 2009 at ISMC About the Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisThis highly illustrated publication details the concepts, construction and design of the new Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World at the British Museum

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Book SynopsisA biography of Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), famous historian, scholar, theologian and statesman.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Preface; Map: Ibn Khaldun's Mediterranean; Timeline; 1. Historian meets History; 2. Ibn Khaldun's Early Life; 3. Ibn Khaldun the Statesman; 4. Egypt; 5. Ibn Khaldun's Method; 6. Modernity; 7. On being Ibn Khaldun; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisFârès Gillon is Associate Professor in Islamic Studies and Arabic at Aix-Marseille University, France. He received his PhD from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Paris), and specializes in the intellectual history of early Shiism, with a particular focus on Fatimid Ismailism. He has published several articles on these topics, and has also co-edited with Mathieu Terrier Anthologie de la philosophie en Islam (Paris, 2023). Previously, he was a Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies. His research interests include Shi'i history and doctrines, Ismailism, Nusayrism and Islamic Philosophy

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Book SynopsisRahim Gholami is Research Associate at The Institute of Ismaili Studies, UK. He received his PhD in Arab and Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter, UK in 2021.

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Book SynopsisCrossing continents and running across centuries, Key Concepts in World Philosophies brings together the 45 core ideas associated with major Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Islamic, African, Ancient Greek, Indigenous and modern European philosophers. The universal theme of self-cultivation and transformation connects each concept. Each one seeks to change our understanding the world or the life we are living. From Chinese xin and karma in Buddhist traditions to okwu in African philosophy, equity in Islamic thought and the good life in Aztec philosophy, an international team of philosophers cover a diverse set of ideas and theories originating from thinkers such as Confucius, Buddha, Dogen, Nezahualcoyotl, Nietzsche and Zhuangzi. Organised around the major themes of knowledge, metaphysics and aesthetics, each short chapter provides an introductory overview supported by a glossary. This is a one-of-a-kind toolkit that allows you to read philosophical texts from all overTrade ReviewThis is a brilliantly conceived volume, aimed at encouraging recognition of the diversity of philosophical ideas across the various world traditions. Dipping into just a few of the chapters should convince anyone that there are no grounds whatsoever for philosophers to ignore key ideas outside their own cultural traditions. * Michael Beaney, Regius Professor of Logic, University of Aberdeen, UK, and Professor of History of Analytic Philosophy, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany *Can there be a better way to "take the world as the world" in philosophy than recruiting a cadre of the very best scholars across the subfields of global philosophy with each writing a substantial piece on a concept usually associated with their own careers? Sarah Flavel and Chiara Robbiano at the helm of this great ship are indeed taking world philosophy towards the boundless horizon of Nietzsche's open sea. * Roger T. Ames, Humanities Chair Professor, Peking University, China *Contemporary Anglo-European philosophy often appears to be nothing but a temple to the achievements of dead white men. Key Concepts in World Philosophies, by Sarah Flavel and Chiara Robbiano, is a powerful antidote to philosophical ethnocentrism. This anthology is like a philosophical box of chocolates, with wide selections of delicious, "bite-sized" chapters that broaden our philosophical horizons and expand our conceptual toolkits. It is useful for both the timid beginner and the jaded cosmopolitan. * Bryan W. Van Norden, James Monroe Taylor Chair in Philosophy, Vassar College, USA *Table of ContentsList of Contributors Preface “A Note on the “Key-Concepts” Approach and Diversification of Philosophical Curricula”, Sarah Flavel Acknowledgments Introduction, “Valuing diversity”, Chiara Robbiano Part I: How We Acquire Knowledge about Ourselves and Reality 1. Action and Praxis, Jin Y. Park 2. Africa, Delphine Abadie 3. Ataraxia, Frans A.J. de Haas 4. Continuous Inquiry, Chiara Robbiano 5. Emptiness, Jason M. Wirth 6. Epistemic Decolonization of Culture, Omar Rivera 7. Ezumezu, Jonathan O Chimakonam 8. Gewu (Investigation of Things), Xiao Ouyang 9. “I” as the Absolute Present, Yoko Arisaka 10. Intellectual Non-Harming and Epistemic Friction, Anand Vaidya 11. Karma, Peter D. Hershock 12. Nature, Marzenna Jakubczak 13. Perspectival Agility, Sarah Flavel and Brad Hall 14. Relational Knowing, Monika Kirloskar-Steinbach 15. Relegational Arguments, Andrew K. Whitehead 16. Science Fiction in/as Philosophy, Ethan Mills 17. Shinjin Gakudô (Studying the Way with Body and Mind), Bret W. Davis 18. Shinjin-datsuraku (dropping the bodymind), Rein Raud 19. Prasanga Method, Ethan Mills 20. Unconditioned, Russell Re Manning 21. Vital Force, Pius M. Mosima 22. Zhi (Knowing), Aaron Creller Part II: How We Cultivate Ourselves and Relate to Others 23. Double movement, Evgenia Ilieva 24. Duhkha (suffering), Stephen E. Harris 25. Equality, Hadeer Aboelnagah 26. I-Thou Relation, Michiko Yusa 27. Moral Responsiveness, Jay L. Garfield 28. Nepantla, James Maffie 29. Self-Cultivation and Political Power, Leah Kalmanson 30. The Good Life, Sebastian Purcell 31. Ubuntu/Botho, Michael Onyebuchi Eze 32. Ujamaa, Edwin Etieyibo 33. Wu wei, Yuan Zhang and Douglas L. Berger 34. Xin (Heart-mind), Dascha Düring Part III: How We Express Ourselves 35. Concreteness, Paul Ziche 36. Conversationalism, Aribiah David Attoe 37. Creativity, Kiene Brillenburg Wurth 38. Diversity in Philosophy, Purushottama Bilimoria & Agnieszka Rostalska 39. Dôtoku (Expression), Gereon Kopf 40. Embodied Practice, John C. Maraldo 41. Kata, Enrico Fongaro 42. Li (Ritual), Geir Sigurðsson 43. Noh Theater Mask, Mayuko Uehara 44. Okwu, Jonathan O Chimakonam 45. Tôjisha kenkyû (participant-led research), Saku Hara Index

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Book SynopsisIbn Tufayl (d. 1185) was an Andalusian courtier, philosopher, Sufi master, and royal physician to the Almohad Caliphs. He inspired the twelfth-century Andalusian revolt against Ptolemaic astronomy and sponsored the career of the most renowned Aristotelian of medieval times, Abu al-Walid Ibn Rushd (the Latin Averroes). Ibn Tufayl was an exemplar of the kind of versatile scholar early Almohad culture wanted to cultivate. In this thought provoking and concise account, Taneli Kukkonen explores the life and thought of Ibn Tufayl and assesses the influence and legacy of Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, Ibn Tufayl’s famous philosophical romance. Hayy Ibn Yaqzan became a popular and often-copied work in early modern Europe; it has since secured a place as one of the best read pieces in all Arabic literature, partly due to its outstanding literary qualities, in part because it provides an ideal introduction to the themes and preoccupations of classical Arabic philosophy. The study sets Hayy in its historical and philosophical context and paints a vivid portrait of the world as Ibn Tufayl saw it and as he wished for it to be seen.Trade Review‘Taneli Kukkonen’s study is not only a superb introduction to Ibn Tufayl and his work, but it also provides a succinct overview of Islamic philosophical thought at large…his exposition [is] admirably lucid and, indeed, entertaining.’ * LA Review of Books *‘Scholars and students of Ibn Ṭufayl will enjoy Kukkonen's introduction. Indeed his observation that Ibn Ṭufayl's "casual asides and narrative detours can be just as fascinating to us as what he is ultimately driving at" may equally be made of his own book.’ * Journal of the History of Philosophy *Table of ContentsPreface Hayy Ibn Yaqzan: An overview 1 LIFE AND TIMES The Almohad Revolution A New Intellectual Order The Caves of Guadix The Medical Tradition In Royal Service Sufi, Musicologist, Medical Author Sponsor 2 HAYY Hayy: A Synopsis An Architectural Design Hayy’s Theme Pointers and Reminders The Spiral Path Authority and Authentication Harmony and Hierarchy 3 ISLAND LIFE The Island The Perfect Climate From Ceylon to Mali The Twice-born Child History or Drama Seeing with One’s Own Eyes Beginning from the Beginning Experience and Art The Limits of Skill 4 NATURE Taking in the World Structure and Scaffolding Suspended between Worlds Natures and Powers Forms and Universals Synthesis and Analysis Matter The Elements The Heavenly Spheres 5 SOUL Living Nature Vital Heat The Vehicle of the Soul The Spirit which is God’s Diffusion and Suffusion Plurality and Unity The Human Distinction The Science of the Soul 6 THREE DUTIES Finitude and Transcendence Two Worlds Ought from Is Three Lives The Conservation Principle Kinship with the Heavens Leaving the World Behind 7 GOD Unveiling the Mysteries From Asceticism to Mysticism Tasting the Truth Theological Precepts Like Knowing Like Annihilation and Restoration Faces and Names The “Eastern Wisdom” Sensation and Intellection Arrival 8 RELIGION Religion and Society Asal and Salaman Language and Reality Modeling Perfection Re-entering the Cave Human Weakness Morality and Scripture Mortality and Revelation 9 AFTERLIFE Arabic Margins Hebrew Echoes Early Modern Success The “Robinson” Question Orientalist Ideas Back to Ibn Tufayl Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisMulla Sadra is one of the prominent figures of post-Avicennan Islamic philosophy and among the most important philosophers of Safavid Persia. This title represents a paradigm shift from the Aristotelian metaphysics of fixed substances, which had dominated Islamic philosophy, to an analysis of existence as the ground and dynamic source of things.

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Book SynopsisButterworth richly deserves to be congratulated for providing advanced students and scholars with authoritative, reliable, and readable translations of Alfarabi''s important political writings. ? ChoiceAlfarabi (ca. 870–950) founded the great tradition of Aristotelian/Platonic political philosophy in medieval Islamic and Arabic culture. In this second volume of political writings, Charles E. Butterworth presents translations of Alfarabi''s Political Regime and Summary of Plato''s Laws, accompanied by introductions that discuss the background for each work and explore its teaching.In addition, the texts are carefully annotated to aid the reader in following Alfarabi''s argument. An Arabic-English/English-Arabic glossary allows interested readers to verify the way particular words are translated. Throughout, Butterworth''s method is to translate consistently the same Arabic word by the same English word, rendering Alfarabi''s style Trade ReviewAccurate and very readable.... [Butterworth] was a student of Muhsin Mahdi, the leading scholar of Alfarabi of our time (and perhaps of all time), whose many editions, translations, and studies of Alfarabi's writings have enriched our understanding of this most influential philosopher. Butterworth is Mahdi's intellectual heir.... We are much indebted to Butterworth, who has undertaken this mission with admirable responsibility. * Speculum *Butterworth brilliantly combines in one volume the theoretical agenda of the Political Regime and the practical concerns of the Summary. This volume is an excellent contribution to Alfarabi scholarship and should be most welcome to anyone interested in Islamic philosophy. * The Review of Politics *Butterworth here offers... a commendable, skilled rendition of the Summary of Plato's Laws. * Journal of the History of Philosophy *Butterworth richly deserves to be congratulated for providing advanced students and scholars with authoritative, reliable, and readable translations of Alfarabi's important political writings. * Choice *Butterworth's splendid introduction to the first of these two texts provides the best introduction to Alfarabi's metaphysics that one is likely to find. In briefly sketching the life of Alfarabi, he also draws attention to the often forgotten major centers of learning in the ancient world. * The Review of Metaphysics *The translation on the whole is clear and very readable.... Readers with neither knowledge of Arabic nor familiarity with al-Farabi's writings will find the text easy to understand and follow, and the book will be useful for students. * Journal of Islamic Studies *Table of ContentsPrefacePolitical RegimeIntroductionThe TextSummary of Plato's LawsIntroductionThe TextAppendix A: Alfarabi, Enumeration of the SciencesAppendix B: Averroes's Defense of the Philosophers as Believing in Happiness and Misery in the HereafterGlossary A: Arabic–EnglishGlossary B: English–ArabicBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAt the beginning of this volume, Erasmus leaves Louvain to live in Basel. Weary from the many controversies reflected in the letters of the previous volumes, he is also anxious to see the annotations to his third edition of the New Testament through Johann Froben’s press. Above all he fears that pressure from the imperial court in the Netherlands will force him to take a public stand against Luther. Erasmus completes a large number of works in the span of this volume, including the Paraphrases on Matthew and John, two new expanded editions of the Colloquies, an edition of De conscribendis epistolis, two apologiae against his Spanish detractors, and editions of Arnobius Junior and Hilary of Poitiers. But the predominant theme of the volume remains ‘the sorry business of Luther.’ The harder Erasmus persists in trying to adhere to a reasonable course between Catholic and reforming zealots, the more he finds himself ‘a

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Book SynopsisThe influence of Ibn 'Arabi, the 12th century Andalusian mystic philosopher extended beyond the Muslim world from Spain, to China, to Indonesia. Interest in Ibn 'Arabi in the west has grown over the last century. "Ibn Arabi and the Contemporary West" examines 'Arabi's teachings through the work of the Beshara Trust and the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society. The study investigates how the Beshara School has used Ibn 'Arabi's teachings in assisting a range of students from around the world towards personal, spiritual development and how the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society has evolved into an international organisation with increasing influence in both the West and the Muslim world.Trade Review'Ibn Arabi and the Contemporary West tells several remarkable and intertwined stories. In the context of Islamic Studies, it recounts the recent transmission of universal spiritual teachings that were once central to the spread of Islam as a world religion and civilization, but then were lost and often rejected in the aftermath of colonialism, to the UK and the wider English-speaking world; and it concludes with the unexpected ways that spiritual heritage is now being rediscovered by new generations across the Muslim world. In that new, global setting, this study also sketches the background of the multi-faceted, increasingly global adaptation of Ibn 'Arabi's teachings - which for centuries had helped integrate and inspire the burgeoning creative expressions of the Islamic humanities and spirituality across Asia and Africa - by contemporary artists and thinkers working in many of those same fields today: including philosophy, ecology, architecture, psychology, spirituality, and religious thought. And on a more human, immediate level, this is the story of the lasting inspiration and personal influences of a single quiet spiritual teacher and those he inspired, detailing the formation, teachings, and expanding development and outreach of the Beshara movement.' Professor J. W. Morris, Boston CollegeTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Bulent Rauf 2. The Beshara Trust: Early Years 3. Chisholme and Sherborne: The Introduction of Structured Residential Courses 4. An Introduction to the Texts and Teachings of Ibn 'Arabi Used for Study by the Beshara School 5. Recent Beshara Education: The Curses and their Aims 6. Student experiences During and Following the Courses 7. The Pilgrimage through Turkey 8. Outreach 9. The Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe influence of Ibn 'Arabi, the 12th century Andalusian mystic philosopher extended beyond the Muslim world from Spain, to China, to Indonesia. Interest in Ibn 'Arabi in the west has grown over the last century. "Ibn Arabi and the Contemporary West" examines 'Arabi's teachings through the work of the Beshara Trust and the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society. The study investigates how the Beshara School has used Ibn 'Arabi's teachings in assisting a range of students from around the world towards personal, spiritual development and how the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society has evolved into an international organisation with increasing influence in both the West and the Muslim world.Trade Review'Ibn Arabi and the Contemporary West tells several remarkable and intertwined stories. In the context of Islamic Studies, it recounts the recent transmission of universal spiritual teachings that were once central to the spread of Islam as a world religion and civilization, but then were lost and often rejected in the aftermath of colonialism, to the UK and the wider English-speaking world; and it concludes with the unexpected ways that spiritual heritage is now being rediscovered by new generations across the Muslim world. In that new, global setting, this study also sketches the background of the multi-faceted, increasingly global adaptation of Ibn 'Arabi's teachings - which for centuries had helped integrate and inspire the burgeoning creative expressions of the Islamic humanities and spirituality across Asia and Africa - by contemporary artists and thinkers working in many of those same fields today: including philosophy, ecology, architecture, psychology, spirituality, and religious thought. And on a more human, immediate level, this is the story of the lasting inspiration and personal influences of a single quiet spiritual teacher and those he inspired, detailing the formation, teachings, and expanding development and outreach of the Beshara movement.' Professor J. W. Morris, Boston CollegeTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Bulent Rauf 2. The Beshara Trust: Early Years 3. Chisholme and Sherborne: The Introduction of Structured Residential Courses 4. An Introduction to the Texts and Teachings of Ibn 'Arabi Used for Study by the Beshara School 5. Recent Beshara Education: The Curses and their Aims 6. Student experiences During and Following the Courses 7. The Pilgrimage through Turkey 8. Outreach 9. The Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society Conclusion

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisIn Gendered Morality, Zahra Ayubi rethinks the tradition of Islamic philosophical ethics from a feminist critical perspective. She calls for a philosophical turn in the study of gender in Islam based on resources for gender equality that are unlocked by feminist engagement with the Islamic ethical tradition.Trade ReviewWell-suited for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, Gendered Morality makes a monumental intervention to debates in philosophy, feminist studies, and Islamic studies. -- Joud Alkorani, University of Toronto * Religious Studies Review *I recommend this book to advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and academics working in the broad field of Islam and Gender, Gender and Religion and more specifically feminist approaches (philosophy) of religion or Islam. * Reading Religion *This book has much to offer a diverse set of readers. -- Justine Howe * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Gendered Morality, Zahra Ayubi’s first book, is a substantial contribution to the study of Islamic ethics, law, and philosophy. -- Benjamin P. Beames * Bustan: The Middle East Book Review *Zahra Ayubi’s Gendered Morality: Classical Islamic Ethics of the Self, Family, and Society represents a major feminist intervention in the field of Islamic ethics (akhlāq). -- Samuel Kigar Religion Department, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA, USA * Journal of Islamic Ethics 4 *In revealing the deep-rooted gendered and hierarchical cosmology prevailing in the classical Islamic world view, the author provides a realistic pathway to her goal of establishing a feminist philosophy of Islamic ethics...Recommended. * Choice *In Gendered Morality, Ayubi explores Muslim masculinity as imagined by influential medieval scholars. Her turn to ethics—understood not as a vague catch-all phrase for right living but as a rigorous and exacting genre within Muslim thought—represents a significant contribution to scholarship. She also offers a constructive feminist account of what might be retrievable for Muslim philosophical ethics. This is an essential and innovative book. -- Kecia Ali, Boston UniversityTurning the lens of gender analysis to the study of Islamic ethics, Zahra Ayubi interrogates the most formidable texts of the Persianate philosophical tradition. The result is a persuasive demonstration of feminist scholarship and a welcome contribution to Islamic studies. -- Carl W. Ernst, William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillIn this brilliant and wonderfully creative book, Zahra Ayubi combines a sophisticated analysis of Islamic ethics with a strikingly original feminist critique. Her work is a major achievement in the fields of medieval Islamic philosophy as well as feminist theory. Indeed, this is one of the most important and innovative works in the field of feminism and religion. -- Susannah Heschel, Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies, Dartmouth CollegeZahra Ayubi presents compelling evidence to show how medieval Islamic scholars created a philosophical system of ethics that is inherently gendered. The insights she provides as to how truth and virtue were cast in masculine, paternal terms and how those terms shaped beliefs about human agency and happiness are profound. Her concluding vision of a 'feminist philosophy' based on justice promises to render Gendered Morality a tour de force in the field. -- Kathryn Kueny, author of Conceiving Identities: Maternity in Medieval Muslim Discourse and PracticeTable of ContentsList of Figures and TablesAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. Epistemology and Gender Analytics of Islamic Ethics2. Gendered Metaphysics, Perfection, and Power of the (Hu)man’s Soul3. Ethics of Marriage and the Domestic Economy4. Homosocial Masculinity and Societal EthicsConclusion: Prolegomenon to Feminist Philosophy of IslamGlossary of Persian and Arabic TermsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisDescribes the Ansaru Allah Community/Nubian Islamic Hebrews (AAC/NIH), a 1970s religious movement in Brooklyn that spread, in part, through the production and dissemination of literature and lecture tapes. Tracks the development of AAC/NIH discourse to reveal surprising consistency and coherence behind the appearance of serial reinvention.Trade Review“Metaphysical Africa: Truth and Blackness in the Ansaru Allah Community is an important, well researched documentation of one of the more controversial representations of Islam in modern American society. You may not agree with their practices or what they believed in, but Knight will convince you their influence can’t be ignored.”—Richard Marcus Blogcritics“Michael Muhammad Knight’s Metaphysical Africa offers fresh insight into the Ansaru Allah Community. His approach provides a theory that explains many of the apparent inconsistencies seen in York’s teachings. This is a well-researched and well-organized book for anyone interested in American religious history, particularly with a focus on Black separatism.”—Dawn Hutchinson Nova Religio“Metaphysical Africa is a great achievement. Students and scholars of Afrodiasporic religion, culture, and politics will find much use in the concept of ‘metaphysical Africa,’ Knight’s innovative discursive approach, and his reinterpretation of the movement’s teachings.”—Justine M. Bakker Reading Religion“An important book on an overlooked movement, Metaphysical Africa contributes to the broader study of “Africa” as imagined in and through African American religious practice.”—Spencer Dew Religious Studies Review“In Metaphysical Africa, Michael Muhammad Knight demonstrates a substantial grasp of the origins and "inner workings" of the AAC-NIH in a refreshingly fulsome fashion. With a wonderful fusion of journalistic zeal and scholarly rigor, each chapter of this book lends itself to an intriguing, insightful representation of a profoundly dynamic Black religious worldview coming into its own.”—Juan M. Floyd-Thomas,coauthor of The Altars Where We Worship: The Religious Significance of Popular Culture“This book is the best study yet of the Ansaru Allah Community/Nubian Islamic Hebrews’ teachings, a major leap forward in understanding the history of this much-misunderstood group. Michael Muhammad Knight departs from existing scholarly literature on the movement by showing the continuities as well as the changes in the group’s religious thought, particularly concerning the place of its Islamic identity, and analyzes the coherence of the system rather than dismissing it as a senseless hodgepodge of a mad prophet.”—Edward E. Curtis IV,editor of The Practice of Islam in America: An Introduction“Metaphysical Africa is significant as it provides close readings of the primary AAC/NIH materials, many of which have never been examined seriously. Michael Muhammad Knight convincingly discusses the internecine arguments over the nature of Islam, Africa, and blackness for African American religious movements.”—Nora L. Rubel,author of Doubting the Devout: The Ultra-Orthodox in the Jewish American ImaginationTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsList of IllustrationsIntroduction: “The Most Dynamic Pamphlets in History” 1. “I Am the Raisin-Headed Slave”: The Nubian Ahl al-Bayt, Sudanese Mahdiyya, and Global Blackness as Islamic Revival2. Heralds of the Reformer: Visions of Blackamerican Muslim History3. “The Covenant Is Complete in Me”: Nubian Islamic Hebraism and the Religion of Abraham4. Between Zion and Mecca: Bilal as Islamic and Hebrew5. The Sudan Is the Heart Chakra: The AAC/NIH as Sufi Tariqa6. Islam Is Hotep: Ansar Egyptosophy7. The Pyramidal Kaʿba: Malachi Z. York and the Nuwaubian Turn8. Nuwaubian Ether: Ansar Legacies in Hip-HopCoda: The View from IllyuwnNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA collection of essays examining the extent to which rhetoric’s relation to the sacred is one of ineffability and how our response to the sacred integrates the divine (or the altogether other) into the human order.Trade Review“Responding to the Sacred provides a capacious and prismatic view of communicating that which is not fully communicable, and in doing so, it ventures to rhetoric’s very edges—and beyond.”—Debra Hawhee,author of Rhetoric in Tooth and Claw: Animals, Language, Sensation“Each chapter of the book stands out on its own in delving deep into specific themes, while at the same time speaking to the other chapters and the introduction in a holistic manner. Here Bernard-Donals and Jensen’s editorial finesse shows—they weave one narrative while pausing at proper intervals to make space for variegated portals.”—Ankana Das Reading Religion

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Book SynopsisA collection of essays examining the extent to which rhetoric’s relation to the sacred is one of ineffability and how our response to the sacred integrates the divine (or the altogether other) into the human order.Trade Review“Responding to the Sacred provides a capacious and prismatic view of communicating that which is not fully communicable, and in doing so, it ventures to rhetoric’s very edges—and beyond.”—Debra Hawhee,author of Rhetoric in Tooth and Claw: Animals, Language, Sensation“Each chapter of the book stands out on its own in delving deep into specific themes, while at the same time speaking to the other chapters and the introduction in a holistic manner. Here Bernard-Donals and Jensen’s editorial finesse shows—they weave one narrative while pausing at proper intervals to make space for variegated portals.”—Ankana Das Reading Religion

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Book SynopsisAron Zysow's 1984 PhD dissertation, 'The Economy of Certainty,' remains the most important, compelling, and intellectually ambitious treatment of Islamic legal theory (usul al-fiqh) in Western scholarship to date. It continues to be widely read and cited, and remains unsurpassed in its incisive analysis of the fundamental assumptions of Islamic legal thought. Zysow's important work is published here in full, for the first time, with updated references, further reflections by the author, and with the addition of a nine-page Foreword by Robert Gleave. Zysow argues that the great dividing line in Islamic legal thought is between those legal theories that require certainty in every detail of the law and those that will admit probability. The latter were historically dominant and include the leading legal schools that have survived to our own day. Zahirism and, for much of its history, Twelver Shi'ism, are examples of the former. The well-known dispute regarding the legitimacy of juridical analogy is only one feature of this fundamental epistemological division, since probability can enter the law in the process of authenticating prophetic traditions and in the interpretation of the revealed texts, as well as through analogy. The notion of consensus in Islamic legal theory functioned to reintroduce some measure of certainty into the law by identifying one of the competing probable solutions as correct. Consequently, consensus has only a reduced role in those systems that reject probability. Another, more radical, means of regaining certainty was the doctrine that regarded the legal reasoning of all qualified jurists on matters of probability as infallible. The development of legal theories of both types was to a large extent shaped by theology and, most significantly, by Mu'tazilism, and subsequently by Ash'arism and Maturidism. Trade Review 'The importance of The Economy of Certainty to the study of Islamic legal theory is a tribute to the precision employed at its inception…. In many disciplines, thirty-year-old research borders on being antique; however, when read today, Zysow’s presentation retains both its originality and its authority…. It has been read and reread by those working on us.u-l, and now, hopefully, those working in linked fields of enquiry will be able to benefit from Zysow’s masterly account of the epistemological and theological factors which make us.u-l al-fiqh such adistinctive and absorbing theory of law.' (Robert Gleave, University of Exeter) 'It is no exaggeration to say that Zysow's contribution is the single most important work on Islamic legal theory (us.u-l al-fiqh) in any western language.' (Marc Herman, Center for Jewish Law and Contemporary Civilization) Table of ContentsSeries Editor's Preface Foreword Author's Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1. The Authentication of Prophetic Traditions 2. Interpretation 3. Consensus 4. Analogy 5. IJTIHÄD Epilogue Bibliography Works Cited in the Addenda and Preface Table of Page Correspondences Index of Qur'än Citations Index of Arabic Terms and Proper Names

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Book SynopsisWhat is ?justice? from the perspective of contemporary Arabo-Islamic philosophy? Kaouther Karoui takes a transcultural approach, open to different philosophical traditions, and seeks to decenter Western notions of normativity. She focuses on two thinkers, namely the feminist Fatima Mernissi (d.2015) and Mohamed Arkoun (d.2010), a well-known critic of hegemony and orthodoxy. She situates their thinking within current debates among Arab thinkers and brings their ideas into dialog with Western political philosophy. This study thus challenges stereotypes about the Arab-Islamic world by discussing postcolonial theories of gender justice, political freedom, and religion.

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