Fī Ẓilāl Al-Qurʼān


Book Description

With an ongoing influence upon Muslim thought, Sayyid Qutb's most profound work is a literary landmark of the twentieth century.




Sayyid Quṭb


Book Description




Mysticism and Politics


Book Description

This volume deals with Sayyid Quṭb's commentary, compared to ‘Abduh's and Riḍā's 'Tafsīr al-Manār', discussing his method of reading the Qur’ān, elements of his dogmatic theology, of his faith and spirituality and of the Muslim practices.The book then evaluates his doctrine concerning Judaism and Christianity, the status of their followers in the ideal Islamic society to be reinstated, Muslim family and Islamic emancipation of women. It evaluates which Islamic State will be able to accomplish and lead this Qur’ānic society, and what will be its 'dynamic Law' and the new economic order and social justice. The book finally looks at the essential role the permanent war-for-God should have in the face of new worldwide anti-Islamic paganism, and it concludes with extremism (of Quṭb and, more, of the 'Quṭbists') and with the promising muslim thinking in resistance to it. The large Selection of texts of 'Fī ẓilāl...', translated by W. Shepard, is very valuable.




Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islamism


Book Description

Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966) was an influential Egyptian ideologue credited with establishing the theoretical basis for radical Islamism in the post colonial Sunni Muslim world. Lacking a pure understanding of the leader's life and work, the popular media has conflated Qutb's moral purpose with the aims of bin Laden and al-Qaeda. He is often portrayed as a terrorist, Islamo-Fascist, and advocate of murder. This book rescues Qutb from misrepresentation, tracing the evolution of his thought within the context of his time. An expert on social protest and political resistance in the modern Middle East, as well as Egyptian nationalism, John Calvert recounts Qutb's life from the small village in which he was raised to his execution at the behest of Abd al-Nasser's regime. His study remains sensitive to the cultural, political, social, and economic circumstances that shaped Qutb's thought-major developments that composed one of the most eventful periods in Egyptian history. These years witnessed the full flush of Britain's tutelary regime, the advent of Egyptian nationalism, and the political hegemony of the Free Officers. Qutb rubbed shoulders with Taha Husayn, Naguib Mahfouz, and Abd al-Nasser himself, though his Islamism originally had little to do with religion. Only in response to his harrowing experience in prison did Qutb come to regard Islam and kufr (infidelity) as oppositional, antithetical, and therefore mutually exclusive. Calvert shows how Qutb repackaged and reformulated the Islamic heritage to pose a challenge to authority, including those who claimed (falsely, he believed) to be Muslim.




Milestones


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On Islam and Islamic civilization.




Al-Wafi


Book Description

Al-Wafi is a well-known Arabic book on the commentary of forty ḥadīths compiled by the great jurist and ḥadīth scholar Imam Abu Zakariyya Yaḥya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi, commonly known as al-Nawawi or Imam Nawawi (d. 676 AH). The book is widely used in schools and religious classes. It has been translated into several languages and this is the first published English version. It is authored by two of Damascus' internationally well-known and respected scholars, Shaykh Mustafa Dib Al-Bugha and Shaykh Muhyi Ad-Din Dib Mistu. Both are esteemed professors in the field of Islamic knowledge and authors of several critically acclaimed books. This book is ideal for those who wish to read for personal edification as well as those who would like to conduct classes. Every ḥadīth is followed by a detailed explanation of its importance, its vocabulary, followed by its fiqh rulings, along with other insights that can be gleaned from it. It is hoped that as the reader reads through the text, his understanding and appreciation of the Prophet's words ﷺ will deepen, and he will also come to see the immense wisdom in Imam an-Nawawi's choices. If Allah so wills, the reader will emerge with a broader and more thorough understanding of Islam itself.




The Muslim 100


Book Description

Short biographies of the most influential Muslims in history and today. A must-have book.




The Qur'an


Book Description

A RUSA 2007 Outstanding Reference Title The Qur'an is the source of inspiration for one of the world's major religions, followed today by over a billion people. It plays a central role in Islam and ever since it appeared fourteen hundred years ago has been the subject of intense debate. Some of this has been carried out by Muslims and some by those hostile or indifferent to Islam, producing a very wide range of views. Authored by forty-three international experts, the objective of The Qur'an: An Encyclopedia is to present this diversity of thought, approach and school without priority, in order to give a strong appreciation of the range of response that the text has provoked throughout its history and providing students and researchers with a powerful one-volume resource covering all aspects of the text and its reception. Islam and the Qur'an are much in the news today and there is a public debate going on in which things are said about the Qur'an without much knowledge or understanding of the book. Every effort has been made to help the reader use the Encyclopedia as an investigative tool in Quranic studies. The volume assumes no previous knowledge of the Qur'an, Islam or Arabic. Technical terms are explained in the text itself and the style of each entry is designed to be as self-contained as possible. Entries are cross-referenced and many include a brief bibliography. At the end of the work there is a substantial annotated bibliography providing a detailed guide to the most significant books, journals and articles in Qur'anic Studies. There is a full index. The readership will include those seeking basic information on the Qur'an, however the substantial number of longer entries means that it will also be used by specialists.




The Qur'an with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English


Book Description

A timely addition to the literature on the holy book of Islam, this translation provides both the original Arabic verse as well as extensive explanations and interpretations in modern English. Additional commentary is offered on the social and historical aspects of Islam, as well as the existence and unity of God, the concept of resurrection, and other theological complexities. Several special glossaries detailing the names of God and Qur'an vocabulary are also included.




Qur'an and Woman


Book Description

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.