This book examines the life and thought of Ahmad Riza Khan (1856 - 1921), the legendary leader of the 20th-century Ahl-e Sunnat movement, who represented a strong tendency in South Asian Islam which is sufi, ritualistic, intercessionary, and hierarchical in its social construction. Khan's vision of what it meant to be a good Muslim in his time and day was centered around devotion to the Prophet Muhammad and to following the prophetic sunna as he interpreted it. His movement continues to attract a large following in South Asia and wherever South Asian Muslims have migrated.
This is SHaykh Ibrahim Niasses first book written. He wrote it when in his early twenties. It is considered one of the most important books for the followers of Islam, Iman and Ihsan. It is a poem that expresses the importance of good Adab (Manners) towards Allah and all of creation.
“A profound spiritual exploration into the life and work of the beloved poet Kahlil Gibran, a much-needed guide for our times.” –Reza Aslan, author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth In Search of a Prophet is a fascinating journey through the spiritual life of Kahlil Gibran, the great Lebanese-American poet and author of The Prophet, a book originally published in 1923 that has sold over 10 million copies and been translated into dozens of languages. Capturing our imaginations and enriching our spirits, Paul-Gordon Chandler explores this beloved writer and artist, a celebrated mystic who sought to build bridges and tear down walls and who remains a cultural icon among all people of goodwill. This is not a traditional biography but a compelling spiritual journey through Gibran’s writings, art, and the places he lived. From Gibran’s birthplace village high in the snowy mountains of Lebanon, Chandler leads us through his immigration to Boston, art training in Paris, and career in New York, and to the far-reaching places of influence his writings and art have traveled, alerting readers to Gibran’s continuing relevance for today. This paperback edition, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Prophet, includes a foreword by Bishop Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, as well as a new preface by the author.
In this gripping narrative history, Lesley Hazleton tells the tragic story at the heart of the ongoing rivalry between the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam, a rift that dominates the news now more than ever. Even as Muhammad lay dying, the battle over who would take control of the new Islamic nation had begun, beginning a succession crisis marked by power grabs, assassination, political intrigue, and passionate faith. Soon Islam was embroiled in civil war, pitting its founder's controversial wife Aisha against his son-in-law Ali, and shattering Muhammad’s ideal of unity. Combining meticulous research with compelling storytelling, After the Prophet explores the volatile intersection of religion and politics, psychology and culture, and history and current events. It is an indispensable guide to the depth and power of the Shia–Sunni split.
"This book examines the liberation journey that is the heart of the Hebrew Scriptures. The work begins with a careful reading of narrative, prophetic and legal texts from the Hebrew Scriptures. All of these texts reveal exodus, the journey from constriction, as a fundamental biblical concern. After showing how the message of the Hebrew Prophets represents a consistent theme throughout Scripture, the author traces the further refinement of these liberation themes in contemporary writers and prophets such as Abraham Joshua Heschel, Martin Buber, Paulo Freire, Gustavo Guttiâerez, Erich Fromm, Martin Luther King, Beverly Harrison, Maya Angelou, Robin Wall Kimmerer and bell hooks. The book shows how the insights of these prophets, ancient and modern, offer guidance for confronting current challenges for readers of all faiths and backgrounds"--Provided by publisher.
In this lucid study, Berges interprets the scroll of Isaiah as a 'literal cathedral', written by many hands and empowered by the experience of sorrow and disaster, liberation and joy. Methodologically, the book combines synchronic and diachronic perspectives and paves the way to a fruitful conversation between them. The vast reception history of the Book of Isaiah in the Septuagint, the New Testament, and in rabbinic and Christian traditions, as well as in painting and music, is also illustrated by some of the most illuminating examples.
From the bestselling, award-winning author of 1491 and 1493—an incisive portrait of the two little-known twentieth-century scientists, Norman Borlaug and William Vogt, whose diametrically opposed views shaped our ideas about the environment, laying the groundwork for how people in the twenty-first century will choose to live in tomorrow's world. In forty years, Earth's population will reach ten billion. Can our world support that? What kind of world will it be? Those answering these questions generally fall into two deeply divided groups--Wizards and Prophets, as Charles Mann calls them in this balanced, authoritative, nonpolemical new book. The Prophets, he explains, follow William Vogt, a founding environmentalist who believed that in using more than our planet has to give, our prosperity will lead us to ruin. Cut back! was his mantra. Otherwise everyone will lose! The Wizards are the heirs of Norman Borlaug, whose research, in effect, wrangled the world in service to our species to produce modern high-yield crops that then saved millions from starvation. Innovate! was Borlaug's cry. Only in that way can everyone win! Mann delves into these diverging viewpoints to assess the four great challenges humanity faces--food, water, energy, climate change--grounding each in historical context and weighing the options for the future. With our civilization on the line, the author's insightful analysis is an essential addition to the urgent conversation about how our children will fare on an increasingly crowded Earth.
The traditions of the Prophet of Islam are, after the Qu'ran, the most important source for every aspect of Islamic life and thought. Ranging in topic from prayer to economic activity, this work is a collection of more than 200 of the purely spiritual traditions drawn from canonical collections of the Hadith.
