Rabi'a From Narrative to Myth

Rabi'a From Narrative to Myth

Author: Rkia Elaroui Cornell

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2019-01-03

Total Pages: 483

ISBN-13: 1786075229

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Rabi‘a al-‘Adawiyya is a figure shrouded in myth. Certainly a woman by this name was born in Basra, Iraq, in the eighth century, but her life remains recorded only in legends, stories, poems and hagiographies. The various depictions of her – as a deeply spiritual ascetic, an existentialist rebel and a romantic lover – seem impossible to reconcile, and yet Rabi‘a has transcended these narratives to become a global symbol of both Sufi and modern secular culture. In this groundbreaking study, Rkia Elaroui Cornell traces the development of these diverse narratives and provides a history of the iconic Rabi‘a’s construction as a Sufi saint. Combining medieval and modern sources, including evidence never before examined, in novel ways, Rabi‘a From Narrative to Myth is the most significant work to emerge on this quintessential figure in Islam for more than seventy years.


Islamic Spirituality

Islamic Spirituality

Author: Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-11-05

Total Pages: 481

ISBN-13: 1134538952

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Originally published 1987. The first part of the volume is concerned with "The Roots of the Islamic Tradition and Spirituality". These are seen to include the Qu’ran as the central theophany of Islam, the Prophet who received the word of God and made it known to mankind and the rites of Islam. The second part examines the divisions of the Islamic community with their distinctive pieties and emphases: Sunnism and Shi’ism and female spirituality. Part III is devoted to Sufism – its nature and origin, its early development, its various spiritual practices and its science of the soul.


Women and Gender in Islam

Women and Gender in Islam

Author: Jin Xu

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 0300257317

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A classic, pioneering account of the lives of women in Islamic history, republished for a new generation This pioneering study of the social and political lives of Muslim women has shaped a whole generation of scholarship. In it, Leila Ahmed explores the historical roots of contemporary debates, ambitiously surveying Islamic discourse on women from Arabia during the period in which Islam was founded to Iraq during the classical age to Egypt during the modern era. The book is now reissued as a Veritas paperback, with a new foreword by Kecia Ali situating the text in its scholarly context and explaining its enduring influence. “Ahmed’s book is a serious and independent-minded analysis of its subject, the best-informed, most sympathetic and reliable one that exists today.”—Edward W. Said “Destined to become a classic. . . . It gives [Muslim women] back our rightful place, at the center of our histories.”—Rana Kabbani, The Guardian


In the Vicinity of the Righteous

In the Vicinity of the Righteous

Author: Christopher Schurman Taylor

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9789004110465

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A highly original and accessible study of Muslim saint veneration in medieval Egypt (1200-1500 AD). Exploring various meanings saints held for the contemporary imagination, it convincingly challenges the view of saint veneration as merely an expression of 'popular religion'.


The Penguin Dictionary of Islam

The Penguin Dictionary of Islam

Author: Azim Nanji

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2008-04-24

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 0141920866

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Islam today is a truly global faith, yet it remains somewhat of an enigma to many of us. Each and every day our newspapers are saturated with references to Islam; Quran, Taliban, Hijab, Fatwa, Allah, Sunni, Jihad, Shia, the list goes on. But how much do we really understand? Are we, in fact, misunderstanding? The Penguin Dictionary of Islam provides complete, impartial answers. It includes extensive coverage of the historical formations of the worldwide Muslim community and highlights key modern Muslim figures and events. Understanding Islam is vital to understanding our world and this text is the definitive authority, designed for both general and academic readers.


Towards Building a British Islam

Towards Building a British Islam

Author: Haifaa A. Jawad

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2011-12-08

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 1441172777

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Despite the current negative image of Islam in Europe there has been a steady growth of converts to Islam over the past few decades. British converts are a highly diverse group, with different social, economic and educational backgrounds. Recently this group has grown in confidence and become increasingly active in influencing positive Islamic discourse in Britain. The book sheds light on the intellectual and spiritual contributions of some of the prominent figures of this group of 'new Muslims', and assesses their efforts in shaping Islam in British society; including: Martin Lings, Gai Eaton, Tim Winter and Hamza Yusuf. The research investigates the potential benefit 'new Muslims' can bring to bridge the gap between Muslim communities and wider British society, thus helping in the process of building mutual trust, greater cooperation and positive understanding among all parties in Britain. The work will help readers to become aware of the evolution of a "British Islam" that is more open, rooted in British values and spiritual traditions, and forms a part of the continually changing British religious landscape.