Muslim preaching has been central in forming public opinion, building grassroots organizations, and developing leadership cadres for the wider Islamist agenda. Based on in-depth field research in Egypt, Patrick Gaffney focuses on the preacher and the sermon as the single most important medium for propounding the message of Islam. He draws on social history, political commentary, and theological sources to reveal the subtle connections between religious rhetoric and political dissent. Many of the sermons discussed were given during the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, and Gaffney attempts to describe this militant movement and to compare it with official Islam. Finally, Gaffney presents examples of the sermons, so readers can better understand the full range of contemporary Islamic expression.
In this collection of twenty-two Islamic sermons, Khaled Abou El Fadl, distinguished law professor and classically trained Islamic jurist, delivers incisive commentaries on the current state of Islam and the Muslim world from the symbolic pulpit of the Prophet of Islam. Part Qur'anic exegesis and part socio-ethical commentary, this volume showcases the knowledge, enlightenment, and dedication to justice that once propelled the Islamic civilization to great heights of human achievement. It attempts to illuminate the spiritual and ethical path forward for Muslims amid the challenges of injustice, oppression, and the rising tide of Islamophobia in our world.
Praise for The Prophet's Pulpit: Commentaries on the State of Islam, Volume I "In this volume, one of the most gifted and influential Muslim scholars of our time critically examines the contemporary state of Islam, offering a set of inspirational meditations on its essential, but neglected, teachings. The result is profound, powerful, and transformative. This is a must-read." Ziba Mir-Hosseini, author of Journeys Toward Gender Equality in Islam "The Prophet's Pulpit represents a courageous witness to our time's most pertinent injustices...Khaled Abou El Fadl is one of the few remaining scholars to deploy his pen and pulpit in service of the lowly, the wretched, and the oppressed. More than ever, the Prophetic message of universal justice and beauty must ring louder than the mainstream resignation to a morally weak and quietist Islam." Farah El-Sharif, Associate Director, Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Stanford University "If you crave an Islam that speaks to every part of your life, that speaks to you as a living, thinking, loving, struggling, questioning person in the here and now, seeking affirmation of one's purpose in this complex, beautiful, brutal world, this is the book for you." Randa Abdel-Fattah, author of Coming of Age in the War on Terror In this collection of twenty-five Islamic sermons, Khaled Abou El Fadl, distinguished law professor and classically trained Islamic jurist, delivers incisive commentaries on the current state of Islam and the Muslim world from the symbolic pulpit of the Prophet of Islam. Part Qur'anic exegesis and part socio-ethical commentary, this second volume to the series expands upon the learning from Volume I and adds new sections that delve into current themes of racism, power, dignity, and raising Muslim youth.
This book is a call for preachers to learn the importance of keeping their eyes on the vision of Jesus and biblical prophets when preaching - that of doing justice, caring for others, and being equitable. The book attempts to make a biblical argument for the importance and the content of prophetic preaching, and argues that the issue is not preaching from a text taken from the prophetic corpus but preaching on the themes that echoed over and over from the biblical prophets themselves.
Praise for The Prophet's Pulpit: Commentaries on the State of Islam, Volume I"In this volume, one of the most gifted and influential Muslim scholars of our time critically examines the contemporary state of Islam, offering a set of inspirational meditations on its essential, but neglected, teachings. The result is profound, powerful, and transformative. This is a must-read."Ziba Mir-Hosseini, author of Journeys Toward Gender Equality in Islam"The Prophet's Pulpit represents a courageous witness to our time's most pertinent injustices...Khaled Abou El Fadl is one of the few remaining scholars to deploy his pen and pulpit in service of the lowly, the wretched, and the oppressed. More than ever, the Prophetic message of universal justice and beauty must ring louder than the mainstream resignation to a morally weak and quietist Islam."Farah El-Sharif, Associate Director, Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Stanford University"If you crave an Islam that speaks to every part of your life, that speaks to you as a living, thinking, loving, struggling, questioning person in the here and now, seeking affirmation of one's purpose in this complex, beautiful, brutal world, this is the book for you."Randa Abdel-Fattah, author of Coming of Age in the War on TerrorIn this collection of twenty-five Islamic sermons, Khaled Abou El Fadl, distinguished law professor and classically trained Islamic jurist, delivers incisive commentaries on the current state of Islam and the Muslim world from the symbolic pulpit of the Prophet of Islam. Part Qur'anic exegesis and part socio-ethical commentary, this second volume to the series expands upon the learning from Volume I and adds new sections that delve into current themes of racism, power, dignity, and raising Muslim youth.
Drawing on both religious and secular sources, this challenging book argues that divinely ordained law is frequently misinterpreted by Muslim authorities at the expense of certain groups, including women. Khaled Abou El Fadl cites a series of injustices in Islamic society and ultimately proposes a return to the original ethics at the heart of the Muslim legal system.
