In a bridge-building exercise between Christians, Muslims, and other people of the book, David Bentley traces the Semitic pre-Islamic origins of Islam s 99 names of God. He points the reader to Old Testament counterparts of these names as well as to Jesus comparable representations of Himself."
In this work, here presented in a complete English edition for the first time, the problem of knowing God is confronted in an original and stimulating way. Taking up the Prophet's teaching that 'Ninety-nine Beautiful Names' are truly predicated of God, Ghazali explores the meaning and resonance of each of these divine names, and reveals the functions they perform both in the cosmos and in the soul of the spiritual adept. Although some of the book is rigorously analytical, the author never fails to attract the reader with his profound mystical and ethical insights, which, conveyed in his sincere and straightforward idiom, have made of this book one of the perennial classics of Muslim thought, popular among Muslims to this day. This volume won a British Book Design and Production Award in 1993.
This book takes the reader into the heart of the mystery of the 99 sacred Names of Allah. It is a vehicle for understanding the infinite nature of God, and for discovering the divine potential in every soul. It is also a guidebook for progressing through the stages of the spiritual path and an instruction manual for teachers on how to work with students more wisely, as physicians of the heart. In the process of this voyage to discovery, the reader is systematically exposed to the universal mysticism encoded in the Qur'an and in the classical Sufi traditions, as well as to a modern psychological approach that works with the 99 Names to achieve individuation and wholeness.
A contemporary presentation of the 99 divine attributes or names of God according to the Islamic Sufi tradition. In this volume, Tosun Bayrak explains how to use these Names for the transformation of the soul into its original and primordial nature.
After Jesus glanced at the temple coin, he said, "Render to Caesar." This book's title and theme are based upon Jesus' command to give allegiance to both the state and God. Coauthor David Bentley is the historian-theologian who reads and translates the coins' messages. Coauthor Brad Yonaka is the geologist-scientist who finds the copper, silver, and gold coins which are on display in nearly one hundred photo-figures throughout the text. Our God is represented by the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam); his divine name has appeared on coins since biblical times. Even the most theologically astute readers will be surprised by our introduction of Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila as "tabernacle-makers" not "tent-makers." Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, a few ancient Persian empires, the Islamic caliphs, and Qur'anic messages are present in this book. Each stamped their impressions on civilization. When Lincoln added "In God We Trust" during the Civil War, was it as Jesus commanded, a combination of honoring divine and governmental authorities? Or was it a counterfeit trust in dead presidents or self?
Unfairly demonized by its adversaries—including the Sunni Arab countries, along with the US and EU—Iran is wary of the world's powers, after having been preyed upon to achieve other countries' political aims. Iranians are Shia Muslims, a minority sect comprising only 10 to 15% of the billion-plus Muslims in the world. Shias’ persecution and marginalization began in ancient times after the demise of the Prophet of Islam in 632, and has continued ever since. In modern times, their worldwide oppression has been spearheaded by Saudi Arabia—whose religion considers Shias to be apostates who deserve to be killed—and its allies, a persecution that began with the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which was followed by the unprovoked invasion of Iran by Iraq in 1980, and the successful defence of this invasion by Iran's revolutionary forces. Building upon this history, Iran, the Citadel of Shia Imams details the alarming aggression of the Sunni countries of the Middle East against the Shia-led regimes of Iraq, Syria, and Yemen—a relentless persecution of Shia Muslims and extreme injustice and aggression towards them, the details of which need to be brought to light. The unfortunate and reckless support of Saudi Arabia and its allies by the US and many other Western nations has perpetuated a blatant infringement upon the human rights of Iranians and Shia Muslims elsewhere. The oppression of Iranians continues in the form of toughened US sanctions, contrary to international law.
Recent manuscript evidence from al-Jami` al-Kabir in ?an ‘a’ suggests that the Qur’an took its final shape well before 671 CE. Irrespective, however, of who composed it or when it was compiled, questions remain about whether the Qur’an followed any kind of preconceived plan or compositional schema that makes sense in today’s world. In The al-Baqara Crescendo, Nevin Reda introduces a bold new avenue of research: the poetics of Qur'anic narrative structure. Focusing on Surat al-Baqara, the longest and most challenging of the suras, she explores the beauty and rationale behind the Qur'an’s unusual organization. Reda argues that the sura – often dismissed by Muslim traditionalists and Orientalist critics as a baffling collection of disjointed material – can be appreciated as a coherent composition if it is approached as a spoken text. Calling attention to oral organizational techniques such as repetition, this book’s repertoire of figures showcases Surat al-Baqara’s ingenious layout and pinpoints the sophisticated meanings that are embedded within it. Incorporating insights from literary theory and Biblical studies, the author advances inclusivity and intercultural bridge-building in the study of scripture. In an engaging narrative that is bound to captivate and challenge the reader, Reda communicates a deep love and thorough command of her subject, all while presenting a significant new development in Islamic feminist hermeneutics.
Offering an analysis of Christian-Muslim dialogue across four centuries, this book highlights those voices of ecumenical tone which have more often used the Qur’an for drawing the two faiths together rather than pushing them apart, and amplifies the voice of the Qur’an itself. Finding that there is tremendous ecumenical ground between Christianity and Islam in the voices of their own scholars, this book ranges from a period of declining ecumenism during the first three centuries of Islam, to a period of resurging ecumenism during the most recent century until now. Among the ecumenical voices in the Christian-Muslim dialogue, this book points out that the Qur’an itself is possibly the strongest of those voices. These findings are cause for, and evidence of, hope for the Christian–Muslim relationship: that although agreement may never be reached, dialogue has led at times to very real mutual understanding and appreciation of the religious other. Providing a tool for those pursuing understanding and mutual appreciation between the Islamic and Christian faiths, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of Islam, the Qur’an and the history of Christian-Muslim relations.