Abstact: “Understanding the Qur’an is intended to help the general reader, and also the scholar, to understand the Qur’an by combining a number of ap- proaches: thematic, stylistic and comparative. Many English studies of the Qur’an tend to regard it as nothing more than a jumble of borrowed and rambling thoughts with no sense of […]
Abstract: “‘Ayn al-QuঌƗt HamadƗnƯ (d. 1131) was a mystic, philosopher, theologian, and judge who was born in the western Iranian city of Hamadan. He was the student of Aতmad al-GhazƗlƯ (d. 1126),1 the brother of Abnj ণƗmid al-GhazƗlƯ (d. 1111), and is best known as a maverick-like figure who was put to death by the […]
Abstract: “Although less technical philosophically than many of al-Kind¯‡’s known treatises, this Epistle remains basic for understandin g the spirit that underlies his thinking. Socratic, yet very Kindian in spirit, this Epistle displays its author’s tendency to harmonize Greek philosoph y and Islam, particularl y as this relates to ethics, and his belief in man’s […]
Abstract: “Ibrahim Kalin’s Knowledge in Later Islamic Philosophy is an investigation into the epis- temology of the famous Safavid philosopher Mullā Sadrā Shīrāzī (d. 1640). Such a study is an event in itself, owing to the fact that although there are some twenty books on various aspects of Sadrā’s thought in European languages, this wide- […]
Abstract: “The series “An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia” is a massive multi-volume project that seeks to give coverage to Persia’s rich philosophical heritage, from its pre-Islamic past down to the end of the nineteenth century CE. Etymologically, the word “anthology” refers to a “gathering” or “selection” of flowers. The Persian sensibility to flora notwithstanding, […]
Abstract: “The writings of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī (d. 525/1131) anticipate some of the major trends that characterize the post-Avicennan ḥikmat tradition. But modern scholarship has as of yet not completely come to grips with the far-reaching implications of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s teachings, many of which are framed in terms of the symbolic language and imagery of […]
Abstract: “This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Ansubstantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate […]
Abstract: “Below are pointers and reminders (in no particular order) on how to go about navigating one’s way through the various stages of academiclife in Islamic Studies. This document is intended for those who are training to be in, or are already in, the profession. Although in my own words,many of the items listed below […]
Abstarct: “West Africa has been home to and contributed to the development of several important Islamic intellectual traditions, including logic (manṭiq), theology (kalām), Sufism(taṣawwuf), legal philosophy (uṣūl al-fiqh), and even philosophy (falsafa)—all of which influenced the distinctive forms of pedagogy that emerged in West Africa, in which ritualpractice, physical presence, and the cultivation of virtue […]