Entries by Tony Soprano
The Sufi Doctrine of Man – Ṣadr al-Dīn al-Qūnawī’s Metaphysical Anthropology
Abstract: “Ṣadr al-Dīn al-Qūnawī (d. 673/1274) was the foremost disciple of the great Andalusī mystic, Muḥyī-l-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī (d. 638/1240) and played a pivotal role in disseminating his teachings. Although less famous than his master, Qūnawī has traditionally been recognised both as a key interpreter of Ibn ʿArabī’s work and as a sophisticated metaphysician in […]
The Routledge Companion to Islamic Philosophy – Taylor and Lopez-Farjeat
Abstract: “This valuable reference work synthesizes and elucidates traditional themes and issues in Islamic philosophy as well as prominent topics emerging from the last 20 years of scholarship. Written for a wide readership of students and scholars, The Routledge Companion to Islamic Philosophy is unique in including coverage of both perennial philosophical issues in an […]
A Sufi Martyr, The Apologia of ‘Ain’ al-Qadat al Hamadhani – translation by A. J. Arberry
Abstract: “Sectarian hostility and doctrinal intolerance took a heavy toll of human lives, and created a crowded calendar of martyrs in mediaeval Islam no less than in Christianity. The most famous victim of outraged orthodoxy was al-Ḥallāj, ‘martyr-mystic of Islam’ as he was called by the late Louis Massignon, erudite and eloquent expositor of his […]
Islam and Secularism – Syed Muhammad Naquib Al – Attas
Abstract: “About ten years ago* the influential Christian philosopher and one regarded by Christians as among the fore most of this century, Jacques Maritain, described how Christianity and the Western world were going through a grave crisis brought about by contemporary events arising out of the experience and understanding and interpretation of life in the […]
Ahmad Ghazali, Inspirations from the World of Pure Spirits (trans. Pourjavady)
Abstact: “The present volume is a complete translation of the Sawani!J, written by the Persian Sufi master Ahmad Ghazzali with a commentary by the translator. The fame of the author, as A.J. Arberry rightly states, “has been overshadowed by that of his illustrious brother” 1 Abu Hamid Muhammad Ghazzili (4-50/I058-505/1 l I l). The exact […]
Understanding the Qur’an – Muhammad Abdel Haleem
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 […]
‘AYN AL-QUDAT’S QUR’ANIC VISION From black words to white parchment* – Mohammed Rustom
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 […]
Al-Kindi, On the Device for Dispelling Sorrows
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 […]
Knowledge in Later Islamic Philosophy: Mullā Sadrā on Existence, Intellect, and Intuition – Ibrahim Kalin
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- […]
An Anthology of Philosophy in Persia 4
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, […]