"This book presents an anthropological study of the Qur'an, offering an unprecedented challenge to some of the epistemological and metaphysical assumptions of the taw¿idic discourses. Combining primary textual materials and anthropological analysis, this book examines transcendence as a core principle of the Qur'an, uniquely signified in the divine name al-Quddus (the Holy). It shows how the taw¿idic representations of Allah constitute an inversion of this attribute; examines how this inversion has been conceived, authorized, and maintained; and demonstrates how it has affected Islamic thinking and practices, especially as relates to authority. This book also explores how a return to the Qur'anic primacy of God's otherness as al-Quddus can influence Islamic thinking and practices moving forward. Therefore, it will be highly useful to scholars of Islamic Studies, philosophical theology, Qur'anic studies, political science, ethics, Anthropology and religious studies"--

"Exploring complex relations between Muslim visions and critical stances, this textbook is a compact introduction to Islam, dealing with the origins of its forms, from early developments to contemporary issues, including religious principles, beliefs and practices. The author's innovative method considers the various opposing theories and approaches between the Islamic tradition and scholars of Islam. Each topic is accompanied by up-to-date bibliographical references and a list of titles for further study, while an exhaustive glossary includes the elementary notions to allow in-depth study. The first part outlines the two founding aspects, the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad, highlighting essential concepts, according to Islamic religious discourse and related critical issues. The emergence of the religious themes that have characterised the formation of the Sunni Islam are explored in terms of historical developments. The second part, on contemporary Islam, examines the growth of Islam between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern age. Advanced readers, already familiar with the elementary notions of Islam and religious studies will benefit from the volume that explores the development of religious discourse in a historical perspective. This unique textbook is a key resource to post-graduate researchers and academics interested in Islam, religion and the Middle East"--

This book offers comparative ontologies of both Islam and liberalism as discourses more broadly construed.The author argues that, despite recent efforts to speak of overlapping consensuses and discursive congruence, the fundamental categories that constitute "Islam" and "Liberalism" remain very different, and that these differences should be taken seriously. Thus far, no recent scholarly works have explicitly or meticulously broken down where these differences lie. The author rigorously explores questions related to rights, moral epistemologies, the role of religion in the public sphere, and more general approaches to legal discourse, via primary and canonical sources constitutive of both Islam and liberalism. He then goes on to articulate why communitarian modes of thought are better suited for engaging with Islam and contemporary socio-political modes of organization than liberalism is.This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of politics and international relations, Islam, liberalism, and communitarianism.

This book investigates female Muslims pilgrimage practices and how these relate to women’s mobility, social relations, identities, and the power structures that shape women’s lives. Bringing together scholars from different disciplines and regional expertise, it offers in-depth investigation of the gendered dimensions of Muslim pilgrimage and the life-worlds of female pilgrims. With a variety of case studies, the contributors explore the experiences of female pilgrims to Mecca and other pilgrimage sites, and how these are embedded in historical and current contexts of globalisation and transnational mobility. This volume will be relevant to a broad audience of researchers across pilgrimage, gender, religious, and Islamic studies.

"This volume seeks to increase understanding of the origins, ideology, implementation, impact and historiography of religion and conflict in the medieval and early modern periods. The essays examine ideas about religion and conflict in the context of text and identity, church and state, civic environments, marriage, the parish, heresy, gender, dialogues, war and finance, and Holy War. With both written and visual sources being explored, this volume is the ideal resource for upper-level undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers of religion and military, political, social, legal, cultural or intellectual conflict in medieval and early modern worlds"-- Provided by publisher.

This book examines the connection between religion and violence in the Western traditions of the three Abrahamic faiths, from ancient to modern times. It addresses a gap in the scholarly debate on the nature of religious violence by bringing scholars that specialize in pre-modern religions and scriptural traditions into the same sphere of discussion as those specializing in contemporary manifestations of religious violence.Moving beyond the question of the “authenticity” of religious violence, this book brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines. Contributors explore the central role that religious texts have played in encouraging, as well as confronting, violence. The interdisciplinary conversation that takes place challenges assumptions that religious violence is a modern problem that can be fully understood without reference to religious scriptures, beliefs, or history. Each chapter focuses its analysis on a particular case study from a distinct historical period. Taken as a whole, these chapters attest to the persistent relationship between religion and violence that links the ancient and contemporary worlds.This is a dynamic collection of explorations into how religion and violence intersect. As such, it will be a key resource for any scholar of Religious Studies, Theology and Religion and Violence, as well as Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Studies.

Countless juristic works have been composed on the Hajj and the Umrah—the major and minor Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca—with meticulous attention to the proper manner of performing their rites in keeping with the relevant legal rulings derived from the Qur’an and the Prophetic Sunnah. Far fewer works, however, have been devoted to the inner meanings of these rituals and the spiritual benefit and significance they hold for the pilgrim. Approaching the topic through an etymological and historical analysis of the words used to describe the pilgrimage rites, and tracing the semantic links among relevant terms as they appear in the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic scriptures, this insightful and fascinating study seeks to unlock some of the mysteries hidden within the Hajj rituals. In so doing, it shows that, far from being mere re-enactments of stories from antiquity and their exoteric meanings, these rites function as symbols of inner realities, both earthly and heavenly, and as stages in the pilgrim’s spiritual journey from death to resurrection and hence, to spiritual enlightenment.

This volume showcases a wide range of contemporary approaches to the identification of literary structures within Qur’anic surahs. Recent academic studies of the Qur’an have taken an increasing interest in the concept of the surah as a unity and, with it, the division of complete surahs into consecutive sections or parts.Part One presents a series of case studies focussing on individual Qur’anic surahs. Nevin Reda analyzes the structure of Surat Al ¿Imran (Q 3), Holger Zellentin looks at competing structures within Surat al-¿Alaq (Q 96), and A.H. Mathias Zahniser provides an exploration of the ring structures that open Surat Maryam (Q 19). Part Two then focusses on three discrete aspects of the text. Nora K. Schmid assesses the changing structural function of oaths, Marianna Klar evaluates how rhythm, rhyme, and morphological parallelisms combine in order to produce texture and cohesion, while Salwa El-Awa considers the structural impact of connectives and other discourse markers with specific reference to Surat ¿aha (Q 20). The final section of the volume juxtaposes contrasting attitudes to the discernment of diachronic seams. Devin Stewart examines surah-medial oracular oaths, Muhammad Abdel Haleem questions a range of instances where suggestions of disjointedness have historically been raised, and Nicolai Sinai explores the presence of redactional layers within Surat al-Nisa¿ (Q 4) and Surat al-Ma¿idah (Q 5).Bringing a combination of different approaches to Qur’an structure into a single book, written by well-established and emerging voices in Qur’anic studies, the work will be an invaluable resource to academics researching Islam, religious studies, and languages and literatures in general.

This volume complements the selections of Wilferd Madelung's articles previously published by Variorum (Religious Schools and Sects in Medieval Islam, and Religious and Ethnic Movements in Medieval Islam). The first articles here examine legal and political aspects of early Shi`ism. The following studies relate to doctrinal views of the Zaydi imams al-Qasim b. Ibrahim al-Rassi and al-Natiq bi-l-Haqq and to Zaydi attitudes to Sufism. The final group focuses on the Isma`iliyya, their social and political history and aspects of their religious thought. A detailed index completes the volume.

With the proliferation of transnational Muslim networks over the last two decades, the religious authority of traditionally educated Muslim scholars, the uluma, has come under increasing scrutiny and disruption. These networks have provided a public space for multiple perspectives on Islam to be voiced, allowing "progressive" Islamic worldviews to flourish alongside more (neo)traditional outlooks. This book brings together the scholarship of leading progressive Muslim scholars, incorporating issues pertaining to politics, jurisprudence, ethics, theology, epistemology, gender and hermeneutics in the Islamic tradition. It provides a comprehensive discussion of the normative imperatives behind a progressive Muslim thought, as well as outlining its various values and aims. Presenting this emerging and distinctive school of Islamic thought in an engaging and scholarly manner, this is essential reading for any academic interested in contemporary religious thought and the development of modern Islam

In a time of global unrest, social fragmentation, and rising intolerance, a profound educational initiative is emerging from Pakistan that seeks to reclaim the true spirit of Islam — one rooted in compassion, wisdom, and inclusive peacebuilding. The Seerat Centre, a visionary initiative supported by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan, is leading a transformative academic movement by developing a Seerat-based interdisciplinary curriculum aimed at today’s challenges.At the heart of this project is Seerat — the character and life journey of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). But this isn’t a historical study alone. It’s a blueprint for personal and societal growth, offering lessons in empathy, sustainability, gender justice, interfaith harmony, and ethical leadership.Led by Dr. Amineh Ahmed Hoti, a scholar with deep roots in both Eastern and Western academic traditions, the Seerat Centre is reshaping the narrative around Islam in Pakistan and beyond. Her powerful storytelling weaves together Qur’anic insights, the Prophet’s compassionate life, and urgent contemporary themes — from climate change and hate speech to women’s empowerment and social inclusion.This isn’t just theory — it’s action. The Seerat Centre has built global partnerships with institutions such as Cambridge Muslim College, the United Nations, and scholars from Saudi Arabia, China, and beyond. Their international webinars, especially the six-part series with the UN on “Seerat Counters Hate Speech,” have created platforms for dialogue across generations, faiths, and regions.The curriculum being developed dives into topics such as sustainable development through an Islamic lens, social justice and ethics in the Prophet’s life, empathy and mercy as societal values, gender justice rooted in Seerat not stereotypes, business ethics from the Madinah model, and the Prophet’s commitment to minority rights and interfaith respect. Each chapter is authored by a diverse and distinguished set of scholars, collectively offering a rich educational guide that blends faith, intellect, and civic responsibility. Pakistan — a country rich in religious diversity and youthful potential — faces an identity crisis magnified by negative stereotypes, both internal and external. The Seerat curriculum offers a counter-narrative: one that empowers the youth with pride, compassion, and a universal worldview grounded in prophetic tradition. As Dr. Hoti puts it, this is not just about studying the Seerat, but about living it — in classrooms, communities, and policy decisions. It’s a roadmap to building not just informed Muslims, but empathetic human beings and responsible global citizens.Let this initiative serve as an invitation to explore a model of education that nurtures character, inspires peace, and brings light to the way forward.

In The Renewal of Islam, Fitzroy Morrissey explores the evolution of modern Islam, from the nineteenth century to present day.He tells the story of how Muslim thinkers have reinterpreted Islam to meet the challenges posed by the modern world, including Islamic thinking about gender, politics and history; the modern history of Sunni-Shi'i and Muslim-non-Muslim relations; and contemporary efforts to establish moderate and progressive forms of Islam in response to the rise of Salafi-jihadism. He shows how over the past few centuries, the insights of contemporary Muslim thinkers have developed - and in some cases transformed - the meaning of the faith.Intellectual and engaging, The Renewal of Islam is an essential read from a leading author and historian on the Islamic world.

"This work is the first detailed study of what the Qur'an means by "wisdom." I argue that the Qur'an, when it uses the term, is engaging with biblical wisdom discourse as it had been interpreted and understood in late antiquity. Biblical wisdom texts are a category of books in the Hebrew Bible and Apocrypha, such as Proverbs and Sirach, that emphasize the importance of acquiring wisdom through contemplating the natural world and one's own life experience. The presence of this wisdom genre in the Bible encouraged Hellenistic Jews and early Christians to embrace the Greek philosophical notion of natural law, the idea that what is morally right and wrong is known innately, and confirmed through divine revelation. Over subsequent centuries, church fathers and rabbis continued to debate what the relationship between divine revelation and natural law / wisdom ought to be. While the church fathers argued that much of the legal content of the Hebrew Bible should no longer be followed now that Jesus had restored natural law to its rightful position as arbiter of right and wrong, the rabbis insisted that God is at liberty to impose though scripture whatever laws He wishes onto humanity"-- $c Provided by publisher.