This book traces the journey of new Muslims as they joined the early Islamic community and articulated their identities within it. It focuses on Muslims of slave origins, who belonged to the society in which they lived but whose slave background rendered them somehow alien. How did these Muslims at the crossroads of insider and outsider find their place in early Islamic society? How did Islamic society itself change to accommodate these new members? By analysing how these liminal Muslims resolved the tension between belonging and otherness, Conquered Populations in Early Islam reveals the shifting boundaries of the early Islamic community and celebrates the dynamism of Islamic history.

The book intervenes into the contemporary debate on religion, politics, and economy, focusing on the field of formation which emerges as these seemingly autonomous spheres encounter one another. Empirically, it concentrates on examples from literature, theatre, and cinema as well as a case study of the recent revolts in Turkey where a ‘moderate’ Islamic government is in power. Theoretically, its focus is on the contemporary ‘return’ of religion in the horizon of the critique of religion, seeking to articulate an affirmative politics that can re-evaluate the value of dominant values in religious governance and governance of religion.

In recent scholarship there is an emerging interest in the integration of philosophy and theology. Philosophers and theologians address the relationship between body and soul and its implications for theological anthropology. In so doing, philosopher-theologians interact with cognitive science, biological evolution, psychology, and sociology. Reflecting these exciting new developments, The Ashgate Research Companion to Theological Anthropology is a resource for philosophers and theologians, students and scholars, interested in the constructive, critical exploration of a theology of human persons. Throughout this collection of newly authored contributions, key themes are human agency and grace, the soul, sin and salvation, Christology, glory, feminism, the theology of human nature, and other major themes in theological anthropology in historic as well as contemporary contexts.

Focusing on apocalyptic manifestations found in ISIS propaganda, this book situates the group's agenda in the broader framework of contemporary Muslim thought and explains key topics in millennial thinking within the spiritual context of modern Islamic apocalypticism.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. And Praise and Blessings on the Compassionate Messenger. There is no denying that life is short and everything in this world is transitory. Similarly, the present anti-religious era of atheism will not last forever. The hysteria of materialism, which has turned the world into a lunatic asylum is now on the retreat. Unprincipled behaviour, like selfishness, immoralities, malpractices, negation of truth, falsification of righteousness, rebellion against humanity, barbarities, indulgence in cruel and savage practices and similar sins of omission and commission of the modern age, resulting from lack of spiritual connection with the Creator of the universe, have become so acute and painful, that the inhabitants of this planet can no longer bear them. A great revolution is in the offing, which is going to crush all the misleading and false notions of the modern age, and the whole rotten edifice of falsehood is going to crumble like a house of cards. It will reverse the present trend followed by the world. The world is soon going to be a haven of peace and happiness. Sagacity demands that we should prepare ourselves for this blessed time to come. Unfortunately, in this un-enlightened era, even the supporters of religion and upholders of faith are suffering from several misunderstandings, let alone those who are against it. Whether it is religion or any other subject; one must know it inside out with all its intricacies, words and meanings, as well as it’s inner and outer significances. Man is the synthesis of the apparent and the hidden, the body being the apparent and soul, the hidden. Human progress is not possible without simultaneous inner and outer development. Religion is not the name of a few meaningless rituals. It is a perfect code of life bestowed upon mankind by the Creator and the eternal Ruler for our wellbeing. If we accept it, we are bound to progress; if not, it can be extremely damaging. In order to benefit from this code, we must pay closer heed to our inner reformation, without which outer reform is impossible. Tasawwuf, or spirituality, is inner reformation. It is a pity that misunderstandings are rampant, resulting in a large part of mankind deprived and straying from the right path. This encyclopedia of Islamic Spirituality aims to remove these misunderstandings and to convey correct information. Sirre Dilbaran (the first volume) aims at discussing the significance of Sufi terminology and throwing light on the secrets and mysteries of the love of God experienced by His friends. It also explains in easy terms the language of the seekers of Truth and the journey of the spiritual stalwarts towards the stages of fana and baqa. The underlying discussions related to these Sufi terms present a vocal picture of different aspects of Sufism (tasawwuf). In this way, the theory of tasawwuf will be easy to understand, although actual spiritual progress is well nigh impossible without the guidance of a perfect Shaikh. Moreover, this work is bound to facilitate the understanding of advanced treatises on the subject. Effort has been made to explain the difficult terms in easy language. It is extremely difficult to explain the meanings of certain words by other names, for instance, to say that fire means aag and aag means agni is to exchange one word for another without conveying its meaning. Fire is that orange and glowing flame in the hearth. See it, and you know what fire is, but if you want to experience its burning quality, put your hand on live embers to feel what burning really means. This is the only way you can understand the meaning of burning and not through dictionaries. Sirre Dilbaran aims at explaining such terms in easier words. This is all. This is what is possible in publications. However, if the reader is somewhat acquainted with, or has some practical experience of Sufism, his understanding becomes easier.

From false idols and graven images to the tombs of kings and the shrines of capitalism, the targeted destruction of cities, sacred sites and artefacts for religious, political or nationalistic reasons is central to our cultural legacy. This book examines the different traditions of image-breaking in Christianity and Islam as well as their development into nominally secular movements and paints a vivid, scholarly picture of a culture of destruction encompassing Protestantism, Wahhabism, and Nationalism. Beginning with a comparative account of Calvinist Geneva and Wahhabi Mecca, The Politics of Iconoclasm explores the religious and political agendas behind acts of image-breaking and their relation to nationhood and state-building. From sixteenth-century Geneva to urban developments in Mecca today, The Politics of Iconoclasm explores the history of image-breaking, the culture of violence and its paradoxical roots in the desire for renewal. Examining these dynamics of nationhood, technology, destruction and memory, a historical journey is described in which the temple is razed and replaced by the machine.