The Power of this prayer of Imam Muhammad al-DarĎ lies in its simplicity, its purity, and its sincere supplication. It is essentially a plea to God that our transgressions be overlooked, that divine mercy be bestowed upon us, that social justice be restored in spite of us, that wrongs be righted, and that righteousness reign once again in our lands, so that the destitute may no longer be in need, the young may be educated, the animals’ purpose fulfilled, rain restored, and bounties poured forth. It is a plea to be freed from the aggression of foreigners in lands over which they have no right—a plea much needed in our modern world, rampant as it is with invasions and territorial occupations. Ultimately, it asks not that our enemies be destroyed, but simply that their plots, and the harm they cause, be halted. Its essence is mercy, which in turn is the essence of the Messenger of God, Muhammad(saw): “And We have only sent you as a mercy to all the worlds.” “Shaykh Hamza Yusuf has rendered a tremendous service to Islam with this translation of a powerful, deeply spiritual supplication, and passed it along to a community of Muslims far removed from its Moroccan roots. He has also augmented it with a riveting Introduction that examines the nature of oppression and its impact on human societies, while challenging us to admit our powerlessness to God.” – Imam Zaid Shakir Author, Co-founder of Zaytuna College “Hamza Yusuf is in himself and his work, a beautiful, and absolutely ...read more

THE AIM of this book, presented here for the first time as a fully revised and updated paperback, is to explore what it means to be a Muslim-a member of a community which embraces a quarter of the world's population-and to describe the forces which have shaped their hearts and minds. In this wide-ranging study the author is concerned not simply with Islam in isolation, but with the very nature of religious faith, its spiritual and intellectual foundations and the light it casts upon the mysteries and paradoxes of the human condition. S o M E R E v I E w s : 'This is a beautifully written book. It offers a taste of theology, of history, of aesthetics and of eschatology blended in such a way as to provide a whole and balanced image, a vision of life that is both comprehensive and thoroughly Islamic.' (Parabola) 'The most remarkable accomplishment of this book is not that it leaves the reader with a basic understanding of Muhammad, the Qur'an and the daily practices of Muslims everywhere, although it certainly does these things. Nor does it lie merely in the clear, open, loving approach the author brings to his subject, though this is striking. Rather his main contribution lies in building bridges of understanding-in showing the Christian's and the Jew's essential oneness with the Muslim.' (Joseph K. Blackman) 'One of the most important works on islam to appear in the English language. It should be read by all Westerners interested in an understanding of the Islamic tradition a...read more

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Have you ever thought that you were non-existent before you were born and suddenly appeared on Earth? Have you ever thought that the peel of a banana, melon, watermelon or an orange each serve as a quality package preserving the fruit's odour and taste? Man is a being to which God has granted the faculty of thinking. Yet a majority of people fail to employ this faculty as they should… The purpose of this book is to summon people to think in the way they should and to guide them in their efforts to think. 128 pages with 137 pictures in colour.

This work shows the traditional method of spiritual chivalry of assuming the positive traits or virtues of God's Most Beautiful Names. Known as moral self-healing (attaining muruwwah), it occurs psychologically through three stages referred to in this work as three parts. Part I, a translation of al-Ghazzali's work on the Ninety-Nine Names, shows Theoethics the Most Beautiful Names as only God can manifest them. This serves as the knowledge base. Part II, psychoethics shows the traditional method of processing that knowledge. Part III Socioethics shows the way to test the extent of having healed morally through our actions and improving our relations with others. Healing is effected through assuming God's Most Beautiful Names to the extent God's Grace and our own endeavor allow.

The Wisdom of the Prophets The Sufi Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn 'Arabi of the Arabic tribe of Hatim atTa'i was born in the year 560 of the Hegira (the year 1165 of the Christian era) at Murcia in Andalusia; he died in 638 (AD. 1240) in Damascus. In esoteric circles of Islam lie is called muhyi ad-din, `the animator of religion' and `ash-shaykh al-akbar', `the greatest master'. His doctrinal work imposes itself by its depths and by its synthesis as well as by the incisive form of certain formulations, which refer to the' most elevated aspects of Sufism. The books and treatises of the master were very numerous; most of them seem to be definitely lost; amongst those that survive the Futuhat al-Makkiyah (`The revelations of Mecca') and the Fusus al Hikam ('The Wisdom of the Prophets') are the most celebrated. The former of these two works constitutes a sort of sum of esoteric sciences; the latter, of which we present here a translation, is often considered as the spiritual testament of the master, who drafted it in the year 627 of the Hegira (AD. 1229) in Damascus. Quote inside the book: "Prayer is a secret call exchanged between God and the adorer; it is, then, also an invocation (dhikr), (this term meaning either: invocation, mention, call, remembrance). But, whoever invokes God, finds himself in the presence of God, according to the Divine Word (,hadith qudsi ) faithfully transmitted since the Prophet: "I witness the invocation of the who invokes Me' (ana jalisu man dhakara...read more

Encyclopaedia of Islamic spirituality-foundations How does one distinguish Islamic spirituality from the Islamic religion as a whole? "The answer," according to Professor Nasr, "Lies in the dimension of depth or inwardness .... [in] what leads to inwardness and the world of the Spirit and [in] the outward elements of the religion to the extent that they serve as vehicles for the life of the Spirit." This, the first of two volumes on Islamic spirituality, is devoted to Foundations, not simply the historical foundations but the essential foundations as the principle and source of the multiform Manifestations of Islamic Spirituality (Volume 11) in history and in various Islamic cultural zones. FROM THE BOOK: The first part of the work is concerned with "The Roots of the Islamic Tradition and Spirituality." These are seen to include the Qur'an as the central theophany of Islam; the Prophet who received the Word of God and made it known to mankind, and the rites instituted by the Prophet through divine command that constitute the pillars of the faith, namely, daily prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and jihad, or exertion upon the path of God. In light of the paramount importance of the Qur'an and the Prophet, two chapters in this section are devoted to the Qur'an, and one to the traditional esoteric commentaries on the Qur'an. A third chapter deals with the life, traditions, and ',sayings of the Prophet, while a fourth examines the inner or spiritual "Substance" of the Prophet. Part...read more

This collection of essays by one of the best known contemporary Muslim scholars writing in the English language covers many facets of Islamic life and thought. The author has brought together studies dealing with practical as well as intellectual aspects of Islam in both their historical and contemporary reality. Although concerned with the scholarly dimension of the subjects with which he deals, the author devotes himself especially to the contemporary significance of such themes as religion and secularism, the meaning of freedom, and the tradition of Islamic science and philosophy. The traditional perspective of the author runs throughout all of these studies and provides a unified framework for the work despite the diversity of the subjects treated. The essays, many of with have appeared over the years in various journals and collections on Islamic studies, have been re-written and revised in the light of later research and scholarship as well as certain issues which have become of special contemporary significance. Considering the current interest in the Islamic world in the West and the necessity felt by many to gain firsthand knowledge of Islam as both religion and civilisation, the present work is a timely addition to the small collection of writing in European languages which provide veritable keys for a better understanding of Islam and Muslims while remaining faithful to the perspective of the Islamic tradition. FROM THE BOOK: Today in the West. as well as in the...read more

The Multiple States of Being The Multiple States of Being, one of Guenon's major works, treats a truly fundamental idea: the soul's freedom lies in discovering its own nature as essential self-cognition and realising that all other states of knowledge and being are available to it as within itself. The metaphysics presupposed in such a realisation is discussed with thrust, brevity, and incisiveness characteristic of the grand traditional style. "...a mind of phenomenal lucidity..." Marco Pallis "The central figure who was most responsible for the presentation of the traditional doctrines of the Orient in their fullness in the modern West was Rene Guenon.... In his works is to be found one of the most important restatements of the doctrinal aspect of the sacred in modern times... a major step in the rediscovery of sacred knowledge's H Nasr Knowledge and the Sacred "Rene Guenon defies classification... were he anything less than a consummate master of lucid argument and forceful expression, his work would certainly be unknown to all but a small, private circle of admirers."Gai Eaton The Richest Vein "Rene Guenon is not an 'Orientalist' but what the Hindus would call a ,master'."Ananda K. Coomaraswamy FROM THE BOOK: "That which has no limits is that to which one can deny nothing, hence is that which contains all, outside of which there is nothing. This idea of the Infinite, which is thus the most affirmative of all because it comprehends or embraces all particular affi...read more

-With the philosophy and much of the sciences of the Greeks, Persians, and Indians at hand, the Muslims began gradually to bring into being the various intellectual perspectives which have dominated the horizon of Islamic civilisation ever since. The schools of law and the Sufi brotherhoods became separately established in the third Islamic century, and the revelation which was until that time still close to its origin, and therefore in a state of "fusion," became "crystallised" into its components. In a similar manner, the various intellectual perspectives, after several centuries, absorbed the nourishment provided by the vast heritage of the ancient world, already existing in Arabic, into the Islamic world view, and founded the diverse schools of philosophy and the arts and science. We can thereby legitimately refer to these schools as Muslim, since the concepts and formulations used by them were integrated into the Islamic view even if they originated elsewhere."

This work is addressed both to those specifically interested in Islamic studies and to those who search in a more general way for that satisfaction of the spirit which is so often avidly sought and yet so rarely round. For the large number of people now studying the different aspects of Islam in the West and also for the many Muslims who have lost touch with their own tradition to the point of relying on works in European languages for knowledge of the religion they profess, this book is of the greatest import. It expounds aspects of Islamic doctrine little known and difficult to unveil, yet of the most urgent actuality for those who feel bewildered by the intelIectual confusion of modern times. Moreover, in this as in many of his other works. Frithjof Schuon through the teachings of Islam reveals truths which are of universal (hanif) in the Our anic sense) concern to all mankind, truths which alone can give meaning to human existence." Seyyed Hoscein Nasr

Modern Man at the Crossroads IT HAS BECOME increasingly clear to many "modern" individuals today that the paradigm of knowledge that is set forth by modern science as the prevailing world view, while it bedazzles us with its intricacy, its precision, and its technological edge, has led to a crisis of identity and fails on fundamental levels to answer the perennial questions that lie at the heart of man's being In the present work, the author surveys the traditional knowledge of the religions and the findings of modern science in the light of the two prevailing questions of our time, namely the Origin of Life/Man and the _true nature of the Reality and Final End. Part One, The Search for Knowledge, is concerned with the meaning of the modern scientific outlook in terms of its identity, purpose, and significance as a global paradigm of knowledge. Part Two The Search for Origippys, is concerned with the origin of life generally and the origin of the human species in particular, in order to better understand the exact positions of both science and religion concerning how organic life and humankind have originated. Part Three, The Search for Synthesis, focuses on the traditional perspective and the search for a more profound meaning that could be realized through a more effective interaction between religion and science, resulting in an "encounter" that could be beneficial rather than antagonistic. This work explores the unspoken and hidden assumptions that define every aspect ...read more

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About the Book "Why do some people try to prove the existence of Allah while others deny it altogether. What is the reason for this extraordinary contradiction which exists despite the fact that the human self contains something which innately recognises Allah's existence." In this book the famous Egyptian scholar and television broadcaster, Shaykh Muhammad Mitwalli Al-Sha'rawi answers this question in his own inimitable way. Using straightforward but compelling arguments, Shaykh Al-Sha'rawi brings home to the unprejudiced reader the overwhelming evidence in the universe which points inevitably towards its unitary Divine Source. Divine Existence Versus Doubt is the latest in a series of English translations of Shayth AlSha'rawi's work published by Dar al-Taqwa on key aspects of the teachings of Islam and their relationship with the world today.

Against the prevailing assumption that "the warfare between science and theology" ... is a thing of the past, I propose to argue that if this is true it can only be because science has won the war. Only an exhausted theology, one about to sink into the sands of science like a spent wave, could fail to sense the enormous tension between its claims and those of a scientific worldview. There is, of course, a sense in which no tension exists or ever has existed. As truth is one and religion and science are both concerned with it, in principle they must be partners. But that is principle only-de jure, not de facto. For the partnership to work we would need to see clearly the inherent limitations of science and keep them in sharp focus. But we do not see these limitations. largely (I suspect) because we do not want to. Because science augments our power and possessions, we would like to think that it has 110 cut off point; that its present limitations are provisional only, and that in time it will break out of them to service our complete selves in the way it now services our bodies. So we encourage it to expand, and count on its doing so. Mostly we want its technological fallout, but we want its theory too. For modern science derives from the controlled experiment, and as that is as close to proof as we can get, a scientific worldview would be one we could wholeheartedly believe. It would he true. It happens. though, that a scientific worldview is impossible. I do not mean that we...read more

Early twentieth century has witnessed a number of well-organised movements for the revival of Islam in different parts of the Muslim world. In the Indo-Pak Subcontinent, Mawlana Mawdudi, the founder of the Jmna'at-i-Islami, has made an indelible mark on history by organising the Jarna`ah and successfully leading it through different turbulent periods and delineating cogent guidelines for the revival of Islam and application of its teachings to the problems of the modern world. Few men have captured the imagination and inspired the educated Muslims during the last few decades to the extent Mawlana Mawdudi has done. His admirers, friends and associates have made an effort, through this volume, to pay their heartful tribute to Mawlana's long record of service to the cause of Islam, especially to Islamic scholarship. Islamic Perspectives: Studies in Honour of Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi is a result of collaboration and research by a number of reputed scholars of Islam, both from orient and occident, who come from diverse background, but share their faith in Islam. The variety of interest, approach and viewpoint reflected in the different contributions of the volume mirror the richness of diversity which has always been the characteristic of healthy Islamic intellectual life. This Festschrift contains articles on aspects of Islamic intellectual perspective and heritage and outlines the nature of Islamic society, state and economy. It also contains contributions on some celebrated sc...read more

The Vision of Islam Exploring the fundamental religious beliefs held by Muslims for nearly 1400 years, The Vision of islam covers the four dimensions of Islam as outlined in the Hadith of Gabriel: practice, faith, spirituality, and the Islamic view of history. Interweaving teachings from the Qur'an, the sayings of the Prophet, and the great authorities of the tradition, the authors introduce the essentials of each diniension, then go on to describe how each has been manifest in Islamic institutions through the course of history. The book tries to pry open the door to the Islamic universe and to the Muslim understanding of reality. It successfully finds Islam's vision of itself within the Islamic intellectual tradition in general and the Sufi tradition in particular. FROM THE BOOK: "This work is one of the most successful introductions to Islam for a Western audience. The authors present a comprehensive study, which, beginning from within the precinct of the revealed truths of the faith, expands in ever widening circles to embrace the whole vision of Islam." Seyyed Hossein Nam-, George Washington University "This is a book that every introductory Course on Nam should attempt to incorporate into its basic reading. It describes and elucidates extremely well the integrity and coherence of Muslim faith and piety and how they relate to practice and culture. This interpretive introduction to Muslim faith and tradition has long been needed." William ,1. Graham, Centre for Middl...read more

From the book's back cover .. In this book, the author has widely described the main principle of Taqleed. He says that Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (saw) have not ordered us to follow any opinions and interpretations. So there is possibility of being correct or incorrect in the opinions, because there are many issues on which Imams had different views and they explained them according to their own reasons and speculations, but the real and true Islam is based on the Book (Quran) and the Prophet’s SUNNAH.Allah says: “But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith until they make You judge in all disputed matters between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decision, and accept them with full submission.” And the Prophet (SAW) said: “I leave with you two things as long as you hold them tightly, you will never go astray: they are the books of Allah and my Sunnah.” In this sense the author has described the difference between different Madhahib, and their views and urged to follow only the Quran and the Sunnah,

Perspectives on Morality and Human Well-Being: A Contribution to Islamic Economics explores in detail the proposition that (private) morality, especially religious morality, is vital for achieving economic well-being and human happiness; and that this linkage would be even stronger in an Islamic economy. The book highlights the need for an active interaction between religion, morality and economics in general and in an (idealized) Islamic economy in particular. It is the contention of the book that moral principles mould individual's economic and social behaviour, that the microscopic power of religious morality makes it more effective than secular morality in achieving social goals. It is, further argued that an egalitarian public policy must supplement private morality to strengthen each other's ability to maximize collective good. A major theme of the book is to highlight the areas where religious and secular ethical philosophies can fruitfully interact to enhance human-well being. The book demonstrates that, within the parameters of their inner logic and societal compulsion, the principal religious ethical systems (especially, Islam, Christianity and Judaism) stand to gain from each other's moral visions and their endeavours to maximize human well-being. Professor Syed Nawab Haider Naqvi has held academic posts at various universities in Europe, USA and the Middle East. He was the Director of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, the founder-President of the Pa...read more

Translated by Professor Basil Collins Reviewed By Dr Mummad Hamid Alta'I. Mugaddasi was born in the year 945 of the Common Era (CE), which corresponds to the year 334 of the Islamic calendar (AH), and died towards the close of the millennium. Defining the area of his study as that where the presence of the religious and political institutions of Islam dominated, he travelled throughout the regions observing, enquiring, researching, taking notes and writing drafts. His work was eventually published in 985cE/375AH, and a revised edition was produced three years later. Early in the second half of the nineteenth century the German orientalist Aloys Sprenger brought to the attention of the West a manuscript of al-Mugaddasi's work. Sprenger's enthusiasm over the content of the manuscript was reflected in his judgment that its author was the greatest geographer of all time. The translation by Basil Collins published here is the first rendition into a Western language of al-Mugaddasi s treatise. Al-Muqaddasi s work bespeaks an interested and interesting man, seeing his world through a frame of reference derived from his deeply held religious beliefs, yet capable of making assessments with probity and common sense, striving to get at the truth of the natter. Basil Collins is Professor of Geography and Planning at the University of Toledo, in the United States. Mohanmmad Alta'i obtained his BA at the University of Baghdad in 1943 and his Ph.D. in Geography from the University o...read more

An effort has been made in this book to trace the history of medieval Muslim thought as to show the elements which it had in common with Christian teaching, and to account for the points of divergence. Influenced initially by Hellenistic thought, Islamic thought brought about enormous influence on the culture of medieval Latin Christendom, directly leading to the Renascence and the death of medieval culture.

Universal Man (AI-Insan al-Kamil) is an exposition of the appearances of Absolute Being as Essence, Names, Qualities and Divinity, and of the corresponding contemplative states in the path of Union. This is far from being merely a theoretical matter. Jili writes: "I will mention of all that only that which happened to me on my own journey to God; moreover, I recount nothing in this book neither of myself nor of another, without my having tested it at the time when I travelled in God by the path of intuition and direct vision". Titus Burckhardt (Ibrahim 'Izz al-Din) has provided a full and illuminating introduction and commentary to Jili's work.