A Quest of the Spirit
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A Sufi Reading of Jesus
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by The University of Sydney: Sydney eScholarship Journals... Representations of Jesus in Islamic Mysticism: Defining the „Sufi Jesus‟ Milad Milani Created from the wine of love, Only love remains when I die. (Rumi)1 I‟ve seen a world without a trace of death, All atoms here have Jesus‟ pure breath. (Rumi)2 Introduction This article examines the limits touched by one religious tradition (Islam) in its particular approach to an important symbolic structure within another religious tradition (Christianity), examining how such a relationship on the peripheries of both these faiths can be better apprehended. At the heart of this discourse is the thematic of love. Indeed, the Qur’an and other Islamic materials do not readily yield an explicit reference to love in the way that such a notion is found within Christianity and the figure of Jesus. This is not to say that „love‟ is altogether absent from Islamic religion, since every Qur‟anic chapter, except for the ninth (surat at-tawbah), is prefaced In the Name of God; the Merciful, the Most Kind (bismillahi r-rahmani r-rahim). Love (Arabic habb; Persian Ishq), however, becomes a foremost concern of Muslim mystics, who from the ninth century onward adopted the theme to convey their experience of longing for God. Sufi references to the theme of love starts with Rabia al-Adawiyya (717-801) and expand outward from there in a powerful tradition. Although not always synonymous with the figure of Jesus, this tradition does, in due course, find a distinct compatibility with him. -
Islamic Civilization Experienced a Golden Age Under the Abbasid Dynasty, Which Ruled from the Mid 8Th Century Until the Mid 13Th Century
Included lands & peoples from parts of three continents (Europe, Africa, & Asia) Preserved, blended, & spread Greek, Roman, Indian, Persian & other civilizations. Enjoyed a prosperous golden age with advances in art, literature, mathematics, and science. Spread new learning to Christian Europe. A period of great prosperity or achievement, especially in the arts Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula in the early 7th century CE. It quickly spread throughout the Middle East before moving across North Africa, and into Spain and Sicily. By the 13th century, Islam had spread across India and Southeast Asia. The reasons for the success of Islam, and the expansion of its empire, can be attributed to the strength of the Arab armies, the use of a common language, and fair treatment of conquered peoples Arab armies were able to quickly conquer territory through the use of advanced tactics and the employment of horse and camel cavalry. Islamic rulers were very tolerant of conquered peoples, and welcomed conversion to the Islamic faith. All Muslims must learn Arabic, so they can read the Qur'an, the Islamic holy book. This common language helped to unite many different ethnic groups within the Islamic empire. It also made possible the easy exchange of knowledge and ideas. Islamic civilization experienced a golden age under the Abbasid Dynasty, which ruled from the mid 8th century until the mid 13th century. Under the Abbasids, Islamic culture became a blending of Arab, Persian, Egyptian, and European traditions. The result was an era of stunning -
Islam and Women's Literature in Europe
Islam and Women’s Literature in Europe Reading Leila Aboulela and Ingy Mubiayi Renata Pepicelli Contrary to the perception that Islam is against women and against the European way of life, some Muslim women based in Europe write novels and short stories in which Islam is described as instrument of empowerment in the life of their female characters. No more or not only an element of oppression, religion is portrayed as an element of a new identity for Muslim women who live in Europe. The Translator1 and Minaret2 by Leila Aboulela (Sudan/United Kingdom) and “Concorso”3 by Ingy Mubiayi (Egypt/Italy) are three works that demonstrate how the re-positioning of religion functions in women’s lives and struggles. I will first analyze the two novels written in English by Aboulela, followed by the short story written in Italian by Mubiayi. In The Translator (1999), Aboulela tells the story of Sammar, a young Sudanese woman who follewed her husband, a promising medical student, to Scotland. After her husband dies in a car accident, Sammar is alone in this foreign country. In Aberdeen she spends several painful and lonely years, far from her home and son who, after the terrible accident, lives in Khartoum with her aunt/mother-in-low. During this time, religion, day by day, becomes her only relief. Suddenly she finds work as an Arabic to English translator for an Islamic scholar, Rae, at a Scottish University, and she falls in love with him. Though her love is reciprocated, they have a problem. Rae is not Muslim, and for Sammar, Islam shapes and affects all aspects of life. -
Devotional Literature of the Prophet Muhammad in South Asia
City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 6-2020 Devotional Literature of the Prophet Muhammad in South Asia Zahra F. Syed The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3785 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] DEVOTIONAL LITERATURE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD IN SOUTH ASIA by ZAHRA SYED A master’s thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty in [program] in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, The City University of New York 2020 © 2020 ZAHRA SYED All Rights Reserved ii Devotional Literature of the Prophet Muhammad in South Asia by Zahra Syed This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Middle Eastern Studies in satisfaction of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts. _______________ _________________________________________________ Date Kristina Richardson Thesis Advisor ______________ ________________________________________________ Date Simon Davis Executive Officer THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Devotional Literature of the Prophet Muhammad in South Asia by Zahra Syed Advisor: Kristina Richardson Many Sufi poets are known for their literary masterpieces that combine the tropes of love, religion, and the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In a thorough analysis of these works, readers find that not only were these prominent authors drawing from Sufi ideals to venerate the Prophet, but also outputting significant propositions and arguments that helped maintain the preservation of Islamic values, and rebuild Muslim culture in a South Asian subcontinent that had been in a state of colonization for centuries. -
Volume 7: Shaping Global Islamic Discourses : the Role of Al-Azhar, Al-Medina and Al-Mustafa Masooda Bano Editor
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by eCommons@AKU eCommons@AKU Exploring Muslim Contexts ISMC Series 3-2015 Volume 7: Shaping Global Islamic Discourses : The Role of al-Azhar, al-Medina and al-Mustafa Masooda Bano Editor Keiko Sakurai Editor Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/uk_ismc_series_emc Recommended Citation Bano, M. , Sakurai, K. (Eds.). (2015). Volume 7: Shaping Global Islamic Discourses : The Role of al-Azhar, al-Medina and al-Mustafa Vol. 7, p. 242. Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/uk_ismc_series_emc/9 Shaping Global Islamic Discourses Exploring Muslim Contexts Series Editor: Farouk Topan Books in the series include Development Models in Muslim Contexts: Chinese, “Islamic” and Neo-liberal Alternatives Edited by Robert Springborg The Challenge of Pluralism: Paradigms from Muslim Contexts Edited by Abdou Filali-Ansary and Sikeena Karmali Ahmed Ethnographies of Islam: Ritual Performances and Everyday Practices Edited by Badouin Dupret, Thomas Pierret, Paulo Pinto and Kathryn Spellman-Poots Cosmopolitanisms in Muslim Contexts: Perspectives from the Past Edited by Derryl MacLean and Sikeena Karmali Ahmed Genealogy and Knowledge in Muslim Societies: Understanding the Past Edited by Sarah Bowen Savant and Helena de Felipe Contemporary Islamic Law in Indonesia: Shariah and Legal Pluralism Arskal Salim Shaping Global Islamic Discourses: The Role of al-Azhar, al-Medina and al-Mustafa Edited by Masooda Bano and Keiko Sakurai www.euppublishing.com/series/ecmc -
Computers Math. Applic. Vol. 17, No. 4~, Pp. 751-789, 1989 0097-4943/89 $3.00+0.00 Printed in Great Britain. All Rights Reserved Copyright © 1989 Pergamon Press Pie
Computers Math. Applic. Vol. 17, No. 4~, pp. 751-789, 1989 0097-4943/89 $3.00+0.00 Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved Copyright © 1989 Pergamon Press pie IN THE TOWER OF BABEL: BEYOND SYMMETRY IN ISLAMIC DESIGN W. K. CHORBACHI Harvard University, Dudley House, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. Abstract--A personal account of an interdisciplinary inquiry into the study of Islamic geometric design and architectural decoration touching on the fields of History, History of Science, Scientific Theory of Symmetry and History of Art. The study stresses the necessity of the use of a common scientific language of Symmetry Notation in order to discuss and communicate in a precise manner about Islamic geometric pattern. To understand Islamic geometric design, it is necessary to move beyond the symmetry issues, to the step-by-step process of design. This is based on primary sources of scientific manuscripts of practical geometry written specifically for the Muslim artisans. The research demonstrates not only a direct meeting but a collaborative work between science and art in Islamic civilization. The story of arrogant men building the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11) reads as follows: "Now the whole earth had one language and few words. And as men migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shin/i.r and settled there. And they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.' And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.' And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. -
Faith Guides for Higher Education: a Guide to Islam
islam_cover.qxp 15/08/2007 15:21 Page 1 Faith Guides for Higher Education Islam A Guide to Islam Amjad Hussain and Kate El-Alami Faith Guides for Higher Education A Guide to Islam Amjad Hussain, Kate El-Alami Series editor: Gary R. Bunt Copy editor: Julie Closs Copyright © the Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies, 2005 (formerly PRS-LTSN) Picture permissions: Page 5: Qur’anic Calligraphy © Aftab Ahmad/Saudi Aramco World/PADIA. Page 7: The Hajj, Mecca © S.M. Amin/Saudi Aramco World/PADIA. Page 9: A stained-glass window by Simon Tretheway © Lydia Sharman Male/Saudi Aramco World/PADIA. Page 11: Illuminated Ottoman Qur’an, 17th century © Dick Doughty/Saudi Aramco World/PADIA. Page 12: Kaaba, Mecca © S.M. Amin/Saudi Aramco World/PADIA. Page 15: Shah Jehan Mosque, Woking © Tor Eigeland/Saudi Aramco World/PADIA. Page 16: Regent’s Park Mosque, London © Tor Eigeland/Saudi Aramco World/PADIA. Published by the Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies (formerly PRS-LTSN) Higher Education Academy School of Theology and Religious Studies University of Leeds LS2 9JT First Published November 2005 Reprinted July 2007 ISBN 0-9544524-5-3 All rights reserved. Except for quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, and for use in learning and teaching contexts in UK higher and further education, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication and the other titles in the series, neither the publisher, series editor, nor authors are responsible for applications and uses of the information contained within. -
Reza T. Ahmadi, 'Symbolism in Persian Rugs'
Rezu T. Ahmudi SYMBOLISM IN PERSIAN RUGS It is a common mistaketo assumethat Oriental rugs can be The above analysissuggests that form, as well as the most identihedby their designsor synbols alone.While it is true basic organization of the rug, is influenced early on by that certain symbols are ciosely associatedwith specific lo- theme. calities or weaving groups, it would take an exceptionally One of the most common themes in Persianrugs is confidentperson to identify a rug without confirming their Floral. The image of a lush gardenis one that is deeply opinion by carefully checking the weave, materials, and rooted in both the religious and cultural heritage of the dyes. This is especially true today, due to a substantial Persiandesign. In a region of the world where water is a number of high-quality Persian copies coming onto the precious commodity, it is perhapsnot surprising that the market from India, Pakistan,and the Balkan countries.This garden,with an abundanceof flora and fauna, is the Mus- article attempts to discussthe most common design ele- lim symbol of paradise.The weaverswere fufther inspired ments and symbols used in Persianrugs, their meanings, by their belief in the Islamic afterlife[3], which promises and the region of the origin. This discussionof themesand that the faithful will dwell in paradise.Floral themes are symbolswill hopefully serve as an aid in the identihcation generally divided into three categoriesof All over floral, ofPersianrugs. Garden, and Panelleddesign [4]. All over floral designs The symbols and designsof the rug do give informa- feature floral forms without the addition of a medallion, tion about its weaver. -
Voor Mijn Ouders En Grootouders Promotor Prof. Dr
voor mijn ouders en grootouders Promotor Prof. dr. Frank Vermeulen Vakgroep Archeologie Decaan Prof. dr. Marc Boone Rector Prof. dr. Anne De Paepe Nederlandse vertaling: Publieke badhuizen en badgewoontes in de late oudheid Kaftinformatie: Grondplan van de baden in de Via della Foce in Ostia (Italië)(naar: Nielsen 1993b, 96, fig. 72) Alle rechten voorbehouden. Niets uit deze uitgave mag worden verveelvoudigd, opgeslagen in een geautomatiseerd gegevensbestand, of openbaar gemaakt, in enige vorm of op enige wijze, hetzij elektronisch, mechanisch, door fotokopieën, opnamen, of enige andere manier, zonder voorafgaande toestemming van de uitgever. Faculteit Letteren & Wijsbegeerte Sadi Maréchal Public baths and bathing habits in Late Antiquity A study of the archaeological and historical evidence from Roman Italy, North Africa and Palestine between AD 285 and AD 700 Volume 2: catalogue, maps and figures Proefschrift voorgelegd tot het behalen van de graad van Doctor in de Archeologie 2016 Table of Contents List of Maps ......................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ...................................................................................................................... xiii Introduction to Volume 2 ......................................................................................................... 1 Key to the general plans ................................................................................................ 2 Part 1 – -
Digital Quran Computing: Review, Classification, and Trend Analysis
Arab J Sci Eng DOI 10.1007/s13369-017-2415-4 REVIEW ARTICLE - COMPUTER ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE Digital Quran Computing: Review, Classification, and Trend Analysis Mohammed Zakariah1 · Muhammad Khurram Khan2 · Omar Tayan3,4 · Khaled Salah5 Received: 18 July 2016 / Accepted: 9 January 2017 © King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals 2017 Abstract The proliferation of online digital multimedia categorization based on the topical trends from recent con- content has enabled the rapid digitization of printed ferences and symposia related to DQC. Second, a review is manuscripts, resulting in faster and more effective dissem- given for papers under each theme with a discussion of their ination of digital publications. This scenario is also found key features, limitations, and research directions. Finally, a in the context of digital Quran content, which has recently number of research hot spots that identify open challenges gained significant traction from the research and scientific and primary areas in DQC for future work are outlined. communities with related discussions and studies covering a range of IT subject domains under the generic topic of Digital Keywords Holy Quran · Digital Quran Computing · Quran Computing (DQC). In the past few years, a number of Multimedia · Arabic digitization · Mobile applications · international conferences and symposia have been dedicated WorldWideWeb to the concept of DQC. This paper surveys and reports on the developmental trends and research hotspots in DQC, provid- ing up-to-date theme categories and an analysis of published 1 Introduction articles in the literature. First, the study provides a theme The Holy Quran is the book of divine guidance and direc- B Khaled Salah tion for humanity. -
Research Project August 2013
Research Project August 2013 Sacredness of the Other: Love and Healing By Rasoul Rasoulipour A Research Project Supported by the Fetzer Institute August 2013 Preface………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….i Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……….iv Part I: Sacredness of the Other……………………………………………………………………………….…….1 Part II: Love………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……….18 Part III: Healing……………………………………………………………………………………….………………….39 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….93 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………………………….………98 The interpretations and conclusions contained in this publication, unless expressly stated to the contrary, represent the views of the author or authors and not necessarily those of the John E. Fetzer Institute, its trustees, or officers. Preface About five years ago I accidentally came across one of the Rev. Haji Ismael Dulabi’s sermons on Iranian National TV. I became devotedly attached to him despite never having met him in person. I found in his words such truthfulness, radiance and charisma, the scent of the fragrance of the friends of God. Since then, I eagerly longed for the life-story and words of that "unschooled beloved" and instructor of ethics at whose feet many professors from universities and Islamic seminaries had knelt in devotion, so that I might present it to the public, especially to my students who were in dire need of it at the outset of their life. In 2011 John Cavadini, the director of the Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame and also the chair of the ‘World Religions and Spiritualties’ Council of the Fetzer Institute, proposed a conference on ‘Practical Holiness’ at Notre Dame and asked me to introduce a contemporary exemplar of love and forgiveness in Iran. Suddenly, the name of Ismael Dulabi sprang to mind and I mentioned it immediately. -
Significance of Muharram and `Ashura’ in the Sunnah
Significance of Muharram and `Ashura’ in the Sunnah By E-Da`wah Committee www.edc.org.kw www.muslim-library.com ©All Rights Reserved 2015. E-Da`wah Committee If you have any corrections, comments, or questions about this publication, please feel free to contact us at: Email: info@ muslim-library.com Facebook: MuslimLibrary Twitter: @MuslimLibrary Significance of Muharram and `Ashura’ in the Sunnah Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................... On Muharram and `Ashura’ ..................................... Excellence of `Ashura’ ............................................... Fasting on the Day of `Ashura’ ............................ www.muslim-library.com Significance of Muharram and `Ashura’ in the Sunnah Introduction Allah (Glory be to him) has made the occasions of goodness, where the rewards are multiplied and souls are purified, never ending. Once an occasion comes to an end, another occasion follows. And whenever a worship finishes, another worship starts. Thus, the loving worshipper of God remains in continuous connection with his God, the Almighty. Among the great occasions of goodness is the month of Muharram which the Prophet (peace be www.muslim-library.com Significance of Muharram and `Ashura’ in the Sunnah upon him) made fasting during it among the best fasts following the fasting in Ramadan. Moreover, during the month of Muharram, there is one of the best days of the year, namely `Ashura’, the 10th day. On this day, Allah has saved Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) from Pharaoh. The Jews have venerated this day, and the Messenger of Allah commanded Muslims to venerate this day and celebrate it with performing good deeds and fasting. The below texts are a number of selected authentic hadiths from the sayings of the best of mankind, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).