'Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful one who taught by the pen, who taught man what he did not know.' The Qur'an, believed by Muslims to be the word of God, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad 1400 years ago. It is the supreme authority in Islam and the living source of all Islamic teaching; it is a sacred text and a book of guidance, that sets out the creed, rituals, ethics, and laws of the ..

Tariq Ramadan is very much a public figure, named one of Time magazine's most important innovators of the twenty-first century. He is among the leading Islamic thinkers in the West, with a large following around the world. But he has also been a lightning rod for controversy. Indeed, in 2004, Ramadan was prevented from entering the U.S. by the Bush administration and despite two appeals, ...

Contains insights into issues such as why Islam has such major divisions between movements such as the Shi'ites, the Sunnis, and the importance of the Shar'ia (Islamic law) in Islamic life. This book also deals with contemporary questions: can women find fulfilment in Islamic societies? How must Islam adapt as it confronts the modern world?

Examines the delicate relationship between the experience of prison among Muslims and the formation of religious identity. This book argues that the prison environment, and increasing restrictions therein, are linked to the fear of radicalization, and are facilitating identity processes in which Islam turns into an ideology.

Offers the Western reader insight into the religion and richly poetic literature of the Middle East, and the esoteric, deeply experiential inner tradition of Islam. This title includes a selection of prayers and legends that concern the task, search, and goal of the Sufi mystic - the dervish.

Qur'anic exegesis has become the battleground of political Islam and theological conflict among various Muslim schools of thought. Using comparative and contrastive methodology, this title investigates examples from the Qur'an in the light of various theological views to delineate the birth, development and growth of Qur'anic exegesis.

There are over two million Shi'is, who differ from Sunni Muslims in their understandings of the early line of succession after Muhammad, in the United States. This title provides a general overview of the Shi'i community in America, tracing its history, its composition, and how Shi'a have negotiated their identity in the American context.

What should be the place of Shari'a - Islamic religious law - in predominantly Muslim societies of the world? This book envisions a positive and sustainable role for Shari'a, based on a profound rethinking of the relationship between religion and the secular state in all societies.

This is a biography of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948). He led the fight for Indian independence from British rule, who tirelessly pursued a strategy of passive resistance, and who was assassinated by a Hindu fanatic only a few months after independence was achieved.

Recognized as the greatest literary masterpiece in Arabic, the Koran has remained difficult to understand in its English translations. This translation is written in a contemporary idiom that remains faithful to the original, making it easy to read while retaining its powers of eloquence.

Offers a look at the key elements, values, and beliefs in the Koran.

Explores the significance of the Koran both in the modern world and in traditional Muslim culture. This book provides an account of the Koran as codex, as scripture, as liturgy, and as the embodiment of truth, and examines its means of formation and dissemination. It also discusses issues of interpretation for certain key verses.

Islamic culture has produced some of the finest achievements of humanity. This title offers a look into this sometimes misunderstood faith.

An illustrated encyclopedia of the Islamic faith, its history, philosophy and religious practice. It offers an insightful overview of Islamic beliefs, teachings, texts and traditions, and an exploration of the Qur'an as the revealed word of God and as a sacred text.

A guide to the study of the Islamic faith that covers the major areas of study, including historical foundations, scripture, society, thought, ethics, rituals, spirituality and aesthetics. It draws out the critical and methodological issues that students need to grasp in the study of Islam as well as religion in general.

The famed reform debates at al-Azhar Madrasa in 19th-century Cairo - one of the most influential centres of religious study in Sunni Islam - were enormously influential for 20th-century Islamic thought. This book argues that narratives of these debates overemphasize the roles of famous modernists like Muhammad 'Abduh, obscuring important themes.

This richly textured, critically acclaimed portrait of American Muslims introduces the basic tenets of the Muslim faith, surveys the history of Islam in North America, and profiles the lifestyles, religious practices, and worldviews of Muslims in the United States. The volume focuses specifically on the difficulty of living faithfully and adhering to tradition while adapting to an American way of

How does Allah differ from the God of Jews and Christians? Can an Islamic state be founded on democratic values such as pluralism and human rights? Addressing these questions and challenging the 'clash of civilisations' mentality that has distorted our view of Islam, this book explains this faith.

The Holy Koran is the Word of God whose truth was revealed to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel. It is divided into 14 Suras or chapters, and was traditionally transmitted by word of mouth.

Universally accepted by Muslims to be the infallible Word of God as first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel nearly fourteen hundred years ago, this work contains 114 chapters or surahs that recount the narratives central to Muslim belief and together they form one of the world's influential prophetic works.