The book is a challenge and a wake-up call on the current Muslim Umma exposing their apparent ineptitude and disregard to the warnings signs lessons and proofs in the Holy Qur’ān and the Aḥādīth of the Holy Apostle. Muslim Ummas' knowledge is abundant but without spiritual leader (an Imām/Caliph). This leads to distorting the Sunnah. Knowledge becomes subsequently not substantiated by action. Opinion has replaced firmness comprehensiveness conclusiveness and grasp of the Universal Message. There is no way out or an alternative to the woes of the Muslim Umma, but to remember Muḥammad Rasūlullah and his Ṣaḥābas and then act upon their examples. There is no Muslim who is not a Muqallid (imitator) of the Holy Apostle for the Sunnah is self explanatory. He is the only one. A Muslim should avoid begging Allah to return him to earth to work righteous deeds other than the deed he had done. Therefore imitating one other than the Holy Apostle is not allowed.

Philosophical theology is aimed primarily at theoretical understanding of the nature and attributes of God and of God's relationship to the world and its inhabitants. During the twentieth century, much of the philosophical community (both in the Anglo-American analytic tradition and in Continental circles) had grave doubts about our ability to attain any such understanding. In recent years the analytic tradition in particular has moved beyond the biases that placed obstacles in the way of the pursuing questions located on the interface of philosophy and religion. The result has been a rebirth of serious, widely-discussed work in philosophical theology. The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology attempts both to familiarize readers with the directions in which this scholarship has gone and to pursue the discussion into hitherto under-examined areas. Written by some of the leading scholars in the field, the essays in the Handbook are grouped in five sections. In the first ("Theological Prolegomena"), articles focus on the authority of scripture and tradition, on the nature and mechanisms of divine revelation, on the relation between religion and science, and on theology and mystery. The next section ("Divine Attributes") focuses on philosophical problems connected with the central divine attributes: aseity, omnipotence, omniscience, and the like. In Section Three ("God and Creation"), essays explore theories of divine action and divine providence, questions about petitionary prayer, problems about divine authority and God's relationship to morality and moral standards, and various formulations of and responses to the problem of evil. The fourth section ("Topics in Christian Philosophy") examines philosophical problems that arise in connection with such central Christian doctrines as the trinity, the incarnation, the atonement, original sin, resurrection, and the Eucharist. Finally, Section Five ("Non-Christian Philosophical Theology") introduces readers to work that is being done in Jewish, Islamic, and Chinese philosophical theology.

This excellent book is translated from the original Arabic book 'Nidham ul Islam' by Sheikh Taqiuddin An Nabahani, an Islamic jurist, 'alim, writer and the founder of Hizb ut-Tahrir - the largest Islamic global political party under a single leadership. It lays out the fundamentals to develop a strong Islamic personality and da'wah carrier. It begins with laying the foundation by explaining the correct way to belief. It proves the existence of a creator intellectually and the Quran as the final revelation sent to humanity by Allah (swt). It then goes on to clarify the important creedal concept of Al-Qada wal Qadar (fate and destiny), which is often held in a vague or confused manner. The third chapter, its largest concentrates on explaining the different ideologies that exists namely Capitalism, Communism and Islam highlighting the differences between them giving the reader a clear framework to understand the world that we live in. After having laid the basis for the correct belief, intellectual and political thinking, it then moves onto address the key Islamic legal principles. The short chapters are intended to focus on the most important aspects such as Usuli subjects like the meaning of Hukm Shar'i, the types of ahkam shariah, Sunnah and emulating (ta'assi) the actions of the Messenger (saw). The last section of the book also clarifies misconceptions regarding spirituality and morals according to Islam as well as articulating the need for a constitution for the future Islamic state.

This work studies the development of the institution of the uluma in the Muslim world, with special reference to Shi'ite Islam, in which a semi-formal hierarchy has been in existence since the 19th century. The book examines the emergence of Ithn 'Ashar jurisprudence and its periodic changes, the rise of a Shi'ite learned body, the institutionalization of the positions of mujtahid and marja' a l-taqlid, their financial sources of authority, and finally the political roles of the uluma. It also surveys the long drawn out struggle for authority amongst the representatives of speculative thought in Shi'ism. It includes the challenges of the Sufis, Akhbaris and Shaykhis to the office of ulama, which was successfully empowered with juristic mandate and with the charismatic authority of the viceregent of the Imam.

This collection of papers presents a reformist project calling upon Muslim intellectuals and scholars everywhere to comprehend the vast breadth and depth of the crisis engulfing Muslim thought today and the necessity of solving this crisis to enable the Ummah to experience a revival and fulfill its role among the nations of the world. The reader will find a variety of articles dealing with this intellectual crises, these include a chapter on ijtihad's role and history, important since our intellectual problems cannot be solved without the scholars' use of independent reasoning and creativity. Another discusses imitation (taqlid) calling upon Muslim scholars and intellectuals to abandon imitation and to stop favoring the past over the present when trying to solve modern problems. Another looks at human rights.

Islamic Thought is a fresh and contemporary introduction to the philosophies and doctrines of Islam. Abdullah Saeed, a distinguished Muslim scholar, traces the development of religious knowledge in Islam, from the pre-modern to the modern period. The book focuses on Muslim thought, as well as the development, production and transmission of religious knowledge, and the trends, schools and movements that have contributed to the production of this knowledge. Key topics in Islamic culture are explored, including the development of the Islamic intellectual tradition, the two foundation texts, the Qur’an and Hadith, legal thought, theological thought, mystical thought, Islamic Art, philosophical thought, political thought, and renewal, reform and rethinking today. Through this rich and varied discussion, Saeed presents a fascinating depiction of how Islam was lived in the past and how its adherents practise it in the present. Islamic Thought is essential reading for students beginning the study of Islam but will also interest anyone seeking to learn more about one of the world’s great religions.

A comprehensive guide to Islamic legal scholarship, this Handbook offers a direct and accessible introduction to Islamic law and the academic debates within the field. Topics include textual sources and authority, institutions, substantive legal areas, Islamic legal philosophy, and Islamic law in the Muslim World and in Muslim minority countries.

Mohammed Arkoun is one of the Muslim world`s foremost thinkers. His efforts to liberate Islamic history from dogmatic constructs have led him to a radical review of traditional history. Drawing on a combination of pertinent disciplines ? history, sociology, psychology and anthropology ? his approach subjects every system of belief and non-belief, every tradition of exegesis, theology and jurisprudence to a critique aimed at liberating reason from the grip of dogmatic postulates. By treating Islam as a religion as well as a time-honoured tradition of thought, Arkoun`s work aims at overcoming the limitations of descriptive, narrative and chronological modes in history by recommending that the entire development of Islamic thought ? from Quranic to present-day fundamentalist discourses ? be subjected to a critical analysis guided by these categories. The expected outcome of such a strategy is an emancipated political reason working hand in hand with a truly creative imagination for a radical re-construction of mind and society in the contemporary Muslim world.

Across the Muslim world today, if anything is self-evident across the Muslim world today it is that the Ummah is badly in need of reform. On this point it can be stated with confidence that Muslims are agreed. Poverty and injustice characterize the face of Muslim lands from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Pollution and corruption are the order of the day in the societies where the gulf between them and the developed countries of the world has never been wider. Politics in the Muslim world are all too often the politics of deprivation, and culture the culture of despair. “Crisis in the Muslim Mind” examines the intellectual and historical roots of the malaise that has encompassed the Ummah and threatens to efface its identity. Firs published in Arabic in 1991, this important work (in an abridged English translation) is designed to familiarize educated and concerned Muslims with the nature of the crisis confronting them, and to suggest the steps necessary to overcome it.

Drawing on the work of Hegel, this book proposes a framework for understanding modernity in the Muslim world and analyzes the discourse of prominent Muslim thinkers and political leaders. Chapter by chapter, the book undertakes a close textual analysis of the works of Mohammad Iqbal, Abul Ala Maududi , Sayyid Qutb , Fatima Mernissi, Mehdi Haeri Yazdi, Mohammad Mojtaehd Shabestari, Mohammad Khatami, Seyyed Hussein Nasr and Mohamad Arkoun, drawing conclusions about contemporary Islamic thought with reference to some of the most significant markers of modernity.