God and Humans in Islamic Thought
Abd al-Jabbar, Ibn Sina and Al-Ghazali
By Maha Elkaisy-Friemuth
Published January 25th 2011 by Routledge – 214 pages
Description
Winner of The Iranian World Prize for the Book of the Year 2007 in the Philosophy and Mysticism category.
This new and original text provides a timely re-examination of Islamic thought, presenting a stark contrast to the more usual conservative view.
The explanation of the relationship between God and humans, as portrayed in Islam, is often influenced by the images of God and of human beings which theologians, philosophers and mystics have in mind. The early period of Islam reveals a diversity of interpretations of this relationship. Elkaisy-Friemuth discusses the view of three scholars from the tenth and eleventh century: Abd al-Jabbar, Ibn Sina and Al-Ghazali, which introduce three different approaches of looking at the relationship between God and Humans.
God and Humans in Islamic Thought attempts to shed light on an important side of medieval rational thought in demonstrating its significance in forming the basis of an understanding of the nature of God, the nature of human beings and the construction of different bridges between them.
Reviews
'[T]his study of the philosophical analysis of the Islamic faith is accessible to all philosophers who are interested in the relationship between religious faith and reason, and the author is to be congratulated for providing an extremely insightful and meticulous account of the human and divine relationship in the works of these significant Islamic thinkers.'
– Patrick Quinn, All Hallows College, Dublin, in Philosophy East & West
Contents
Introduction 1. Historical and Cultural Context 2. Abd Al-Jabbar's View of the Relationship with God through Divine Assistance 3. Relationship with God through Knowledge and Love, Ishq in Ibn Sina's Philosophy 4. Relationship with God through Self Annihilation, Fana, According to Al-Ghazali 5. Comparison and Evaluation
Name: God and Humans in Islamic Thought: Abd al-Jabbar, Ibn Sina and Al-Ghazali (Paperback) – Routledge
Description: By Maha Elkaisy-Friemuth. Winner of The Iranian World Prize for the Book of the Year 2007 in the Philosophy and Mysticism category.
This new and original text provides a timely re-examination of Islamic thought, presenting a stark contrast to the more usual conservative view...
Categories: Medieval History 400-1500, Islam - Religion, Islamic Philosophy, Middle East Studies, Middle East Society, Religion