muThe religion of Islam is a vast tapestry that encompasses beliefs and practices. It is a spiritual faith that influences global culture and shapes interfaith dialogue.
Ahmed examines how Muslims make meaning from their ritual and cultural practices. He criticizes Geertz’s method of analyzing meaning, arguing that it fails to account for how Muslim meaning-making is often instinctive and free-associative.
Islam: The Untold Story
As you navigate Istanbul’s bustling streets, the enchanting call to prayer resonates through the air. Your eyes are drawn to a small bookstore nestled among grand architecture, its worn cover offering up the promise of wisdom within its pages.
Opening the book, you are swept up in a profound understanding of Islam’s rich tapestry, an ancient faith with a compass of compassion and peace that inspires individuals to make positive change in the world. Through engaging narratives and real-life examples, you see how Islam encompasses a holistic way of life.
Spirituality is one of the key aspects that Nasr explores, highlighting how Islam provides guidance and practices to foster a connection with God. He also focuses on Islamic ethics, emphasizing the importance of practicing good deeds and being kind to others. He further discusses the concept of khidma, or social responsibility, illustrating how Islam encourages Muslims to contribute to their communities and address societal issues. Through zakat Islamic help, you can empower people by giving something to those in need.
A key aspect of Islam that Nasr reveals is the Quran, which is seen as the word of God. He explains how the words of the Quran have provided spiritual nourishment and guidance for believers throughout history. He also discusses the importance of understanding the context and historical background of the Quran, which is crucial to interpreting its meaning.
In the chapter on Islam’s origins, you hear from two scholars who offer conflicting views on the religion’s early development. Nasr defends the orthodox Islamic account of Islam’s history, while Crone questions its reliability. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the role of geopolitical factors in shaping Islamic teachings over time.
The Quran: The Word of God
The Quran, also known as the Koran, is the central religious text of Islam. It is believed to contain the complete Word of God and contains directives for Muslims, historical accounts of certain prophets and peoples, arguments for believing in Muhammad as a true Prophet, as well as good news for the believers and warnings for nonbelievers. Its overall message is one of peace, love and tolerance.
While it does not humanize or deify man, the Koran does depict signs of God’s existence in the universe and in the human soul, and emphasizes that all people can be saved through genuine repentance (tawbah). It also insists that the Word of God is not limited to what is revealed to the prophets; instead, a portion of God’s Word has been preserved by His grace for humanity as the written Scripture.
Nasr explores how the teachings of the Quran and the Hadith can impact the lives of Muslims in all aspects of life, from spiritual nourishment to the practice of prayer. He also reveals how Muslim ethical values such as adl (justice), ihsan (excellence), and amanah (trustworthiness) guide the behavior of Muslims in their interactions with others and provide guidance on how to live a virtuous and pious life.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s eloquent prose and profound insights will captivate your mind and heart as you embark on this journey into the essence of one of the world’s most misunderstood religions. His commitment to fostering interfaith understanding and discourse is deeply ingrained in this work, which highlights the commonalities between all faiths. It is an essential read for anyone interested in Islam and the role it can play in a peaceful and cohesive global society.
Islam: The Golden Age
The enchanting call to prayer echoes through the streets of Istanbul as your feet carry you past centuries of history. The smell of spices wafts in the air and the colors of vibrant bazaars enchant your senses. This rich tapestry of culture and faith is the heart of Islam, a religion that has shaped the lives of billions for more than a millennium.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s eloquent prose captures both the spirit and the soul of this vast religion, offering viewers an expansive journey into one of the world’s most profound teachings. With profound insights and deep spirituality, he offers a unique perspective that bridges cultural divides while honoring the universal sentiments of peace and compassion that underlie all major religions.
This documentary focuses on the Golden Age of Islamic civilization, which encompassed the years from the 8th century to the 13th. During this time, Muslim rulers established one of the largest empires in history, while scholars across the globe developed new advancements in science and culture, which paved the way for the Western Renaissance (“Islam: The Untold Story”).
Scholars during this era were encouraged to push the boundaries of knowledge and use their God-given talents to advance humanity. Many Muslims were polymaths, gaining expertise in a wide variety of fields. For example, a Muslim doctor and philosopher named Avicenna wrote the Canon of Medicine and helped to treat dangerous diseases. A Muslim mathematician and astronomer, known as Al-Khwarizmi, invented algebra and greatly improved the measurement of celestial bodies and planetary movements (see “Top 20 Greatest Muslim Scientists and Their Inventions”).
The film also explores the concept of “Oneness,” which is central to Islam, as well as its emphasis on a balance of physical, social, and spiritual well being. This balance is achieved through the rhythm of daily, embodied prayer (salaat), fasting, and zikr (literally “remembrance”–the practice of audibly or silently chanting/breathing the names and qualities of Allah).
The Kaaba: A Sacred Site
The Kaaba is a shrine that stands at the center of the Great Mosque of Mecca (Masjid al-Haram). It symbolizes the house of Allah and Muslims turn toward it during prayers and to perform Umra and Hajj pilgrimages. The Kaaba is a square-shaped structure that is covered by a black veil made of cotton and silk called the Kiswa, and it measures ten and a half meters in both its breadth and length. During pre-Islamic times, it was filled with 360 idols that represented various gods including Uzza, Awf, the Great Bird and the Sun, Moon and Morning Star from ancient Sheba. These were removed when Prophet Muhammad received instructions from Allah to clean the house of idols and return it to its original state as a house for worshiping one God.
The Black Stone or Hajar el-Aswad, which sits inside the Kaaba is believed to be a fragment of an ancient meteorite. The stone is venerated as a cornerstone of Islam and is touched, kissed and anointed with scented oils by many Muslims. It is also thought that the Black Stone has the power to forgive sins.
As you approach the final pages of Nasr’s book, you take a deep breath. You feel your heart and soul expand as you realize that you have experienced a profoundly transformative journey. You have learned to see the world with new eyes, and you understand the enlightened spirit of Islam with its compass of compassion and peace. As you close the book, a wave of gratitude washes over you and you know that you will continue to explore this rich and diverse religion with newfound knowledge and appreciation.
Islamic Science: The Untold Story
Although Islam is often presented as a religion at war with science, the opposite is true. During the Islamic Golden Age, the Islamic world saw unprecedented advances in science, technology, and culture, revolutionizing mathematics, astronomy, medicine, architecture, and other fields.
The roots of this remarkable intellectual movement can be traced to a prophet who claimed to be God’s messenger, though scholars disagree about his motives for building an “empire.” Regardless, there is no denying that the Muslim world fostered a culture of free inquiry and scientific thinking.
Using astronomy as a template, the documentary explores how early Muslim scientists developed a uniquely rich scientific legacy. For example, Muslim astronomers produced accurate measurements of the Earth and stars that predated Copernicus, and made groundbreaking contributions in mathematics and engineering.
Early Muslim scholarship also established a general respect for fully corroborated empirical evidence and a disciplined mind skilled in the classification of objects. These scholarly attitudes were reinforced by a cosmology and philosophy of life informed by religious scholarship, which emphasized the unity of all existence and a universe ordered according to a universal law of cause and effect.
As the Abbasid Empire’s power declined in the 13th century, new dynasties across the Islamic world created their own cultural politics, which encouraged scientific pursuits and the spread of learning. In particular, the sultans of al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula promoted a synthesis of Greek and Muslim sciences.
Today, a toxic combination of religious fundamentalism and scientism has emerged that has become the dominant form of Islam. This version of Islam, led by Iranian scholar and charismatic mystical master Syed Hossein Nasr, defines science not as the process of discovering objective truths but as the study of the material universe as a component of a larger ontological universe. Ten fundamental Islamic concepts were identified to establish a framework for scientific inquiry: tawheed (unity), khilafah (trusteeship of nature), ilm (knowledge), ibadah (worship), adl (justice) and zulm (injustice), and istislah (public interest).