Challenging the conservative framers of Islamic law who accorded a lesser status to women, Mohammad Ali Syed argues that the Quran and the Hadith—the two primary sources of Islamic law—actually place Muslim women on the same level as Muslim men. Syed provides an overview of both sources and explores their respective roles in Islamic law, emphasizing the Quran's role as the supreme authority and questioning the authenticity of some of the alleged sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). From these texts, he elaborates women's rights in a variety of areas, including treatment by God; marriage, divorce, financial provisions, and custody of children; coming out of seclusion (purdah), and taking part in social, economic, legal, and political activities. Rather than presenting what is practiced today, the book covers the theoretical position of Muslim women as sanctioned by the Quran and the authentic Hadith and offers a glimpse of the exalted position of honor and dignity enjoyed by Muslim women in the early days of Islam. This well-researched book is made more distinctive by the author's personal experience. Raised in Bengal, India, Syed was inspired by his family, who valued men and women equally. As he grew up, Syed realized that most Muslim women lived very differently than the women of his family. According to the author, his family was egalitarian because his father and male relatives were not only devout Muslims but also very knowledgeable about Islam. This book is a culmination of his lifelong concern for women's rights under Islam.
‘Alī, son of Abī Ṭālib, Muhammad’s son-in-law and cousin, is the only Companion of the Prophet who has remained to this day the object of fervent devotion of hundreds of millions of followers in the lands of Islam, especially in the East. Based on a detailed analysis of several categories of sources, this book demonstrates that Shi‘ism is the religion of the Imam, of the Master of Wisdom, just like Christianity is that of Christ, and that ‘Alī is the first Master and Imam par excellence. Shi‘ism can therefore be defined, in its most specific religious aspects, as the absolute faith in ‘Alī: the divine Man, the most perfect manifestation of God’s attributes, simultaneously spiritual refuge, model and horizon. With contributions by Orkhan Mir-Kasimov & Mathieu Terrier Translated from French by Francisco José Luis & Anthony Gledhill
Two major events occurred in the early centuries of Islam that determined its historical and spiritual development in the centuries that followed: the formation of the sacred scriptures, namely the Qur'an and the Hadith, and the chronic violence that surrounded the succession of the Prophet, manifesting in repression, revolution, massacre, and civil war. This is the first book to evaluate the writing of Islam's major scriptural sources within the context of these bloody, brutal conflicts. Conducting a philological and historical study of little-known though significant ancient texts, Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi rebuilds a Shi'ite understanding of Islam's early history and the genesis of its holy scriptures. At the same time, he proposes a fresh interpretative framework and a new data set for theorizing the early history of Islam, isolating the contradictions between Shi'ite and Sunni sources and their contribution to the tensions that rile these groups today.
This book is based on a series of 30 lectures delivered by the author on Islamic Ethics in Qum in winter 2012. The series was delivered as a course for a correspondence degree on the subject. Each lecture was around 25 minutes and was recorded in a studio. Thanks to God, the series has been used by correspondence students from the academic year 2012-2013 till now. Due to the importance of the subject on the one hand, and need for more texts on the subject in English on the other, it was decided to publish it as a book as well. After preparing the transcripts, the text was edited and references were added. Some parts which were more philosophical were removed. We are now pleased to present this humble book to our dear readers. It is hoped that they will find it useful for their study of Islamic morals and find it of help in their personal moral development. At the same time, I admit that 6 more work needs to be done on this in order to make it more precise and concise.
A biography of one of the most revered figures in Islamic history, said to be the grandson of the prophet Mohammed, Imam Hasan is respected by all branches of Islam.
The present work is a summarized version of Shi‘i Islam: Origins, Faith and Practices (2003, ICAS Press) by the same author. This shorter version aims to briefly address main issues related to Islam in general, and Shi‘i Islam in particular. These two works represent a modest attempt to fill some of the gaps that exist in the field of Islamic studies in general, and Shi‘i studies in particular. Though simply and clearly written, they are outcomes of more than twenty years of involvement in Islamic studies, and based to some extent on two series of lectures about Shi‘i Islam delivered to English-speaking audiences: a first set of some fifty lectures delivered at Jami‘at al-Zahra (a prominent Islamic seminary for women) in Qum, Iran in 1995 and 1996, and a second set of some thirty lectures delivered at the Manchester Islamic Institute and the Shi‘a Welfare Centre in Manchester, England in 1998 and 1999. The first chapter begins by expounding both the literal and technical meanings of the term “Shi‘a”, and references are made to statements of famous scholars in this regard. Then it proceeds to study the origins of Shi‘i Islam and how it became established. The second chapter studies the sources of Shi‘i thought, i.e. the Qur’an, the Sunnah, reason and consensus. Discussing 6 the status of the Qur’an, the chapter goes on to establish that the Shi‘a like other Muslims believe that the Qur’an which is present today is an embodiment of divine revelation to the Prophet Muhammad. The chapter continues by explaining the second most important source, i.e. the Sunnah, which includes the sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an itself asks Muslims to take the Prophet as their role model, to refer to him to judge and settle their conflicts, and speaks of the Prophet as the one who recites, teaches and explains the Qur’an. In this chapter there is also a discussion about the household of the Prophet (Ahlul Bayt) and their role in presenting the Sunnah. Then there follows a discussion about the importance of reason and its role in understanding Islamic beliefs, values and practical laws. Finally there is a discussion about legal consensus and how it is viewed with respect to the Sunnah in the Shi‘i teachings. The third chapter studies fundamental doctrines of the Shi‘i faith. Along with Unity of God, prophethood and resurrection which constitute the principles of religion for Islam and other divine religions, some important additional doctrines such as divine justice and imamate are studied. These doctrines may partly be shared by other Muslims, but the Shi‘a are those who believe in all of them. The fourth chapter is a very brief account of Shi‘i practices along with brief references to the objectives and principles underlying them. These practices are in principle shared by all Muslims, though there may be some differences in particulars among different Islamic schools. The fifth and final chapter is a short discussion about the Shi‘a world today. This chapter starts with a brief account of 7 the latest statistics about the present Muslim and Shi‘i population of the world. There is also a breakdown of religious affiliations of some countries with a long history of Shi‘i presence. Although there are no accurate and approved statistics on the current Shi‘a population in the world, efforts have been made here to collect the best available.
The second largest branch of Islam, with between 130 and 190 million adherents across the globe, Shi'i Islam is becoming an increasingly significant force in contemporary politics, especially in the Middle East. This makes an informed understanding of its fundamental spiritual beliefs and practices both necessary and timely. Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi is one of the most distinguished scholars of Shi'i history and theology, and in this volume he offers a wide-ranging and engaging survey of the core texts of Shi'i Islam. Examining in turn the origins and later developments of Shi'i spirituality, the author reveals the profoundly esoteric nature of the beliefs which accrued to the figures of the early Imams, and which became associated with their interaction between the material and spiritual worlds. Many of these beliefs have remained much misunderstood even within the wider Muslim world. Furthermore, Western scholarship has tended to follow the lead of the earlier orientalists and critics, viewing Shi'i teachings as marginal. In this study the author shows, by contrast, how central and creative the very nature of spirituality was to the development of Shi'i Islam, as well as to classical Muslim civilisation as a whole. In this comprehensive treatment, the esoteric nature of Shi'i spirituality emerges as an essential phenomenon for understanding Shi'i Islam.
Life was beautiful in Mazar-E-Sharif, Afghanistan, being a kid and enjoying my childhood. . ." . . . Until an AK-47 claimed eleven-year-old Mohammad Ali's leg-and in 1997, the Taliban claimed his beloved hometown. Targeted by Mujahudeen warlords and the Taliban, Mohammad's Shiite Muslim family from the Hazara tribe were harassed and tortured, raped, and even killed. He spiraled into suicidal depression while struggling to adjust to life as an amputee and supporting them all. As the violence and chaos escalated, so did Mohammad's anger and questions. Why, God, does the evil Taliban do bad things and you do not care? But when Mohammad was finally smuggled into Turkey, he found a Christian church. Then Jesus found him. And nothing was ever the same. A Journey of Transformation: From the Heart of Afghanistan is a harrowing story of surviving extreme violence and loss and an inspiring exploration of what it means to find life's true meaning.
A groundbreaking account of how prolonged grassroots mobilization lays the foundations for durable democratization When protests swept through the Middle East at the height of the Arab Spring, the world appeared to be on the verge of a wave of democratization. Yet with the failure of many of these uprisings, it has become clearer than ever that the path to democracy is strewn with obstacles. Mohammad Ali Kadivar examines the conditions leading to the success or failure of democratization, shedding vital new light on how prodemocracy mobilization affects the fate of new democracies. Drawing on a wealth of new evidence, Kadivar shows how the longest episodes of prodemocracy protest give rise to the most durable new democracies. He analyzes more than one hundred democratic transitions in eighty countries between 1950 and 2010, showing how more robust democracies emerge from lengthier periods of unarmed mobilization. Kadivar then analyzes five case studies—South Africa, Poland, Pakistan, Egypt, and Tunisia—to investigate the underlying mechanisms. He finds that organization building during the years of struggle develops the leadership needed for lasting democratization and strengthens civil society after dictatorship. Popular Politics and the Path to Durable Democracy challenges the prevailing wisdom in American foreign policy that democratization can be achieved through military or coercive interventions, revealing how lasting change arises from sustained, nonviolent grassroots mobilization.
The Imam, the Divine Guide, is the central point around which the Shi'ite religion turns. The power of Shi'ism comes from the actions of the Imam. This title is reserved exclusively for the sucessors of the prophets in their mission. The author shows that from the beginning of Shi'ite Islam until the tenth century, the Imam was primarily a master of knowledge with supernatural powers, not a jurist theologian. The Imam is the threshold through which God and the creatures communicate. He is thus a cosmic necessity, the key and the center of the universal economy of the sacred. The author presents Shi'ism as a religion founded on double dimensions where the role of the leader remains constantly central: perpetual initiation into divine secrets and continued confrontation with anti-initiation forces. Without esotericism, exotericism loses its meaning. Early Imamism is an esoteric doctrine. Historically, then, at the beginning of esotericism in Islam, we find an initiatory, mystical, and occultist doctrine. This is the first book to systematically explore the immense literature attributed to the Imams themselves in order to recover the authentic original vision. It restores an essential source of esotericism in the world of Islam.
This book is one of the many Islamic publications distributed by Talee throughout the world in different languages with the aim of conveying the message of Islam to the people of the world. Talee (www.talee.org) is a registered Organization that operates and is sustained through collaborative efforts of volunteers in many countries around the world, and it welcomes your involvement and support. Its objectives are numerous, yet its main goal is to spread the truth about the Islamic faith in general and the Shi`a School of Thought in particular due to the latter being misrepresented, misunderstood and its tenets often assaulted by many ignorant folks, Muslims and non-Muslims.Organization's purpose is to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge through a global medium, the Internet, to locations where such resources are not commonly or easily accessible or are resented, resisted and fought! In addition, Talee aims at encouraging scholarship, research and enquiry through the use of technological facilitates.For a complete list of our published books please refer to our website (www.talee.org) or send us an email to info@talee.org
During the 1940s and 1950s, Islamic reformism flourished in Iran. This book examines how Iranian Islamic groups came to rethink traditional accounts of religion and nurture a politicized version of Islam. The author shows how similar social and political circumstances, but different family and educational backgrounds gave rise to socialist, democratic/scientific and fundamentalist/militant reinterpretations of Islam. What was common among these groups was a tendency towards politicizing the religion. A significant contribution to discussions of contemporary political thought in Iran, this book will be of interest to researchers and academics of Islamic political though and Iranian politics and history.
پیشگفتار چالش واقعی زندگانی در دستیابی به هر آنچه که میخواهید نیست بلکه حفظ و خواستن چیزی است که بدست آوردهاید. افراد بسیار زیادی به هر آنچه که آرزویش را دارند دست مییابند اما از آن به اندازهی کافی لذت نمیبرند. زیرا هر آنچه را که بدست میآورند برایشان کفایت نمیکند همیشه این احساس را دارند که انگار چیزی را از دست دادهاند. این افراد از خودشان، روابطشان، سلامتیشان یا کارو حرفهشان راضی نمیباشند. هم چیزی وجود دارد که آرامش ذهنشان را بر هم میزند. از سوی دیگر افرادی وجود دارند که از آنچه که هستند و آنچه که انجام میدهند و آنچه که دارند رضایت دارند گر چه نمیدانند چگونه بر آنچه که دوست دارند بیفزایند. با وجود آنکه دلهایشان به روی زندگانی باز است اما برای تحقق بخشیدن به اهداف و رویاهای درونیشان کار خاصی انجام نمیدهند. آنها تلاش زیادی را انجام میدهند زیرا دیگران بیشتر از آنها دارند. اغلب افراد در جایگاهی میان این دو بینهایت میباشند. موفقیت فردی در جایی میان این دو قطب قرار دارد. به این معنا که شما هر آنچه را که میخواهید بدست آورید و برای آنچه که دارید قدر دان و شکر گذارید. موفقیت فردی هرگز با این معیار که چه کسی هستید و از چه میزان مال و منال برخوردارید یا با آنچه که بدست میآورید مورد ارزیابی و سنجش قرار نمیگیرد. بلکه در موفقیت فردی با نحوهی احساس خوب و خوشایندتان نسبت به آنچه که هستید، هر آنچه که انجام دادهاید و آنچه که دارید سنجیده و ارزیابی می شوید. موفقیت فردی در دست هر یک از ماست و ما میبایست بطور واضح و روشن بدانیم که چه میخواهیم و دقت و توجه خودمان را به هر آنچه که میخواهیم معطوف سازیم. موفقیت فردی به معنای کسب هرآنچه که آرزویش را دارید و سپاسگذاری از هر آنچه که دارید میباشد. بهرحال موفقیت فردی تنها شامل برخورداری از حس خوب یا خوشحالی از زندگانی نخواهد بود. بلکه شامل حس اطمینان و اعتمادی است که شما هرآنچه را که میخواهید میتوانید بدست آورید و برای دستیابی به آن انگیزه و اندیشه انجام دادنش را بیابید. موفقیت فردی در رابطه با نحوه دستیابی به زندگی دلخواهتان یک ارتباط مستقیم دارد که آن نیز به درکی روشن و واضح نیازمند میباشد. برای بعضی افراد دستیابی به موفقیت فردی در حقیقت بدان معناست که یاد بگیرید چگونه هرچه بیشتر به دست آورند و برای بعضی افراد دیگر به معنای شاد و خوشحالتر نمودن است و حتی برای عده بسیاری هر دو این مهارتها از اهمیت والایی برخوردار میباشد. کسب موفقیت فردی نباید به حساب شانس و اقبال، سرنوشت و یا تقدیر گذاشت. اگرچه برخی از افراد با وجود داشتن تواناییهای بالقوه در این زمینه به دنیا میایند اما بطور معمول برای دستیابی به موفقیت فردی میبایست در ابتدا مهارتهایی را فراگرفت. خبر خوشحال کننده این است که شما می توانید چگونگی کسب موفقیت فردی را بیاموزید و احتمالاً از هر انچه که تصور میکنید به موفقیت نزدیکتر میباشید. اغلب افراد تنها با چند تغییر کوچک اما مهم در نحوه تفکر، احساس یا عملکرد خویش میتوانند در طول زندگانی به هر آنچه که میخواهند دست یابند. چند تغییر و تحول جزئی اما مهم در چگونگی افکارمان میتواند راه موفقیت فردی بیشتری را هموار نمود. استفاده از یک یا دو بینش نوین در زندگی میتواند بدون اغراق همه چیز را تغییر دهد اگرچه اوضاع و شرایط امکان دارد بطور موقت همانطور که قبلاً بود باقی بماند اما چگونگی نگرش و دیدگاه شما به زندگیتان میتواند در یک لحظه تغییر کند. زمانیکه فشارهای زندگی روز افزون میشود شما میتوانید با دریافت کمک به آرامش دست یابید و مجدداً با دقت و توجه هرچه بیشتر به مسائل پیرامون بپردازید. همچنین با کمی تعدیل و تفکیک در نگرشتان نه تنها میتوانید از هر آنچه که در کف اختیار دارید نهایت لذت را ببرید بلکه مطمئن میشوید که در مسیر درست دستیابی به آنچه میخواهید قدم برداشتهاید.
For the public at large Shi’ism often implies a host of confused representations, suggesting more often than not obscurantism, intolerance, political violence and other ignominies running hot or cold in response to world events. In fact for many people, Shi’ism stands for "radical Islam", or – worse – "Islamic terrorism". In some respects, nothing is more familiar than Shi’ism, and yet nothing is more misunderstood. For some twenty years the media have increased their coverage of the phenomenon. Never, or only rarely, do they formulate the question we ask here: what is Shi’ism? What is this belief that inspires millions of people dispersed throughout the world? This book provides a broad based introduction to Shi’i Islam. It examines what the Shi’i believe, how they see themselves and how they view the world. It includes a thorough examination of doctrine, philosophy, the Shi’i approach to the Qur’an and the historical evolution of Shi’ism as a branch of Islam. Too often, and too quickly, the conclusion is drawn that Shi’ism is a marginal heretical sect, fundamentally alien to the deeper truth of the great religion of Islam, thrust by historical accident onto the political stage. Shi’ism either speaks the truth of Islam, meaning that it is a truth of terror, or it is entirely foreign to Islam and, therefore, merits outright rejection, as Islamic fundamentalists and some individuals repeatedly claim. This book intends to explain why such common misunderstandings of Shi’ism have taken root. Written in an accessible format and providing a thorough overview of Shi’ism, this book will be an essential text for students and scholars of Islamic Studies or Iranian Studies.
Rural development remains a major challenge for governments of developing countries such as Pakistan. While a broad range of state and donor interventions impact the lives of poor farmers -who provide a significant proportion of the labour force - comprehensive consideration of these combined interactions remains inadequate. Focussing on Pakistan, this book discusses the political economy of agrarian poverty and underdevelopment in the region. The book provides an in-depth exploration of the combined impact of state and donor interventions, as well as that of resistance attempts, to alter the status quo within Pakistan. It questions the relevance of state institutions and policies contending with the problems of farmers in Pakistan, and how donor-led policies and programmes also influence their lives. It draws on findings that have emerged from interviews of over 200 respondents including government officials, donor agency representatives and different categories of poor farmers, during eleven months of fieldwork in the provinces of Sindh and Punjab. This research reveals some divergences between state and donor policies, but it finds more prominent convergences, which in turn enable the landed rural elite to benefit from market-based and capital-intensive processes of agricultural growth, without offering substantial opportunities for poor farmers. Reflecting the need to become less insular when discussing solutions to rural development, and demonstrating how state policies and institutions can interconnect with donor funded programmes, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of South Asian Politics and Development Studies.
The well-known invocation called Tasbih of Lady Fatimah (a) is a common practice among believers as it is recommended to recite it frequently, especially after the daily prayers. As a result of its common practice, there is great need to know more about its significance and meaning. In this book, we are going to reflect on the performance, the merits, history, and meaning of the Tasbiḥ of Lady Fatimah (a), particularly in light of a more general discussion on tasbih, or glorification of Allah (swt), to enable us to benefit more from it in our life journey. There are many references to this tasbih. For example, when recommended supplications after the daily ritual prayer (ta‘qībāt) are brought up in our major hadith compilations, this tasbih is highlighted. Moreover, this tasbih is also studied in the field of jurisprudence (fiqh) in association with daily prayers, and in the books on early history of Islam in association with the events of the life of Lady Fatimah (a) and Imam Ali (a). The present work was initially conceived of as a series of three lectures delivered in Feb 2019 in London on the occasion of the demise anniversary of Lady Fatimah. The lectures were 6 later organised and revised with references checked and bibliographical data added.
The science of tafsir (exegesis of the Qur'an) was one of the earliest academic activities in Islam. Since the Qur'an's revelation, a variety of methods and approaches have been developed to interpret its verses. This introductory textbook deals with the most important methods used in tafsir. Having made the distinction between exegetical 'methods' and 'approaches', the author focsues his analysis on the following exegetical methods: tasfir of the Qur'an by the Qur'an, narrative exegesis, intellectual and reason-based exegesis, scientific exegesis, allusive exegesis, exegesis by personal opinion, and comprehensive exegesis. This is an ideal textbook for beginners to the subject. There are useful summaries at the end of each chapter as well as questions, research tasks, and suggestions for further reading. The text abounds with examples from the works of leading exegetes and is written in a clear and lucid style.
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