Synopses & Reviews
As the specter of religious extremism has become a fact of life today, the temptation is great to allow the evil actions and perspectives of a minority to represent an entire tradition. In the case of Islam, there has been much recent confusion in the Western world centered on distorted portrayals of its core values. Born of ignorance, such confusion feeds the very problem at hand.
In The Heart of Islam one of the great intellectual figures in Islamic history offers a timely presentation of the core spiritual and social values of Islam: peace, compassion, social justice, and respect for the other. Seizing this unique moment in history to reflect on the essence of his tradition, Seyyed Hossein Nasr seeks to "open a spiritual and intellectual space for mutual understanding." Exploring Islamic values in scripture, traditional sources, and history, he also shows their clear counterparts in the Jewish and Christian traditions, revealing the common ground of the Abrahamic faiths.
Nasr challenges members of the world's civilizations to stop demonizing others while identifying themselves with pure goodness and to turn instead to a deeper understanding of those shared values that can solve the acute problems facing humanity today. "Muslims must ask themselves what went wrong within their own societies," he writes, "but the West must also pose the same question about itself . . . whether we are Muslims, Jews, Christians, or even secularists, whether we live in the Islamic world or in the West, we are in need of meaning in our lives, of ethical norms to guide our actions, of a vision that would allow us to live at peace with each other and with the rest of God's creation." Such help, he believes, lies at the heart of every religion and can lead the followers of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as other religious and spiritual traditions to a new future of mutual respect and common global purpose.
The Heart of Islam is a landmark presentation of enduring value that offers hope to humanity, and a compelling portrait of the beauty and appeal of the faith of 1.2 billion people.
Review
“Concise, clear, and eloquent, it has the crystalline ring of the voice of reason and cuts through layers of ignorance.” The World & I
Review
“A lasting, honest, and intimate tour of Islams basic aspects...” The [New Jersey] Star-Ledger
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“[I]t is hard to imagine a better introduction to the faith.” Library Journal
Review
“This is exactly the right book... to counter the demonizing stereotypes of Islam proliferated by the war on terrorism” Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions
Review
“Professor Nasr has put the beauty and appeal of Islam into clear and readable English.” John Shelby Spong, author of A New Christianity for a New World
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“The most important study of Islam in all its breadth and all its depth available in the English language.” Gai Eaton, author of Islam and the Destiny of Man
Review
“Filled with challenge and insight...an indispensable text.” Rabbi Michael Paley
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“This sensitive, insightful and beautifully written book comes as a ray of sunshine.” Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of GodMark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of GodMark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of GodMark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of God
Review
“An illuminating new book that explores the spiritual and social values of the faith of one-fifth of humanity.” Christian Science Monitor
Synopsis
The world s leading Islamicist and foremost Muslim expert on the West offers a timely expression of the core spiritual and social values of Islam, showing their complementarity to Jewish and Christian values, as well as their positive contribution to a peaceful and humane global future.
As the spectre of religious extremism has become a fact of life today, the temptation is great to allow the evil actions and perspectives of a minority to stand for the values of an entire tradition. In the case of Islam, there has been much recent confusion in the Western world centred on distorted portrayals of its core values.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr offers a timely presentation of the core spiritual and social values of Islam, such as peace, compassion, social justice, tolerance, and the like. Each chapter shows the roots of these values in Islamic scripture, teaching, and tradition, and shows parallels with their counterparts in Jewish and Christian traditions. Nasr calls the followers of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) to a new future of mutual respect and common global purpose, as he portrays the beauty and appeal of the heart of the faith of 1.2 billion people.
Synopsis
As the specter of religious extremism has become a fact of life today, the temptation is great to allow the evil actions and perspectives of a minority to represent an entire tradition. In the case of Islam, there has been much recent confusion in the Western world centered on distorted portrayals of its core values. Born of ignorance, such confusion feeds the very problem at hand.
In The Heart of Islam one of the great intellectual figures in Islamic history offers a timely presentation of the core spiritual and social values of Islam: peace, compassion, social justice, and respect for the other. Seizing this unique moment in history to reflect on the essence of his tradition, Seyyed Hossein Nasr seeks to "open a spiritual and intellectual space for mutual understanding." Exploring Islamic values in scripture, traditional sources, and history, he also shows their clear counterparts in the Jewish and Christian traditions, revealing the common ground of the Abrahamic faiths.
Nasr challenges members of the world's civilizations to stop demonizing others while identifying themselves with pure goodness and to turn instead to a deeper understanding of those shared values that can solve the acute problems facing humanity today. "Muslims must ask themselves what went wrong within their own societies," he writes, "but the West must also pose the same question about itself . . . whether we are Muslims, Jews, Christians, or even secularists, whether we live in the Islamic world or in the West, we are in need of meaning in our lives, of ethical norms to guide our actions, of a vision that would allow us to live at peace with each other and with the rest of God's creation." Such help, he believes, lies at the heart of every religion and can lead the followers of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as other religious and spiritual traditions to a new future of mutual respect and common global purpose.
The Heart of Islam is a landmark presentation of enduring value that offers hope to humanity, and a compelling portrait of the beauty and appeal of the faith of 1.2 billion people.
About the Author
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the world's leading experts on Islamic thought and spirituality, is university professor of Islamic Studies at The George Washington University. The preeminent Sufi scholar in the United States, Nasr is the author of more than fifty other books, including The Heart of Islamand Islam. Born in Tehran, raised in the United States, and graduate of MIT and Harvard, Nasr is a well-known and highly respected intellectual figure in both the West and the Islamic world. He lives in Washington, D.C.