The Seventy Seven Branches Of Faith

This is the first English translations of one of the most popular manuals of Islam ever written. It is divided into seventy-seven chapters, each dealing with a major aspect of Islam, giving the relevant Quranic verses and authentic Hadiths for each. The book is an essential tool for all English-speaking Muslims.

The Branches of ?m?n is a translation of Mukhta?ar Shu?bul ?m?n by Im?m Qazw?ni . It is an abridgement of the Branches of ?m?n by Im?m Bayhaqi which in reality is a commentary of a single ?ad?th of Rasulull?h ? in which he taught that "?m?n has sixty-odd, or seventy-odd branches, the highest and best of which is to declare that there is no one worthy of worship except All?h, and the lowest of which is to remove something harmful from the path. And that modesty is a branch of ?m?n."Rasulullah ? captured and placed in the heart of his ummah the beauty of ?m?n. There are high branches and low branches. He mentioned three in the ?ad?th but indicated that there are many more.Im?m Bayhaqi endeavoured to compile all the narrations related to ?m?n and its branches. This compilation reached six volumes and out of the grasp of the layman and more suited to the research scholars. Imam Qazw?ni abridged the original into the short treatise before you which is accessible to all.When a Muslim strives to become a true and complete Mu?min, then he must learn and recognise within himself the signs of ?m?n or the lack thereof. All?h Ta??la and his Messenger ? has told us these signs so we can struggle and pray that he blesses us with a perfect faith before we die.Branches of ?m?n is also a presentation of the fundamental beliefs of Isl?m and can be utilised for teaching Aq?da without resorting to historical polemical debates. Finally, Im?m Qazw?ni masterfully quotes from the greatest ??li??n of this ummah where required to show the spiritual significance of these branches.

Philosophically Thinking about World Religions is different from other works in the discipline today. It deviates from the typical approaches used for the study of world religions. Its goal is to engage readers in thinking hard about world religions, not about the data surrounding those traditions. By focusing on philosophical questions, each reader should be challenged to do their own investigations that may reveal the heart of these traditions. Another stance that this project takes that distinguishes it from other texts in the discipline is that it advocates an inclusivist perspective regarding the world religions. Pluralism, which is the predominate assumption today, ends either in contradiction or in the development of a metatheory that dismisses crucial distinctions between the various traditions or eliminates some ancient religions because they do not fit the metatheory. By taking an open inclusivist approach, all religious traditions may engage at the table of dialogue. The final essay is about justice and social affairs. While that discussion is couched within the context of a particular tradition, each religious tradition must have the discussion. But it must be more than an intrareligious dialogue; it must become an interreligious dialogue.

The Handbook of Islamic Sects and Movements offers a multinational study of Islam, its variants, influences, and neighbouring movements, from a multidisciplinary range of scholars. These chapters highlight the diversity of Islam, especially in its contemporary manifestations, as a religion of many communities, theologies, and ideologies. Over five sections—on Sunni, Shia, Sufi, fundamentalist, and fringe Islamic movements—the authors provide historical overviews, analyses, and in-depth studies of large and small Islamic and related groups from all around the world. The contents of this volume will be of interest to both newcomers to the study of Islam and established scholars of religion who wish to engage with the dynamic label of Islam and the many impactful movements of the Islamic world.

“A welcome expansion of the fragile territory known as common ground.” —The New York Times When Reza Aslan’s bestseller Zealot came out in 2013, there was criticism that he hadn’t addressed his Muslim faith while writing the origin story of Christianity. In fact, Ross Douthat of The New York Times wrote that “if Aslan had actually written in defense of the Islamic view of Jesus, that would have been something provocative and new.” Mustafa Akyol’s The Islamic Jesus is that book. The Islamic Jesus reveals startling new truths about Islam in the context of the first Muslims and the early origins of Christianity. Muslims and the first Christians—the Jewish followers of Jesus—saw Jesus as not divine but rather as a prophet and human Messiah and that salvation comes from faith and good works, not merely as faith, as Christians would later emphasize. What Akyol seeks to reveal are how these core beliefs of Jewish Christianity, which got lost in history as a heresy, emerged in a new religion born in 7th Arabia: Islam. Akyol exposes this extraordinary historical connection between Judaism, Jewish Christianity and Islam—a major mystery unexplored by academia. From Jesus’ Jewish followers to the Nazarenes and Ebionites to the Qu’ran’s stories of Mary and Jesus, The Islamic Jesus will reveal links between religions that seem so contrary today. It will also call on Muslims to discover their own Jesus, at a time when they are troubled by their own Pharisees and Zealots.

In this book the Promised Messiah, on whom be peace, discusses the philosophy of divine revelation, the three categories of people who claim to receive revelation, and the distinction of the truthful from the false. He then establishes his truthfulness by documenting over 200 Signs, including the fulfillment of prophecies made by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, other men of God, earlier scriptures, and his own revelations spanning over twenty-five years. The author cites numerous examples of his enemies who publicly predicted his downfall and demise, only to become the very victims of their own prophecies. God, however, protected him against every assault, while continuously reassuring him of His promise to bless his Community—a promise which continues to bear the seal and testimony of history. The author also appeals to the followers of different faiths to read this book cover to cover to appreciate and accept this evidence as proof that God is One and the Holy Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and that he is the Promised Messiah raised to unite humanity under the banner of Islam.