Universal Science An Introduction To Islamic Metaphysics

The Universal Science (ʿIlm-i kullī) by Mahdī Ḥaʾiri Yazdī is a concise and authoritative introduction to the fundamental discussions in Islamic metaphysics. This short work offers an accessible, lucid, and deeply learned, guide through the ‘living tradition’ of Shīʿī philosophy.

In this masterful treatise of Sufi spirituality and metaphysics, Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi al-Karkari maps out the mystical journey to God as an initiatic progression through seven degrees of realization, or readings, of the divine Name Allāh. These seven degrees encapsulate what it means to read in the Name of the Lord, letter by letter, syllable by syllable, until the Hu, Lahu, Lillāh, ilāh, Allāh, Alif, and the Treasure-Dot are inwardly realized in the heart of the wayfarer. The Shaykh guides the reader from secret to secret, or reading to reading, devoting ten subchapters to each degree of the divine Name. Written with both metaphysical rigor and poetic elegance, the book comprises seventy short chapters that correspond to the seventy veils of Light and darkness between God and creation. Throughout the book, he emphasises the centrality of directly witnessing the Divine Light, the indispensability of a living spiritual master, the dynamic between transcendence and immanence, the purification of the heart, and wholehearted commitment to practicing the Sunna and continuous invocation as a means of attaining direct knowledge of God. Describing the fruit of wayfaring, the Shaykh proclaims: "[It is] a matter of sheer fruitional experience, tasted only by those who plunge the depths of the kernel of the heart...Only those who possess strong resolve may directly experience the innermost secret. They entirely orient themselves in pursuit of pure meaning, and ride upon the steed of willpower, with both a strong spiritual essence and the power of passionate love...[For] the innermost secret is not something that can be spoken of, but a realization of the presence of the Real. It is the descent of the Real toward the servant, and the ascent of the servant toward the Real. It is a state, and a direct experience through unveiling. It is a certainty that is curtained by the 'as if' (the Kāf) of 'As if you see Him.'...Now, in order to learn the innermost secret and stand at the station of its people, you must first and foremost find its wellspring. By this, I mean a Shaykh who will teach you how to reach God, and whose very sight inspires in you an understanding of the seriousness and severity of this affair. As for the seeker who cannot find the waters of realization, he is to perform the dry ablution (tayammum) with dust, in the manner of those who are too sick to use water. He must adhere to the outward levels of the revealed Law as understood by the average believer, and profess God's perfect transcendence, while surrendering to God's folk."

The articles selected for this volume explore emergent issues in the contemporary relationship between Islam and science and present studies of eight major voices in the discourse. Also included is a section on the operationalization of Islamic science in the modern world and a section on studies in traditional Islamic cosmology.

Contains a series of studies into the philosophical trends and thinkers associated with the Shīʻī tradition. The volume offers insight into the rich intellectual history in Shīʻah Islam of examining enduring and integral theological, mystical, metaphysical, and epistemological questions. The chapters are broad in scope, commencing from the classical period of philosophical theology and proceeding to examine philosophical aspects of the thought of al-Shaykh al-Mufīd, Mīr Dāmād, and Mullā Ṣadrā, amongst others.

A new approach to the teaching of Islamic philosophy by the renowned Islamic philosopher Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai, this work provides a useful overview of twentieth-century philosophy in Iran and the development of philosophy in the Islamic religious tradition. While balancing the philosophical tradition with Quran and hadith, the author demonstrates the mutual independence of theology and philosophy and the lasting harmony between reason and revelation in the Islamic tradition.

"An exposition of Islamic mysticism by a Sufi scholar"--

This book demonstrates why and how it is necessary to redesign Islamic Education curriculum in the K-12 sector globally. From Western public schools that integrate Muslim perspectives to be culturally responsive, to public and private schools in Muslim minority and majority contexts that teach Islamic studies as a core subject or teach from an Islamic perspective, the volume highlights the unique global and sociocultural contexts that support the disparate trajectories of Islamic Education curricula. Divided into three distinct parts, the text discusses current Islamic education curricula and considers new areas for inclusion as part of a general renewal effort that includes developing curricula from an Islamic worldview, and the current aspirations of Islamic education globally. By providing insights on key concepts related to teaching Islam, case studies of curriculum achievements and pitfalls, and suggested processes and pillars for curriculum development, contributors present possibilities for researchers and educators to think about teaching Islam differently. This text will benefit researchers, doctoral students, and academics in the fields of secondary education, Islamic education, and curriculum studies. Those interested in religious education as well as the sociology and theory of religion more broadly will also enjoy this volume.

This is a translation of Mehdi Hairi Yazdi’s حکمت و حکومت (Ḥikmat wa Ḥukūmat) which provides a philosophical critique of the theory of the guardianship of the jurist. This theory is currently the governance theory in Iran and Mehdi Hairi Yazdi’s treatise provides a critique based on both philosophical and traditional arguments. It asks numerous questions, such as: ‘Is the governance of jurists philosophically coherent, rational and efficient?’ and ‘How can Muslim communities have their own forms of governance in such a manner that their faith commitments are met while living in their own time without clashing with universal values of governance?’ and debunks the key foundation of the guardianship of the jurist. The present translation makes accessible, for the first time, the text of this critique in English, and provides a competing narrative based on his theory of joint public ownership in political theory.