Qur'anic Christians:
An Analysis of Classical and Modern Exegesis
Jane Dammen McAuliffeBinding: Hardcover, 340 pages
Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr
Published Date: 04/01/1991
The Muslim perception of Christianity and Christians is an issue of longstanding debate among scholars of both Islam and Christianity. In this book, Jane McAuliffe analyzes a series of passages from the Qur'an that make ostensibly positive remarks about Christians. She conducts this analysis through a close examination of Muslim exegesis of the Qur'an, spanning ten centuries of commentary. In this effort to trace various interpretations of these passages, the author attempts to determine whether these positive passages can justifiably serve as proof-texts of Muslim tolerance of Christianity.
World Religions and Islam:
A Critical Study
edited and introduced by Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi
New Delhi, Sarup & Sons, 2003, 2 Vols
Contents:Vol. I: Preface; Introduction; 1. Concept of religion—an analysis /Mir Mohammed Ibrahim. 2. Typology of religions/Mir Mohammed Ibrahim. 3. Nature of ultimate reality in the Upanishads and the Qur'an/V.N. Sheshagiri Rao. 4. Dara Shikoh and comparative study of religion/S.P. Dubey. 5. Study of Islamic impact on Raja Rammohan Roy/Reeta Baghchi. 6. Islamic resurgence in Indonesia: the case of the Islah and Irshad Movement (1914-1943). 7. Spiritual economy—Syed Ali Hamadani and his role in the advancement of arts and crafts in Kashmir/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 8. The notions of divine being in various religions/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 9. Religious identity and security society/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 10. Sistan, Zoroastrianism and Islam—a socio—historical background/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 11. Islam, Christians and the west/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi.12. Islam and the west early history and political relations/Sheikh Jameil Ali. 13. An Introduction to the Bahai faith/Shoghi Effendi. 14. The meaning and significance of Bismillah/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 15. What does Ism—mean?/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 16. What the word Allah signifies?/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 17. What do the terms Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim mean?/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 18. Whether Bismillah is to be regarded as a verse/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 19. Revelation of the Quran/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 20. Muhkamat and Mutashabiat verses of the Quran/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 21.Asbab-i-Nazool—or the background of the revelation of the Quran/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 22.Nazm principle in the Quran/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 23. Abrogation in the Quran—some reflection on old and new perspectives!/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 24. Concept of knowledge in Quran/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 25. Quranology—in world wide scholarship/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. Index.
Vol. II:1. Civil liberties and Islam—some reflections on the freedom of conscience in Islam/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 2. Muslim contribution to medical sciences/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 3. Miskawayh on society and government/Badruddin Bhat. 4. Ibn Taimiyah-revisited—a study of hisAr –Raddo’Alal Mantaqiyin/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 5. The background of theMaktubat of Shaikh Ahmad Sarhindi—a study in historical perspective/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi.
6. Shaykh Ahmad Sarhindi’s concept of Universe/Afroz Ahmad Bisati. 7. Ilmul-Al-Kalam of Shah Wali Allah of Dehalawi/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 8. The philosophy of Mulla Sadra with special reference to Eschatology of Ibn Sina/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 9. The Epistemology of Baqir-as-Sadar and his critique of modern western empiricist theories of knowledge/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 10. From Judaism to Zionism—a legacy of human rights violations/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 11. Islam and the contemporary ecological crisis with reference to population control/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 12. The phenomenon of education, Islam and women—a critical preview/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 13. Hope in peace and harmony from an Islamic perspective/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 14. World wide scholarship onSeerah/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 15. Rational sciences in medieval India/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 16. Women, world religions and Islam/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 17. Issues in the translation of religious texts/Aadil Amin Kak. 18. Ghazzali and Ibn Rushd—conflict and concord/Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi. 19. Biotechnology—some issues and challenges? /Firdous A. Wani. 20. Values and ethics: the Islamic perspective/Ishtiyaqh Danish; Index.
"To define religion is one of the very difficult tasks as every interpreter attempts to give it a subjective twist to suit his individual or community aspirations. However, there have been various definitions provided by scholars to this intricate enterprise.
"The idea of God formed in one generation by one set of human beings could be meaningless in another. Indeed, the statement, "I believe in God" has no objective meaning, as such, but like any other statement only means something in context, when proclaimed by a particular community. Consequently there is no one unchanging idea contained in the word "God": instead, the word contains a whole spectrum of meanings, some of which are contradictory or even mutually exclusive." Had the notion of God not had this flexibility, it would not have survived to become one of the great human ideas. When one conception of God has ceased to have meaning or relevance, it has been quietly disregarded and replaced by a new theology. Yet if we look at three religions i.e., Judaism, Christianity and Islam, it becomes clear that there is no objective view of "God": each generation has to create the image of God that works for it.
"In this book I have attempted to present world religions in a very broader contextvis-à-vis Islam. In the introduction Islamic response to world religions has been shown in a comparative perspective. There is an article on the secular challenges that have rendered religious phenomenon vulnerable to all sorts of attacks.
"Thus the book is a collection of valuable articles written by eminent scholars belonging to various religious denominations, and researchers and teachers of Islamic studies. The book is also mean to cater the requirements of the students of comparative religions and Islamology".
Dictionary of Indian Religions
T. Rengarajan
Delhi, Eastern Book Linkers, 2003, 2 Vols. 646 p
"The book Dictionary of Indian Religions is the first dictionary purely based on Indian religions. The book, which covers entirely all Indian religions, art, literature, mythology, philosophy and its religions writers. The book, which covers,Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, Mohammedanism, Zoroastrianisen and Parisim. The book is more informative and educative. It brings to know more about Indian based religions. This book pays equal weight age to all Indian religions. The books also cover all religious festivals and its future. The book discusses more about the religious founder and their works of all Indian religions. The book will bring a great revolution in the middle of all religious readers."
Discovering Islam:
Making Sense of Muslim History and Society
Akbar S. Ahmed
New Delhi, Roli Books, 2003, xx, 251 p.
Contents: Foreword/Lawrence Rosen. Preface;1. Introduction: discovering Islam. I. The pattern of Islamic history: 3. Muslim ideal: holy book and prophet. 3. A theory of Islamic history: (a). Ideal caliphs. (b). Arab dynasties: Umayyads and Abbasids. (c). The flowering of Islamic civilization. (d). Decline and fall. (e). Shias: revolution in the revolution. (f). Mahdism and millenarian movements. 4. The great Muslim Empires: Ottomans, Saffavids and Mughals: (a). Ottomans: facing Europe. (b). Saffavids: Shia state. (c). Mughals: encounter with Hinduism. (d). Obsession and synthesis. 5. Sufis and scholars: (a). Sufis, saints and mystics. (b). Two scholars of Islam: Al Beruni and Ibn Khaldun. 6. Islam of the periphery: (a). On the periphery. (b). The Muslim minority in China. (c). Muslims in the USSR. 7. Under European rule: the colonial impact on Muslim society: (a). The disintegration of society. (b). The myth of the noble savage: Muslim tribesman. II. Contemporary Muslim society: 8. Princes and paupers: Muslim societies in Saudi Arabia and South India: (a). Saudi Arabia: the reawakening of the peninsula. (b). The Andalus syndrome inSouth India:a la recherché du temps perdu. 9. Muslim society turned inside out: ethnicity, women and refugees: (a). ‘Dubai chalo’: ethnic encounters between middle Eastern and South Asian Muslim societies. (b). Muslim women. (c). Afghan refugees: displacement and despair. 10. The reconstruction of Muslim thought: (a). Contemporary Muslim scholarship. (b). Creating Islamic social sciences. 11. Only connect: (a). American society: great Satan or paradise on earth? (b). Connecting. (c). Conclusion: the discovery of Islam. Appendix: Muslim chronology. Glossary of Islamic terminology; Bibliography: suggested readings; Index.
