"Ibn Àrabi is unquestionably one of the most profound figures in the history of world spirituality, a visionary of superlative wisdom and compassion. Known as the "Greatest Master" (al-Shaykh al-Akbar), he led an extraordinary inner and outer life. He travelled huge distances, f…
The present volume is dedicated to the study of 'Abd al-Ghanī al-Nābulusī (1641-1731), an outstanding religious scholar, sufi thinker and man of letters from 17th-18th-century Ottoman Syria. With its focus on a careful examination of Nābulusī's multifaceted and enriching textual…
"Islam in characterised by a number of inner dualities and oppositions of practice and belief. In its attempt to squash the influence of animism and pantheism or polytheism and to promote the idea of the One and Only Absolute, God, Islam has come up against a tendency within its…
The pilgrimage to Mecca - the hajj - is a major aspect of the Islamic religion, yet little has been written about its history or of the conditions under which thousands of pilgrims from far-flung regions of the Islamic world were able to travel to the heart of the Arabian penins…
This book analyses the events of a decade-long encounter between an Italian Dominican, Riccoldo da Montecroce (c. 1243-1320), and the Muslims of Baghdad, as recounted by the friar himself. While many of Riccoldo's views of the Muslims are consonant with those of his medieval con…
Traces the evolution of Muslim extremism from its earliest stirrings to today's violent acts of terrorism.
"At the turn of the twentieth century, thousands of Central Asians made the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. Traveling long distances, many lived for extended periods in Ottoman cities dotting the routes. Though technically foreigners, these Muslim colonial subjects often blurred the…
"In recent times Islamic martyrdom has become associated with suicide missions conducted by extremists. However, as David Cook demonstrates, this type of martyrdom is very different from the classical definition, which condemned suicide and stipulated that anyone who died as a b…
