Rethinking Islam & the West : New,
'A New Narrative for the Age of Crises'
*[A5] Paperback - 186 pages,
by Ahmed Paul Keeler,
Published by Equilibra Press.
Back in Stock July 2022
Description :
Rethinking Islam & the West : A New Narrative for the Age of Crises' - Islam and the West have been neighbours for 1400 years. The West grew up under the shadow of Islam, and then after the Renaissance, in a dramatic reversal of roles, the West became world conquerors and subdued all other cultures and civilisations, including Islam. This transformation ushered in the modern world, a world unlike any that had existed before.
All nations are now judged according to their scientific progress, technological development and economic growth. And yet, humanity is now experiencing multiple crises that are threatening our very existence. Population explosion, financial, social and political instability, the alarming growth of mental illness, the threat of nuclear annihilation and climate change all loom over humanity like a dark cloud. Simultaneously, the world is witnessing a dangerous escalation in the polarisation between Islam and the West.
" The Qur’an & the life of the Prophet, ?, are the foundations
on which Islamic civilisation was built. During his life, every
action of the Prophet, ?, was recorded by his Companions,
& a science was developed to ensure that the proper transmission
of this knowledge from generation to generation took place.
Muslim scholars expended much effort in preserving, transmitting
and interpreting the Revelation. The twenty-three years of
prophecy and revelation are traditionally known as ?asr al-sa??da,
which can be translated as the ‘age of bliss’. When this blessed
period came to an end and the scholars, both men and women,
were left to fend for themselves, an immense intellectual
ferment took place. "
In this thought-provoking book, we are invited to view the crises we are facing and the tangled relationship between Islam and the West through a different lens. Keeler proposes that the true yardstick for measuring success should be the balance achieved between the spiritual, social and material needs of humanity; a balance which makes it possible to live in harmony with nature. When the world is viewed from this perspective, a completely different picture of Islam and the West emerges.
Review :
"Keeler is almost alone today amongst contemporary thinkers, in actively providing a new historical and philosophical narrative that can genuinely make sense of the many madnesses of our 21st century world, harried as it is by the breakdown of modernist and postmodern thought, the scapegoating and persecution of Islam, and environmental and many other crises." ---Hasan Spiker, University of Cambridge.
Ahmed Keeler is the author of Rethinking Islam & the West. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge, and was a Distinguished Fellow at The Faculty of Leadership and Management, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia in 2016. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Bolton in 2016.
Also see Ahmed Paul Keeler 2 Book Bundle Special Offer.
*Dimensions : 20.3 x 12.7cm.
