Ismail Faruqi Online

Category: Reviews

Ismail Faruqi Online Reviews

  • Synopsis of “Al Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life”

    Reading Time: < 1 minute
    Al-Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life

    Title: Al Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life
    Author: Ismail Raji Al-Faruqi
    Publisher: The International Institute Of Islamic Thought
    ISBN: 0912463805
    Pages: 237
    Edition: Paperback

    Synopsis

    If the concept of tawhid is central to Islam and everything Islamic, it is because of its centrality to existence and everything that exists. Indeed, Islamic science, whether religious, moral or natural is essentially a quest to discover the order underlying the variegated world of multiplicity. The work of al-Shahid Dr Ismail Raji al-Faruqi on the subject of tawhid entitled Al-Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life thus affords the reader to not only a look on the axial doctrine of Islam but also allows the reader to understand that doctrine from a number of different perspectives.

    In the endeavor to explain the simple truths of the doctrine of unity, Dr. al-Faruqi touches upon a broad spectrum of subjects, drawing into his discussions various elements from history, comparative religion, anthropology, philosophy, ethics, epistemology, archeology and other disciplines. As such, his concept of tawhid is rich in the depth of its erudition, abundant in its perception.

    Indeed, Al Tawid: Its Implications For Thought and Life is perhaps this work more than any other that reflects the profound and original thought of Dr. al-Faruqi.

  • Review of “Islam and Other Faiths” by Isma’il Raji Al-Faruqi

    Reading Time: 8 minutesIslam and Other Faiths

    Ataullah Siddiqui (ed.), “Islam and Other Faiths” by Isma’il Raji Al-Faruqi.
    Leicester: The Islamic Foundation and IIIT, 1999, ISBN: 8603-7276-6
    Review by Anne Sofie Roald

    The very first glimpse of “Islam and Other Faiths” by the late Isma’il Raji Faruqi filled me with excitement and curiosity. Here was an outstanding Muslim scholar venturing into a field that is at once virgin and full of intellectual promise. I had read only two books by him before: “Tawhid: Its Relevance for Thought and Life” and “The Islamization of Knowledge”. The contents of the former are in tune with the tenor of the papers which comprise the present book, being, inter alia, a philosophical statements of the unity of God and its implications. The Muslims in the western countries are truly in great need of studies such as the present one that would help them deconstruct and subsequently reconstruct the role they should play as minorities.

    My study of the present collection of papers, which have been painstakingly selected and edited by Ataullah Siddiqui, reinforced the already positive impression that I had of the author. Faruqi stands out as one of the very few Muslim philosophers and scholars who earnestly attempted to interact with Islam’s two sister faiths, Judaism and Christianity, and articulated the theoretical foundations of such interaction.

    (more…)

  • Review of “Islam and the Problem of Israel” by Isma’il Raji al-Faruqi

    Reading Time: 4 minutesIslam and the Problem of Israel

    “Islam and the Problem of Israel” by Isma’il Raji al-Faruqi
    Review by Haniffah Abdul Gafoor

    The issue of Israel is an emotive one, irrespective of individuals’ affiliations (‘neutrals’ included). Bearing in mind the misrepresentation and misinterpretation of Islam today, a work analysing the two (Islam and Israel) has the potential of being an explosive read.

    This new edition of Islam and the Problem of Israel is a succinct and thoughtfully organised reader. The author, though Palestinian himself, offers a reasonably fair appraisal of the issue at hand from a Muslim’s perspective. Some readers might find the strong vocabulary makes the read challenging, and this may sometimes be burdensome. The topic is approached in an organised and sequential manner. The historical, religious and political perspectives of the state of Israel are described before the relationship between Israel, Judaism, Zionism (all quite distinct entities) and Islam is discussed. The author briefly clarifies the distinction between Judaism as a religion, Zionism as a political concept of statehood (for a given race), Israel as nation-state, and the Jews as a race. He describes the problem as three-cornered, involving the Muslim world, Western Christendom, and the Jews.

    The book begins with a brief historical discourse on the Jews, touching on their persecution by the Christians, their community living in ghettos, their emancipation (with the French revolution) allowing the Jews equality in European society, the assimilation of Jews in Europe, and the birth of Reform Judaism as a liberated sect of Judaism (which, among other things, legitimised liturgical use of the vernacular language instead of Hebrew, and allowed choirs and musical instruments in synagogues).

    (more…)