Quest for Islam is a systematic exposition of Islam in the light of contemporary knowledge by a practicing Muslim. A seminal work, it successfully resolves intellectual difficulties created in traditional interpretations by new knowledge. Among other things it organically integrates core Islamic values with the requirements of plural societies and secular democracies. It thus adds a fresh dimension of value to the Islamic thought-cum-value system. It will appeal greatly to Muslim intellectuals perplexed by the assault of modernity on traditional values and institutions. The Author argues that we must always be alive to the need for evolutionary growth and judicious innovation. In the global village, knowledge of how 'they' live is commonplace and comparisons are inevitably made. Consequently young Muslims have more questions than ever before for their elders. The "do as you are told", and the "shut up and conform" responses are patently inappropriate. The quest for an 'Islam For Our Times' is, therefore a road that all thinking Muslims must travel with humility and abundant faith in the merciful guidance of God.
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978-1-935293-73-6 (9781935293736)
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Born in 1926, Jamal Khwaja has devoted a lifetime to the challenge of understanding and living the Quran with integrity. His forefathers worked closely with Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, and with Mahatma Gandhi. Khwaja studied philosophy in India and Europe. In 1957 he was elected to the Indian Parliament. However, his engagement with power politics was short lived. In 1962 he returned to his beloved, scholarly and contemplative lifestyle at the Aligarh Muslim University. He retired as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Philosophy. He is the author of seven major books.
Khwaja's work seeks to answer three inter-related questions: Firstly, What does it mean to be an authentic Muslim? Secondly, How should a believer understand and interpret the Holy Quran in the 21st century? And finally, What is the role of Islam in a pluralistic society?
Anyone interested in the intersection of Islam and Modernity will find Khwaja to be a reliable guide. His work is magisterial in scope. It is full of passion but remains balanced in perspective.
Khwaja believes in judiciously creative modernization rooted in the Quran and firmly opposes shallow, unprincipled imitation of the West. His mission is to stimulate serious rethinking and informed dialog between tradition and modernity in Islam.
Khwaja's work is the definitive contemporary discussion regarding the collision of Islam and Modernity. Readers of his work will be in turn, informed, inspired, and intellectually liberated.
Author's Preface to the Second Edition, Acknowledgments, Author's Preface to the First Edition, 1-Introduction The Problem & Its Historical Background; 2-The Dominant Traditional Conception Of Islam; 3-A Restatement Of The Islamic Thought System; 4-A Restatement Of The Islamic Thought System; 5-A Fresh Look At The Islamic Value System; 6-A Fresh Look At The Islamic Precept System; 7-A Secular Approach To The Islamic Institutional System; 8-Concluding Reflections; Afterword, Notes And References, Supplemental Essay Modernism And Traditionalism In Islam, Appendix 1 Introducing Jamal Khwaja And His Works, Appendix 2 Select Bibliography, Index
