In the early twentieth century, the Ottoman Empire was in political turmoil. Officials moved valuable artworks--including thousands of sumptuous Qur'an (Koran) manuscripts and loose pages dating from the 7th to 17th century--to Istanbul to ensure their safety. Penned by celebrated calligraphers and embellished by skilled illuminators and bookbinders, these manuscripts are now housed in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts (T#65533;rk ve İslam Eserleri M#65533;zesi or TIEM) in Istanbul, established in 1914. This story unfolds in The Art of the Qur'an: Treasures from the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, the companion publication to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery's groundbreaking exhibition, the first major presentation of Qur'ans in the United States. The book's authors describe the formation of this one-of-a-kind collection and the history of TIEM, whose centuries-old records on patrons, calligraphers, illuminators, and provenance allow us to create "biographies" detailing the production of the Qur'ans in the exhibition. Essays address the Qur'an as a written text--from content and organization to the elaborate calligraphy and illuminated designs that transformed the volumes into beautiful artworks. The Art of the Qur'an also includes in-depth descriptions of some seventy works from TIEM and the Smithsonian's Sackler and Freer Galleries. It features full-page, color images of the earliest known Qur'an folios and manuscripts from the Umayyad and Abbasid Near East (7th-10th century), Seljuk Iran and Anatolia (12th century), the Mongol Il-Khanid and Timurid empires and Mamluk Cairo (14th and 15th centuries), Safavid and Ottoman empires (16th and 17th centuries) as well as a number of mosque furnishings, such as Qur'an boxes and stands. Most of these works have rarely, if ever, been published.

The Bloomsbury Companion to Islamic Studies is a comprehensive survey of the field - past, present and future. Providing an overview of the key theoretical and methodological issues, as well as practical guidance on researching, it is the ideal guide for advanced students in Islamic Studies. Topics and case studies covered include: - Qur'anic Studies - Islamic Theology - Islam and the West - Islamic Art and Architecture - Sufism Research and practical tools include: - A-Z of key terms and concepts - Chronology - Detailed list of resources Presenting Islam as a multifaceted tradition, key essays from leading international contributors including Andrew Rippin and William Shepard, demonstrate how it is subject to different interpretations, with no single version privileged. Islam is treated as a lived experience, not only as theoretical ideal or textual tradition. Recommended by CHOICE, The Bloomsbury Companion to Islamic Studies is an indispensable resource for students.

Comparative religious insights into the meaning of vocation in today's world The concept of "vocation" or "calling" is a distinctively Christian concern, grounded in the long-held belief that we find our meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in God. But what about religions other than Christianity? What does it mean for someone from another faith tradition to understand calling or vocation? In this book contributors with expertise in Catholic and Protestant Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism, and secular humanism explore the idea of calling from these eight faith perspectives. The contributors search their respective traditions' sacred texts, key figures, practices, and concepts for wisdom on the meaning of vocation. Greater understanding of diverse faith traditions, say Kathleen Cahalan and Douglas Schuurman, will hopefully increase and improve efforts to build a better, more humane world. CONTRIBUTORS Mark Berkson (Confucianism and Daoism) Kathleen A. Cahalan (Catholicism) Amy Eilberg (Judaism) John Kelsay (Islam) Edward Langerak (Secularism) Anantanand Rambachan (Hinduism) Douglas J. Schuurman (Protestantism) Mark Unno (Buddhism)

An alternative, uniquely Christian response to the growing global challenges of deep religious difference In the last fifty years, millions of Muslims have migrated to Europe and North America. Their arrival has ignited a series of fierce public debates on both sides of the Atlantic about religious freedom and tolerance, terrorism and security, gender and race, and much more. How can Christians best respond to this situation? In this book theologian and ethicist Matthew Kaemingk offers a thought-provoking Christian perspective on the growing debates over Muslim presence in the West. Rejecting both fearful nationalism and romantic multiculturalism, Kaemingk makes the case for a third way--a Christian pluralism that is committed to both the historic Christian faith and the public rights, dignity, and freedom of Islam. 

Reveals how faith traditions have always passed down tools for self-examination and debate, because all religious ideas-not just extremist ones-can cause harm, even as they also embody important moral teachings. Scripture's abiding relevance can inspire great goodness, such as welcoming the stranger and extending compassion for the poor. But its authority has also been wielded to defend slavery, marginalize LGBTQ individuals, ignore science, and justify violence. Grounded in close readings of scripture and tradition in Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, religious scholar Rachel Mikva shows us that the Abrahamic religions have always been aware of their tremendous power both to harm and to heal. And so they have transmitted their sacred stories along with built-in tools-interpretive traditions-to do the necessary work of taking on dangerous religious ideas and fostering self-critical faith. By exploring the themes of Scripture, Election, Reward and Punishment, Mikva examines how the interpretive methodologies of these religions have identified and grappled with their perilous power and positive potential. Many readers presume that their understanding of scripture's meaning is absolute, forgetting how these sacred texts and the history of interpretation have valued multiple perspectives and recognized ongoing rhythms of change. It's not a modern phenomenon to debate the nature of truth, hold space open for doubt, value humility, and question our capacity to know things-especially about God and God's will-with certainty. In fact, none of the traditions could remain vital or thrive together without a sustained practice of self-critique. Dangerous Religious Ideas reframes the way we talk about faith to create a space where public discussion of religion is more constructive, nuanced, and socially engaged.

Christians in the West have many questions about the identity of Islam and Muslim societies. Due in part to misleading media reports and a lack of interreligious dialogue, a majority of Western Christians view Islam as more prone to violence. The perplexity is compounded by news of violent conflicts involving Muslim communities in various parts of the world. Discussions about Muslims in the media often give the impression that Islam is a single, uniform entity. The reality is that global Islam is a complex and diverse phenomenon, not a monolithic one. Unfortunately, what makes the headlines often shapes Christian mission strategies that are overshadowed, if not controlled, by such reports. The challenge for understanding Islam is further complicated by the fact that an already very diverse Islam across the world stage is fluid and dynamic, with changes motivated as much by Islamic agency from within as by forces impinging "from without." Dynamics of Muslim Worlds brings together leading missiologists, theologians, and historians from the 2016 Missiology Lectures at Fuller Theological Seminary's School of Intercultural Studies to present a nuanced account of contemporary Muslim societies. Edited by Evelyne A. Reisacher, the contributions to this Missiological Engagements volume explore the changing dynamics of Islam today and how current religious and social climates shape Christian engagement with Muslims. This is a fresh look at a topic of increasing importance in our present global context. Missiological Engagements charts interdisciplinary and innovative trajectories in the history, theology, and practice of Christian mission, featuring contributions by leading thinkers from both the Euro-American West and the majority world whose missiological scholarship bridges church, academy, and society.

This innovative volume explores the "iconic problem" in the Abrahamic religions and how it can provide cultural orientation for religious and non-religious people. This "problem" is the presence of two opposed injunctions present in these religions: the prohibition of the making of images and yet the proliferation of images of God within these traditions. In an age shaped by a whirlwind of images - some peaceful; some violent - of peoples through the global media systems, the works collected in this book show how the religions can address the "iconic problem" in our age of global image making. Readers interested in the monotheistic religions, the reality of global media, and the formation of human consciousness by religion and media will find here rich and provocative resources for reflection. With contributions by Alfred Bodenheimer (Basel), Sarah Coakley (Cambridge), Susanne Enderwitz (Heidelberg), Michael Fishbane (Chicago), Paul Mendes-Flohr (Chicago), Johannes Heil (Heidelberg), Susannah Heschel (Dartmouth), Dwight Hopkins (Chicago), Baber Johansen (Harvard), Angelika Neuwirth (Berlin), Friederike Nussel (Heidelberg), William Schweiker (Chicago), Kathryn Tanner (Yale) and Michael Welker (Heidelberg).

A concise new narrative history of Islam that draws on the transformative insights of recent research to emphasize the diversity and dynamism of the tradition Today's Muslim world is in upheaval: legalists and mystics engage in intense debates, radical groups invoke Sharia, Muslim immigrants in the West face prejudice and discrimination, and Muslim feminists advocate new interpretations of the Koran. At the same time, Islam is mischaracterized as unitary and unchanging by people ranging from right-wing Western politicians claiming that Islam is incompatible with democracy to conservative Muslims dreaming of returning to the golden age of the prophet. Against this contentious backdrop, this book provides an essential and timely new history of the religion in all its astonishing richness and diversity as it has been practiced by Muslims around the world, from seventh-century Mecca to today. Most popular histories of Islam continue to repeat conventional pietistic accounts. In contrast, John Tolan draws on decades of new historical research that has transformed knowledge of the origins and development of the Muslim faith. He shows how the youngest of the three great monotheisms arose in close contact with Jewish, Christian, and other religious traditions in a mixture of cultures, including Arab, Greek, Persian, and Turkish; how Islam spread across an enormous territory encompassing hundreds of languages and cultures; how Muslims have forged widely different beliefs and practices over fourteen centuries; and how Islamic history provides crucial context for understanding contemporary debates in the Muslim world. At a time when much talk about Islam is filled with misunderstanding, stereotypes, and bias, this book provides a fresh and lucid portrait of the continuous and ongoing transformations of a religion of tremendous variety and complexity.

A theological and historical exploration of the connection between Islam and Judaism through the single most-mentioned character in the Quran: Moses. There is one human mentioned in the Quran more than any other: Moses. Why is it that the Jewish prophet dominates the Islamic scripture? Because he is the role model for Muhammad, Islam's own prophet. Because Islam, just like Christianity, is deeply intertwined with Judaism -- although surprisingly little attention has been given to this fascinating connection between the two religions. Author and journalist Mustafa Akyol takes readers on a theological and historical walk through that much-neglected side of the Abrahamic triangle: the Judeo-Islamic tradition. Using Moses' presence in the Quran as a jumping-off point, Akyol explores the first historical encounter between Muslims and Jews, the creative symbiosis and mutual enrichment that occurred between the two belief systems in medieval times, and the modern emergence, development, and perception of the two religions. At a time of bitter conflict in the Middle East, The Islamic Moses dives into the older, deeper, and often unexpectedly brighter story of Jews and Muslims. Readers of any background will be surprised by the common historical and theological ground that exists between the two religions, and will come away with a better understanding of both.

Understanding Islam's sacred text is integral to understanding your Muslim neighbor Cross-cultural missionary and scholar Matthew Aaron Bennett blends the insights of Islamic believers, secular Qur'an scholars, and missionaries to Muslims, making The Qur'an and the Christian like no other resource for Christian ministry to Muslims. Combining these perspectives in one guide better equips Christians to communicate the biblical gospel to friends and neighbors who are adherents to Islam--both in and out of majority-Muslim cultures. The Qur'an and the Christian addresses issues both simple and profound, such as: - How the Qur'an came to be, including Muhammed and the Qur'an's textual precursors - The major themes of the Qur'an and how these shape the practice of Islam - The presence of Bible characters, Jews, and Christians in the Qur'anic text - Whether and how a Christian should read the Qur'an - Avoiding miscommunication with Muslims when the Qur'an and Christian teaching seem to overlap This book will help Christians learn how to explore Islamic faith with missiological wisdom and biblical precision. The Qur'an and the Christian will give believers the insight to deepen friendships, promote understanding, and clarify the biblical gospel among Muslim friends and neighbors.