Islamic Theological Themes: A Primary Source Reader

Jacket Description/Flap: "Using representative primary sources from the seventh century to the present - many of them freshly translated into English - John Renard's book offers an accessible introduction to all the major trends of Islamic theology. Without privileging any one approach, Sunni or Shi'i, Hanbali or Mu'tazili, Philosophical or Sufi, it attempts to do justice to them all. Comprehensive in scope, the book is indispensable for serious students of Islam as well as anyone interested in comparisons between monotheistic religions."--Alexander Treiger, Dalhousie University "Another superb anthology of Islamic texts meticulouslyedited by John Renard. This comprehensive and highly accessible reader - the first in English - is destined to have a long shelf life as the main source book for all scholars, students and general readers interested in Islamic theology."--Ahmet T. Karamustafa, Professsor of History, University of Maryland "John Renard put together a highly absorbing and very useful volume. Never before have this many voices of theology and philosophy in Islam been collected in an English book, showcasing the variety and the strength of Muslim intellectual traditions."--Frank Griffel, Yale University, author of "Al-Ghazali's Philosophical Theology"Biographical Note: John Renard is Professor of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University. His many books include Seven Doors to Islam: Spirituality and the Religious Life of Muslims, Windows on the House of Islam, Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood, and Tales of God's Friends: Islamic Hagiography in Translation, all from UC Press. Table of Contents: PrefaceAcknowledgments Part OneThe Science of Interpretation: Reading the Sacred Sources1 Qur'an and Hadith2 Interpreting the Sacred Sources Part TwoThe Science of Community: Mapping the Boundaries of True Belief3 Muslim Awareness of Other Religious Communities4 Creed and Polemic Part ThreeThe Science of Divine Unity: Schools and Themes in Systematic Theology5 Theological Schools and Principles6 Major Themes in Systematic Theology Part FourThe Science of Hearts: Spirituality and Literature7 Knowledge and the Spiritual Quest8 Poetic, Pastoral, and Narrative Theology Part FiveThe Science of Character and Comportment: Ethics and Governance9 Ethics in Theory10 Ethics in Practice NotesAppendix: Synoptic/Comparative Table of TextsAcknowledgments of PermissionsIndex of Names of PersonsGeneral IndexIndex of Qur'anic CitationsMarc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.; Comprised of primary sources assembled from a broad chronological and geographic spectrum, Islamic Theological Themes is a comprehensive anthology of primary Islamic sacred texts in translation. The volume includes rare and never before translated selections, all freshly situated and introduced with a view to opening doors into the larger world of Islamic life, belief, and culture. From pre-theological material on the scriptural end of the spectrum, to the more practical material at the other, John Renard broadens our concepts of what counts as Islamic theology, situating Islamic theological literature within the context of the emerging sub-discipline of Relational/Comparative Theology. Divided into five parts, students and scholars will find this collection to be an indispensible tool--; Provided by publisher.; Islamic Theological Themes comprises primary sources assembled from a broad chronological and geographic spectrum. A comprehensive anthology of primary Islamic sacred texts in translation, this volume includes rare and never before translated selections, all freshly situated and introduced with a view to opening doors into the larger world of Islamic life, belief, and culture. From pretheological material on the scriptural end of the spectrum, to the more practical material at the other, John Renard broadens our concepts of what counts as Islamic theology, situating Islamic theological literature within the context of the emerging subdiscipline of Relational/Comparative Theology. Divided into five parts, students and scholars will find this collection to be an indispensible tool--; Provided by publisher. Publisher Marketing: Comprised of primary sources assembled from a broad chronological and geographic spectrum, "Islamic Theological Themes" is a comprehensive anthology of primary Islamic sacred texts in translation. The volume includes rare and never before translated selections, all freshly situated and introduced with a view to opening doors into the larger world of Islamic life, belief, and culture. From pre-theological material on the scriptural end of the spectrum, to the more practical material at the other, John Renard broadens our concepts of what counts as "Islamic theology," situating Islamic theological literature within the context of the emerging sub-discipline of Relational/Comparative Theology. Divided into five parts, students and scholars will find this collection to be an indispensible tool.

Contributor Bio:  Renard, John John Renard is the author of "In the Footsteps of Muhammed: Understanding Islamic Experience" (1992), "Islam and the Heroic Image: Themes in Literature and the Visual Arts" (1993), and "All the King's Falcons: Rumi on Prophets and Revelation" (1994). He is Professor of Theological Studies at St. Louis University.