Radical Islamism & Jihad *IBN TAYMIYYAH: THE FATHER OF ISLAMIC RADICALISM? <http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1288>*
*Professor Yahya Michot*, who is a lecturer at Oxford University and prominent authority on Ibn Taymiyyah, argues both the Western scholars and the Islamists have advertently or inadvertently emphasised his political thought at the expense of his moral and ethical teachings. This has led to the increasing politicisation of his complex and sophisticated writings on Islamic moral, ethical and legal thought. This raises an interesting question, namely, were there two different Ibn Taymiyyahs, an “Islamic reactionary and jihadist” or Islamic thinker and pragmatist? ... his Islamic moral, ethical, legal and economic thoughts are much more polished and restrained in their tone than, for instance, his refutation of the Sufis, falasifah, mantiq’in, qadariyyah, the Christians, etc. Thus, as a polemicist, he was not only uncompromising but also very dogmatic. This naturally led to his incarceration on more than one occasion, but Michot is right to say Ibn Taymiyyah bore all his trials and tribulations with great patience and dignity. He eventually died in prison in 1328. -- *Emdad Rahman * More<http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1288> Spiritual Meditations *Metaphysical aspects of love and unity<http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1286> * Baha'u'llah affirmed three fundamental, essential unities at different levels of being. First, he proclaimed the absolute unity of divine. The unity of divine reality, however, is beyond the capacity of human understanding, even in terms of a conceptual framework. Also, the categories of oneness and plurality are incapable of expressing the unknowable divine unity, but this divine reality is the foundation and ultimate purpose of all beings. Human beings are capable of reflecting divine reality through their longing and love for recognition and attainment of God. For Baha'is, all beings are signs and indications of the divine. -- *Nader Saiidi* More...<http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1286> Spiritual Meditations *Humanistic Approaches in Gita and Quran <http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1278>* *The fundamental principles of religion and ethics are quite the same in both Holy Books* Islam, as enunciated in the holy Quran, is all for international understanding and unity of mankind for the great purpose of realization of human destiny. It does not recognize any barriers of racialism and all such aggressive ‘isms’ which are affronts to human dignity and worth, as the holy Quran regards men as the best creation. The message of Islam is that they should all go back to the true faith which may be designated Deen (religion), or Islam (surrender and submission to the will of God). The root Slm in Arabic means "to be in peace, to be an integral whole." From this root comes Islam, meaning to surrender to God’s law and thus to be an integral whole. It asserts that religion does not teach that man should hate man. The object of religion is to increase love and unity among human beings by the recognition that "we are all the children of the one and only God." This is Humanism. The message of Islam, as depicted in the holy Quran is the "unity of mankind under the fatherhood of God." It is opposed to all forms of grouping –– racial, national, sectarian, or other. This then is the True Path, and for this we ask God’s grace. The right path is essentially one of sympathy and love for those human beings who are most in need of them – the orphan, the slaves, the deprived, those who are poor or those who are lonely. Having minutely gone through the Gita and the Quran, one may easily realize that both these sacred volumes are so similar in their intrinsic nature that they stand as a neck-vein to each other. Truly speaking, a true believer of 7th and 8th verses of the 4th chapter (Jnanayoga) of the Gita as well as the 48th verse of the Quranic Surah "Al-Maidah" will find no point of dissimilarity between these holy volumes. Both of these scriptures intend to establish religion on a firm footing for the protection of the virtuous, for the destruction of the evil-doers and for restoring order and peace in the society. The fundamental principles of religion and ethics are quite the same, in all respects in both. The similarity between the Gita and Quran extends on a larger scale, as most of the verses of the Quran were preached under similar circumstances in which the Gita was preached. -- *Dr. Debabrata Das* 2 Comments More<http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1278> Radical Islamism & Jihad *How Abd Al Wahhab turned a great religion like Islam on its head? <http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1274>* It is difficult to understand how a single rough Bedouin from Nejd, one of the most impoverished areas of central Arabia, could turn a great religion like Islam on its head. …Mohammed Abd Al Wahhab, born about 1703, not only redefined Islam in a puritanically narrow and intolerant way but injected into it such a virulent hatred for its perceived enemies that this vicious creed could revive again and again after being repeatedly wiped out to rise like a phoenix and become the single greatest threat to world peace today. Wahhab demanded total surrender to the Supreme Being Allah disallowing any ceremonies, including ceremonies for marriage or death, or worship of any saints, adorning of graves, tombs or other sacred objects, holding religious processions and wanted all Muslims to wear simple clothes without colours or ornamentation and demanded the total suppression of women. He denounced art, music and dance though he permitted obedience to spiritual guides or `pirs’. -- *Murad A Baig* 8 Comments More..<http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=1274> -- Syed M. 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