3 Review(s)

Dictated before his death in 1988 this long-awaited last work of Fazhlur Rahman is characteristically thoughtful, intelligent and provocative. In a cogent and inspired argument, Rahman confronts today’s perception of Islamic fundamentalism. Drawing from medieval sources and such great thinkers as AL-Glazali and Ibn Taymiyya, he reasserts Islam as a dynamic faith whose fundamentalist origins lie not in the unchanging face of tradition, but in reinterpretation, innovation and reform. Citing early sects, Islamic law, Sufism and political developments, Rahman reclassifies twentieth-century Islam as ‘antifundamentalist’, and holds out change and renewal as the path back to the true spirit of the faith. Meticulous editing and a cohesive introduction from Ebrahim Moosa have brought this much-anticipated text to life. There is no doubt that scholars, students and admirers of Rahman will find this stimulating work a great tribute to a truly legendary thinker. About The Author Faslur Rahman (1919-1988) was a distinguished and leading expert on Islamic law whose radical ideas led to his move from Pakistan to the West in 1969. He served the LS State Department as an adviser on matters affecting Muslim countries and was Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago from 1986. Ebrahim Moosa is Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Cape Town. South Africa and a founder-director of the Centre for Contemporary Islam, as well as Visiting Professor at Stanford University California. He specializes in Islamic thought, law and ethics. Table of Contents Introduction Early sects and formation of Sunni Orthodoxy Developments from Irja: Politics, Sufism, and Gnostic extremism Early medieval reform: The Sufi reform and the role of AL-Ghazali Later medieval reform Indian reformist thought