Mona Siddiqui

Tron på en styrande, övergripande, himmelsk princip har följt människan genom historien. Mer än 80 procent av världens befolkning har idag en religiös tillhörighet och även i sekulära stater fortsätter religionen att spela en viktig roll. Det går inte att förstå politik och internationella relationer idag utan att inkludera religionen som en aspekt av det kulturella sammanhanget. Essäerna i denna antologi, som härrör från Engelsbergsseminariet 2014, spänner över en mångfald ämnen i dagens såväl som gårdagens samhällen. De utforskar religionen i relation till människans villkor och skildrar hur den manifesterar sig i individens egna upplevelser. För att förstå oss själva behöver vi också förstå religionen.

Many of the great thinkers and poets in Christianity and Islam led lives marked by personal and religious struggle. Indeed, suffering and struggle are part of the human condition and constant themes in philosophy, sociology and psychology. In this thought-provoking book, acclaimed scholar Mona Siddiqui ponders how humankind finds meaning in life during an age of uncertainty. Here, she explores the theme of human struggle through the writings of iconic figures such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Muhammad Ghazali, Rainer Maria Rilke and Sayyid Qutb - people who searched for meaning in the face of adversity. Considering a wide range of thinkers and literary figures, her book explores how suffering and struggle force the faithful to stretch their imagination in order to bring about powerful and prophetic movements for change. The moral and aesthetic impulse of their writings will also stimulate inter-cultural and interdisciplinary conversations on the search for meaning in an age of uncertainty.

The 50 ideas that define and explain the Islamic faith, outlined in a series of clear and insightful essays

Polarized debates about 'Islam' and 'the West' are now so ubiquitous that it is easy to forget how damaging they can be. The vast majority of Muslims do not wish to see Islam used as a divisive force within the largely secular societies in which they live. How then can Muslim stereotyping be challenged? Mona Siddiqui is one of the foremost Western authorities on the reconciliation of 21st-century life and Islamic custom. In this new and searching book, she applies a uniquely probing intelligence to crucial issues of faith and identity (such as wearing the veil) within society at large. While speaking from within a particular tradition, she touches on matters of universal concern. Who are we? How do we cope with growing older? What kind of world will we leave to our children? Placing her rich personal journey in a wider context, the author is able to explore love and sex, multiculturalism and diversity, and ageing and death through the prism of her experience as both a Muslim and a modern woman. Her book shows why she is one of the most vital thinkers of our age.

The Qur'an is regarded by Muslims as the direct word of God, timeless and unchanged. It is used not only for prayer and worship but as a path which can lead the believer to a closer understanding of the essence of their relationship with God. In this thought-provoking, considered study of the scripture of Islam, Mona Siddiqui explores the 'big themes' of prophecy, law, sin and salvation from her dual position as a believer and a scholar.

A groundbreaking examination of the way Muslim thinkers have approached and responded to Jesus through the centuries Prophet or messiah, the figure of Jesus serves as both the bridge and the barrier between Christianity and Islam. In this accessible and thoughtful book, Muslim scholar and popular commentator Mona Siddiqui takes her reader on a personal, theological journey exploring the centrality of Jesus in Christian-Muslim relations. Christian and Muslim scholars have used Jesus and Christological themes for polemical and dialogical conversations from the earliest days to modern times. The author concludes with her own reflections on the cross and its possible meaning in her Muslim faith. Through a careful analysis of selected works by major Christian and Muslim theologians during the formative, medieval, and modern periods of both religions, Siddiqui focuses on themes including revelation, prophecy, salvation, redemption, sin, eschatology, law, and love. How did some doctrines become the defining characteristics of one faith and not the other? What is the nature of the theological chasm between Christianity and Islam? With a nuanced and carefully considered analysis of critical doctrines the author provides a refreshingly honest counterpoint to contemporary polemical arguments and makes a compelling contribution to reasoned interfaith conversation.

In this thought-provoking book, Mona Siddiqui reflects upon key themes in Islamic law and theology. These themes, which range through discussions about friendship, divorce, drunkenness, love, slavery and ritual slaughter, offer fascinating insights into Islamic ethics and the way in which arguments developed in medieval juristic discourse. Pre-modern religious works contained a richness of thought, hesitation and speculation on a wide range of topics, which were socially relevant but also presented intellectual challenges to the scholars for whom God's revelation could be understood in diverse ways. These subjects remain relevant today, for practising Muslims and scholars of Islamic law and religious studies. Mona Siddiqui is an astute and articulate interpreter who relays complex ideas about the Islamic tradition with great clarity. Her book charts her own journey through the classical texts and reflects upon how the principles expounded there have guided her own thinking, teaching and research.

The Qur an is the scripture of Islam, sacred to over one billion Muslims worldwide. It is regarded by Muslims as the direct word of God, timeless and unchanged. Muslims turn to the Qur an not only for prayer and worship but also to understand the essence of their relationship with God. Mona Siddiqui considers how the Qur an has been understood by Muslims in the intellectual traditions of Islam as well as in popular worship. She explores the big themes of prophecy, law, sin, and salvation, and what the Qur an teaches about the particular place of Islam as God s last revelation in human history. Siddiqui s central concern is that Muslims must look to the Qur an to breathe new life into the social and ethical relations between Muslims and non-Muslims."

OPAS KAIKILLE KIRJAAN, JOTA YLI MILJARDI IHMISTÄ PITÄÄ PYHÄNÄ Muslimien mielestä Koraani on Jumalan välitön, ajaton ja muuttumaton sanoma. Islaminuskoiset käyttävät Koraania paitsi rukoillakseen myös ymmärtääkseen paremmin suhdettaan Jumalaansa. Mona Siddiqui pohtii, kuinka muslimit ovat ymmärtäneet Koraanin islamin eri älyllisissä traditioissa ja arkisessa uskonelämässä. Hän perehtyy pyhän tekstin suuriin teemoihin, kuten profetiaan, lakiin, syntiin ja pelastukseen. Erillisen luvun ansaitsee kysymys siitä, mitä Koraani opettaa islamin erityisasemasta Jumalan viimeisenä ilmoituksena ihmiskunnan historiassa. Siddiqui perehtyy myös Koraanin opetuksiin sukupuolesta, pyhästä sodasta ja rituaalien merkityksestä islamissa. Kirjasarjalle ominaiseen tapaan hän tekee rohkeita ristiinvalotuksia alkuperäisestä tekstistä nykyaikaan. Koraania ei hänen mukaansa pidäkään enää pitää syynä vaan ratkaisuna haasteisiin, joita pluralismista nykyään kumpuaa. Kuinka Koraania luetaan kuuluu Liken keväällä 2007 aloitettuun sarjaan, jossa on ilmestynyt aiemmin Richard Hollowayn Kuinka Raamattua luetaan. Mona Siddiqui on islamin tutkimuksen professori Glasgow’n yliopistossa. Hän on kirjoittanut satakunta artikkelia islamin laista, historiasta ja nykyongelmista ja lehtijuttuja mm. Timesiin, The Scotsmaniin ja Guardianiin. Hän on myös katolisen viikkolehden The Tabletin ensimmäinen muslimikolumnisti. Mona Siddiqin Kuinka koraania luetaan ja Richard Hollowayn Kuinka Raamattua luetaan (Like) Ovat erinomaisen yleissivistäviä ja helppolukisia teoksia. Ne auttavat suhtautuman avarakatseisemmin molempien uskontojen opinkappaleisiin, rituaaleihin ja tapoihin. Samalla lukijalle avautuvat näiden yksijumalaisten uskontojen yhteiset kulttuuriset juuret." Jaana-Mirjam Mustavuori, Voi Hyvin