Islam to the Modern Mind : Lectures in South Africa 1970 and 1972 (Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari)

ISBN: 0958417687
Author: Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari; Yasien Mohamed (editor); Mahdie Kriel (transcriber); Awaatief Daniels (assistant)
Publisher: Hidden Treasure Press (1999)
Pages: 295 Binding: Paperback

Description from the publisher:

Mawlana Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari (1914-1974) was undoubtedly one of the great sages of the twentieth century. He reminded us of the sacred journey into the infinite undertaken by every human being, consciously and unconsciously. He was able to explain, in the language of the contemporary age, the fundamental truththat in our beginning lies our end and in our end lies the secret of ourbeginning. Thus he was able to demonstrate with a mastery of cosmology, not only from the perspective of the Quran and hadith, but also from his knowledge of the scientific findings of the contemporary age, that all creation would ultimately return to the state before creation when the secret of our souls would be made manifest.

Mawlana Ansari deplored the intellectual, moral and spiritual stagnation of the ummah and reminded us of the urgent need for an Islamic response to the intellectual challenges of the twentieth century. He believed that the great majority of Muslims of the contemporary age have resigned themselves to being sentimental enthusiasts or professional traditionalists. He urged the Muslims tomake the values of Islam operational in their day-to-day lives. It was in the 1970's that he predicted that Islam would arise from the west, as indeed appears to be the case in both America and Europe, where Islam is recorded as the fastest growing religion in these regions.

Islam to the Modern Mind draws from the lectures the eminent scholar gave in South Africa in 1970 and 1972, and deals with three broad themes; a deeper understanding of the basic principles of Islam, an Islamic response to the intellectual challenges of the twentieth century, and the methodology of Islamic spirituality.

Mawlana Ansari was able to marry the inner technology of Islamic spirituality with the outer technology of modern science to produce a beautiful and noble example for Muslims to follow. As the twentieth century draws to close, his teachings are evermore relevant. The editors and publishers of Islam to the Modern Mind should be greatly commended for making available these valuable and thought-provoking discourses for a new generation of readers.