The Other in the Light of the One
The Universality of the Qur'an and Interfaith Dialogue
As
a result of world events over the past few years, Islam has entered our
consciousness in an unprecedented way. The Qur'an, guiding text for
over one billion Muslims, is being looked to for answers to questions
like: does the Qur'an promote peace and harmony or discord and
conflict, does it contribute to pluralism or exclusivism, is its
message spiritual or fanatical?
In The Other in the Light of the One, Dr
Reza Shah-Kazemi illustrates how, throughout the centuries, Sufism has
traditionally been a bastion against two tendencies: worldliness and
literalism. Based on a profound study of the Sufi perspectives of the
like of Ibn Arabi, Kashani, Rumi and Ghazali, The Other in the Light of the One
is an attempt to answer the above questions and is an invitation to
study the universality that is undoubtedly present in the Qur'an. Its
aim is to relate some of the most profound interpretations of the
Qur'an to philosophical and spiritual questions concerning interfaith
dialogue. However, the purpose is not to just reproduce the ideas of
the Sufis, but to build upon principles, to take advantage of insights,
and to apply them creatively to contemporary conditions. Shah-Kazemi
illustrates how a universalist perspective based on Sufi hermeneutics
provides a third way between secular pluralism and religious
exclusivism.
The Other in the Light of the One
provides the faithful of all the different religious communities with
the basis for dialogue and mutual enrichment within dimensions of
religious life and thought that go beyond the outward forms of belief,
yielding fruit not only in the practical domain of peaceful
coexistence, but also and above all, in the fertile fields of
metaphysical insight, immutable values, contemplative inspiration and
spiritual realisation. For Muslims, The Other in the Light of the One offers a pioneering view of da'wa,
in that it proposes effective ways of putting into practice the many
Qur'anic verses that commend discourse with others in a manner that is ahsan 'finest, most beautiful'.
Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi is a Research Associate at the Institute of Ismaili
Studies, London, United Kingdom. His areas of research are Comparative
Religion, Islamic Studies, and Sufism.
