It’s Ramadan

Worship in Islam is in-depth study of the nature and significance of Islamic spirituality by Abul A‘la Mawdudi (1903–79), one of the leading Muslim intellectuals of the twentieth century, with special reference to the concepts of God’s Oneness (tawhid), the finality of Prophethood (risalah) and the Islamic system of worship (‘ibadah) with a focus upon prayer (salah) and fasting (sawm) and their role in the development of the Islamic personality and Islam’s social order. The distinguishing feature of Mawdudi’s approach is his elaboration of the social dimension of worship, which extends the traditional approach found in Islamic jurisprudence, with its focus upon ritual and self-purification, to consider worship’s transformative role in social life. Presenting a holistic view of the Islamic system, Mawdudi highlights Islam’s social, economic and political dimensions, which he argues has the capacity to resolve emergent issues and problems that humankind faces.

This historic text should be of wider interest to both students and specialists in contemporary Islamic thought, and includes an introduction by Professor Anis Ahmad.

Edited and translated into accessible English by Ahmad Imam Shafaq Hashemi, this book is an authoritative compilation by a leading Islamic twentieth-century revivalist on the central matter of worship’s role in Islam.

ISLAM AND DIPLOMACY provides a wide-ranging discourse on the relevance of Islam to global well-being and human security from legal, spiritual, moral and historical perspectives. As prevailing realities in the Middle East and many other parts of the world amply demonstrate, the tools of modern secular diplomacy are not always adequate to address violent sectarian or religious clashes and social tensions, nor to suggest long-term workable solutions for them. This book expounds the largely untapped potential of a faith-based diplomacy and suggest integrating religious norms as an added impetus to conventional diplomacy for the benefit of global peace and harmony. it is also demonstrates that Islam possesses a rich tradition of legal, spiritual and ethical values prioritizing peace and human security. Islamic heritage is also sufficiently nuanced to offer flexible paradigms for addressing problems of coomunal identity that may well be beyond the reach of traditional diplomacy, such as ethnic conflict, tribal warfare, and religious hostilities.