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When debating the need for prophets, Muslim theologians frequently cited an objection from a group called the Barāhima – either a prophet conveys what is in accordance with reason, so they would be superfluous, or a prophet conveys what is contrary to reason, so they would be rejected. The Barāhima did not recognise prophecy or revelation, because they claimed that reason alone could guide them on the right path. But who were these Barāhima exactly? Were they Brahmans, as their title would suggest? And how did they become associated with this highly incisive objection to prophecy? This book traces the genealogy of the Barāhima and explores their profound impact on the evolution of Islamic theology. It also charts the pivotal role that the Kitāb al-Zumurrud played in disseminating the Barāhima's critiques and in facilitating an epistemological turn in the wider discourse on prophecy (nubuwwa). When faced with the Barāhima, theologians were not only pressed to explain why rational agents required the input of revelation, but to also identify an epistemic gap that only a prophet could fill. A debate about whether humans required prophets thus evolved into a debate about what humans could and could not know by their own means.

From the Greeks to the Arabs and Beyond written by Hans Daiber, is a six volume collection of Daiber's scattered writings, journal articles, essays and encyclopaedia entries on Greek-Syriac-Arabic translations, Islamic theology and Sufism, the history of science, Islam in Europe, manuscripts and the history of oriental studies. The collection contains published (since 1967) and unpublished works in English, German, Arabic, Persian and Turkish, including editions of Arabic and Syriac texts. The publication mirrors the intercultural character of Islamic thought and sheds new light on many aspects ranging from the Greek pre-Socratics to the Malaysian philosopher Naquib al-Attas. A main concern is the interpretation of texts in print or in manuscripts, culminating in two catalogues (Vol. V and VI), which contain descriptions of newly discovered, mainly Arabic, manuscripts in all fields. Vol. I: Graeco-Syriaca and Arabica. Vol. II: Islamic Philosophy. Vol. III: From God's Wisdom to Science: A. Islamic Theology and Sufism; B. History of Science. Vol. IV: Islam, Europe and Beyond: A. Islam and Middle Ages; B. Manuscripts – a Basis of Knowledge and Science; C. History of the Discipline; D. Obituaries; E. Indexes. Vol. V: Unknown Arabic Manuscripts from Eight Centuries – Including one Hebrew and Two Ethiopian Manuscripts: Daiber Collection III. Vol. VI: Arabic, Syriac, Persian and Latin Manuscripts on Philosophy, Theology, Science and Literature. Films and Offprints: Daiber Collection IV.

Im Kosmos, der nach islamischer Glaubenslehre ununterbrochen durch Allah geschaffen wird, verhält man sich am besten, wenn man auf alle ichbezogenen Regungen verzichtet und zum Gottesfreund wird. Was das für den Einzelnen und die Gesellschaft bedeutet, wird anhand der Schriften ʿAbd al-Wahhāb aš-Šaʿrānīs analysiert. So entsteht ein einzigartiges Bild muslimischer Weltdeutung und Daseinsbewältigung, dessen Grundzüge bis heute gültig sind.

Der Band ist das Ergebnis des Projekts „Islamische Lernkulturen', einer Kooperation zwischen den Universitäten Erlangen und Bayreuth. Die Forschung der Arbeitsgruppe ist von der Grundannahme geleitet, dass Formen und Funktionen der Unterrichtung islamischer Theologie nicht bereits in ihr selbst angelegt sind, sondern vor dem Hintergrund der breiteren geistigen, gesellschaftlichen und politischen Rahmenbedingungen ausdifferenziert werden. Die Beiträge beleuchten die Lehr- und Lernformen islamischer Theologie in Geschichte und Gegenwart aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven. Zum einen sollen dadurch die unterschiedlichen Kontexte, Ressourcen und Praktiken der theologischen Unterweisung und des Lernens herausgearbeitet werden, zum anderen wird ein Beitrag zur Herausbildung eines reflektierten Selbstverständnisses der Islamischen Theologie in Deutschland geleistet. Dabei kommen muslimische Theologinnen und Theologen unterschiedlichster Ausrichtung ebenso zu Wort wie Islam- und Sozialwissenschaftler/innen. In unterschiedlichen Fallstudien werden Grundlagen von Bildung und Wissen, die Übertragbarkeit islamischer Lehr- und Lernkulturen in das deutsche Wissenschaftssystem, Formen und Funktionen des neuen Faches sowie (politische) Erwartungen daran thematisiert.

For general readers, a compact and illuminating introduction to Islam, from its beginnings almost 1500 years ago to the present moment. While much has been written about Islam, particularly over the twenty-five years, few books have explored the full range of the ideas that have defined the faith over a millennium and a half. Fitzroy Morrissey provides a clear and concise introduction to the origins and sources of Islamic thought, from its beginnings in the 7th century to the current moment. He explores the major ideas and introduces the major figures--those who over the centuries have broached life's major questions, from the nature of God and the existence of free will to gender relations and the ordering of society, and in the process defined Islam. Drawing on Arabic and Persian primary texts, as well as the latest scholarship, A Short History of Islamic Thought explains the key teachings of the Qur'an and Hadith, the great books of Islamic theology, philosophy, and law, as well as the mystical writings of the Sufis. It evaluates the impact of foreign cultures-Greek and Persian, Jewish and Christian-on early Islam, accounts for the crystallization of the Sunni and Shi'i forms of the faith, and accounts for the rise of such trends as Islamic modernism and Islamism. Above all, it reveals the fundamental principles of Islamic thought, both as a source of inspiration for Muslims today and as illuminating and rewarding in their own right.

From the Greeks to the Arabs and Beyond written by Hans Daiber, is a six volume collection of Daiber's scattered writings, journal articles, essays and encyclopaedia entries on Greek-Syriac-Arabic translations, Islamic theology and Sufism, the history of science, Islam in Europe, manuscripts and the history of oriental studies. The collection contains published (since 1967) and unpublished works in English, German, Arabic, Persian and Turkish, including editions of Arabic and Syriac texts. The publication mirrors the intercultural character of Islamic thought and sheds new light on many aspects ranging from the Greek pre-Socratics to the Malaysian philosopher Naquib al-Attas. A main concern is the interpretation of texts in print or in manuscripts, culminating in two catalogues (Vol. V and VI), which contain descriptions of newly discovered, mainly Arabic, manuscripts in all fields. Vol. I: Graeco-Syriaca and Arabica. Vol. II: Islamic Philosophy. Vol. III: From God's Wisdom to Science: A. Islamic Theology and Sufism; B. History of Science. Vol. IV: Islam, Europe and Beyond: A. Islam and Middle Ages; B. Manuscripts – a Basis of Knowledge and Science; C. History of the Discipline; D. Obituaries; E. Indexes. Vol. V: Unknown Arabic Manuscripts from Eight Centuries – Including one Hebrew and Two Ethiopian Manuscripts: Daiber Collection III. Vol. VI: Arabic, Syriac, Persian and Latin Manuscripts on Philosophy, Theology, Science and Literature. Films and Offprints: Daiber Collection IV.

Der vorliegende Sammelband behandelt Aspekte der Rationalität in der Moderne, wobei gegenwärtige Positionen der islamisch-rationalistischen Theologie untersucht werden. Die Struktur des Buches ist der Tatsache geschuldet, dass die sogenannte moderne Periode islamisch- rationalistischer Theologie keine festen Denkschulen ausgebildet hat. Es äußern sich vielmehr jeweils einzelne intellektuelle Denker, die zwar miteinander kooperieren, indem sie gewisse Grundlinien gemeinsam verfolgen, jedoch hauptsächlich unabhängig voneinander forschen. Auch wenn es aufgrund dieser Gegebenheit schwierig erscheint, moderne Entwicklungen der islamischen Theologie zu klassifizieren, lassen sich die rationalen Denkweisen der Moderne in drei Teilbereiche untergliedern: die neue Kalām-Wissenschaft, das philosophische Denken, und die Menschenrechte. Im ersten Teil behandeln die Beiträge jene Denker, denen es darum geht, den mittelalterlichen Kalām unter Zuhilfenahme moderner Theorien, wie der historisch kritischen Methode und neuerer hermeneutischer Systeme neu zu beleben. Die Beiträge im zweiten Teil behandeln muslimische Philosophen, deren Forschungen sich auf Bereiche jenseits religiöser Themen erstrecken, wie islamische Ethik, Demokratie und Säkularismus. Der dritte Teil des Bandes widmet sich jenen Denkern, die sich intensiv mit der Frage der Menschenrechte aus islamischem Blickwinkel befasst haben, wobei die Beiträge wiederum drei Themenbereiche behandeln: Rechte der Frauen, Toleranz und Interreligiöser Dialog.