Yet another book on jihad and terrorism after 9/11, I hear you yawn? But hear me out.... This book has substance to it and does something important and different. It reviews in detail those classical and post-classicial tafasir (Quran commentaries) known to have discussed jihad at length. It shows that the position taken on whether jihad is an offensive or defensive obligation is predicated on what ones underlying assumption is about the fundamental relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims, which took on a new context with the formation of modern nation-states. It also examines how the concept of jihad is abused and twisted by extremists (a distortion taken as normative and at face value by the sharpest of non-Muslim critics) into a doctrine of terrorism. It is a sustained scholarly attempt to separate Islamic jihad, as well as the notion of armed deterrence, from modern terrorism through examination of the 9/11 attacks, and it proposes legal proscriptions for terrorism from the Quran, on the basis of its political, social and psychological impacts. It is a brilliant, comprehensive, forensic and clearly laid-out book, and it is a genuinely important contribution and work of scholarship. In tone it goes well beyond simple apologetics or polemics. It is careful and subtle but not too technical or difficult a read. I am proud to have been involved in it as one of my last completed projects at Kube. It is written by a prominent and rising young Azahri scholar. Sheikh ElSayed Amin is a member of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Cairo, an Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies in English at al-Azhar University, and a visiting postdoctoral research fellow at the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. He obtained his doctorate in Islamic studies from the University of Birmingham, and his juristic training from the prestigious al-Azhar University, and is a former Fulbright scholar. The book also notable endorsements from a number of scholars and specialists in the field. In this study on the ethics of violence in the Quran, the author poignantly demonstrates the Quranic normative approach to the question of spreading terror, treachery, and victimizing the defenseless. This book is a scholarly and necessary critique of why the crime of terrorism is inconsistent with the ethical outlook of the Quran. Anyone who wants to understand the Quran and its relationship to violence must read this book. - Khaled Abou El Fadl, Omar and Azmeralda Alfi Professor of Law and Chair of Islamic Studies Program, UCLA School of Law || ElSayed Amin has written an authoritative study critiquing terrorism from a Quranic perspective. It is probably the first attempt by an Azhari scholar in the field in English. Al-Azhar University is happy to count him among its esteemed scholars. His intellectual development in this study is representative of the ideals that we pursue as an institution. In addition to illuminating the root causes of terrorism, this book is a real contribution to the interfaith dialogue. - Muhammad Abu Layla, Professor of Comparative Religions at al-Azhar University and member of al-Azhar Research Academy, Cairo || With his expertise in the field of Quranic studies and Islamic legal sources, ElSayed Amin has delved into the works of key classical and modern exegetes to bring out a critique that challenges contemporary perceptions of the relationship between Islam and violence. The book can be seriously commended to both specialists and non-specialists in Quranic Studies, theology and political science. - Jabal M. Buaben, Associate Professor, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam || Finally we have something long overdue in English: a meticulously researched, thorough and persuasive scholarly assessment of the Qur’an’s many statements of guidance on the use of force for political purposes in an age when it is so often misunderstood or misquoted on this issue. The author’s original approach, careful development of argument and crystal clear expression make this remarkable book essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the true meaning of jihad and the profound justice which is embedded in every aspect of Islam’s conception of violence. —Professor Joel Hayward, Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences, Khalifa University and author of Warfare in the Qur’an. PLEASE FIND BELOW AN ONLINE SAMPLE OF THE CONTENTS AND THE WHOLE INTRODUCTION TO THE WORK.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 07:48:42 +0000
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