Author: Muhammad Al-Ghazali
Publisher: Adam Publishers
Year: 2009
Language: English
Pages: 335
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8174353607
Description
Dr Muhammad al-Ghazzali, has devoted many years to a careful, painstaking and perceptive study of Shah Wali Allah. The present work is the outcome of that effort and is focused on Shah Wali Allah’s socio-political thought. The author has made a serious attempt to relate it to the various stands has been achieved by the translation of those portions of Wali Allah’s writings which pertain to socio-political matter.
One of the services rendered by this work is the tracing of Shah Wali Allah’s social and political thought in the intellectual lineage of Islamic philosophy and theology, the heritage of Al-Farabi, al-Razi, al-Muwardi, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ahmad Sirhindi and others.
The Socio-Political Thought of Shah Wali Allah, far from being a study of the subject in isolation, fully reflects this great thinker’s holistic vision of life. Shah Wali Allah regards life, with all its facets, as a manifestation of Divine unity. His thought synthesizes revelation, reason and empirical knowledge to construct a universal paradigm that integrates man’s existential concerns with the moral and spiritual purposes of life, blending these seemingly disparate elements into a meaningful whole.
The author of this work not only presents an analytical study of Shah Wali Allah’s socio-political ideas, but also allows the great sage to speak for himself. He does so by rendering into English significant excerpts pertaining to socio-political matters from his magnum opus, Hujjat Allah al-Balighah.
REVIEW
The focus of this volume on social and political aspects of Shah Wali Allah’s thought reflects the project of contemporary Muslim scholars and intellectuals of recovering and implementing aspects of the Islamic heritage which can speak to the practical needs of today’s political and social contexts.
-Marcia Hermansen,
Professor of Religious Studies,
Loyola University, Chicago
Contents
FOREWORD
PREFACE
EDITOR’S NOTE
PART ONE
The contribution of Shah Wali Allah to Islamic Thought
Introduction
Religio-Philosophical Thought
Social Thought
The Theory of Irtifaqat
Politics and Statecraft
PART TWO
The Major Writings of Shah Wali Allah: An Introduction
PART THREE
Selection from Hujjat Allah al-Balighah
NOTES AND REFERENCE
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX