Sa’diyya Shaikh’s groundbreaking Sufi Narratives of Intimacy: Ibn Arabi,Gender, and Sexuality not only makes a significant contribution to the growingbody of scholarship on issues of gender and Islam, but also serves as an eloquentand accessible introduction to the life and work of Muhyi al-Din ibnArabi, unquestionably one of the most important voices in the Islamic...Read More

Syed Farid Alatas’ Ibn Khaldun is a welcome addition to an emerging Khalduniansociology. It represents one of the few socio-historical studies of histhought that pays attention to this North African thinker’s historical milieuand life. Regarded by many scholars as a precursor of sociology, Ibn Khaldun(1332-1406) is also known for his contributions to the philosophy of...Read More

In the past, many Muslims maintained strong reservations aboutusing English as a means of communication, interaction, and intellectualpractices mainly due to its association with British colonialism.In the postcolonial world Muslims and other religiouscommunities, as well as various ethnic and indigenous groups,have moved away from the ideological and political assumptionsof a binary relationship between English and...Read More

One does not need to repeat the oft-stated observation that editing and translatingthe epistles of the Brethren of Purity (Ikhwan al-Safa’) will greatly enhanceour understanding of the pre-Avicennan period’s intellectual history ofthe philosophical sciences. Carmela Baffioni, senior research fellow at the Instituteof Ismaili Studies, which sponsors this project, is a leading specialiston the Brethren, having...Read More