Ebook: The Sorrowful Muslim's Guide

Published in Association with the Aga Khan University Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations

Explores the interaction between pre-Islamic tradition and modern supporters of continuity, reform and change in Muslim communities

Published as Dalīl al-Muslim al-ḥazīn ilā muqtada-l-sulūk fī’l-qarn al-ʿishrīn in 1983, this book remains a timely and important read today. Both the resurgence of Islamist politics and the political, social and intellectual upheaval which accompanied the Arab Spring challenge us to re-examine the interaction between the pre-modern Islamic tradition and modern supporters of continuity, reform and change in Muslim communities.

This book does exactly that, raising questions regarding issues about which other Muslim intellectuals and thinkers have been silent. These include – among others – current religious practice vs the Islamic ideal; the many additions to the original revelation; the veracity of the Prophet’s biography and his sayings; the development of Sufism; and historical and ideological influences on Islamic thought.

Key Features

• Makes available in English an important contribution to modern Muslim thought from a prominent Egyptian thinker
• Looks at how current religious practice conforms (or not) to the Islamic ideal when Islam was first revealed
• Explores the relationship between core, inner religious values and ritualistic practices
• Engages critically with the sources by using historical, literal and logical criticism