The Tao of Islam: A Sourcebook on Gender Relationships in Islamic Thought
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“It is a fascinating, truly original work in both its guiding perspectives and its comprehensive, clearly presented account of a central dimension of Islam. There is nothing like it, and it deserves a wide audience.” — James W. Morris, Oberlin College
“It clearly, competently, and comprehensively describes the worldview implicit in the medieval Islamic “wisdom” tradition represented by Sufism and Shi’i philosophy, particularly the way that gender concepts are implicit in their cosmology and psychology, and can be related to the Taoist concepts of yin and yang. The author’s critique of feminism and modern reformism on this basis is penetrating.” — Valerie Hoffman-Ladd, University of Illinois
The Tao of Islam is a rich and diverse anthology of Islamic teachings on the nature of the relationships between God and the world, the world and the human being, and the human being and God. Focusing on gender symbolism, Sachiko Murata shows that Muslim authors frequently analyze the divine reality and its connections with the cosmic and human domains with a view toward a complementarity or polarity of principles that is analogous to the Chinese idea of yin/yang.
Murata believes that the unity of Islamic thought is found, not so much in the ideas discussed, as in the types of relationships that are set up among realities. She pays particular attention to the views of various figures commonly known as “Sufis” and “philosophers,” since they approach these topics with a flexibility and subtlety not found in other schools of thought. She translates several hundred pages, most for the first time, from more than thirty important Muslims including the Ikhwan al-Safa’, Avicenna, and Ibn al-‘Arabi.
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Additional information
| Publisher | State University of New York Press (23 Mar. 1992) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 412 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 9780791409145 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0791409145 |
| Dimensions | 19.05 x 2.36 x 23.5 cm |
by Razwan Ul-haq
The Tao of Islam is a real gem. Sachiko Murata makes it clear that there are divergent cosmologies between traditional and modern approaches. This is extremely important when tackling classical Islamic texts and most often not recognised. If you do buy this book, then reading of the introduction is essential. She proceeds to take the reader into a journey full of new realisations. She adds to the book by combining her own considerable knowledge of Islam with Eastern thought in a genuine way without doing injustice to both. The sort of reader who will gain from this book will be someone who is able to think ‘outside the box’ and is able to digest new material quickly; some people tell me this book is not an easy read, but I think that is only because of the concepts that are being explored, I feel it has been written quite well. I hope this book gets more known as it truly is a fresh new offering. Inventive. Yet it remains grounded in traditional texts. A great achievement.