Being Muslim in a Morally Relative World: The Dilemma of Contemporary Polarized Pakistani Society examines the challenges faced by Islamic societies in the 21st century, particularly in Pakistan, as they navigate the influences of globalization and Western intellectual movements. Muhammad Awais Shaukat offers a detailed analysis comparing the Islamic value system with the concept of moral relativism, exploring how these contrasting ethical frameworks shape individual and societal behaviors, values, and beliefs. The book investigates the conflict between traditional Islamic morality, rooted in the Qur’an and Sunnah, which upholds absolute and objective values, and the relativistic, subjective morality emerging from post-modernism. By leveraging his multidisciplinary expertise, the author illustrates how these conflicting values have intensified polarization within Muslim societies, amplified by media and intellectual discourse. The book contributes not only to academic discourse but also offers practical insights for policymakers, educators, and community leaders, offering a framework for developing pathways toward social harmony and cohesion.

This book discusses the common principles of morality and ethics derived from divinely endowed intuitive reason through the creation of al-fitr' a (nature) and human intellect (al-‘aql). Biomedical topics are presented and ethical issues related to topics such as genetic testing, assisted reproduction and organ transplantation are discussed. Whereas these natural sources are God’s special gifts to human beings, God’s revelation as given to the prophets is the supernatural source of divine guidance through which human communities have been guided at all times through history. The second part of the book concentrates on the objectives of Islamic religious practice – the maqa' sid – which include: Preservation of Faith, Preservation of Life, Preservation of Mind (intellect and reason), Preservation of Progeny (al-nasl) and Preservation of Property. Lastly, the third part of the book discusses selected topical issues, including abortion, assisted reproduction devices, genetics, organ transplantation, brain death and end-of-life aspects. For each topic, the current medical evidence is followed by a detailed discussion of the ethical issues involved.

What forms can a religiously informed, ethical Muslim life take? This book presents two important accounts of ideal Muslim subjectivity, one by 9th century moral pedagogue, al-Harith al-Muhasibi (d. 857) and the other by 20th century Kurdish Quran scholar, Said Nursi (d. 1960). It reconstructs Muhasibi’s and Nursi’s accounts of ideal Muslim consciousness and analyzes the discursive practices implicated in its formation and expression. The book discusses the range of psychic states and ethical relations that Muhasibi and Nursi consider critical for living an authentically Muslim life. It highlights the importance of discursive practices in Muslim religious and moral self-production. The author draws on Foucault's insights about ethics and practices of self-care to examine familiar Muslim discourses in ways that enrich contemporary conversations about identity, individuality, community, authority, moral agency and virtue in the fields of religious studies, Islamic studies and Muslim ethics. The book deepens our understanding of the fluidity and fragility of both the more familiar, obligation-centered ethics in Islamic thought and the less familiar, belief-centered modes of religio-moral being.

“A civil but honest dialogue...As illuminating as it is fascinating.” —Ayaan Hirsi Ali Is Islam a religion of peace or war? Is it amenable to reform? Why do so many Muslims seem to be drawn to extremism? And what do words like jihadism and fundamentalism really mean? In a world riven by misunderstanding and violence, Sam Harris—a famous atheist—and Maajid Nawaz—a former radical—demonstrate how two people with very different religious views can find common ground and invite you to join in an urgently needed conversation. “How refreshing to read an honest yet affectionate exchange between the Islamist-turned-liberal-Muslim Maajid Nawaz and the neuroscientist who advocates mindful atheism, Sam Harris...Their back-and-forth clarifies multiple confusions that plague the public conversation about Islam.” —Irshad Manji, New York Times Book Review “It is sadly uncommon, in any era, to find dialogue based on facts and reason—but even more rarely are Muslim and non-Muslim intellectuals able to maintain critical distance on broad questions about Islam. Which makes Islam and the Future of Tolerance something of a unicorn...Most conversations about religion are marked by the inability of either side to listen, but here, at last, is a proper debate.” —New Statesman

This highly thought-provoking book, packed with incisive observations and analyses on a wide range of issues facing British Muslims, offers concise yet extensive commentary on the cultural and intellectual contentions in contextualising Islam in the UK. As of 2018, roughly 50% of the UK’s Muslim population was born in the UK. With this shift comes, on one hand, the loss of “old-ways” of experiencing the world and navigating one’s place within it, and on the other hand it comes with the excitement and opportunity to make “new culture.” The questions now facing British Muslims are: “From where can British Muslims get their inspiration?” and “What should be the nature of this new culture?” These questions are becoming ever more important as the UK’s Muslim population is expected to grow from 5% to 10% by 2050. Thus, the author’s clearly presented analysis provides critical and constructive insights for readers wanting to understand how to make faith more meaningful and relevant, going from a largely immigrant ethnocentric religion and identity politics to one formed on intelligent and confident theocentric understanding. Essential reading for anyone interested in Islam and British Muslims, including policymakers, community leaders, philanthropists and activists as well as scholars and students of Islamic studies, sociology, cultural studies, politics, philosophy and identity. This is a most refreshing and indispensable overview for anyone interested in the area. Commendations “Dr Khan rejects the shallow identity politics which assume that British Muslims must either assimilate to ‘western’ secular norms or react fanatically against them. Instead, he reminds us that all great religions demand an intelligent application of their principles to everyday life, and demonstrates how this should be done, in a series of thoughtful articles which not only offer informed judgements but encourage readers to think for themselves.” Dr Michael Sherborne, author of HG Wells: Another Kind of Life (2010). “Mamnun is a young social analyst, founder of grassroots initiatives and writer whose collection of articles are interesting, insightful and pertinent. His ability to question received wisdom, analyse complex issues succinctly and offer possible solutions to the challenges facing British Muslims is refreshing and admirable. Recommended reading.” Muhammad Mojlum Khan F.R.A.S., author of bestselling The Muslim 100 (2008), The Muslim Heritage of Bengal (2013) and Great Muslims of the West (2017). “This collection of thoughts, observations and meditations provides a welcome perspective to the ongoing crystallisation of religiously-inspired thinking in Britain ... it is in the spirit of communal deliberation and intellectual enquiry that this anthology constructively demonstrates how we might proceed.” Shaykh Muhammad Nizami, British born Islamic scholar and political theorist. “Islam in the UK is at a fork in the road. At the end of one turn is weakness, irrelevance and eventual disappearance. At the other end is confidence, prosperity and illumination. Dr Mamnun’s timely series of short essays boldly and effectively makes the case for the latter. May this work inspire positive action in those who are concerned by our current predicament and long for a return to godliness, guidance and harmony.” Iqbal Nasim, Chief Executive, National Zakat Foundation.

Wael B. Hallaq boldly argues that the "Islamic state," judged by any standard definition of what the modern state represents, is both impossible and inherently self-contradictory. Comparing the legal, political, moral, and constitutional histories of premodern Islam and Euro-America, he finds the adoption and practice of the modern state to be highly problematic for modern Muslims. He also critiques more expansively modernity's moral predicament, which renders impossible any project resting solely on ethical foundations. The modern state not only suffers from serious legal, political, and constitutional issues, Hallaq argues, but also, by its very nature, fashions a subject inconsistent with what it means to be, or to live as, a Muslim. By Islamic standards, the state's technologies of the self are severely lacking in moral substance, and today's Islamic state, as Hallaq shows, has done little to advance an acceptable form of genuine Shari'a governance. The Islamists' constitutional battles in Egypt and Pakistan, the Islamic legal and political failures of the Iranian Revolution, and similar disappointments underscore this fact. Nevertheless, the state remains the favored template of the Islamists and the ulama (Muslim clergymen). Providing Muslims with a path toward realizing the good life, Hallaq turns to the rich moral resources of Islamic history. Along the way, he proves political and other "crises of Islam" are not unique to the Islamic world nor to the Muslim religion. These crises are integral to the modern condition of both East and West, and by acknowledging these parallels, Muslims can engage more productively with their Western counterparts.

A pioneering work on controversial issues within the Muslim world Islamic Ethics of Life considers three of the most contentious ethical issues of our time--abortion, war, and euthanasia--from the Muslim perspective. Distinguished scholars of Islamic studies have collaborated to produce a volume that both integrates Muslim thinking into the field of applied ethics and introduces readers to an aspect of the religion long overlooked in the West. This collective effort sets forth the relationship between Islamic ethics and law, clearly revealing the complexity and richness of the Islamic tradition as well as its responsiveness to these controversial modern issues. The contributors analyze classical sources and survey the modern ethical landscape to identify guiding principles within Islamic ethical thought. Clarifying the importance of pragmatism in Islamic decision making, the contributors also offer case studies related to specialized topics, including "wrongful birth" claims, terrorist attacks, and brain death. The case studies elicit possible variations on common Muslim perspectives. The contributors situate Muslim ethics relative to Christian and secular accounts of the value of human life, exposing surprising similarities and differences. In an introductory overview of the volume, Jonathan E. Brockopp underscores the steady focus on God as the one who determines the value of human life, and hence as the final arbiter of Islamic ethics. A foreword by Gene Outka places the volume in the context of general ethical studies, and an afterword by A. Kevin Reinhart suggests some significant ramifications for comparative religious ethics.