This book provides new information abtout the development of Indonesian Muslims' thinking on issues of theology. This theological thought, especially as reflected in the works of the modernist Muslim thinkers, may be seen as a nascent systematic attempt to draw up the essential beliefs of Islam in Indonesian historical and cultural contexts.

Dalya Cohen-Mor examines the evolution of the concept of fate in the Arab world through readings of religious texts, poetry, fiction, and folklore. She contends that belief in fate has retained its vitality and continues to play a pivotal role in the Arabs' outlook on life and their social psychology. Interwoven with the chapters are 16 modern short stories that further illuminate this fascinating topic.

Ranging from studies on Sufism and the Koran to discussion of nineteenth and twentieth-century Arabic literature, these essays on the law and literature of Islamic society illustrate the unique vision of one of the world's great Orientalists. Originally published in 1982. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

In this updated edition of his classic work, Lenn E. Goodman provides a concise introduction to the life and thought of Abu Ali al-Husain ibn Abdallah ibn Sina, known as Avicenna, who was born in the year 980 C.E. near Bokhara in what is now Uzbekistan and died 1037 C.E. in Hamadan, now in Iran.

A highly influential Sudanese reformist thinker, Mahmud Muhammad Taha is regarded as a product of a dual legacy rooted in mystical Islam on the one hand and in the tradition of modernity on the other. Publicly executed in 1985 folowing his conviction of apostasy, Taha offered distinctly original interpretations of the Qur’an and a radical theory of Islamic prayer. In Quest for Divinity, Mohamed Mahmoud presents an in-depth and balanced treatment of Taha’s controversial yet significant thought. The author’s ability to provide access to relevant literature in both Arabic and English offers readers a rare view of the considerable nuance in Taha’s thought. With rich detail Mahmoud explores Taha’s theories of human freedom and his social message, referred to as "the second message of Islam" with its emphasis on political, economic, and social equality. Taha’s embrace of modernity is further assessed relative to his position on science, law, and art-areas that have always attracted Muslim modernists. Quest for Divinity will attract attention to Taha’s compelling but little-known intellectual contribution as a seminal modern reformer of Islam. Such recognition is long overdue and will enrich the current debates on Islam and modernity.