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There can be no doubt that the essence of Islamic civilization is Islam; or that the essence of Islam is tawhid, the act of affirming Allah to be the One, absolute, transcendent Creator, Lord and Master of all that is. These two fundamental premises are self-evident. They have never been in doubt by those belonging to this civilization or participating in it. Only in recent times have missionaries, Orientalists, and other interpreters of Islam subjected these premises to doubt. Whatever their level of education, Muslims are apodictically certain that Islamic civilization does have an essence, that this essence is knowable and capable of analysis or description, that it is tawhid. Analysis of tawhid as essence, as first determining principle of Islamic civilization, is the object of this Occasional Paper.

In this study Al-Faruqi presents the meaning and message of Islam to the wider world community. Key elements of the faith are summarized and explained in an overall theme of seven parts consisting of 21 chapters. Yet the chapters represent far more than a simple description of Muslim peoples and orthodox practice. Al Faruqi was a great thinker, formidable in logic, and relished intellectual engagement on every level, particularly when it came to Islam and other Faiths. And it is this unique reasoning process that is reflected in this work, Al-Faruqi’s signature contribution, which not only expounds on Islam as spiritual faith and action, but also on Islam the great experience.

This volume is a collection of Ismail al-Faruqi’s articles written over a span of two decades. They deal directly with Islam and other faiths, (Christianity and Judaism in particular). The book provides a good cross-section of al-Faruqi’s contribution to the study of comparative religion and covers a wide spectrum of inter-religious issues including commonality and differences between Islam, Christianity and Judaism, Muslim-non-Muslim relations, and the issue of Mission and Da’wah. It is a fascinating study by an engaging and challenging scholar and activist of our time.

In this study Al-Faruqi presents the meaning and message of Islam to the wider world community. Key elements of the faith are summarized and explained in an overall theme of seven parts consisting of 21 chapters. Yet the chapters represent far more than a simple description of Muslim peoples and orthodox practice. Al Faruqi was a great thinker, formidable in logic, and relished intellectual engagement on every level, particularly when it came to Islam and other Faiths. And it is this unique reasoning process that is reflected in this work, Al Faruqi’s signature contribution, which not only expounds on Islam as spiritual faith and action, but also on Islam the great experience.

There can be no doubt that the essence of Islamic civilization is Islam; or that the essence of Islam is tawhid, the act of affirming Allah to be the One, absolute, transcendent Creator, Lord and Master of all that is. These two fundamental premises are self-evident. They have never been in doubt by those belonging to this civilization or participating in it. Only in recent times have missionaries, Orientalists, and other interpreters of Islam subjected these premises to doubt. Whatever their level of education, Muslims are apodictically certain that Islamic civilization does have an essence, that this essence is knowable and capable of analysis or description, that it is tawhid. Analysis of tawhid as essence, as first determining principle of Islamic civilization, is the object of this Occasional Paper.

Without a doubt, the Qur'an is beautiful, indeed, the most beautiful literary composition the Arabic language has ever known. It signified the divine presence itself and commanded the greatest honor. The proof that the Qur'an was the word of God devolved upon the Qur'an itself. The Qur'an, Muhammad claimed with Qur'anic approval, indeed dictation, is so beautiful that it is inimitable; it is so inimitable that it is miraculous. It is therefore not the work of humans but of God. This character of the Qur'an is called its i'jaz. The Sunnah as concretization of the vision, or materialization of the ideal, translated theory into reality. In it, the values of Islam were given form and became alive. They throbbed with moving power. The Sunnah supplied the missing link between thinking and doing, between ideational apperception and action, between thought and life and history.

Shvatajući suštinu islama u terminima koji se odnose isključivo na Kur’an i sunnet, cilj studije je prezentirati civilizacijske materijalne konkretizacije te suštine u prostoru i vremenu. S pravom se može tvrditi da je ova knjiga prva primjena fenomenološke metode na islam i njegovu civilizaciju u cjelini. Počinje ispitivanjem korijena i iskušenja, povijesne stvarnosti u kojoj je islam - vjera, kultura i civilizacija - rođen. Zatim se prelazi na definiciju suštine islamske civilizacije ili tevhid, njen prvi princip i srž. Ovo se temelji na eidetskoj viziji vjere islama. Nakon analize suštine slijedi analiza njezina oblikovanja u sistem ideja, sistem egzemplarnih aktualizacija i sistem društvenih institucija. Sva tri su zajednički oblikovala islamsku kulturu i civilizaciju, dala im svoj karakter I oblik, označila njihove dubine i druge dimenzije, te pripomogla usidrenje i podupiranje njihovog razvoja u povijesti. Na kraju, manifestacije islama u fenomenima kulture i civilizacije pregledane su pod kategorijama djelovanja, mišljenja i izražavanja, dajući tako sistemski prikaz relevantnih polja ljudske aktivnosti. Poglavlja 9 i 10 bave se manifestacijom na djelu. Poglavlja od 11 do 18 opisuju manifestaciju u mislima, a poglavlja od 20 do 23 propituju očitovanje u izražavanju. Riječ “Atlas” može se odnositi na knjigu karata koje predstavljaju geografska obilježja fizičke, poljoprivredne, urbane, političke, ekonomske ili vojne prirode. Kulturna geografija je, međutim, još mlada; a metode za prevođenje kulturnih fenomena u vidljivi oblik daleko su od potpunog utvrđivanja i usavršavanja. Kartiranje kulturnih informacija težak je posao zbog složenosti i raznolikosti konstitutivnih materijala i činilaca koji utječu na njihov razvoj. Razumijevajući opasnosti takvog pionirskog zadatka, učinili smo ovaj prvi pokušaj izrade sveobuhvatnog “Atlasa” islamske kulture I civilizacije. “Atlas” se također može koristiti za označavanje knjige vizualno prikazanih informacija o određenoj temi. Naslov je stoga dodatno opravdan, budući da je ovdje uključeno obilje podataka o islamskoj kulturi i civilizaciji prikazanih u tablicama, grafikonima, hronologijama i slikama.

There can be no doubt that the essence of Islamic civilization is Islam; or that the essence of Islam is tawhid, the act of affirming Allah to be the One, absolute, transcendent Creator, Lord and Master of all that is. These two fundamental premises are self-evident. They have never been in doubt by those belonging to this civilization or participating in it. Only in recent times have missionaries, Orientalists, and other interpreters of Islam subjected these premises to doubt. Whatever their level of education, Muslims are apodictically certain that Islamic civilization does have an essence, that this essence is knowable and capable of analysis or description, that it is tawhid. Analysis of tawhid as essence, as first determining principle of Islamic civilization, is the object of this Occasional Paper.

Without a doubt, the Qur’an is beautiful, indeed, the most beautiful literary composition the Arabic language has ever known. It signified the divine presence itself and commanded the greatest honor. The proof that the Qur’an was the word of God devolved upon the Qur’an itself. The Qur’an, Muhammad oe claimed with Qur’anic approval, indeed dictation, is so beautiful that it is inimitable; it is so inimitable that it is miraculous. It is therefore not the work of humans but of God. This character of the Qur’an is called its i ¢jaz. The Sunnah as concretization of the vision, or materialization of the ideal, translated theory into reality. In it, the values of Islam were given form and became alive. They throbbed with moving power. The Sunnah supplied the missing link between thinking and doing, between ideational apperception and action, between thought and life and history.

There can be no doubt that the essence of Islamic civilization is Islam; or that the essence of Islam is tawhid, the act of affirming Allah to be the One, absolute, transcendent Creator, Lord and Master of all that is. These two fundamental premises are self-evident. They have never been in doubt by those belonging to this civilization or participating in it. Only in recent times have missionaries, Orientalists, and other interpreters of Islam subjected these premises to doubt. Whatever their level of education, Muslims are apodictically certain that Islamic civilization does have an essence, that this essence is knowable and capable of analysis or description, that it is tawhid. Analysis of tawhid as essence, as first determining principle of Islamic civilization, is the object of this Occasional Paper.