Ideals and Realities of Islam

Ideals and Realities of Islam is the first of very few English books to treat Islam from its own point of view from within the tradition. It is written for the Western reader interested in Islam, and also for the Western-educated Muslim. Here, the author seeks to answer from the Muslim standpoint many of the criticisms brought against the Islamic tradition by the West. This book explains in contemporary language, the truth of Islam which is revealed in the Quran, as followed by generations of devoted Muslims. The major aspects of the Islamic tradition are discussed in detail, whilst the tradition Islamic doctrines and beliefs are explained in the light of modern thought, with frequent comparisons to other world religions. Along with annotated, chapter-by-chapter bibliographies of the works of both Muslim and Western scholars, this updated edition of Seyyed Hossein Nasr's seminal work also contains a new preface by Titus Burckhardt, an additional introduction by the author himself and an extensive supplementary bibliography.