Video Interview with Dr Reza Shah-Kazemi
(Click above link to watch at source)
Questions addressed in the interview:
1. What motivated you to write a book on Imam ‘Ali?2. Who is the target audience for this work?3. This is the first serious study on the intellectuality and spirituality of Imam ‘Ali in a western language. In your opinion, why was this topic never addressed in English before?4. Could you please elaborate on the relationship between divine and human justice discussed in your book?5. Could you please tell us about the spiritual teachings of Imam ‘Ali and his influence on Sufism?6. Imam ‘Ali is an inspirational figure for all Muslims. How do you think your book will be received in the larger Muslim community?*****
IIS Publishes Spiritual Quest: A Reflection on Quranic Prayer
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The IIS is pleased to announce the publication of Spiritual Quest: A Reflection on Quranic Prayer According to the Teachings of Imam Ali, the third in the Occasional Papers Series. In this book, Dr Shah-Kazemi explores the role that the Qur’an plays in the daily lives of Muslims in the contemporary world. He argues that the Qur’an is thefountainhead of a form of wisdom that is perennially and universally relevant, far from being merely a ‘silent text’, as argued by those who do in fact treat the Qur’an as a historical artefact, akin to a holy relic to be examined from without by archaeologists or archivists.
Engaging creatively with the short chapters of the Qur’an most often recited in daily prayers by Muslims of all schools of thought, but particularly recommended amongst Shi‘i communities, Dr Shah-Kazemi offers a series of philosophical reflections on the texts viewed as perpetually renewed springs of wisdom and sources of enlightenment. The key theme of the reflections is given in the title of the book, Spiritual Quest; his main aim is to show how these key texts can form part of the quest for spiritual fulfilment. Such a quest cannot be restricted to any particular time or place: wherever there are human beings, there will be a thirst for intellectual meaning, a need for moral guidance, and an aspiration for spiritual enlightenment. Even if Muslims today are confronted by a very different set of circumstances from those in which the Qur’an was first revealed, such alterations in outward environment change nothing as regards these perennial and unalterable dimensions of the human condition. Rather, the particular problems generated by the modern world set an intellectual challenge to the discerning Muslim who seeks to base his or her life on the teachings of the Qur’an.Read more at IIS
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