Seven Doors to Islam: Spirituality and the Religious Life of Muslims [Paperback]

John Renard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 17, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0520204174 | ISBN-13: 978-0520204171

Seven Doors to Islam reveals the religious worldview and spiritual tradition of the world's one billion Muslims. Spanning the breadth of Islamic civilization from Morocco to Indonesia, this book demonstrates how Muslims have used the literary and visual arts in all their richness and diversity to communicate religious values. Each of the seven chapters opens a "door" that leads progressively closer to the very heart of Islam, from the foundational revelation in the Qur'an to the transcendent experience of the Sufi mystics. However, unlike most studies of Islam, which see spirituality as the concern of a minority of mystical seekers, Seven Doors demonstrates its central role in every aspect of the Islamic tradition.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"A comprehensive tour of the exuberant landscape of Muslim religious life, past and present. With an impressive array of textual and visual works, Renard's kaleidoscopic survey sounds the death toll to the longstanding misconception that Islam is a dry and mechanistic religion devoid of spirituality. This is the best introductory book on Islam currently available."--Ahmet T. Karamustafa, Washington University

"Comprehensive and accessible, this book is a richly textured and wide-ranging introduction to Islamic spirituality and a refreshing change from the obsession with current politics that characterizes most approaches of Islam."--Carl W. Ernst, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

From the Back Cover

"A comprehensive tour of the exuberant landscape of Muslim religious life, past and present. With an impressive array of textual and visual works, Renard's kaleidoscopic survey sounds the death toll to the longstanding misconception that Islam is a dry and mechanistic religion devoid of spirituality. This is the best introductory book on Islam currently available." (Ahmet T. Karamustafa, Washington University) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 317 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (July 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520204174
• ISBN-13: 978-0520204171
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #858,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Renard received a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Harvard University's Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in 1978, specializing in medieval Arabic and Persian religious texts, art and architecture, and the history of Sufism. Since then, he has been teaching courses in Islam, history of religion, comparative theology, religious art, and medieval studies, at Saint Louis University, in St. Louis, MO, where he is Professor of Theological Studies.