Story of Reason in Islam

Sari Nusseibeh is Professor of Philosophy at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem. His most recent book is What's a Palestinian State Worth? (2011) .

"This engagingly written and ambitious intellectual history of Islam will provoke much thought and response. Novel in approach and mindful of the concerns of the present, it focuses not only on the story of philosophy, but also on the hermeneutics of scripture, the understanding of the arts and sciences, and the relation between law and ethics." —Sajjad Rizvi,University of Exeter "Sari Nusseibeh's The Story of Reason in Islam is a gift to the broadminded Western reader. It comes from a man of rare moral and intellectual standing who has risked much in his life to intellectual honesty and thorough fair-mindedness. It doesn't provide quick or easy answers about modern Islam, but it does convey the depth and complexity of traditions that Western pundits too frequently seem comfortable boiling down to 140 characters. Professor Nusseibeh's book is its own best argument for judging others cautiously and assuming their best intentions."—Noah Kennedy, The Humanist "Sari Nusseibeh's The Story of Reason in Islam is a very beautifully and thoughtfully written book."—Heidrun Eichner, Reading Religion "Written with the uninitiated in mind....Nusseibeh's sensitive, elliptical handling of dense metaphysical material echoes one of the book's central points: that the philosophical tradition in Arabic grew out of a world in which poetry was the preeminent means of expression....Through skillful weaving of events and ideas, Nusseibeh shows how politics determined the themes—justice, free will, the legitimacy of resisting an unjust leader—that became central to early Islamic thought."—Yasmine Seale, Harper's Magazine

• 1. The Arabian Desert2. The Daunting Idea of God3. Free Will and Determinism4. The Qur'an: Created or Eternal?5. From Wasil to Ibn Hanbal6. Early Islam: Literacy, Conflict and Expansion7. Speculative Discourse: A Style8. Discourse: In Pursuit of the Ultimate Answers9. Law and Morality10. Al-Ma'moun and the Devil's Banquets.11. The Language-Logic debate12. Back to the Human Will and Language13. Expanding the View14. An Interlude: Caliph, Imam, and Philosopher-King15. Philosophy and Politics16. The Philosophers' "Frenzy"17. Back to Wine and Logic18. Motion and Light19. The Nature of Truth20. Fardajan and Beyond21. The Cosmos22. Cosmic Lights23. Fast Forward24. Language and Reason: The Dilemma