Prophecy and Power: Violence and Islam II [Hardcover]

Heralded as the greatest living Arab poet, Syrian-born Adonis is also a staunch critic of violence and despotism in the Islamic world. In this book, he explores the nature of political power in Islam by focusing on the figure of the prophet Mohammed as both a political and a mythical leader. In conversation with Houria Abdelouahed, Adonis examines the Quranic intervention in establishing the prophets power, especially when the text is read based on faith and not reason. The authors discuss the historical developments before and after the prophets death, which established the power of the Caliph or the leader as absolute.

The second part of the book examines the consequences of these developments in the Arab and Islamic world today, where this tyrannical understanding of power continues to hold sway. The authors conclude with a call for secularism in the Arab world and a passionate plea for the separation of religion from the political, legal and social spheres.

1 God, The Messenger of Muhammad?

Notes

2 The Ghazaw
t: The Violence Involved in the Foundation of Islam

Notes

3 Putting the Text to Work

Notes

4 Saq+fa: Power in a Tizzy

Notes

5 The City of God and Entitlement

Notes

6 Tillage? Woman, the Most Noble of Words

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7 Loves Capital Is Not to Have Any

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8 The West of the Enlightenment: What Does It Have to Do with the Orient?

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Epilogue: Leaving the Cave!

Notes

Glossary

Nobody can hold a mirror up to the Arabs, Arab culture, and the Arab malaise with Adoniss conscientious erudition and affection. An irreverent fearless iconoclast from l³T