New workshops on Al-Ghazali's books start February

Islamic education and outreach organisation SimplyIslam.sg has organised a sequel to its September 2017 workshops on The Life & Thoughts of Imam Al-Ghazzali (الغزالي) in September 2017. Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad Al-Ghazali is an influential Muslim scholar who lived from 1058 to 1111. 

The school has a new 40-week course, Journey with Imam Al-Ghazzali, that will go more in-depth into several of Imam Al-Ghazali's books. The course aims to uncover Al-Ghazali’s advice and spiritual practices to make daily routines more meaningful and purposeful. Books that will be covered include:

– Munqidh min al-Dalalah (المنقذ من الضلال)
– Book of Intentions
– Secrets of Outer Worship
– Remembering Death
– Book of Tawbah (كتاب التوبة)

– other books will also be discussed.

Details:

Classes are weekly, on Wednesday evenings, and begin 7 February. Register 

Explore:

Browse the virtual library of Ghazali works

Read discussions of Ghazali's philosophy

Imam Ghazali Lecture Series for 2017 kicks off with four modules

SimplyIslam.sg is introducing the Imam Ghazali Lecture Series for 2017. Imam Ghazali is a scholar who has a widespread influence on Muslims.

The lecture series is conducted over two weekends in the afternoons, covering:

30 September: What are the Islamic intellectual traditions?
1 October: How do I Know What I Can Know?

7 October: Can I live like Imam Ghazali in the 21st Century?
8 October: Between Reason and Revelation: Contradiction or Reconciliation?
 
Dr Muhammad Mubarak, lecturer for the series, received his PhD in Islamic Civilisation and Contemporary Issues at Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Centre for Islamic Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. He has a Master of Arts in Islamic Spiritual Culture & Contemporary Society from the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation (ISTAC), International Islamic University of Malaysia.

He has previously taught and won awards at Temasek Secondary School and was also a lecturer at Jamiyah Education Centre in their Diploma in Shar’iyyah Law course. He has been a Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) Secretariat member since 2009. He has also been teaching voluntarily at Muslim Converts’ Association of Singapore since 1998.

"We hope that participants will get a better understanding and a deeper appreciation of the life and thoughts of Imam Ghazali, and walk away with intellectual and spiritual tools that will help them to balance revelation and reason," said the organisers in the Facebook event page.

Interested?

The lecture series will be on 30 September and 1 October and on 7 and 8 October, All four lectures cost S$90 while one of the weekends is S$50. Get tickets

All lectures will be held at SimplyIslam.sg, 152 Still Road, within the Madrasah Al-Khairiah. The venue is 10 minutes' walk from Eunos MRT, and one bus stop away by 150 and 155.

Oxford encyclopedias on Islam are ideal companion volumes

Source: OUP website.

Two sets of encyclopedias on Islam were published by the Oxford University Press (OUP) within months of each other last year. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics (ISBN: 9780199739356) provides in-depth coverage and discussion of the political dimensions of Islam and the Muslim world. 

Developments in Muslim societies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have highlighted the need for a major reference work focusing primarily on these dimensions, says the OUP. The encyclopedia covers major turning points in contemporary Muslim history, including:

• The realisation of internal decay and relentless quest for reform
• The collapse of the Islamic caliphate
• The fall of most parts of the Muslim world under western colonialism
• The emergence of nation-states
• The dominance of secular ideologies
• The rise of Islamic revivalist movements and faith-based political, economic, and social alternatives
• The confrontation between Islamic movements and secular inspired regimes

Based on the 2009 The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics brings together over 400 new and updated entries to create a single, specialised reference source on this important topic. The two-volume set runs to 1,452 pages and costs US$395.

Source: OUP website. 

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Science, and Technology in Islam, first edition, was published May 2014 (ISBN: 9780199812578). This US$395. two-volume set runs to a total of 1,152 pages, and provides an overview as well as a comprehensive and detailed survey of the main features of philosophy, science, medicine and technology in the Muslim world. 

The more than 250 A-Z entries cover of Islamic philosophy, sciences, and technologies from the classical through contemporary periods. The tone is scholarly, based on primary and secondary sources, and aimed at advanced students of Islamic philosophy and science. The selection of entries as well as their content reflect the most recent research in the field, providing scholars and advanced students with an authoritative reference work.