Most Popular Books by Seyyed Hossein Nasr

Table of Contents The Essential Seyyed Hossein Nasr by Nasr, Seyyed Hossein; Smith, Huston (Foreword by) Terms of Use Foreword Huston Smith p. vii Introduction William C. Chittick p. ix Religion 1 Living in a Multi-Religious World p. 3 2 The Traditionalist Approach to Religion p. 21 3 Religion and the Environmental Crisis p. 29 Islam 4 One God p. 43 5 Many Prophets p. 53 6 The Nature of Man p. 65 7 The Integration of the Soul p. 73 8 The Throne of the All-Merciful p. 85 9 The Role of Philosophy p. 97 10 Suhrawardi p. 111 11 Mulla Sadra p. 115 12 Existence and Quiddity p. 119 Tradition 13 Scientia Sacra p. 131 14 Renaissance Humanism p. 139 15 God as Reality p. 153 16 Time and Eternity p. 159 17 Pontifical and Promethean Man p. 171 18 The Cosmos as Theophany p. 189 19 Traditional Art p. 203 20 The Wisdom of the Body p. 215 21 In the Beginning was Consciousness p. 223 Sources p. 231 Selected Bibliography p. 233 Biographical Notes p. 237 Index p. 239 Descriptive content provided by Syndetics"! a Bowker service. Summary The Essential Seyyed Hossein Nasr by Nasr, Seyyed Hossein; Smith, Huston (Foreword by) Terms of use "The highest honor a philosopher can receive is to be nominated by his peers for inclusion in the series of The Library of Living Philosophers [for which the] latest entry is The Philosophy of Seyyed Hossein Nasr. And the highest honor a theologian can receive is to be invited to deliver the Gifford Lectures in Glasgow, Scotland. Seyyed Hossein Nasr is the only person ever to have received both of these honors ... This valuable book distills the essence of the thought of one of the most important thinkers or our times." Book jacket. Descriptive content provided by Syndetics"! a Bowker service.

In this book, a series of interviews offers an accessible, revealing, human and intellectual biography of leading Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr is one of the preeminent philosophers writing today. Sure to be a key resource for decades to come, In Search of the Sacred: A Conversation with Seyyed Hossein Nasr on His Life and Thought illuminates Nasr''s experiences and shares his insights on topics from religion and philosophy to science and the arts. Based on a series of interviews, the book combines traditional autobiography with an exploration of the intellectual and spiritual trajectories of the author''s thought during key periods of his life. In doing so, it presents a fascinating panorama, not only of the life and ideas of one man, but also of major events ranging from intellectual life in Iran during the Pahlavi period and the Iranian Revolution to some of the major religious and intellectual debates between Islam and modernism. Nasr writes that his "whole life has been a quest for the sacred." This work connects that quest with some of the most important issues of the day in encounters between Islam and the West.

An accessible and accurate translation of the Quran that offers a rigorous analysis of its theological, metaphysical, historical, and geographical teachings and backgrounds, and includes extensive study notes, special introductions by experts in the field, and is edited by a top modern Islamic scholar, respected in both the West and the Islamic world. Drawn from a wide range of traditional Islamic commentaries, including Sunni and Shia sources, and from legal, theological, and mystical texts, The Study Quran conveys the enduring spiritual power of the Quran and offers a thorough scholarly understanding of this holy text. Beautifully packaged with a rich, attractive two-color layout, this magnificent volume includes essays by 15 contributors, maps, useful notes and annotations in an easy-to-read two-column format, a timeline of historical events, and helpful indices. With The Study Quran, both scholars and lay readers can explore the deeper spiritual meaning of the Quran, examine the grammar of difficult sections, and explore legal and ritual teachings, ethics, theology, sacred history, and the importance of various passages in Muslim life. With an introduction by its general editor, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, here is a nearly 2,000-page, continuous discussion of the entire Quran that provides a comprehensive picture of how this sacred work has been read by Muslims for over 1,400 years.

This book combines scholarly research into certain aspect of Sufi doctrines and history with a penetrating account of the spiritual and metaphysical message and significance of Sufism as a living spiritual tradition. In an original discussion, unlike anything that has appeared before in studies of Sufism, the author places special accent on the pertinence of Sufi teachings to the most acute contemporary problems. The book addresses itself to both the ever-increasing Western public interested in Sufism and to the Western-educated Muslim interested in his own spiritual heritage. Dr. Nasr draws on his intimate knowledge of the Sufi literature in Arabic and Persian as well as his first-hand knowledge of Sufi tradition itself to produce this further volume in his numerous studies on the different facets of Islam.

As the specter of religious extremism has become a fact of life today, the temptation is great to allow the evil actions and perspectives of a minority to represent an entire tradition. In the case of Islam, there has been much recent confusion in the Western world centered on distorted portrayals of its core values. Born of ignorance, such confusion feeds the very problem at hand. In The Heart of Islam one of the great intellectual figures in Islamic history offers a timely presentation of the core spiritual and social values of Islam: peace, compassion, social justice, and respect for the other. Seizing this unique moment in history to reflect on the essence of his tradition, Seyyed Hossein Nasr seeks to "open a spiritual and intellectual space for mutual understanding." Exploring Islamic values in scripture, traditional sources, and history, he also shows their clear counterparts in the Jewish and Christian traditions, revealing the common ground of the Abrahamic faiths. Nasr challenges members of the world''s civilizations to stop demonizing others while identifying themselves with pure goodness and to turn instead to a deeper understanding of those shared values that can solve the acute problems facing humanity today. "Muslims must ask themselves what went wrong within their own societies," he writes, "but the West must also pose the same question about itself . . . whether we are Muslims, Jews, Christians, or even secularists, whether we live in the Islamic world or in the West, we are in need of meaning in our lives, of ethical norms to guide our actions, of a vision that would allow us to live at peace with each other and with the rest of God''s creation." Such help, he believes, lies at the heart of every religion and can lead the followers of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as other religious and spiritual traditions to a new future of mutual respect and common global purpose. The Heart of Islam is a landmark presentation of enduring value that offers hope to humanity, and a compelling portrait of the beauty and appeal of the faith of 1.2 billion people.

With remarkable breadth of vision, Seyyed Hossein Nasr reveals for both Western and Muslim readers how each art form in the islamic tradition is based upon a science of nature concerned, not with the outer appearance of things, but with their inner reality. Ranging across calligraphy, painting, architecture, literature, music, and the plastic arts, Nasr penetrates to the inner dimension of Islam and shows the role art plays in the life of individual Muslims and the community as a whole—the role of inspiring the remembrance and contemplation of God. Once the author establishes art as an aid and support to the spiritual life, he traces the creative act to its ultimate source: inner knowledge and barakah, or grace, which make the crystallization of inner realities in form and space and time possible. Through this knowledge and grace, the author asserts, unity manifests upon the plane of multiplicity, making archetypal realities perceivable by the senses. Through this knowledge and grace, art functions as a ladder for the journey of the soul from the visible to the invisible. How Islamic art leads man to the inner chamber of divine revelation forms the substance of much of this important work. An especially close look is given to the Sufi tradition within Islam, for its mystical teachers have often clearly demonstrated in their works the spiritual significance of beauty and served as the source of inspiration for art. By rediscovering the root of art in the Islamic tradition, Seyyed Hossein Nasr opens doors to new dimensions of unity which have seemingly been obscured in recent Western art. In so doing, he extends the significance of this book beyond the Islamic belief system to touch the hearts and creative impulses of readers from all traditions.

The current ecological crisis is a matter of urgent global concern, with solutions being sought on many fronts. In this book, Seyyed Hossein Nasr argues that the devastation of our world has been exacerbated, if not actually caused, by the reductionist view of nature that has been advanced by modern secular science. What is needed, he believes, is the recovery of the truth to which the great, enduring religions all attest; namely that nature is sacred. Nasr traces the historical process through which Western civilization moved away from the idea of nature as sacred and embraced a world view which sees humans as alienated from nature and nature itself as a machine to be dominated and manipulated by humans. His goal is to negate the totalitarian claims of modern science and to re-open the way to the religious view of the order of nature, developed over centuries in the cosmologies and sacred sciences of the great traditions. Each tradition, Nasr shows, has a wealth of knowledge and experience concerning the order of nature. The resuscitation of this knowledge, he argues, would allow religions all over the globe to enrich each other and cooperate to heal the wounds inflicted upon the Earth.

A comprehensive overview of the Islamic philosophical tradition.

This is the only book to deal with classical Islamic cosmology as it was formulated by the Ikhwan al-S''afa al Biruni and Ibn Sina during the tenth and eleventh centuries. These figures influenced all the later centuries of Islamic history and in fact created the cosmological framework within which all later scientific activity in the Islamic world was carried out--the enduring image of the cosmos within which Muslims have lived during the past millennium. Nasr writes from within the Islamic tradition and demonstrates how, based on the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet, the figures treated in this work integrated elements drawn from various ancient schools of philosophy and the sciences. This book is unique in its treatment of classical Islamic cosmology as seen from within the Islamic world-view and provides a key for understanding of traditional Islamic thought.

The headlines are filled with the politics of Islam, but there is another side to the world''s fastest-growing religion. Sufism is the poetry and mysticism of Islam. This mystical movement from the early ninth century rejects worship motivated by the desire for heavenly reward or the fear of punishment, insisting rather on the love of God as the only valid form of adoration. Sufism has made significant contributions to Islamic civilization in music and philosophy, dance and literature. The Sufi poet Rumi is the bestselling poet in America. But in recent centuries Sufism has been a target for some extremist Islamic movements as well as many modernists. The Garden of Truth presents the beliefs and vision of the mystical heart of Islam, along with a history of Sufi saints and schools of thought. In a world threatened by religious wars, depleting natural resources, a crumbling ecosystem, and alienation and isolation, what has happened to our humanity? Who are we and what are we doing here? The Sufi path offers a journey toward truth, to a knowledge that transcends our mundane concerns, selfish desires, and fears. In Sufism we find a wisdom that brings peace and a relationship with God that nurtures the best in us and in others. Noted scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr helps you learn the secret wisdom tradition of Islam and enter what the ancient mystics call the "garden of truth." Here, liberate your mind, experience peace, discover your purpose, fall in love with the Divine, and find your true, best self.

The meaning of a science rooted in the sacred, its contrast to modern science and its pertinence to us today.

Includes material on Islamic responses to modern Western religion, philosophy, science, technology, politics, economics, education, art, and lifestyles.

This volume brings together essays spanning four decades of Nasr''s prolific and learned scholarship.

Discusses the question of Islamic science in its relation to Islamic civilization as well as the relation between Islam and science today to benefit from those wise Muslim scientists, savants and hakims those thoughts and words are translated and studied in this book--p.xvi

This is a spiritual tour de force which explores the relationship between Man and Nature as found in Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, particularly its Sufi dimension.

Includes chapter on medicine, occult science and agriculture.

Return to the Eternal Abode is a series of in-depth discussions between Amira El-Zein and Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the world''s foremost scholars of Islamic, religious, and comparative studies. Each of the six chapters addresses a central theme at the heart of Sufism: creativity, cosmology, the environment, poetry, art, and modernity. Nasr''s answers to El-Zein''s probing questions offer thought-provoking, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary approaches to these aspects of the Sufi tradition, reflecting a lifetime of scholarship and comfortably synthesizing various sources, philosophies, and traditions, both Islamic and otherwise. The book also sheds light on Nasr''s relations to eminent thinkers of the twentieth century, such as Titus Burckhardt, Mircea Eliade, Louis Massignon, and Henry Corbin and provides, in many ways, an accessible synopsis or overview of his entire oeuvre.

Originally published 1987. The first part of the volume is concerned with "The Roots of the Islamic Tradition and Spirituality". These are seen to include the Qu’ran as the central theophany of Islam, the Prophet who received the word of God and made it known to mankind and the rites of Islam. The second part examines the divisions of the Islamic community with their distinctive pieties and emphases: Sunnism and Shi’ism and female spirituality. Part III is devoted to Sufism – its nature and origin, its early development, its various spiritual practices and its science of the soul.

Mecca the Blessed, Medina the Radiant is an unprecedented photographic exploration of the most holy cities of Islam and the Hajj, or annual pilgrimage during Ramadan, when more than a million faithful journey to Mecca''s Great Mosque to commemorate the first revelation of the Qur''an (Koran). This book allows both Muslims and those unfamiliar with the Islamic faith complete access to the holiest sites of one of the world''s major religions, practiced by a quarter of the world''s population but often misunderstood in the West. Photographer Ali Kazuyoshi Namachi, a Muslim convert from Japan, garnered the full support of Saudi Arabian authorities--rarely given--to shoot in cities where photography is strictly controlled and non-Muslims are not allowed. An expansive work of photojournalism, Mecca the Blessed, Medina the Radiant includes: 140 full-color, never-before-seen photographs Mystical places and scenes of Islam Breathtaking aerial photographs of the Arabian terrain Vistas of teeming crowds of worshippers surrounding the Kacbah, Mecca''s sacred center Intense portraits of faithful Muslims in prayer Magnificent architecture reflecting the faith of the believers Archival illustrations Text by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the most highly regarded scholars of Islam, enhances the stunning Islamic holy city photographs to illuminate many aspects of Islamic belief that have remained enigma to non-Muslims--until now.

With this volume of poetry, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, whose name the reader usually associates with the philosopher, the historian and the scientist, firmly establishes his role as a spiritual mentor of the highest rank. In Poems of the Way, the poet describes the spiritual path and invites us to realize what our true transcendent destination really is. Nasr''s poetical rendering of the Way uncovers increasingly deeper spiritual secrets of the mystical path. In English and Persian.

Muslims.