My Mercy Encompasses All: The Koran's Teachings on Compassion, Peace & Love

Book Overview

If the concept of divine unity dominates the mind, it is the principle of divine compassion that rules the heart in Islam. Contrary to the harsh stereotypes of Islam-fostered both by fanatics within the religion itself, and by biased critics-the culture of this religion is steeped in the ambience generated by mercy and compassion, expressions of divine love. This spiritual culture issues from heartfelt conviction that God is to be taken absolutely seriously when he declares in the seventh chapter of the Koran, "My mercy encompasses all."

Drawn from his own translations of the text, scholar and author Reza Shah-Kazemi has selected key verses from the Koran which manifest the various facets of this mercy, a mercy which bestows profound peace and infinite love. In the spirit of Blessed Are the Peacemakers, Wendell Berry's collection of quotations from the Bible, here is a book to help us illuminate an immensely influential text

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1593761449
• ISBN13: 9781593761448
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Catapult
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Review from "Sacred Web" www.sacredweb.com

© Sacred Web Publishing, from Sacred Web, Volume 21, July 2008 Reviewed by M. Ali Lakhani, Editor of Sacred Web This anthology is a companion volume to Blessed are the Peacemakers: Christ's Teachings about Love, Compassion & Forgiveness, Gathered and Introduced by Wendell Berry (USA, 2005, Shoemaker & Hoard), which served as a timely reminder to those practitioners of the Christian faith, and others, intent on warring for vengeance in the name of religion, that the essence of the Christic message was to place faith, love and stewardship above hubris, aggression and self-interest, and was to privilege compassion over self-righteousness. In the dominant cultures of the West, it has been impressionistically easier for the public mind to regard Christianity as a religion of compassion and love, than for it to regard Islam in these same terms. There are various reasons for this, of which three predominate: first, Islam's emphasis on the certitude of unitary faith (stressing knowledge and metaphysical Truth of the Qur'an and the Sunnah) in contrast to Christianity's emphasis on love and sacrifice (stressing the salvific Presence of Christ); second, ignorance about Islam, which has been exacerbated by misportrayals about the Holy Prophet of Islam and the content of the Qu'ranic message; and third, abuses of Islam by "Muslims", that have been carried out in its name, particularly in recent years, and which have led to a false impression about the aggressive and barbaric nature of its faith. These impressionistic views of the faith of Islam are inaccurate and there is a growing number of people, both Muslims and non-Muslims alike, who have been trying to present sound metaphysical explanations, scriptural texts, and political and historical facts and interpretations, to correct this tide of ignorance regarding Islam, that has swept over the dominant cultures of the West in recent times. This anthology can be viewed as a modest contribution in this vein. In his Introduction, Dr. Shah-Kazemi anticipates that an objection to his selection of verses might be made on the basis that it reflects a one-sided view of Islam, ignoring the wrathful aspects of the Qur'anic message and unduly emphasizing its compassionate aspects. He counters this by noting that in our times "(t)he wrathful, severe side of Islamic teachings has been presented in a unilateral matter, so that, on an apparently Koranic foundation, a theology of hate has been formulated that serves as a façade behind which a blatantly un-Islamic political ideology can operate." This book is an attempt to counter this predominant view of Islam by demonstrating through its scripture its peaceful, loving and compassionate side. In his Foreward, Wendell Berry, the American poet, essayist and conservationist, remarks on the useful distinction between "those who appoint themselves as agents of divine anger, and those who understand themselves as called to be agents of divine mercy", the former allowing t

Highly recommended

Profound, yet eminently readable and accessible. This book should be in every school, church, synagogue and mosque.

Small book, big impact.

This is an excellent book if you're looking for an intelligent, readable argument in favor of Islam as a non-terrorist religion. The author is a practicing Muslim and a scholar who is informed by his own experience of what Islam really is about. His introduction presents a calm voice in the present-day maelstom of misinformation confronting Westerners about the nature of what is truly a peaceful religion. He finds no need to put a spin on the facts to point out the difference between what extremist crazies use to dupe the ignorant into acts of terrorism and what the Quran really teaches. Anyone who wants to know what Islam is all about need only read this book, with its excellent introduction and its wealth of Quranic references, to get a clear picture of the religion. When I hear people like Bill Maher characterize Islam as a violent religion, I only wish they would take the short time needed to read this book.