Category Archives: For the Love of the Written Word

Dialogue: Ali Abbas Jalalpuri on Iqbal’s scholasticism

Posted on April 20, 2011 by

Even though it can be entirely attributed to my shameful reluctance to read philosophy in Urdu, I am embarrassed to be introduced to Ali Abbas Jalalpuri’s work so late, especially his profound critique on Iqbal. Jalalpuri’s critique of Iqbal, besides … Continue reading →

Posted in All My Posts, For the Love of the Written Word, Iqbaliat | 3 Comments

Some Recent Readings (II)

Posted on December 7, 2010 by

In Balram Halvai, Adiga creates a powerful character that makes it hard to put down the novel. Its a powerful story and a real page turner; although I am not sure it really deserved the Man Booker if considered strictly … Continue reading →

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Some Recent Readings

Posted on September 24, 2010 by

The first time I read it, I was not fully equipped to get the extent of it. Not that I consider myself fully equipped now, but at least I got a fair idea why Qurratulain Hyder is considered to belong … Continue reading →

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The Bible of Militant Atheism

Posted on October 28, 2009 by

Contrary to the mainstream religious belief, incredulity and skepticism regarding the ultimate nature of truth, existence of God and eschatological claims of scripture is not an entirely modern phenomenon. In his famous thought experiment Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, Ibn Tufayl the … Continue reading →

Posted in All My Posts, For the Love of the Written Word | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

On Suicide Bombing

Posted on April 13, 2008 by

Originally published in Dawn (Books & Authors) Is there a crucial difference between someone who kills in order to die and someone who dies in order to kill? – [Talal Asad] Alasdair MacIntyre – while making a ‘disquieting suggestion’ in … Continue reading →

Posted in All My Posts, For the Love of the Written Word | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

I am “Confessions”

Posted on March 25, 2008 by

Don’t have much time these days to blog but the amazing accuracy of this quiz forced me to share it here. Thank you Lawrence of Arabia for the hat tip. You’re Confessions! by St. Augustine You’re a sinner, you’re a … Continue reading →

Posted in All My Posts, For the Love of the Written Word, Reflections | 3 Comments

Deconstructing Iqbal’s ‘Reconstruction’

Posted on February 19, 2007 by

Leaving aside the force of his inspirational poetry, Iqbal’s philosophical project is posited best in his ‘Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam‘. This thin volume which was once described as the ‘Bible of Modern Islam’ is now remembered as one … Continue reading →

Posted in All My Posts, For the Love of the Written Word, Iqbaliat | 11 Comments

Tradition of Literature

Posted on February 10, 2007 by

If statisticians among you forgive this dotty averment, I would suggest that 80% of the pre-modern Islamic legal corpus is probably an exploration, preservation and explanation of the remaining 20% textual source. The hypothesis does not mean to undervalue the … Continue reading →

Posted in All My Posts, For the Love of the Written Word, Islam, Tradition & Modernity | 9 Comments

Hayy ibn Yaqzan (Alive, Son of Awake)

Posted on September 13, 2006 by

My next choice for this series is Hayy ibn Yaqzan by Ibn Tufail – a Spanish Muslim philosopher, physician and scientist from 12th century. Simon Ockley’s translation can be found here in pdf. A better and modern translation is by … Continue reading →

Posted in All My Posts, For the Love of the Written Word | 3 Comments

Al-Ittiqan fi Ulum al-Quran

Posted on July 8, 2006 by

I would not be doing the formal review and would rather like it to be a quickly readable introduction to the work. Jalal al-Din Abd al-Rahman bin Abu Bakr al-Suyuti (1445 – 1505) was a Shafii jurist and achieved the … Continue reading →

Posted in All My Posts, For the Love of the Written Word, Quran | 7 Comments