God and humans in Islamic thought : ʻAbd al-Jabbār, Ibn Sīnā and al-Ghazālī / Maha Elkaisy-Friemuth.

First published in 2006

Includes bibliographical references (pages [172]-209) and index.

Introduction ---- 1. Historical and Cultural Context --- 2. Abd Al-Jabbar's View of the Relationship with God through Divine Assistance --- 3. Relationship with God through Knowledge and Love, Ishq in Ibn Sina's Philosophy --- 4. Relationship with God through Self Annihilation, Fana, According to Al-Ghazali --- 5. Comparison and Evaluation.

Winner of The Iranian World Prize for the Book of the Year 2007 in the Philosophy and Mysticism category. This new and original text provides a timely re-examination of Islamic thought, presenting a stark contrast to the more usual conservative view. The explanation of the relationship between God and humans, as portrayed in Islam, is often influenced by the images of God and of human beings which theologians, philosophers and mystics have in mind. The early period of Islam reveals a diversity of interpretations of this relationship. Elkaisy-Friemuth discusses the view of three scholars from the tenth and eleventh century: Abd al-Jabbar, Ibn Sina and Al-Ghazali, which introduce three different approaches of looking at the relationship between God and Humans. God and Humans in Islamic Thought attempts to shed light on an important side of medieval rational thought in demonstrating its significance in forming the basis of an understanding of the nature of God, the nature of human beings and the construction of different bridges between them.