Kirjahaku

Acclaimed worldwide as the definitive biography of the Prophet Muhammad in the English language, Martin Lings' "Muhammad: His Life Based to the Earliest Sources" is unlike any other. Based on Arabic sources of the eighth and ninth centuries, of which some important passages are translated here for the first time, "Muhammad: His Life Based to the Earliest Sources" owes the freshness and directness of its approach to the words of men and women who heard Muhammad speak and witnessed the events of his life.---Martin Lings' gift for narrative, and his adoption of a style which is extremely readable, allows both the simplicity and grandeur of the story to shine through. The result is a book which will be read with equal enjoyment by those already familiar with Muhammad's life and those coming to it for the first time. "Muhammad: His Life Based to the Earliest Sources" was selected as the best biography of the Prophet in English at the National Seerat Conference in Islamabad in 1983.

Acclaimed worldwide as the definitive biography of the Prophet in the English language. This book will be read with equal enjoyment by those already familiar with Muhammad's life and those coming to it for the first time.

Martin Lings provides an excellent and authoritative introduction to the mystical movement of the Sufis based on his lifelong interest in Islamic culture. His explanation derives from a profound understanding of Sufism, and extends to many aspects which are usually neglected. His illuminating answer to 'What is Sufism?' gives a taste of the very subject matter itself. What do Sufis believe? What do they aim at? What do they do? Unlike other writers on the subject, Martin Lings treats all the three questions with equal justice. He is thus able to give a wealth of answers to the main question 'What is Sufism?', each answer being from a different angle but all going to the root of the matter. A reviewer wrote 'Should the book appear in paperback, I would use it for undergraduate and graduate courses on Islamic civilization', and in fact 'What is Sufism?' has become a set book in colleges and universities on both sides of the Atlantic. It is now accepted as the authoritative statement on the subject of Sufism and it has been translated into French, German, Italian and Spanish. It has also been published in Sarajevo in Bosnian, and is available in Braille.

"Almost a prerequisite for any serious study of Sufism in European languages": this was the verdict of Seyyed Hossein Nasr in his review of the first edition of "A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century: Shaikh Ahmad al-Alawi his Spiritual Heritage and Legacy".---In this work, the author, Dr Martin Lings, presents a vivid picture of the unforgettable figure of the Algerian Shaykh Ahmad al-Alawi through a short biography by his French doctor and the translation of the Shaykh al-Alawi's own autobiography. These are followed by expositions of the Shaykh al-Alawi's teachings which are based on pure metaphysics and gnosis. Finally, Dr Martin Lings translates selections from Shaykh al-Alawi's aphorisms and mystical poetry. The whole work immerses the reader in the world of North African Sufism both as an intellectual tradition and a living reality.

Drawing on first-hand sources which had been inaccessible to Western readers at the time this book was originally published in 1961, this book gives a vivid picture of life in an order of Muslim mystics or Sufis. Against this background stands the unforgettable figure of the Algerian Shaikh who was head of the order from the death of his Master in 1909 until his own demise in 1934. The last chapters are devoted to his writings, which include some remarkable mystic poems.

A revised edition of the internationally acclaimed biography of the prophet - Includes important additions about the prophet's spread of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states - Contains original English translations from 8th and 9th century biographies, presented in authoritative language - Represents the final updates made on the text before the author's death in 2005 Martin Lings' biography of Muhammad is an internationally acclaimed, comprehensive, and authoritative account of the life of the prophet. Based on the sira, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic biographies that recount numerous events in the prophet's life, it contains original English translations of many important passages that reveal the words of men and women who heard Muhammad speak and witnessed the events of his life. Scrupulous and exhaustive in its fidelity to its sources, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is presented in a narrative style that is easily comprehensible, yet authentic and inspiring in its use of language, reflecting both the simplicity and grandeur of the story it tells. This revised edition includes new sections detailing the prophet's expanding influence and his spreading of the message of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states. It represents the final updates made to the text before the author's death in 2005. The book has been published in 12 languages and has received numerous awards, including acknowledgment as best biography of the prophet in English at the National Seerate Conference in Islamabad.

The author contends that Shakespeare's essential greatness is evident when focusing on the impact his best plays make when acted. This work also illustrates his preoccupation with the quest for human perfection and the mystery of sanctification. It concentrates on the texts and their theatrical rendering.

Drawing upon his wide knowledge of world religions the author in this book strikes at the root of everything that makes it difficult for people today to believe wholeheartedly in religion and in doing so, it shows modern man to be, in his own peculiar twenty-first century way, the embodiment of superstition in its most dangerous form. We are faced in the modern world with a situation similar to that in the fable of the Emperor's new clothes. This book aims to speak the truth about the modern outlook especially concerning science and metaphysics, in order to dispell the illusion that prevents the intellect from seeing things as they really are.

The renowned scholar and Sufi master, the late Dr Martin Lings (Shaykh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din) was working on a full translation of the Qur'an when he passed away. The Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, who had commissioned Dr Lings to translate the Qur'an, and the Islamic Texts Society were granted access to his papers. The Publishers extracted from these previously unpublished writings, and from all his other publications, his translations of verses from the Qur'an. These are here presented as 'The Holy Qur'an: Translations of Selected Verses' accompanied by the original Arabic text on facing pages. Among the translations are the all-important first chapter of the Qur'an (al-Fatihah); full translations of the Chapter 'The God of Mercy' (ar-Rahman) and ten other Chapters including the often-repeated last three; the Verse of Light (ayat an-Nur); verses from the Chapter entitled Ya Sin which is regarded as 'the heart of the Qur'an'; and numerous other verses from seventy-six other Chapters.In addition, there is an appendix of Dr Lings' translation of the Ninety-nine Beautiful Names of God with the original Arabic and transliteration; and a cross-referenced index which is intended to work as a minor concordance. For all those wishing to learn about the Qur'an, for non-Arabic-speaking Muslims, for students of Arabic and translation, for scholars of Islamic studies, 'The Holy Qur'an: Translations of Selected Verses' is a short and accessible introduction with the additional benefits of the profound learning of an eminent scholar and the beautiful language of a published poet. Dr Martin Lings is the author of among others 'Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources', 'What is Sufism?', 'A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century', 'The Book of Certainty' and 'Sufi Poems'.

The renowned scholar and Sufi master, the late Dr Martin Lings (Shaykh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din) was working on a full translation of the Qur'an when he passed away. The Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, who had commissioned Dr Lings to translate the Qur'an, and the Islamic Texts Society were granted access to his papers. The Publishers extracted from these previously unpublished writings, and from all his other publications, his translations of verses from the Qur'an. These are here presented as 'The Holy Qur'an: Translations of Selected Verses' accompanied by the original Arabic text on facing pages. Among the translations are the all-important first chapter of the Qur'an (al-Fatihah); full translations of the Chapter 'The God of Mercy' (ar-Rahman) and ten other Chapters including the often-repeated last three; the Verse of Light (ayat an-Nur); verses from the Chapter entitled Ya Sin which is regarded as 'the heart of the Qur'an'; and numerous other verses from seventy-six other Chapters.In addition, there is an appendix of Dr Lings' translation of the Ninety-nine Beautiful Names of God with the original Arabic and transliteration; and a cross-referenced index which is intended to work as a minor concordance. For all those wishing to learn about the Qur'an, for non-Arabic-speaking Muslims, for students of Arabic and translation, for scholars of Islamic studies, 'The Holy Qur'an: Translations of Selected Verses' is a short and accessible introduction with the additional benefits of the profound learning of an eminent scholar and the beautiful language of a published poet. Dr Martin Lings is the author of among others 'Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources', 'What is Sufism?', 'A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century', 'The Book of Certainty' and 'Sufi Poems'.

Sira betyder ’sätt att gå’ på arabiska och är också namnet på den islamiska vetenskapsgren som handlar om Profeten Muhammeds liv, må Guds frid och välsignelser vara med honom. Profetens närstående och samtida var väl medvetna om vikten av att allt som var känt om Profeten och hans liv bevarades och den tidigaste siran förmedlades huvudsakligen muntligt av Profetens följeslagare. Med stor respekt för hans unika person, med omsorg och yttersta noggrannhet återgavs dessa berättelser och förmedlades från generation till generation.Den första omfattande siran samlades och nedtecknades av Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ishaq som dog i Bagdad 151 e. H. Ett drygt århundrade senare reviderades och kommenterades hans samling av Abd al-Malik Ibn Hisham i ”Mukhtasar”, vilken har varit en betydande källa för Martin Lings framställning, liksom ”Maghazi”, en krönika över Profetens fälttåg, av Muhammad ibn Umar al-Waqidi, en yngre samtida till Ibn Ishaq. Att känna till något om Profetens liv ger en rikare och mer nyanserad förståelse av Islam och dess heliga texter och det är därför glädjande att Martin Lings skildring av Islams första intensiva tid nu är tillgänglig även för svenska läsare.

Every religious tradition or metaphysical worldview involves a system of powerful symbols, most of which bear common meanings across cultures, continents, and time. This volume, complete with a 9th century Quranic manuscript, explores the significance of the most recurrent symbols and archetypes in human history and elaboratesa compelling theory for why symbolism plays such an essential role in human life. The work explores certain basic aspects of symbolism in relation to the Divinity, the hierarchy of the universe, the function of human faculties and qualities, the human condition, natural objects, works of art, and the final end--all with reference to the great living religions of the world, and in particular to Christianity and Islam.