Overview

Heidegger, Ontology, and the Destiny of Islam: Thoughts and Reflections on the Nature of Islam in the World critiques Islam as a phenomenon set into motion from its beginning. It is a reflective work that addresses difficult questions about Islam through familiar historical concerns and grapples with the issues that arise in that process. Notably, it attests to making no substantive claims about Muslims and instead keeps to the course of analysis of the phenomenon that is Islam, which is taken as an assessable entity rather than a categorical construct. Understood largely in light of a history of observable realities, the ontological analysis of Islam reveals the general acquaintance with it to be imperfect. This suggests the reality of Islam is based on a primal truth that is only partially seen. The analysis then confronts two problems: firstly, that Islam is not what its historical “story,” as it were, proclaims and, secondly, that Islam is therefore not what is traditionally made out of the surviving historical narratives. It is not a question of “what” Islam is, but more critically, “how” Islam appears in the world.

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9781666965339

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Milani’s book is a compelling exploration of Islam that deftly challenges established perspectives. Through a skillful integration of Heideggerian philosophy and a nuanced understanding of Islam's ontological dimensions, Milani navigates the intricate terrain of the religion, dispelling the notion of its static nature. The emphasis on eschewing categorical constructs and embracing the complexity of Islam as an ongoing process of interpretation is a commendable strength. This thought-provoking work beckons readers to reconsider their assumptions about Islam. Milani’s book is a noteworthy contribution that deserves sincere attention. -- Paolo Diego Bubbio, associate professor of philosophy, University of Turin Milad Milani develops an original pathway to understanding Islam as being-in-the world defined by its revelatory project. This pathway is illuminated by the perspectives of Mohammed Arkoun and Martin Heidegger both of whom sought to discover the ‘unthought’ in Islamic thought. This intellectual journey to Islam is for the intrepid reader who seeks a new clearing in the pathway to Islam. Milani invites us to undertake a radical way of thinking about Islam. It is an invitation not to be missed. -- Bryan S. Turner, professor of sociology, The Australian Catholic University According to this challenging book, Islam is its own necessary state of being independently of everything that has been said and written about it and done in its name. Milad Milani is by no means a Fundamentalist and not an essentialist, but he bravely defends a fundamental and essential Islam that resists all the theologies, laws, rituals, and strategies put upon it, and that eludes all the objectivizing tools of modern Religion scholars to sum up its position in the world of religions. Islam is Deep Understanding, and its own possibilities should be allowed to access it without constant human fumblings and distortions. Informed by Sufi insights and the history of Western philosophy (especially Martin Heidegger), Milani probes Islam afresh and apprehensible as the eschatological call to a being-in-the world without the contingencies of religion and the faultiness of human thought. -- Garry W. Trompf, emeritus professor in the history of ideas, University of Sydney Heidegger, Ontology, and the Destiny of Islam takes us on a fascinating expedition through the history and religion of Islam, and sometimes also of monotheistic religion as a whole. Whether or not it will save us from the dangers of not thinking, it shows how Heidegger and Kierkegaard can be brought into productive dialogue with Maḥmūd Muḥammad Ṭaha to do theology as well as advance sociology. Sometimes poetic and always learned, this book not only sheds new light on old questions but also asks new questions that should have been asked before, but somehow were not. -- Mark Sedgwick, professor of Arab and Islamic studies, Aarhus University

Author Information

Milad Milani is senior lecturer in religious studies at Western Sydney University, Australia.

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