From the Divine to the Human : Contemporary Islamic Thinkers on Evil, Suffering, and the Global Pandemic

"Featuring the work of leading contemporary Muslim philosophers and theologians, this book grapples with various forms of evil and suffering in the world today, from COVID-19 and issues in climate change to problems in palliative care and human vulnerability. Rather than walking down well-trodden paths in philosophy of religion which often address questions of evil and suffering by focusing on divine attributes and the God-world relationship, this volume offers another path of inquiry by focusing on human vulnerability, potential, and resilience. Addressing both the theoretical and practical dimensions of the question of evil, topics range from the transformative power of love, virtue ethics in Sufism and the necessity of suffering, to the spiritual significance of the body and Islamic perspectives on embodiment. In doing so, the contributors propose new perspectives based on various pre-modern and contemporary materials that can enrich the emerging field of the global philosophy of religion, thereby radically transforming contemporary debates on the nature of evil and suffering. The book will appeal to researchers in a variety of disciplines, including Islamic philosophy, religious studies, Sufism and theology"-- Provided by publisher Cover Endorsements Half Title Series Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgements About the Contributors An Anthropocentric Approach to Evil 1 Remarks on Evil, Suffering, and the Global Pandemic 2 The Existential Threat of Climate Change: A Practical Application of Avicenna’s Theory of Evil 3 On Self-Knowledge, Divine Trial, and Discipleship 4 Necessitated Evil: An Islamic Neoplatonic Theodicy From the Ismaili Tradition 5 Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s Metaphysical Theodicy 6 Hume on Trial: Can Evil and Suffering Be Justified? 7 Cultivating Prayerful Presence at the Bedside: From Mastery Towards Mystery 8 The Gifts of Suffering and the Virtues of the Heart 9 Cain, Systemic Evil, and Our Inhumanity 10 Practical Muslim Theodicy: A Ghazalian Perspective on Emotional Pain 11 The Student and the Sage 12 Trials as Transformation in Islamic Chaplaincy 13 Transformative Love Amid Suffering in Hilmi Ziya Ülken 14 Suffering as Metaphysical Narrative: Exploring an Islamic Theodicy of Authorship Index