Universal Dimensions of Islam

Islam's acceptance of other religions remains an enigma for many Westerners. Yet it is this religion's doctrine of Unity, which affirms one supreme God, as well as its belief in multiple prophets, which explains its acceptance of other faiths. The sixteen articles in this volume discuss the fundamental universality of Islam and make the case for it as a religion and civilization intrinsically equipped to address all aspects of the human experience.

"Patrick Laude provides an invaluable collection of some of the greatest expressions of universal spirituality written in the past century and a half.... The essays are both intellectually and spiritually inspirational."---John Voll, Georgetown University, author of Islam: Continuity and Change in the Modern World

"Introducing the `Universal Dimension' of Islam goes a long way to dispelling the myth of radical Islam. In his new work, Patrick Laude has gathered major essays by the leading figures in the Perennialist tradition."---Mehdi Aminrazavi, University of Mary Washington, author of Philosophy, Religion and the Question of Intolerance

"In these articles we encounter Islam as a profound, rich spiritual heritage of universal scope. It is not the monochrome Islam of so-called `fundamentalism' but instead a variegated, woven tapestry that gives expression to the beauty of a tradition that forms the spiritual, intellectual, and social framework of over a quarter of humanity today."---Rodney Blackhirst, La Trobe University, author of Primordial Alchemy and Modern Religion

"Patrick Laude has assembled a sample of writings nourishing anyone's journey through the desert into the spirit. Selections from recognized `traditionalist' leaders are spiced with fresh voices from Mali to China, so offering fruitful paths for comparing Muslim with other ways, to reveal startling convergences."---David Burrell, University of Notre Dame, author of Knowing the Unknowable God: Ibn-Sina, Maimonides, Aquinas

"This collection brings together some of the best writings on the universal dimensions of Islam. Anchoring Islam's universality in its core teaching of Tawhid, Divine unity, the essays provide penetrating insights into Islam's ability to produce a world civilization which combines the elements of particularity and universality."---Ibrahim Kalin, Georgetown University, author of Islam and the West