"Shorts" #1 - Reza Shah-Kazemi, introduction to My Mercy Encompasses All
Full title is My Mercy Encompasses All: The Koran's Teachings on Compassion, Peace, & Love. Shoemaker Hoard, 2007.
The main body of this book is selected verses of the Koran, which I'm halfway through. The portion I'm addressing here is the introduction by Reza Shah-Kazemi, a scholar and founding editor of the Islamic World Report. I've done a bit of reading on the history of Islam before, but never on the theology of Islam. The 25-page introduction has very much drawn me in to wanting to read more. One of the reflections that struck me most was: "The boundaries separating oneself from all others are rendered transparent in the light of the intrinsic oneness of humanity. And this unity of humanity is itself a reflection of the oneness of God."
It mentions in the notes that Shah-Kazemi is also the author of (among other publications) The Other in the Light of the One: The Universality of the Qur'an and Interfaith Dialogue. I'm going to look for that soon.
The main body of this book is selected verses of the Koran, which I'm halfway through. The portion I'm addressing here is the introduction by Reza Shah-Kazemi, a scholar and founding editor of the Islamic World Report. I've done a bit of reading on the history of Islam before, but never on the theology of Islam. The 25-page introduction has very much drawn me in to wanting to read more. One of the reflections that struck me most was: "The boundaries separating oneself from all others are rendered transparent in the light of the intrinsic oneness of humanity. And this unity of humanity is itself a reflection of the oneness of God."
It mentions in the notes that Shah-Kazemi is also the author of (among other publications) The Other in the Light of the One: The Universality of the Qur'an and Interfaith Dialogue. I'm going to look for that soon.