Prophecy and Power: Violence and Islam II
May 2021 · John Wiley & Sons
Ebook
240
Pages
reportRatings and reviews aren’t verified Learn More
About this ebook
Heralded as the greatest living Arab poet, Syrian-born Adonis is also a staunch critic of violence and despotism in the Islamic world. In this book, he explores the nature of political power in Islam by focusing on the figure of the prophet Mohammed as both a political and a mythical leader. In conversation with Houria Abdelouahed, Adonis examines the Qur’anic intervention in establishing the prophet’s power, especially when the text is read based on faith and not reason. The authors discuss the historical developments before and after the prophet’s death, which established the power of the Caliph or the leader as absolute.
The second part of the book examines the consequences of these developments in the Arab and Islamic world today, where this ‘tyrannical’ understanding of power continues to hold sway. The authors conclude with a call for secularism in the Arab world and a passionate plea for the separation of religion from the political, legal and social spheres.
About the author
Adonis was born in 1930 in Qassabine, Syria, and has been writing poetry for over seventy years. Frequently tipped for the Nobel Prize for Literature, his achievements have been recognized with numerous international accolades, including the Goethe Prize in 2011.
Houria Abdelouahed is a psychoanalyst, lecturer and translator.
Houria Abdelouahed is a psychoanalyst, lecturer and translator.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
