Divine and Human Love in the Islamic Tradition

FAIN: FB-54907-10

William C. Chittick
SUNY Research Foundation, Stony Brook (Stony Brook, NY 11794-0001)

I plan to write a substantial book, arranged thematically, that will describe the role of love in Islamic thought and culture from the earliest period down into the nineteenth century. The narrative will be interspersed with detailed quotations from the most seminal theologians, philosophers, and mystics and will be seasoned with selections from Arab and Persian poets. The text will be aimed at undergraduates and general readers; ample apparatus, including a comprehensive index, will make it a useful tool for graduate students and scholars. Themes that will be illustrated in depth include God as love, God's love for creation generally and human beings specifically, human love for God, human love for creation and other human beings, love as the force that brings the universe into existence and then closes the gap between God and human beings, and love as the energy that establishes human perfection on the moral, ethical, and spiritual planes.

Associated Products

Divine Love: Islamic Literature and the Path to God (Book)
Title: Divine Love: Islamic Literature and the Path to God
Author: William C. Chittick
Abstract: (from front cover): The very heart of the Islamic tradition is love; no other word adequately captures the quest for transformation that lies at this tradition's center. So argues esteemed professor of medieval Islam William C. Chittick in this survey of the extensive Arabic and Persian literature on topics ranging from the Qur'an up through the twelfth century. Bringing to light extensive foundational Persian sources never before presented, Chittick draws on more than a thousand pages of newly translated material to depict the rich prose literature at teh center of Islamic thought.
Year: 2013
Publisher: Yale University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780300185959
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

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