Introduction |
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1 | (1) |
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1 | (1) |
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Conventions Used in This Book |
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2 | (1) |
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3 | (1) |
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How This Book Is Organized |
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4 | (1) |
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Part I: Revealing the Word of God: The Book |
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4 | (1) |
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Part II: Searching for the Soul of the Koran |
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4 | (1) |
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Part III: Seeing the Koranic Worldview |
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4 | (1) |
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Part IV: Living the Koran |
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5 | (1) |
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Part V: Relating the Koran to the World |
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5 | (1) |
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Part VI: The Part of Tens |
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5 | (1) |
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5 | (1) |
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6 | (1) |
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Part I: Revealing the Word of God: The Book |
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7 | (72) |
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Getting to Know the Koran |
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9 | (12) |
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Receiving Revelation Straight from the Source |
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9 | (1) |
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Guiding the Way: Prophet Muhammad |
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10 | (1) |
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Discovering the Basic Messages of the Koran |
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11 | (2) |
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11 | (1) |
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Worship and service to God |
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11 | (1) |
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Prophets to teach and guide |
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11 | (1) |
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Completion of past revelations |
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12 | (1) |
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Guidance to a spiritual path |
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12 | (1) |
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Movement for social change |
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12 | (1) |
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13 | (1) |
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13 | (3) |
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13 | (1) |
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14 | (1) |
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14 | (1) |
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15 | (1) |
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16 | (1) |
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Hearing the Words: The Audience of the Koran |
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16 | (1) |
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Knowing the Essentials about Islam and Muslims |
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17 | (4) |
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The Six Pillars of Belief |
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17 | (1) |
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The Five Pillars of Islam |
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18 | (1) |
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Muslims: The followers of Islam |
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19 | (2) |
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From Revelation to Written Book |
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21 | (16) |
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Revealing the Koran to Muhammad |
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21 | (6) |
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The beginning of revelation |
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22 | (2) |
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24 | (1) |
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The Meccan and Medinan periods |
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24 | (2) |
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Transmitting revelation to the community |
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26 | (1) |
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Collecting the Koran as a Book |
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27 | (4) |
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Conforming the Koran's dialects |
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28 | (1) |
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The Koran in modern-day print |
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29 | (2) |
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Memorizing Miracles: Preserving the Koran throughout History |
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31 | (1) |
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Experiencing the Koran as Divine Art |
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32 | (5) |
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32 | (3) |
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35 | (2) |
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Mapping Out the Structure of the Book |
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37 | (16) |
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Discerning the Structure of the Koran |
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37 | (3) |
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37 | (1) |
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38 | (1) |
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39 | (1) |
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Discovering Surah Names and Themes |
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40 | (6) |
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Finding Your Way Through the Moral Narrative |
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46 | (6) |
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47 | (1) |
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47 | (1) |
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Through stories of the past |
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48 | (4) |
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Simplifying the Moral Narrative of Shorter Surahs |
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52 | (1) |
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Discovering the Language of the Koran |
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53 | (12) |
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Arabic: Plain, Clear, and Eloquent |
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53 | (4) |
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Digging down to the roots |
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54 | (2) |
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Reading translations of the Koran |
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56 | (1) |
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Literary Style in the Sacred Scripture |
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57 | (5) |
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Key literary elements of the Koran |
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58 | (2) |
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Clear and figurative passages |
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60 | (2) |
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Hearing the Voice of the Koran |
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62 | (3) |
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Relating the Koran to Abrahamic Revelations |
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65 | (14) |
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Previous Revelations: Between Sacred and Corrupted |
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65 | (1) |
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Linking the Three Faiths: Common Experiences in the Scriptures |
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66 | (4) |
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Uniting faiths with belief in One God |
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67 | (1) |
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Bridging the gap between divine laws |
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67 | (2) |
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Sharing the legacy of prophetic stories |
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69 | (1) |
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Contrasting the Koran with Judeo-Christian Scriptures |
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70 | (9) |
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Finding a worldview of history in the Scriptures |
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70 | (2) |
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72 | (1) |
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Reforming religious rituals |
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72 | (1) |
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Extending God's covenant to all peoples |
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73 | (1) |
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Giving a new angle on prophetic stories |
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73 | (2) |
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Checking the prophetic pulse of Muhammad in the Biblical Scripture |
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75 | (1) |
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Differing on Mary and the message of Jesus |
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76 | (3) |
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Part II: Searching for the Soul of the Koran |
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79 | (28) |
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81 | (12) |
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Coming to Know the Guidance |
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81 | (4) |
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Having room for interpretation |
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82 | (1) |
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Knowing the key terms of Koranic interpretation |
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82 | (2) |
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Finding the Tasfir that fits |
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84 | (1) |
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Drawing Out Interpretations |
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85 | (8) |
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Looking at clear and ambiguous passages |
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85 | (1) |
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Interpreting outer meanings |
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86 | (2) |
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Interpreting inner meanings |
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88 | (1) |
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Examining general and specific passages |
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88 | (2) |
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Keeping circumstances behind revelation in mind |
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90 | (1) |
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90 | (3) |
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Understanding Interpretations of the Koran Today |
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93 | (14) |
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Getting to Know Famous Commentators of the Koran |
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93 | (5) |
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94 | (1) |
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In successive generations |
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95 | (1) |
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Classic works of Koranic interpretation |
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96 | (2) |
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Influential Movements of the Twentieth Century |
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98 | (6) |
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Mawdudi: Framework for a movement |
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99 | (2) |
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Qutub: The controversial revolutionary |
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101 | (2) |
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Muhammad Rida: The influential reformer |
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103 | (1) |
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Muhammad al-Ghazali: Thematic Tafsir |
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103 | (1) |
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Another School of Thought: The Shi'ites |
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104 | (3) |
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104 | (1) |
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Two famous Shi'ite Koranic interpreters |
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105 | (2) |
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Part III: Seeing the Koranic Worldview |
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107 | (50) |
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Meeting God, Prophets, and Mankind |
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109 | (24) |
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109 | (10) |
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109 | (1) |
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Exploring the concept of God |
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110 | (3) |
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Experiencing God through divine attributes |
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113 | (4) |
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117 | (2) |
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Prophets of God: Preaching a Divine Message |
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119 | (9) |
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119 | (1) |
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Abraham: Beloved Friend of God and Father of Faith |
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120 | (2) |
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122 | (3) |
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125 | (3) |
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The Status and Nature of Man |
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128 | (5) |
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Human nature through Adam |
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129 | (2) |
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The purpose of human life |
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131 | (2) |
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Divining Nature, the Universe, and the Unseen |
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133 | (14) |
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The Divine Ways of Nature |
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133 | (6) |
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134 | (1) |
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God's creations in the skies |
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134 | (2) |
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136 | (3) |
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Inheriting the Earth: The Role of Mankind in Nature |
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139 | (1) |
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The Unseen World: Angels versus Satan |
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140 | (3) |
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The angels: Pure creations of God |
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141 | (1) |
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142 | (1) |
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143 | (4) |
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143 | (1) |
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The eternal bliss of heaven |
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144 | (1) |
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Hell: Torment of the fire |
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145 | (1) |
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God's Mercy, God's Wrath: Reconciling the two |
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145 | (2) |
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Taking the Koranic View of Other Faith Traditions |
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147 | (10) |
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Islam: One Religion under God |
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147 | (4) |
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148 | (1) |
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Limits to an inclusive theology |
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149 | (2) |
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Honoring Freedom of Choice and Respecting Diversity |
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151 | (2) |
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Protecting freedom of choice |
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152 | (1) |
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Embracing diversity as the Will of God |
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152 | (1) |
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Examining Some Controversial Passages on Interfaith Relations |
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153 | (4) |
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Fighting against ``unbelievers'' |
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154 | (2) |
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Forbidding ``friendship'' with People of the Book |
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156 | (1) |
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Part IV: Living the Koran |
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157 | (74) |
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Following in the Footsteps of Muhammad |
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159 | (10) |
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The Scripture Speaks about Muhammad |
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159 | (4) |
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Servant of God and mortal man |
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160 | (1) |
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Muhammad's divine mission |
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160 | (1) |
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Muhammad as the best example for humanity |
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161 | (1) |
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Muhammad's mercy for humanity |
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161 | (1) |
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Muhammad as a seal of the prophets |
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162 | (1) |
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Doing as God and His Messenger Do |
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163 | (2) |
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Looking at Some Key Prophetic Sayings |
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165 | (4) |
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Muhammad speaks about God |
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165 | (1) |
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Muhammad speaks about virtue |
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166 | (3) |
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Putting Meaning into Ritual |
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169 | (22) |
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Declaring Faith: More than Just Words |
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170 | (1) |
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Conversing with the Divine: Prayer |
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170 | (10) |
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Understanding the purpose of prayer |
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171 | (1) |
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Approaching prayer: Purity of mind and body |
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172 | (3) |
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175 | (5) |
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Raising the Soul Over the Ego: Fasting |
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180 | (3) |
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Remembering and thanking God |
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180 | (2) |
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Enjoying the communal aspects of fasting |
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182 | (1) |
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Purifying Wealth, Uplifting the Needy: Almsgiving |
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183 | (3) |
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Opening your wallet and improving the world |
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183 | (1) |
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184 | (2) |
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Journeying to the House of God: Pilgrimage |
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186 | (5) |
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Following the path of Abraham |
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186 | (1) |
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Journeying through the pilgrimage |
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186 | (5) |
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Understanding the Koranic View of Self |
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191 | (12) |
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Connecting the Three Dots of Self Awareness |
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191 | (3) |
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The wild horse and the rider |
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192 | (1) |
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193 | (1) |
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The Seven Gates to the Heart |
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194 | (4) |
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194 | (1) |
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195 | (1) |
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196 | (1) |
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197 | (1) |
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197 | (1) |
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Blessed Is the Baby's Soul, a Soul without Sin |
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198 | (1) |
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The Soul's Journey: From Pre-Birth to the Hereafter |
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199 | (2) |
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199 | (1) |
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199 | (1) |
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200 | (1) |
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200 | (1) |
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201 | (1) |
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The Muslim Self: A State of Being |
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201 | (1) |
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The Kafir: A Faithless Self |
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202 | (1) |
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Achieving Koranic Ethics and Morality |
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203 | (12) |
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Discovering Ethical Principles in the Koran |
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203 | (4) |
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203 | (1) |
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204 | (1) |
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205 | (1) |
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206 | (1) |
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206 | (1) |
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Leading the Life of Good Virtue and Character |
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207 | (5) |
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207 | (3) |
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210 | (2) |
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212 | (3) |
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Remembering the Divine: Dhikr |
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212 | (1) |
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213 | (1) |
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Keeping company with pious people |
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214 | (1) |
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Controlling passion and struggling for good |
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214 | (1) |
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Raising a Family the Koranic Way |
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215 | (16) |
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Healthy Family Equals Healthy Society |
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215 | (1) |
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Looking for a Spouse: Let the Search Begin |
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216 | (3) |
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Looking beyond the surface |
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216 | (1) |
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Making sure the marriage is legal |
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217 | (1) |
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Giving equal time: Polygamy for men |
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218 | (1) |
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Celebrating Marriage as the Basis of Family |
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219 | (5) |
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Practically speaking: Basic functions within a marriage |
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220 | (2) |
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Intimacy: Both spiritual and physical |
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222 | (1) |
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Preserving modesty through Scriptural teaching |
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223 | (1) |
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224 | (4) |
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Treating parents well: The best act of piety |
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225 | (1) |
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Raising children with wisdom |
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226 | (1) |
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Parental responsibilities to their children |
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227 | (1) |
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A Matter of Inheritance: Who Gets What |
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228 | (1) |
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Tackling Divorce in the Koran |
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229 | (2) |
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Part V: Relating the Koran to the World |
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231 | (78) |
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Connecting the Koran to Society |
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233 | (22) |
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Divining a Community of the Middle Path |
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233 | (4) |
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Having a balanced approach to the Divine |
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234 | (1) |
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Balancing the worldly and the spiritual in society |
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234 | (1) |
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Managing justice and mercy in society |
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235 | (1) |
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Avoiding extremes in religious practice and manners |
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236 | (1) |
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237 | (1) |
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Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil |
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238 | (2) |
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Uniting a Community with the Rope of God |
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240 | (3) |
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Equality of mankind before God |
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240 | (1) |
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241 | (2) |
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Leadership and Citizenship in the Koran |
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243 | (9) |
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Forming a political identity |
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244 | (1) |
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245 | (1) |
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246 | (1) |
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Receiving the rights of citizenship |
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247 | (2) |
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Non-Muslims living in Muslim lands |
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249 | (3) |
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Jihad: Struggling in the Path of God |
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252 | (3) |
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252 | (1) |
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253 | (2) |
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Purifying Society through Islamic Law |
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255 | (18) |
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256 | (1) |
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Extracting and Interpreting Sacred Law |
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257 | (1) |
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Searching for Rulings and Principals |
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258 | (6) |
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258 | (3) |
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In the prophetic tradition |
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261 | (2) |
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In the consensus of the scholars |
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263 | (1) |
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264 | (1) |
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Exploring the Contents of the Sacred Law |
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264 | (1) |
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Understanding the Islamic Penal Code |
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265 | (5) |
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266 | (1) |
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Punishing the spreading of violence |
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267 | (1) |
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268 | (1) |
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Preventing unlawful sexual relations |
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269 | (1) |
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Looking at the Four Schools of Law |
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270 | (3) |
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270 | (1) |
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271 | (1) |
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The Shafi'i School of Law |
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271 | (1) |
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272 | (1) |
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Struggling for God: Jihad |
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273 | (10) |
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Finding the Spirit of Jihad |
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274 | (5) |
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Defending life and religion |
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274 | (1) |
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Defending human rights and freedom of worship |
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275 | (1) |
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Dispelling the myths behind passage 9:5 |
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276 | (3) |
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Connecting Qital with Islamic Law |
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279 | (1) |
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279 | (1) |
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Looking at Jihad in Today's World |
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280 | (3) |
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Discussing Women in the Koran |
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283 | (12) |
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Finding Equality in the Scripture |
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284 | (6) |
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Eve: A model for gender equality |
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284 | (2) |
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The Virgin Mary: A divinely inspired woman |
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286 | (2) |
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Other famous and infamous women in the Koran |
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288 | (2) |
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Discerning Women's Rights in Divine Law |
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290 | (5) |
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291 | (1) |
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Right to own property, manage business, and control wealth |
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291 | (1) |
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Right to work and equal pay |
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292 | (1) |
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292 | (1) |
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Right to social and political participation |
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293 | (1) |
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293 | (1) |
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Right to initiate divorce |
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293 | (1) |
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Right to bear witness to business transactions |
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294 | (1) |
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295 | (14) |
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Differentiating between Modernity and Modern Culture |
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295 | (1) |
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Promoting Social Progress |
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296 | (1) |
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Focusing on Issues of Modernity |
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297 | (5) |
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298 | (1) |
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298 | (1) |
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299 | (1) |
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300 | (1) |
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301 | (1) |
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Imagining an Islamic Democracy |
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302 | (7) |
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Debating the rule of law between citizenry and God |
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303 | (2) |
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Expressing the will of the people through elections |
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305 | (1) |
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Holding public officials responsible |
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305 | (1) |
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Liberty and Koranic ideals |
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306 | (1) |
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Social equality and Islamic law |
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307 | (2) |
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Part VI: The Part of Tens |
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309 | (22) |
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Ten Misconceptions about the Koran |
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311 | (10) |
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Misconception #1: Muhammad Wrote the Koran |
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311 | (1) |
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Misconception #2: The Koran Is Incoherent and Unorganized |
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312 | (1) |
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Misconception #3: The Koran Is Void of Reason |
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313 | (1) |
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Misconception #4: The Koran Espouses Polytheism |
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314 | (1) |
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Misconception #5: The Koran Says That God Belongs to One People |
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315 | (1) |
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Misconception #6: God Is Wrathful and Unloving in the Koran |
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316 | (1) |
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Misconception #7: The Koran Preaches Fatalism |
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316 | (1) |
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Misconception #8: Jihad Means ``Holy War'' |
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317 | (1) |
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Misconception #9: The Koran Discourages Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation |
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318 | (1) |
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Misconception #10: The Scripture Values Men More Than Women |
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319 | (2) |
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Ten Ways to Dig Deeper into the Koran |
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321 | (10) |
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Comparing ``Translations'' |
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321 | (2) |
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323 | (1) |
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Looking at Different Interpretations |
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324 | (1) |
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325 | (1) |
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326 | (1) |
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326 | (1) |
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327 | (1) |
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328 | (1) |
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328 | (1) |
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Visiting Your Local Mosque |
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329 | (2) |
Appendix A: Glossary of Koranic Terms |
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331 | (8) |
Appendix B: Finding Prophets in the Koran |
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339 | (2) |
Index |
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341 | |