{"product_id":"the-impulse-of-freedom-in-islam-9781584201632","title":"The Impulse of Freedom in Islam","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe word \u003ci\u003eIslam\u003c\/i\u003e means surrender to God. In our secular Western culture, it is difficult to imagine what that means. Among other things, it indicates dependence and predestination. But is this really the case? Isn't this a superficial presumption? Allah calls on human beings to surrender in freedom to their God (Sura 96). Allah is merciful and forgiving. At the same time, however, Allah is the all-seeing one and the one who humbles. In Islam, free will and predestination have an uneasy relationship with each other--but isn't this true for every religion?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this collection of essays, three authors discuss various aspects of the tension between freedom and predestination in Islam from the perspective of Rudolf Steiner's works. This background enables them to throw sometimes surprising light on the freedom impulse of Islam. It is the authors' hope that this book may contribute to a more balanced view of Islam today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis timely book offers interested non-Muslims a rare opportunity to examine a frequently misunderstood aspect of one of the world's fastest growing religions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVan Schaik, John:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eJohn van Schaik\u003c\/b\u003e studied medieval mysticism and gnosticism at the University of Utrecht and the University of Antwerp. He specialized in the relationship between esoteric Christianity and the established Church and received his Ph.D. from the Catholic University of Nijmegen. He helped establish and directs the Origenes Institute in the Netherlands.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGruwez, Christine:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eChristine Gruwez\u003c\/strong\u003e studied philosophy and linguistics at the KU Leuven, the Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium. She met Anthroposophy through the Waldorf school in Antwerp, which her four children attended, and where she taught from 1976 to 1986. She also taught for a decade in the Waldorf Education Training Program. Since 1997, Christine has led seminars and conferences at Emerson College, at the Goetheanum, and in Japan. The publication of Bernard Lievegoed's \u003ci\u003eBattle for the Soul\u003c\/i\u003e renewed her contact with the Manichaean impulse. Having studied the language and texts at university, her life's research question became: How can we actualize what historical Manichaeism has initiated in human history? Christine has followed the history of Mani and his communities throughout the Far and Near East, from the Balkans to North Africa, Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, along the Silk Road to Japan. Her book, \u003ci\u003eWalking with Your Time: A Manichaean Journey, \u003c\/i\u003e addresses ways to become a contemporary human individual and the question of good and evil in our time.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTer Horst, Cilia:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eCilia ter Horst\u003c\/b\u003e studied religion and Arabic at the University of Amsterdam and graduated on the subject of \"Freedom in Islam.\" During and after her studies she visited Egypt and Syria. She teaches philosophy in secondary education.\u003cbr\u003eEt al...\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Lindisfarne Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50357145272594,"sku":"9781584201632","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9f9c5812-4943-4ad9-b688-87d2b48fca90.jpg?v=1728319153","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-impulse-of-freedom-in-islam-9781584201632","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}