Islam and The English Enlightenment

by Zulfiqar Ali Shah

“Never before to my knowledge has the cross-fertilisation of Western and Islamic ideas been so encyclopedically documented as it is here. In reading Islam and the English Enlightenment, you will never see the relationship between Islam and the West in the same way again.” ROBERT F. SHEDI NGER Professor of Religion, Luther College “Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah’s Islam and the English Enlightenment is one of the most profoundly enlightening books I have read in years. Dr. Shah compellingly demonstrates that the thinkers of English Enlightenment were undeniably indebted to Islamic sciences and thought, and that the foundational principles of rationalist thought, scientific inquiry and religious toleration were deeply anchored in the Islamic tradition.” KHALED ABOU EL FADL Omar & Azmeralda Alfi Distinguished Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law “This is a book that anyone interested in stepping outside a Eurocentric view of the rise of the West and of the modern age must read.” MICHAEL A. GILLESPIE Professor of Political Science & Philosophy, Duke University “Dr. Shah convincingly demonstrates the central role that Islam played in shaping the values and ideas of the Enlightenment reformers such as John Locke and Isaac Newton who had helped to produce the modern world.” GERALD MACLEAN Emeritus Professor, University of Exeter

Genres: Islam, History

683 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2022

Reviews

[Noor Saadeh]

Honestly didn't read the entire book. One day insha Allah. But even one chapter is so very enlightening. I was binging on books like this one on Islamic history, the incredible misreadings, misrepresentations, erasure, etc. It all began to be a bit too much. I would highly recommend though. If Muslims are not thoroughly acquainted with their history how can they blame those in the West for their assumptions and propaganda that continues unabated from centuries ago.

[Miguel]

This is one of the best scholarly work on the topic; it is a gem! I’ve also interviewed with the author:
https://youtu.be/8RdolNFrOug

[Adil Khan]

DNFing this for now. Might return to it later.