Der Schrecken Gottes: Attar, Hiob und die metaphysische Revolte

by Navid Kermani

How can suffering and injustice be reconciled with the idea that God is good, that he loves humans and is merciful to them? Job's question runs through the history of the three monotheistic religions. Time and again, philosophers, theologians, poets, prophets and laypersons have questioned their image of God in the light of a reality full of hardship. Some see suffering as proof of God's existence, others as a demonstration that there can be no God, while others still respond by rebelling against Him. In this remarkable book Navid Kermani - a distinguished Islamic scholar of Iranian origin - sees this revolt against God as the central motif of one of the great but neglected works of literature: The Book of Suffering by the thirteenth-century Persian poet Faridoddin Attar. Through the prism of Attar's text Kermani tells the story of a religious faith that knows God but is angry with Him: a counter-theology that runs through many religions and connects Judaism, Islam and modernity.

With astonishing range and stylistic brilliance Kermani brings Attar to life as one of us, enabling the great Persian poet to speak directly to us today despite the time that separates us.

Genres: Religion, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Islam

335 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Navid Kermani, born 1967, lives as an Islamic scholar, journalist and writer in Cologne.

Reviews

[HK · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir, part comparative religion and literature, part existential protest. The middle chapters (summarizing and building off Attar) were the most wrenching and interesting. The departures and tangents connecting spiritual revolt to other (esp the Jewish) traditions were also fascinating.

Kermani very much comes from the German Orientalist line; despite this I still wish the Qur'an itself and contemporary Muslim thinkers were engaged with more often. He more or less relies on a handful of Medieval Islamic thinkers, German writers, and Jewish theologians with some forays into Christianity. His wit and humanity and despair makes the book very authentic and beyond a product of academia, although it is very academic. Overall anyone interested in the topic of theodicy from the Islamic tradition must read this book as it uses Attar and other thinkers to radically critique the very notion.

I will echo other reviewers and say that the way the key tension in the book is 'resolved' (loving and hating God at once and the two enforcing each other) was less than satisfactory due to its partial and fleeting treatment. Still, great food for thought.

[Erin Aslami]

wo ah

[Helmut]

Wir sollen elend seyn, und sind's

Güte, Allmacht, Erkennbarkeit

Du sollst Gott nichts Schlechtes angewöhnen. Wenn Er sieht, daß du dich mit weniger begnügst, gibt Er dir auch weniger. (S. 15)

Die Menschen in Attars Welt haben eine Ahnung von der Seligkeit, sie wissen, wo sie zu finden wäre, in Gott nämlich, und das bedeutet: in uns selbst. Aber sie finden ihr Glück nicht - sie prallen immer nur an den Felsen ab oder sind, um ein Bild aus dem "Buch der Leiden" zu nehmen, wie der Faden, der nicht in die Öse gehen will. (S. 74)

[Mavaddat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A erudite if unsatisfying attempt at grappling with the classic Judæo-Islamic conception of God in view of the great suffering faced by humanity. I particularly liked the line he cites from Heinrich Heine, I am very wretched. Coughed terribly for twenty-four hours; hence headache today, probably tomorrow too … What an unpleasant state of affairs! I am nearly out of my mind with anger, pain, and impatience. I will see to it that God is sued by the animal rights society.