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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions
In Islam, philanthropy is a spectrum of activity, and these
activities differ in their purpose and in the principles on which
they operate. To fully understand philanthropy, it is vital to
examine not only its purpose but its motive and outcomes. This book
identifies three types of philanthropy within this spectrum:
Philanthropy as relief (zakat), which seeks to alleviate human
suffering; philanthropy as an improvement (waqf), which seeks to
maximize individual human potential and is energized by a principle
that seeks to progress individuals and their society; and
philanthropy as reform (sadaqah), which seeks to solve social
problems. Philanthropy as civic engagement seeks to build better
community structures and services and is directed by civic
responsibility. This book explores philanthropy in Islam that
covers the three primary spectra of activity: zakat, waqf, and
sadaqah. Combining contributions from the Conference on
Philanthropy for Humanitarian Aid under the joint organization of
Sultan Sharif Ali Islamic University and the International Research
Centre of Islamic Economics and Finance, International Islamic
University College in collaboration with the Islamic Research and
Training Institute, this book will be of interest to students,
policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in the areas of
Islamic finance and Islamic economics.
Mordecai M. Kaplan (1881-1983), founder of Reconstructionism and
the rabbi who initiated the first Bat Mitzvah, also produced the
longest Jewish diary on record. In twenty-seven volumes, written
between 1913 and 1978, Kaplan shares not only his reaction to the
great events of his time but also his very personal thoughts on
religion and Jewish life. In Communings of the Spirit: The Journals
of Mordecai M. Kaplan Volume III, 1942-1951, readers experience his
horror at the persecution of the European Jews, as well as his joy
in the founding of the State of Israel. Above all else, Kaplan was
concerned with the survival and welfare of the Jewish people. And
yet he also believed that the well-being of the Jewish people was
tied to the safety and security of all people. In his own words,
"Such is the mutuality of human life that none can be saved, unless
all are saved". In the first volume of Communings of the Spirit,
editor Mel Scult covers Kaplan's early years as a rabbi, teacher of
rabbis, and community leader. In the second volume, readers
experience the economic problems of the 1930s and their shattering
impact on the Jewish community. The third volume chronicles
Kaplan's spiritual and intellectual journey in the 1940s. With
candour and vivid detail, Kaplan explores his evolving beliefs
concerning a democratic Judaism; religious naturalism; and the
conflicts, uncertainties, and self-doubts he faced in the first
half of the twentieth century, including his excommunication by the
ultra-Orthodox in 1945 for taking a more progressive approach to
the liturgy. In his publications, Kaplan eliminated the
time-honored declarations of Jewish chosen-ness as well as the
outdated doctrines concerning the resurrection of the dead. He
wanted a prayer book that Jews could feel reflected their beliefs
and experiences; he believed that people must mean what they say
when they pray. Kaplan was a man of contradictions, but because of
that, all the more interesting and significant. Scholars of Judaica
and rabbinical studies will value this honest look at the
preeminent American Jewish thinker and rabbi of our times.
Allerd Stikker witnessed and actively participated in the Daoist
resurgence, together with the Alliance of Religions and
Conservation. Strikker shares his fascination for Daoism, and
explains how nature conservation is deeply rooted in its philosophy
and practice. He tells the story of his cooperation with ARC in
assisting Daoist masters to build the first Daoist Ecology Temple
in China, and how this ecology movement has spread throughout China
in recent years. He shares his joy when the Chinese government
picked up on this success and officially declared that Daoism
should be restored as the heart of Chinese culture, in order to
overcome the ecological and societal problems that China is facing
- thereby putting Daoism officially back on the map.
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