This book examines online jihadist magazines, Inspire, Dabiq, Rumiyah, and Gaidi Mtaani, published by three terrorist organizations-Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Al-Shabaab-and their aggressive promotion of the Caliphate, an Islamic system of world government that seeks to create a new world order ruled by sharia. These magazines have played an important role in the diffusion of Islamist ideas such as jihad and sharia (Islamic law). Divided into ten chapters, this book extends existing research by offering fresh insights on the communicative strategies, radicalization processes, and recruitment methods used by jihadist organizations as well as their effects on readers. In particular, this book includes (1) the application of communication theories and models to both global jihad and online jihadist propaganda; (2) meticulous descriptions of the four online jihadist magazines in question (in terms of their missions, stylistic formats, and tactics), including excerpts from each magazine; (3) a thorough explanation of the jihadisphere (e.g., as a vehicle for extreme propaganda and an overarching "training manual" for jihad); (4) the procedures and complexities of online Islamic radicalization; and (5) strategies to combat online jihadist magazines (e.g., by developing counter-narratives and online counter-radicalization magazines).

For centuries Mawlid al-Nabi (The blessed birth of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him) has been celebrated across the Muslim world in a multitude of ways according to local or regional custom. Many view it as a communal expression of gratitude and joy at the birth of the blessed Prophet and Messenger of Allah (saw); while others bring into question its validity, regarding the practice as an innovation. And yet others negate its importance, with concerns about over-extravagance and unnecessary expense.
This work by eminent scholar and recognised authority on Islam, Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is a study of the permissibility of celebrating the Mawlid. In his characteristically methodical approach Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri meticulously examines references from the Quran, Hadith and opinions of early scholars to address fundamental questions pertaining to the celebration of the Mawlid: Is it a sinful deviation? Did the Prophet (saw) or companions celebrate it? Or is it permissible or even necessary manifestation of love and respect for the Holy Prophet (saw)? In a remarkably thorough and comprehensive analysis without precedent, the author examines the subject through every conceivable angle in making his case.

Passover and Easter constitute for Jews and Christians respectively the most important festivals of the year. Although sharing a common root, the feasts have developed in quite distinct ways in the two traditions, in part independently of one another and in part in reaction against the other. Following the pattern set in earlier volumes in this series, these two volumes bring together a group of distinguished Jewish and Christian scholars to explore the history of the two celebrations, paying particular attention to similarities and connections between them as well as to differences and contrasts. They not only present a convenient summary of current historical thought but also open up new perspectives on the evolution of these annual observances. Volume 6 focuses on the contexts in which they occur--the periods of preparation for the feasts in the respective calendars and their connection to Shavuot/Pentecost--as well as to their traditional expression in art and music. Volume 5, also in the series, focuses especially on the origins and early development of the feasts and on the way that established practices have changed in recent years. At the same time, the essays raise some fundamental questions about the future. Have modern human beings so lost the sense of sacred time in their lives, for instance, that these great feasts can never again be what they once were for former generations of believers? And what about recent attempts by some Christians to enter into their heritage by celebrating a Jewish Seder as part of their annual Holy Week and Easter services? Specialists and general readers alike will find much to interest and challenge them within these two additions to what has become a highly regarded series in the world of liturgical scholarship.

First Published in 2004. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Meditative practice lies at the heart of the Buddhist tradition. This introductory anthology gives a representative sample of the various kinds of meditations described in the earliest body of Buddhist scripture, the Pali canon.

It provides a broad introduction to their traditional context and practice and supplies explanation, context and doctrinal background to the subject of meditation. The main themes of the book are the diversity and flexibility of the way that the Buddha teaches meditation from the evidence of the canon. Covering fundamental features of Buddhist practice such as posture, lay meditation, and meditative technique it provides comments both from the principal early commentators on Buddhist practice, Upatissa and Buddhaghosa, and from reputable modern meditation teachers in a number of Theravadin traditions.

This is the first book on Pali Buddhism which introduces the reader to the wide range of the canon. It demonstrates that the Buddha's meditative tradition still offers a path of practice as mysterious, awe-inspiring yet as freshly accessible as it was centuries ago, and will be of interest to students and scholars of Buddhism as well as Buddhist practitioners.

After Spirituality: Studies in Mystical Traditions is the first volume in a new series of the same name. The book is devoted to the comparative study of contemporary mysticism, bringing together papers presented as part of the 2008-2009 research group on the sociology of contemporary Jewish mysticism in comparative perspective, convened at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Jerusalem. Chapters written by leading scholars of Jewish, Buddhist and Christian Mysticism address the dramatic global proliferation and transformation of mystical traditions in recent decades. The volume seeks to establish the study of contemporary mysticism on a sound scholarly basis, employing the analytical tools of the social sciences, and using comparative methods in order to gain global perspective. This important volume will be suited for courses on contemporary or classical mysticism, comparative religion, sociology and anthropology of contemporary culture, psychology of religion, Jewish studies and Buddhist studies and social theory.

Vincent BrA1/4mmer's classic book on prayer from 1984 provides a comprehensive philosophical analysis of central issues regarding the nature and practice of prayer. What do we do when we ask things of other people, when we thank them or praise them, when we express penitence for what we have done to them and ask their forgiveness? And how does doing these things in relation to God differ from when we do them in relation to other people? And what does this entail for the existence and nature of the God to whom we pray? This new edition has been substantially revised and updated. Three new chapters have been added which develop in detail a hint by G.K. Chesterton that faith 'is not a thing like a theory but a thing like a love affair.' Since prayer is the expression of this 'love affair' it is also the clue to understanding the nature of faith. These chapters contribute significantly to the current academic interest in spirituality by showing how BrA1/4mmer's analysis of prayer helps us to understand the nature of spirituality, of faith and religious belief, and of theology. Spirituality is not aimed at achieving religious 'experiences' or mystical 'knowledge' about God; it is primarily aimed at attaining the religious form of life and at coming to see the world in the light of faith. Religious belief is not merely a cognitive enterprise like science; it cannot be divorced from spirituality and the life of faith, and is therefore fundamentally existential and not merely intellectual. Serving as a valuable core text for students, this book also contributes to a number of current debates in theology and philosophy of religion: the debates on realism and religious belief, on the rationality of faith and the nature of theology, on the relation between religious belief and morality, on the relation between science and religion and the lively debate among evangelical Christians in America on the 'openness of God.'

This innovative how-to guide and reference book on the Jewish holidays provides a well-rounded foundation for both knowledge and action. Unlike many books of its kind, Celebrate! The Complete Jewish Holidays Handbook is nondenominational and comprehensive in approach. The author includes the historical development, religious importance, and personal significance of each Jewish holy day in a way that is useful to both beginners and those well versed in Jewish practice. The richness and depth of Jewish tradition, with a full range of information on why and how to celebrate, is presented in a lively, warm, and user-friendly manner.

European Paganism provides a comprehensive and accessible overview of ancient pagan religions throughout the European continent. Before there where Christians, the peoples of Europe were pagans. Were they bloodthirsty savages hanging human offerings from trees? Were they happy ecologists, valuing the unpolluted rivers and mountains? In European Paganism Ken Dowden outlines and analyses the diverse aspects of pagan ritual and culture from human sacrifice to pilgrimage lunar festivals and tree worship. It includes: * a 'timelines' chart to aid with chronology * many quotations from ancient and modern sources translated from the original language where necessary, to make them accessible * a comprehensive bibliography and guide to further reading.

Just one more sleep before EID! Safa is so excited for Eid-al-Fitr. She loves drawing henna patterns on her hands, decorating her home and munching on biryani, kebabs and samosas. It is the perfect day. Then the best part comes: she gets to open her presents! She is gifted a shiny pink bicycle. The only thing is she absolutely doesn't want to share with her cousin, Alissa. As her mum takes her on an adventure to gift delicious Eid treats to all their neighbours, Safa will realise how wonderful it is to make others happy...and will want to make it up to Alissa. After all, what makes Eid exciting is sharing special moments with the people we love. A beautifully illustrated picture book to introduce the true meaning of Eid to little ones This book has a heartwarming message at its core all about sharing Features a non-fiction page for especially curious minds about Eid, including different Eid traditions, foods and greetings Zeba Talkhani is the author of My Past Is a Foreign Country: A Muslim feminist finds herself, which was praised in The Times, Vogue, and Stylist Magazine Written and illustrated by two brilliantly talented Muslim women

As an intensely practical religion, Buddhism has concentrated on devising a great number of meditations. In recent years psychologists have shown great interest in the therapeutic value of these meditations, but accurate information about them has been hard to come by. The most outstanding original documents have now been made accessible by Edward Conze, who translated them from Pali, Sanskrit and Tibetan. The volume, originally published in 1956, also deals with the meaning of Buddhist meditation, and the relation of its methods and presuppositions to modern psychology.

When you can't find the right words to pray... In hard times, many of us shy away from God, not sure how to talk to him about what we're feeling. Through her own battles, Suzie Eller has experienced the peace of knowing that prayer is not about the number of words that come out of your mouth or how eloquent you sound. It's about being in God's presence. When you can't figure out what to say to him, these 90 prayer starters will begin the conversation you've been longing for. Each one is birthed from a specific Scripture, and on each page, journaling space is provided so you can complete the prayer in your own words or simply write what you're feeling. Don't let your hurts, fears, or doubts keep you from freely talking to God. He loves you and wants to hear what's on your heart. "Connect with God in ways you've always hoped for but haven't been sure how to make happen."--HOLLEY GERTH, bestselling author

"Al-Ghazali on Conduct in Travel" is a translation of the seventeenth book of the "Revival of the Religious Sciences" (Ihya Ulum al-Din), which is widely regarded as the greatest work of Muslim spirituality. In "Al-Ghazali on Conduct in Travel", Abu Hamid al-Ghazali uncovers, as elsewhere in the "Revival", the mystical and religious dimension of one of humanity's most basic needs: in this instance, travel.---In Chapter One, Ghazali begins by providing the reader with the four reasons for travel, which include for the quest for knowledge and to flee from harm and danger. The advantages gained from travelling are also described by Ghazali-for example, the disciplining of the soul through exposure to the harsh conditions of travel as well as the acquisition of virtue and self-knowledge. Ghazali then explains what the seven proper conducts of travels-both outward conduct and inward conduct-consist of. In Chapter Two, Ghazali provides a practical chapter on the use of religious concessions while travelling, and concludes with a final chapter on how the traveller is to establish the proper direction and times for prayer. "Al-Ghazali on Conduct in Travel" will be of interest to all those wishing to explore the disciplining qualities of everyday activities applied here to the spiritual dimension of travelling.---In this new edition, the Islamic Texts Society has included the translation of Abu Hamid al-Ghazali's own Introduction to the "Revival of the Religious Sciences" which gives the reasons that caused him to write the work, the structure of the whole of the Revival and places each of the chapters in the context of the others.

'In the fast-paced world in which we now live, we need simple, beautiful places like labyrinths that draw us in by the attraction of their pattern to slow ourselves down, still the busy mind and connect us again with our deep inner resources.' This full-colour book offers a unique insight into labyrinths in the UK and wider, combined with Di's own stunning photography. It begins with a potted history of the labyrinth and hints for walking one, shares personal reflections and stories from the labyrinth and explores the variety of settings in which labyrinths are now to be found. It includes a section on how to create your own labyrinth and lead your own labyrinth walk. Di Williams is an Anglican priest, adult educator, spiritual accompanier, professional bodywork practitioner, writer and the first Labyrinth Master Teacher in the UK. One of the gifts she brings to her work is a deep appreciation of physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual connection. She was awarded the MBE in 2008 for Services to Higher Education for her leading work in developing personal and spiritual support for those of all faiths and none. She is the creator of the beautiful Edinburgh Labyrinth.

Much ritual studies scholarship still focuses on central religious rites. For this reason, Grimes argues, dominant theories, like the data they consider, remain stubbornly conservative. This book issues a challenge to these theories and to popular conceptions of ritual. Rite Out of Place collects 10 revised essays originally published in widely varied sources across the past five years. Grimes has selected for inclusion those essays that track ritual as it haunts the edges of cultural boundaries-ritual converging with theater, ritual on television, ritual at the edge of natural environments and so on. The writing is non-technical, and the implied audience is sufficiently broad than any educated person interested in religion and public life should find it intelligible and engaging.

This shorter edition of Christian Prayer presents a selection of material for Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer in a format that is easier for the lay person to use that the complete Christian Prayer or the four-volume Liturgy of the Hours.

Extraordinary wisdom to help you understand yourself, lead your life, and deal with other people.

As human beings, we have instincts for both good and evil, conscious and unconscious. To rectify ourselvesto live spiritually and properlyinvolves getting a handle on these impulses. "from the Introduction

In this special book of practical wisdom, Dr. Abraham J. Twerski draws from his extensive professional experience as a psychiatrist and spiritual counselor, a life-long student of Jewish wisdom texts, and his personal experience as a son of a wise Chassidic rabbi to give us practical lessons for life that we can put to day-to-day use in dealing with ourselves and others.

In a presentation as warm and witty as it is profound, Dr. Twerski combines lively anecdotes, personal musings, and insights and wisdom from sources ranging from Freud to the great Talmudic and Torah scholars throughout the ages. And with deep compassion and refreshing candor, he shows how these wisdom teachings can guide us in all moments of our lives, whatever our faith tradition.

Since Late Antiquity, relics have provided a privileged spiritual bond between life and death, between human beings and divinity. Royalty, nobility and clergy all tried to obtain the most prestigious remains of sacred bodies, since they granted influence and fame and allowed the cult around them to be used as a means of sacralization, power and propaganda. This volume traces the development of the veneration of relics in Europe and how these objects were often catalysts for the establishment of major pilgrimage sites that are still in use today. The book features an international panel of contributors taking a wide-ranging look at relic worship across Europe, from Late Antiquity until the present day. They begin with a focus on the role of relics in Jacobean pilgrimage, before looking at the link between relics and their shrines more generally. The book then focuses in on two major issues in the study of relics, the stealing of relics (Furta Sacra) and their modern-day scientific examination and authentication. These topics demonstrate not only symbolic importance of relics, but also their role as physical historical objects in material religious expression. This is a fascinating collection, featuring the latest scholarship on relics and pilgrimage across Europe. It will, therefore, be of great interested to academics working in Pilgrimage, Religious History, Material Religion and Religious Studies as well as Anthropology, Archaeology, Art and Cultural Studies.

Meditative practice lies at the heart of the Buddhist tradition. This introductory anthology gives a representative sample of the various kinds of meditations described in the earliest body of Buddhist scripture, the Pali canon. It provides a broad introduction to their traditional context and practice and supplies explanation, context and doctrinal background to the subject of meditation. The main themes of the book are the diversity and flexibility of the way that the Buddha teaches meditation from the evidence of the canon. Covering fundamental features of Buddhist practice such as posture, lay meditation, and meditative technique it provides comments both from the principal early commentators on Buddhist practice, Upatissa and Buddhaghosa, and from reputable modern meditation teachers in a number of Theravadin traditions. This is the first book on Pali Buddhism which introduces the reader to the wide range of the canon. It demonstrates that the Buddha's meditative tradition still offers a path of practice as mysterious, awe-inspiring yet as freshly accessible as it was centuries ago, and will be of interest to students and scholars of Buddhism as well as Buddhist practitioners.

Religion and spirituality are still among the most common motivations for travel - many major tourism destinations have developed largely as a result of their connections to sacred people, places and events. Providing a comprehensive assessment of the primary issues and concepts related to this intersection of tourism and religion, this revealing book gives a balanced discussion of both the theoretical and applied subjects that destination planners, religious organizations, scholars, and tourism service providers must deal with on a daily basis. Bringing together a distinguished list of contributors, this volume takes a global approach and incorporates substantial empirical cases from Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, New Ageism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and the spiritual philosophies of East Asia. On a conceptual level, it considers, amongst other topics: contested heritage the pilgrim-tourist dichotomy secularization of pilgrimage experiences religious humanism educational aspects of religious tourism commodification of religious icons and services. A vibrant collection of essays, this outstanding book discusses many important practices, paradigms, and problems that are currently being examined and debated. It raises an array of significant and interesting questions and as such is a valuable resource for students, scholars and researchers of tourism, religion and cultural studies.

First paperback edition! In "Rosicrusians", McIntosh chronicles the obscure and elusive history of the secret order of the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross, with its mysterious founder Christian Rosenkreuz. A forerunner of the many "Secret Masters", Rosenkreuz had a profound influence on the course of Western esoteric tradition.

Many philosophical approaches today seek to overcome the division between mind and body. If such projects succeed, then thinking is not restricted to the disembodied mind, but is in some sense done through the body. From a post-Cartesian perspective, then, ritual activities that discipline the body are not just thoughtless motions, but crucial parts of the way people think. Thinking Through Rituals explores religious ritual acts and their connection to meaning and truth, belief, memory, inquiry, worldview and ethics. Drawing on philosophers such as Foucault, Merleau-Ponty and Wittgenstein, and sources from cognitive science, pragmatism and feminist theory, it provides philosophical resources for understanding religious ritual practices like the Christian Eucharistic ceremony, Hatha Yoga, sacred meditation or liturgical speech. Its essays consider a wide variety of rituals in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism - including political protest rituals and gay commitment ceremonies, traditional Vedic and Yogic rites, Christian and Buddhist meditation and the Jewish Shabbat. They challenge the traditional disjunction between thought and action, showing how philosophy can help to illuminate the relationship between doing and meaning which ritual practices imply.

Reframing Pilgrimage argues that sacred travel is just one of the twenty-first century's many forms of cultural mobility. The contributors consider the meanings of pilgrimage in Christian, Mormon, Hindu, Islamic and Sufi traditions, as well as in secular contexts, and they create a new theory of pilgrimage as a form of voluntary displacement. This voluntary displacement helps to constitute cultural meaning in a world constantly 'en route'. Pilgrimage, which works both on global economic and individual levels, is recognised as a highly creative and politically charged force intimately bound up in economic and cultural systems

Many philosophical approaches today seek to overcome the division between mind and body. If such projects succeed, then thinking is not restricted to the disembodied mind, but is in some sense done through the body. From a post-Cartesian perspective, then, ritual activities that discipline the body are not just thoughtless motions, but crucial parts of the way people think. Thinking Through Rituals explores religious ritual acts and their connection to meaning and truth, belief, memory, inquiry, worldview and ethics. Drawing on philosophers such as Foucault, Merleau-Ponty and Wittgenstein, and sources from cognitive science, pragmatism and feminist theory, it provides philosophical resources for understanding religious ritual practices like the Christian Eucharistic ceremony, Hatha Yoga, sacred meditation or liturgical speech. Its essays consider a wide variety of rituals in Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism - including political protest rituals and gay commitment ceremonies, traditional Vedic and Yogic rites, Christian and Buddhist meditation and the Jewish Shabbat. They challenge the traditional disjunction between thought and action, showing how philosophy can help to illuminate the relationship between doing and meaning which ritual practices imply.