Epistle on Worship: Risalat al-'Ubudiyya - Tapa dura

"Epistle on Worship: Risalat al-ubudiyya" aims to shed new light on the thought of Ibn Taymiyya who remains one of the most controversial Islamic thinkers today because of his supposed influence on many fundamentalist movements. In this work, Professor James Pavlin argues that the common understanding of Ibn Taymiyya's ideas has been filtered through fragments of his statements-which have been misappropriated by alleged supporters and avowed critics alike-and that most people still have limited access to Ibn Taymiyya's beliefs and opinions as expressed in his own writings. "Epistle on Worship: Risalat al-ubudiyya" aims to begin filling this gap by presenting an annotated translation of one of Ibn Taymiyya's most important epistles on the theology of worship.---The introduction to "Epistle on Worship: Risalat al-ubudiyya" gives the reader an overview of Ibn Taymiyya's biography, situating him in the broader world of Islamic intellectual history by explaining his methodological arguments and theological opinions, while the annotated translation captures the immediacy of his ideas as they impacted his world as well as the relevancy they have for our times.

Author Information: Ahmad Ibn Taymiyya (d. 728/1328) is one of the most renowned scholars and reformers of Islam. A translation of one of his other works, "The Goodly Word: Al-Kalim al-Tayyib", is available from the Islamic Texts Society.---Translator Information: Professor James Abu Zakariya Pavlin is currently a lecturer of Islamic Studies in the Department of Religion at Rutgers University and Adjunct Professor in the History Department at William Paterson University in New Jersey.