Skip to Content

Nietzsche and Islam

By Roy Jackson

Published February 1st 2007 by Routledge – 208 pages

Series: Routledge Advances in Middle East and Islamic Studies

Purchasing Options:

Description

In the light of current events, particularly the ‘post September 11th’ debates with much focus on aspects of the ‘clash of civilisation’ thesis, the issue of Islamic identity is a crucial one. Whilst Friedrich Nietzsche was addressing an audience of a different culture and age, his own originality, creativity, psychological, philological and historical insights allows for a fresh and enlightening understanding of Islam within the context of our modern era.

In this book, Roy Jackson sets out to determine:

  • Why did Nietzsche feel inclined to be so generous towards the Islamic tradition yet so critical of Western Christianity?
  • How important was religion for Nietzsche’s views on such matters as moral and political philosophy and how does this help us to understand the Islamic response to modernity?
  • How does Nietzsche’s distinctive outlook and methodology help us to understand such key Islamic paradigms as the Qur’an, the Prophet, and the ‘Rightly-Guided’ Caliphs?

Nietzsche and Islam provides an original and fresh insight into Nietzsche’s views on religion and shows that his philosophy can make an important contribution to what is considered to be Islam’s key paradigms. As such it will be of interest to a diverse readership and will provide useful material for researchers when thinking about religion, Islam and the future.

Reviews

'Jackson's book is suggestive, scholarly and eminently readable. It makes a significant contribution to the current ideological debate and deserves a careful analysis by the Muslim reader.' - S. Parvez Manzoor, Salaam Books, 2007

Contents

1. The Clash of Civilisations: Background to the Debate and Work Outlined 2. The Historical versus the Transhistorical: Terms Defined 3. Nietzsche’s Religiosity 4. The Soul as Text: The Qur’anic Paradigm 5. The Soul as Deriving from Jahiliyya 6. The Soul as Deriving from the Time of the Prophet and Rashidun 7. The Real Threat: Islam’s Platonism behind the Mask of Liberalism

Author Bio

Dr Roy Ahmad Jackson is a lecturer, writer and freelance researcher in Philosophy and Religion. He is the author of a number of books on such topics as Plato, Nietzsche and the Philosophy of Religion. His book ‘Fifty Key Figures in Islam’ was published by Routledge in June 2006.