Perspectives on Interpreting Islam in the Contemporary Indo-Pak Subcontinent

A most welcome addition to the growing literature on South Asian Muslim thinkers and their contributions to modern Islamic religious and intellectual thought. In its various chapters, the author provides us with a sweeping, panoramic survey of the thought of contemporary Muslim scholars in the subcontinent on some major critically vital topics. (Professor Asma Afsaruddin, Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, Indiana University Bloomington, USA Tauseef Parrays survey of present-day thinking about the role of religion in Muslim South Asia forms a welcome addition to the literature on contemporary Islamic intellectual history. Set against the background of the tradition versus modernity debate, this book not only addresses perennial themes pertaining to Islams sacred scripture and its messenger but also engages central issues concerning politics, law and society through the writings of select thinkers from this most populous region of the Muslim world. (Professor Dr Carool Kersten, Research Professor of Islamic Studies, Catholic University Leuven, Belgium) Mapping out the intellectual Islamic tradition in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent landscape has evoked divergent discourses, representing the rich repository of Islamic thought which has evolved in the last century. Dr Tauseef Ahmad Parrays Perspectives on Interpreting Islam in the Contemporary Indo-Pak Subcontinent is the latest addition to this trend, which is centred on prominent intellectuals who have honed their traditional Islamic learning with their academic credentials to present a worldview of critical thinking on the fundamental sources of Islam on diverse issues. (Dr Abdul Kader Choughley, Researcher/ Academic Advisor, Ahsan Academy of Research, Springs, South Africa) The book discusses some major 21st century trends, issues and challenges of Islamic intellectual tradition vis- -vis the contributions, academic outpouring and approaches of some prominent contemporary Muslim scholars of the Indo-Pak subcontinent within the broader context of reformism and through the lens of reformist thought. It highlights some of the major currents and trends of Islamic thought by focusing on South Asian Muslim thinkers and their contributions to modern Islamic religious and intellectual thought. Set against the background of the tradition versus modernity debate, it addresses perennial themes pertaining to Islamic primary sources and engages in legal, socio-political and gender aspects through the writings of select thinkers of the subcontinent. The book is expected to benefit the students and scholars of Islamic Studies, South Asian Studies and allied subjects in assessing vernacular perspective on current religious, socio-legal and political discourses.