The Book
From the relationship between law and virtue to the struggles of the soul to transcend the body and its desires, Cyrus Ali Zargar examines key ethical questions from Islamic intellectual history. With new interpretations of passages from key Arabic and Persian texts, and keen analyses of the ethical implications therein, The Polished Mirror invites readers to reconsider the place of virtue ethics in Islam - a subject which has been given insufficient attention in academic study.
Additional Information
| Subject | Religion, Literature |
|---|---|
| Pages | 352 |
| Imprint | Oneworld |
Reviews
‘This fine study, supported by careful analysis of primary texts, illustrates the congruence of Islamic philosophy and Sufism on the issue of achieving self-perfection, to which human beings are called both by prophetic wisdom and by rational acumen.'
‘Far too much of previous scholarship on Muslim ethics has obsessed over the question of its indebtedness to Greek (and Persian) antecedents. Cyrus Zargar's The Polished Mirror is a brilliant way of reframing the conversation about ethics in the spiritual and intellectual cosmos of Islamic thought. Zargar masterfully navigates the worlds of ethics, philosophy, mysticism, narrative, and poetry to offer us a rich tapestry. The result is far more than merely a groundbreaking way of rethinking ethics in Islam. It is a groundbreaking study of the interconnectedness of Islamic spiritual, ethical, and intellectual universe through studying Ibn Sina, Rumi, Brethren of Purity, Ghazali, Suhrawardi, and others. Enthusiastically recommended for all students of Islamic studies, ethics, and mysticism.'
‘The Polished Mirror is an incredible, even paradigm-shifting work in Islamic Studies.'
