DEFINITIVE ENCOUNTERS

Definitive Encounters: Islam, Muslims, and the Wesl explores various dimensions of Islam, provides insights into the. ma ing of the contemporary Muslim world, and brings into sharp relief some of the more hidden aspects of the encounter between Islam, Muslims, and modern Western civilization. These encounters are viewed from the perspective of sacred history—a view of history which takes all events at the human plane as a continuum of the story of humanity, which began with the descent of Ädam to Earth, Seen through this prism, contemporary global conflicts gain a degree of depth that is often lacking in secular approaches. The prism through which contemporary events are seen is constructed by tapping into the primary sources of Islam—the Qur)än and the Sunnah—as well as the early history of Muslims and the traditional Islamic view of the cosmos and the human condition. Divided into three major themes, Definitive, Encounters builds a compelling case for seeing the contemporary situation of the world as a continuity of an old conflict between those who believe in the Creator and those who do not. It argues that the forces of globalization, the unprecedented reach of modern science and technology, and the insatiable craving of certain Western countries for dominance, power, and wealth are now playing a major role in producing a global calamity of apocalyptic proportions. Muzaffar Iqbal is President of the Center for Islam and Science, Canada. A scientist by training, an Islamic. scholar by vocation, a novelist and a poet, his works include Islam and Science, Dawn in Madinah, Islam, Science, Muslims, and Technology, and an Arabic-Urdu edition of Divan al-Halläj.