A Shi'i-Sunni dialogue
Encyclopedia
A Shi'i-Sunni dialogue also translated as The Right Path is a book about Islam
written by Sayyid
Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi
.
In 1331 AH (ca 1913), the author visited Egypt
and met Shaykh Salim al-Bishri, the head of Al-Azhar University
.
The outcome of their discussions and long correspondence resulted in this book, which is highly recognized and circulated in the Muslim world, having been translated into twenty languages .
Shi'a view the book as being one of the best known books in Islamic studies due to its objective approach, depth, concise language and the strength of its arguments .
Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi
(signing with the first letter of his name 'Sh') and Shaykh Salim al-Bishri (signing with the letter 'S') (the letters sh and s also possibly allude to the shia-sunni nature of the dialogue). The book is particularly unique due to combining:
1) The authors relate their thoughts in a very academic yet respectful manner. Very occasionally, the dialogue turns heated, which is only expected given the nature of the topic under discussion, yet that only leads to more interesting and fruitful discussions.
2) The book is written in a highly elegant manner, making use of literary references, in contrast with numerous other books in this area wherein the arguments are typically presented in monotonic, putely academic tones.
3) Due to the colloquial nature of the communications, the discussions take unexpected turns and are filled with notes that are not commonly encountered in this area.
4) The author has provided informative footnotes/references to the original letters.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
written by Sayyid
Sayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi
Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi
Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi was a Shi'a twelver Islamic scholar.-Biography:Born 1872 CE in Kadhimiya in Iraq he left Lebanon and went back to Iraq at age 17 in order to study, were he stayed for fifteen years until he became a mujtahid at the age of 32.He then returned to his home in...
.
In 1331 AH (ca 1913), the author visited Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and met Shaykh Salim al-Bishri, the head of Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
.
The outcome of their discussions and long correspondence resulted in this book, which is highly recognized and circulated in the Muslim world, having been translated into twenty languages .
Shi'a view the book as being one of the best known books in Islamic studies due to its objective approach, depth, concise language and the strength of its arguments .
Format
The book takes the form of a collection of a series of written communications between SayyidSayyid
Sayyid is an honorific title, it denotes males accepted as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husain ibn Ali, sons of the prophet's daughter Fatima Zahra and his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib.Daughters of sayyids are given the titles Sayyida,...
Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi
Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi
Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi was a Shi'a twelver Islamic scholar.-Biography:Born 1872 CE in Kadhimiya in Iraq he left Lebanon and went back to Iraq at age 17 in order to study, were he stayed for fifteen years until he became a mujtahid at the age of 32.He then returned to his home in...
(signing with the first letter of his name 'Sh') and Shaykh Salim al-Bishri (signing with the letter 'S') (the letters sh and s also possibly allude to the shia-sunni nature of the dialogue). The book is particularly unique due to combining:
1) The authors relate their thoughts in a very academic yet respectful manner. Very occasionally, the dialogue turns heated, which is only expected given the nature of the topic under discussion, yet that only leads to more interesting and fruitful discussions.
2) The book is written in a highly elegant manner, making use of literary references, in contrast with numerous other books in this area wherein the arguments are typically presented in monotonic, putely academic tones.
3) Due to the colloquial nature of the communications, the discussions take unexpected turns and are filled with notes that are not commonly encountered in this area.
4) The author has provided informative footnotes/references to the original letters.
Editions
- It is translated from the Arabic by Yasin T. al-Jibouri and published in May 1994 by the Imam Husayn (as) Islamic Foundation, BeirutBeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. - Ansariyan PublicationsAnsariyan PublicationsAnsariyan Publications is an Iranian publishing organization in Qom, the world center for Shi'a twelver scholarship.It started in 1352 in the Persian calendar, 1974 CE....
- World Federation of KSI Muslim Communities