A Shi'i-Sunni dialogue
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A Shi'i-Sunni dialogue (Arabic: Al-Muraja'at), 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 [1].
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 [1].
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 [1].
Contents |
[edit] Format
The book takes the form of a collection of a series of written communications between Sayyid 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.
[edit] Editions
- It is translated from the Arabic by Yasin T. al-Jibouri and published in May 1994 by the Imam Husayn (as) Islamic Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon.
- Ansariyan Publications [2]
- World Federation of KSI Muslim Communities [3]
