Islam and Disability: Perspectives in Theology and Jurisprudence(Routledge Islamic Studies Series)

This book explores the position of Islamic theology and jurisprudence towards people with disabilities. It investigates how early and modern Muslim scholars tried to reconcile their existence with the concept of a merciful God, and also looks at how people with disabilities might live a dignified and productive life within an Islamic context. In his analysis of Islamic Theology, Ghaly pays attention to how theologians, philosophers and Sufis reflected on the purposes behind the existence of this phenomenon, and how to reconcile the existence of disability with specific divine attributes and an All-Merciful God. Simultaneously exploring the perspective of Muslim jurists, the book focuses on how people with disabilities can lead a dignified life in the financial and non-financial sense, in an extensive analysis of topics such as the human dignity of people with disabilities and the role of Greek physiognomy, their employability, medical treatment, social life with main focus on marriage-related issues, financial life and means of living. Investigating the topic of disability from early and modern Islamic perspectives, the author provides an analysis of Muslim discussions on various bioethical questions. As such, this book will be of great relevance to current heated debates on human rights of people with disabilities, as well as providing a valuable resource for courses on Multicultural bioethics, Islamic theology, Islamic law and medical anthropology.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Speculative Theology 3. Practical Theology 4. Human Dignity of People with Disabilities: Influence of Physiognomy 5. The Ethics of Writing on People with Disabilities 6. Employability of People with Disabilities 7. Medical Treatment of People with Disabilities 8. Revenues of Financial Aid for People with Disabilities. Conclusion

About the Author :
Mohammed Ghaly is a graduate of al-Azhar University, Egypt and currently an assistant professor of Islamic Studies at Leiden University, The Netherlands. His main research interest is Islamic bioethics and its relevance to Muslim minorities living in the West.

Review :
"Islam and Disability is a wide-ranging and stimulating work that should prove of benefit both to academic scholars and to those with more practical concerns... one hopes that disability will gain the much wider attention that it deserves within Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, for which Islam and Disability will prove a most valuable resource." - Morgan Clarke, Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford; Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies, Summer 2012: Vol. V, No. 3