Skip to content
Home/ Terror of God: Attar, Job and the Metaphysical Revolt
Terror of God: Attar, Job and the Metaphysical Revolt

Terror of God: Attar, Job and the Metaphysical Revolt

No customer reviews yet ISBN 9780745645261

How can suffering and injustice be reconciled with the idea that God is good, that he loves humans and is merciful to them? Job's question runs through the history of the three monotheistic religions. Time and again, philosophers, theologians, poets, prophets and laypersons have questioned their image of God in the light of a reality full of hardship. Some see suffering as proof of God's existence, others as a demonstration that there can be no God, while others still respond by rebelling against Him.

In this remarkable book Navid Kermani - a distinguished Islamic scholar of Iranian origin - sees this revolt against God as the central motif of one of the great but neglected works of literature: The Book of Suffering by the thirteenth-century Persian poet Faridoddin Attar. Through the prism of Attar's text Kermani tells the story of a religious faith that knows God but is angry with Him: a counter-theology that runs through many religions and connects Judaism, Islam and modernity.

With astonishing range and stylistic brilliance Kermani brings Attar to life as one of us, enabling the great Persian poet to speak directly to us today despite the time that separates us.

About the author

Product details

Pub dateOct 10, 2011
ISBN-100745645267
ISBN-139780745645261
LanguageEnglish
Last updated 2026-03-12 19:22
$71.73 $72.75 1% off
You save $1.02 · list price $72.75
In stock soon — order now to reserve your copy
Delivery by Monday, September 14, 2026
Qty
Sign in to Add to Saved list
Free delivery on orders over $35.
15-day returns. Any reason.
Secure checkout. We never store card details.

Readers who bought this also bought

More from Religious
See all
Theism and Atheism: Opposing Arguments in Philosophy
<p><em>Theism and Atheism: Opposing Arguments in Philosophy</em> is a peer-reviewed, academic volume that has two separate editors in chief, with their respective editorial boards. The atheism side is led by Graham Oppy (Australian philosopher, Monash University). The theism side is led by Joseph Koterski, S.J. (American philosopher, Fordham University) and includes Christian, Jewish, and Muslim philosophers. <p/><br>The two editorial boards worked together to identify twenty key topics in philosophical debates regarding arguments for and against the existence of God (e.g., Religious Experience, Miracles, Our Universe, Human Beings, Science, Religious Diversity, etc.). The single volume is composed of forty total chapters. The format is such that an author taking the side of theism composes a chapter on a topic, followed by an atheism author covering the same topic (e.g., Miracles: Theism followed by Miracles: Atheism).<br> <p/>The title presents complex philosophical counter perspectives in a lucid manner. It grapples with issues that have occupied philosophers for more than two millennia. These include the sufficiency/insufficiency of an empirical explanation for the existence of the universe&#x3b; the capacity/incapacity of the empirical sciences to draw conclusions about a possible infinite being&#x3b; the validity/invalidity of philosophical arguments regarding the existence of an infinite being&#x3b; various notions of infinity&#x3b; the problem of evil, and so on. </p>
$383.62