The Coherence of Contradiction

In one of his traditions, the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon him, highlighted the power of words when he said, “Indeed, there is magic in eloquence.” Shahab Ahmed exhibits this magic when he charmingly advances a radically new way of understanding Islam in his 2016 book, What Is Islam?
The Importance of Being Islamic. Ahmed sets out to establish Islam as “a historical and human phenomenon . . . in its plentitude and complexity” and hence to “conceptualize unity [in Islam] not in diversity but in the face of outright contradiction.”

Yahya Sseremba, The Coherence of Contradiction. Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East 1 May 2020; 40 (1): 208–210. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/1089201X-8186225