This is a public broadcast of the First Command Book Club with President Hamza Yusuf. The First Command Book Club is a member benefit of the 12000 Strong monthly giving initiative. Learn more and join at bookclub.zaytuna.edu.

About "Trial and Tribulation" by Dr. Nasrin Rouzati

This book offers a critical analysis and re-examination of the notion of Divine trial, first by providing a comprehensive typology and a contextual interpretation of the Qur'anic narratives pertaining to the concept. Divine trial is then investigated through a historical review of prophetic tradition (hadith) and the exegetical literature (tafsir); followed by a discussion on Prophetology, and an overview of bala in the lives of the prophets.

The book further develops key aspects of Muslim theology and mysticism through an examination of the works of Rumi and al-Ghazali.

Nasrin Rouzati takes up a neglected aspect of Islamic religious experience. The concept is actually at the heart of the Qur’an and Rouzati’s research in the Qur’anic materials, both classical and modern, on the subject is ground-breaking. (Abdulaziz Sachedina, George Mason University)