Sacred Orientation in Late Antiquity and Early Islam
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- ISBN 9781032135083
- Weight: 670g
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 29 Dec 2025
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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Sacred Orientation in Late Antiquity and Early Islam: The Qibla as Ritual, Metaphor, and Identity Marker offers a groundbreaking study of how the qibla—Islam’s ritual direction of prayer—served not only as a sacred practice but also as a powerful marker of communal identity in Islam’s formative centuries.
Situating the qibla within the wider ritual culture of Late Antiquity, this book examines how sacred orientation shaped the evolving boundaries of religious belonging across the early Islamic world. It traces how the Qurʾān’s treatment of prayer direction emerged within a shared ritual discourse with Judaism and Christianity, and how the qibla became an embodied metaphor for inclusion and unity within an increasingly diverse Muslim community. The volume also explores interreligious polemics, legal and theological debates, and the symbolic significance of mosque architecture, maps, and scientific instruments, portraying the qibla as a dynamic vehicle for both religious expression and communal cohesion. From medieval controversies to contemporary technologies, Sacred Orientation argues that the qibla remains an “inexhaustible” ritual symbol— constantly evolving, yet deeply rooted in the construction and performance of Islamic identity.
Essential reading for scholars of Islamic studies, religious studies, ritual theory, and Late Antiquity, this book offers a fresh and richly contextualized perspective on one of Islam’s most enduring and meaningful practices.
Ari M. Gordon serves as Director of Muslim-Jewish Relations for the American Jewish Committee, fostering partnerships between communities on shared concerns while facilitating productive dialogue on differences. A Philadelphia native and master teacher, Gordon lectures extensively on Judaism, interreligious history, and religion and global affairs in academic, Jewish, and multifaith settings. He holds degrees from Yeshiva University (BA), Harvard Divinity School (MTS), and completed his doctoral work in Islamic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he researched interreligious relations and sacred geography in Islam’s formative period.
