Islam and the Wonders of Creation

Summary

Annemarie Schimmel focuses in this book on the extent to which Islamic culture has taken interest in the animal kingdom. So much so that animal names have been used as human names, animal stories have featured in literature and animals’ examples have been used to explain ideas, theories and concepts. This in addition to the many similarities drawn from the animal kingdom found in literature and poetry. Professor Schimmel has surveyed the mention of animals and birds by Muslim authors and reviewed such mentions in a number of languages in which she is proficient, namely Arabic, Turkish, Sindi and Persian. Special attention was given to poetry in this regard. She holds that animals form an important part of the Islamic heritage, as the mention of animals has been made in the Qurʾān more than in any other holy book. She also points out that animals can be symbolic for profound spiritual truths.