The Tao of Islam is a rich and diverse anthology of Islamic teachings on the nature of the relationships between God and the world, the world and the human being, and the human being and God. Focusing on gender symbolism, Sachiko Murata shows that Muslim authors frequently analyze the divine reality and its connections with the cosmic and human domains with a view toward a complementarity or polarity of principles that is analogous to the Chinese idea of yin/yang.Murata believes that the unity of Islamic thought is found, not so much in the ideas discussed, as in the types of relationships that are set up among realities. She pays particular attention to the views of various figures commonly known as "Sufis" and "philosophers," since they approach these topics with a flexibility and subtlety not found in other schools of thought. She translates several hundred pages, most for the first time, from more than thirty important Muslims including the Ikhwan al-Safa', Avicenna, and Ibn al-'Arabi.

Foreword by Annemarie Schimmel A Note on Dates and Citations from the Koran Introduction The Intellectual Tradition in Islam The Feminist Critique of Islam The Background of the Present Book Chinese and Islamic Thought Theological Polarity Signs of God Cosmic Correspondences Human Equilibrium The Plan of the Book Part 1 1 The Three Realities Signs in the Horizons and the Souls Qualitative Correspondence Qualitative Levels Human All-Comprehensiveness Children of the Elements The Myth of Adam's Creation Human Becoming The Cosmic and Human Books Part 2: Theology 2 Divine Duality God and the Essence Incomparability and Similarity Complementary Names God and His Vassal The One and the Two The Creation of the Many The Differentiation of the Undifferentiated Being and Knowledge Majesty and Beauty Awe and Intimacy Social Implications of Divine Duality 3 The Two Hands of God Right and Left The Views of Koran Commentators Fingers and Feet The Two Hands in the Futuhat al-makkiyya The Fusus al-hikam Mu'ayyid al-Din Jandi 'Abd al-Razzaq Kashani Dawud Qaysari Sadr al-Din Qunawi Sa'id al-Din Farghani Farghani on the Two Handfuls Part 3: Cosmology 4 Heaven and Earth The Creation of the Cosmos The Tao of Heaven and Earth Heaven and Earth as Correlative Terms Similitudes Shifting Relationships The Seven Heavens The Four Elements The Virtues of the Earth 5 Macrocosmic Marriage Fathers and Mothers Universal Marriage Triplicity The Pen and the Tablet The Intellect and the Soul Natural Children Changing Relationships The Faces of the Intellect The Two Wings of Gabriel 6 Human Marriage Marriage in Society Man's Degree over Woman (I) Man's Degree over Woman (II) Mutual Love Women Made Lovable The Fusus al-hikam Mutual Longing Witnessing God in Women Marriage and Creation Perfect Sexual Union The Symbolism of Grammatical Gender Spiritual Counsel 7 The Womb Universal Worship The Mercy of Existence Nature as Wife and Mother Love for Parents The Womb as Microcosm The Womb as Nature Part 4: Spiritual Psychology 8 Static Hierarchy Principles of Ta'wil Names of the Unseen Signs of the Microcosm Spirit Soul Intellect The Spirit's Kingdom Heaven and Earth 9 Dynamics of the Soul Struggle on the Path to God The Soul's Evil Conflicting Character Traits The Soul's Receptivity Manliness and Chivalry Negative Masculinity Adam, Eve, and Iblis The Soul's Animals Purifying the Soul 10 The Heart In the Koran and the Hadith Between Spirit and Soul The Heart in the School of Ibn al-'Arabi The Birth of the Heart The Heart's Birth According to 'Izz al-Din Kashani The Heart's Birth According to Ibn al-'Arabi's School The Soul as Virgin Mother The Perfected Heart True Men and True Women Postscript Appendix I Chronological List of Authors Cited Appendix II Notes on Authors Cited Notes Bibliography Index of Koranic Verses Index of Hadiths and Sayings General Index