At a glance
- Era
- The Contemporary Era
- Region
- Egypt & Nile
Contested: This record includes matters on which scholars differ. The speaker's views are labelled as his, and other views are marked where no cited source yet exists.
In time
Islam and atheism or secular thoughtPolemic and apologetic
Summary
Allah wa-l-Insan ("God and Man") is a book by Mostafa Mahmoud issued as no. 113 of the series Kutub li-l-Jami' by Dar al-Jumhuriyya in March 1957, illustrated by the artist Jamal Kamil. 1 4 5 It is one of his first books and heads the list of his works in Rihlati min al-Shakk ila al-Iman. 6
The page "This author"
A page at the front introduces the author: his medical degree from Qasr al-Aini in 1953, his story-writing since 1947, his newspaper work and his discussion of "the problem of religions" in Rose al-Yusuf. 7 It presents the book by saying the author believes his generation's real problem is "its problem with itself", that it has smashed "its old lamps" without yet making new ones, and that "faith is necessary... but in which things shall we believe?" is the question the book answers. 7
The preface: "Everything changes"
Mostafa Mahmoud opens the book by saying that nothing lasts, not even ideals such as beauty, truth and goodness, and gives examples: the sale of slaves, once a lawful right and now void; the shrinking power of cardinals and popes; the king turned from "a giant who rules" into one who "rubber-stamps"; woman, once "a symbol of the devil", now "the complement of man"; and the law, which now regards the criminal as it regards a patient. 2 8 He says he tried in the book to discuss "all our problems anew" and to pass the inherited intellectual legacy "through a wide-meshed sieve so that the corrupt falls through and the sound remains", in a journey "cheerful and free of the heavy rubble of philosophy". 3
For young visitors
Mostafa Mahmoud wrote this book when he was young, asking many questions about life and values. Many years later he wrote another book telling how his ideas changed and how he came to faith.
Notes for researchers
- Only the cover, introductory page and preface were read in this batch.
Connections
- Authored by
- Mostafa Mahmoud
People and things also explored
Hiwar ma'a Sadiqi al-Mulhid· Muhammad: Muhawala li-Fahm al-Sira al-Nabawiyya· Rihlati min al-Shakk ila al-Iman· al-Islam fi Khandaq· al-Qur'an Ka'in Hayy· al-Ruh wa-l-Jasad· Lughz al-Hayat· Lughz al-Mawt
Sources
- Mostafa Mahmoud, Allah wa-l-Insan (Kutub li-l-Jami' no. 113, Dar al-Jumhuriyya, March 1957) , p. 1
- Mostafa Mahmoud, Allah wa-l-Insan (Kutub li-l-Jami' no. 113, Dar al-Jumhuriyya, March 1957) , p. 7
- Mostafa Mahmoud, Allah wa-l-Insan (Kutub li-l-Jami' no. 113, Dar al-Jumhuriyya, March 1957) , p. 9
- Mostafa Mahmoud, Allah wa-l-Insan (Kutub li-l-Jami' no. 113, Dar al-Jumhuriyya, March 1957) , p. 3
- Mostafa Mahmoud, Allah wa-l-Insan (Kutub li-l-Jami' no. 113, Dar al-Jumhuriyya, March 1957) , p. 4
- Mostafa Mahmoud, Rihlati min al-Shakk ila al-Iman (Dar al-Ma'arif, Cairo) , p. 91
- Mostafa Mahmoud, Allah wa-l-Insan (Kutub li-l-Jami' no. 113, Dar al-Jumhuriyya, March 1957) , p. 5
- Mostafa Mahmoud, Allah wa-l-Insan (Kutub li-l-Jami' no. 113, Dar al-Jumhuriyya, March 1957) , p. 8
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Allah wa-l-Insan”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/work/allah-wal-insan/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-04.
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