Islam

Covering the origins, key features, and legacy of the Islamic tradition, the third edition of A New Introduction to Islam includes new material on Islam in the 21st century and discussions of the impact of historical ideas, literature, and movements on contemporary trends.

• Includes updated and rewritten chapters on the Qur’an and hadith literature that covers important new academic research
• Compares the practice of Islam in different Islamic countries, as well as acknowledging the differences within Islam as practiced in Europe
• Features study questions for each chapter and more illustrative material, charts, and excerpts from primary sources

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With more than 1.8 billion followers worldwide, Islam is one of the world’s largest religions, but it is also one that is poorly understood by many Americans. Islam Explained offers an informative overview of the faith, helping those who are new to Islam foster cultural awareness while also providing those already familiar with it the opportunity to deepen their understanding.

Whether you are looking to expand your own knowledge of Islam or just better understand the practices of Muslim friends, coworkers, and neighbors, this concise and essential guide provides a solid foundation for future study and conversation.

Islam Explained features:

• Easy-to-understand explanations–This book provides a complete overview ideal for those who are interested in Islam as a faith, a subject of study, and beyond.
• Historical contexts–Better understand the history of Islam, how the religion has evolved, and the ways that history has shaped the lives of Muslims.
• Beliefs and practices–Explore what it means to be a practicing Muslim, including the Five Pillars, laws, dress codes, and brief glimpses into how they vary between individual sects.

Take yourself on a journey that will end in a better, more complete understanding of Islam.

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Few things provoke controversy in the modern world like the religion brought by Prophet Muhammad. Modern media are replete with alarm over jihad, underage marriage and the threat of amputation or stoning under Shariah law. Sometimes rumor, sometimes based on fact and often misunderstood, the tenets of Islamic law and dogma were not set in the religion’s founding moments. They were developed, like in other world religions, over centuries by the clerical class of Muslim scholars.

Misquoting Muhammad takes the reader back in time through Islamic civilization and traces how and why such controversies developed, offering an inside view into how key and controversial aspects of Islam took shape. From the protests of the Arab Spring to Istanbul at the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and from the ochre red walls of Delhi’s great mosques to the trade routes of the Indian Ocean world, Misquoting Muhammad lays out how Muslim intellectuals have sought to balance reason and revelation, weigh science and religion, and negotiate the eternal truths of scripture amid shifting values.

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