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More About This Title New Introduction to Islam 2e
English
Fully revised for the second edition, with completely new opening and closing chapters considering key issues facing Islam in the 21st century
Focuses greater attention on everyday practices, the role of women in Muslim societies, and offers additional material on Islam in America
Includes detailed chronologies, tables summarizing key information, useful maps and diagrams, and many more illustrations
English
English
List of Illustrations xi
Preface to the Second Edition xiii
Source Acknowledgments xv
Part I The Formation of the Islamic Tradition 1
1 Islam in Global Perspective 3
The Problem of Defining Islam 3
Mapping the Islamic World 5
Arabs and Non-Arabs 8
SunnCs and ShC‘ Ctes 9
Islamic Ritual 10
What to Expect from This Book 15
Essential Resources for the Study of Islam 16
2 Arabia 19
Geography 19
Pre-Islamic Poetry 21
Arab Religion 25
Women in Pre-Islamic Arabia 26
Mecca and the Quraysh 27
The Gifts of the Arabs 29
Resources for Further Study 31
3 The Pre-Islamic Near East 33
Christianity in the Near East 34
Saints and Relics 38
Zoroastrianism 38
Judaism 40
Manichaeism 42
Mazdak 43
The Place of the Arabs in the Near East 44
Resources for Further Study 47
4 The Life of Muhammad 49
Prologue and Setting 50
Birth and Childhood 51
Early Adulthood 53
The Beginning of Revelation 55
Opposition 56
The Night Journey and Ascent to Heaven 58
The Hijra 61
The Battle of Badr 62
Confrontation with the Jews of Medina 63
The Battle of UQud 64
The Peace of al-Ludaybiyya and the Farewell Pilgrimage 66
Evaluation 67
Resources for Further Study 68
5 The Qur’an 69
Approaches to the Qur’An 69
The History of the Text 72
Jesus in the Qur’An 76
The Qur’An in Muslim Piety 78
The Eternity of the Qur’An 79
The Inimitability of the Qur’An 80
Interpreting the Qur’An 81
Central Themes 82
Qur’Anic Narratives 83
Qur’Anic Law and the Problem of Abrogation 84
Women and Gender in the Qur’An 85
The Problem of Context 86
Resources for Further Study 86
6 The Tradition Literature 88
The Science of LadCth 89
The Origins of LadCth 91
In Quest of the Historical Muhammad 94
The SCra and the Shaping of an Islamic Worldview 96
Resources for Further Study 100
Part II The Expansion of Islam 103
7 The Conquests 105
Psychological Impact 108
Archeological Data: The “Invisible” Conquests 109
Resources for Further Study 112
8 Religion of Empire 113
Arab Colonial Policy 113
Conversion to Islam 115
Leadership 116
The First Civil War 117
The Martyrdom of Lusayn 118
The Deputy of God 119
Personal Piety 120
The Dome of the Rock 122
The Constitution of Medina 126
Resources for Further Study 128
9 The Caliphate 129
Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ 129
The ShC ‘Cte Vision 131
The ‘AbbAsids 133
Twelvers 134
IsmA‘ ClCs 135
NizArC “Assassins” 136
KhArijites 139
The SAsAnian Revival 140
Al-MAwardC and the SunnC Compromise 142
Resources for Further Study 145
Part III Islamic Institutions 147
10 Islamic Law 149
The Coffee Debate 149
Revelation and Reason 151
QiyAs 153
The Schools of Law 154
Islamic Law and the State 156
IjmA‘ 157
The UREl al-Fiqh 158
The Substance of the Law 159
Ritual Purity 160
Acts of Worship 162
Marriage and Divorce 164
The Origins of Islamic Law 166
Al-ShAfi‘ C and Islamic Legal Theory 166
Resources for Further Study 170
11 Islamic Theology and Philosophy 172
Freedom and Determinism 174
God’s Attributes 176
Anthropomorphism 178
Faith and Works 178
Leadership 181
The SunnC Consensus 181
AQmad ibn Lanbal 182
Al-Ash‘arC 183
KalAm 184
Jewish and Christian Influences 186
The Challenge of Philosophy 188
Prophecy and Revelation in Islamic Philosophy 189
Philosophy and Mysticism 191
Resources for Further Study 192
12 mefcsm 193
The Parliament of Birds 193
Stages on the Path 194
The Spiritual Master 197
MEfC Brotherhoods 198
MEfC Ritual 199
The Destination 202
MEfC Cosmology 203
MEfCsm in History: The Case of al-LallAj 207
Beginnings to the Tenth Century 210
Classical Manuals and the Growth of NarCqas 212
The Pervasiveness of MEfCsm 215
Resources for Further Study 215
Part IV Crisis and Renewal in Islamic History 217
13 Turks, Crusaders, and Mongols 219
The SaljEqs 219
Al-GhazAlC and the SunnC Revival 220
Slave Soldiers 221
The Crusades 223
The Mongols 226
The Impact of the Mongol Invasions 230
Resources for Further Study 232
14 Revival and Reform 234
The Ottoman, SafAvid, and Mughal Empires 234
The Rise of European Power 238
The Religious Environment 239
The ‘UlamA’ 240
MEfC Reformers 242
The WahhAbC Movement 245
Resources for Further Study 247
15 Islam and the West 249
Napoleon’s Invasion of Egypt 249
The Birth of Orientalism 252
JihAd Movements 253
Al-AfghAnC 254
Sayyid AQmad KhAn and ‘AlCgarh 256
Resources for Further Study 258
16 The Turbulent Twentieth Century 259
Islam and Modernity 259
The Abolition of the Caliphate 260
Nationalism 262
Secularism 264
The Salaf C Movement 267
The Muslim Brotherhood 268
JihAd and Martyrdom 269
From SharC‘a to Secular Law and Back 270
Muslim Family Law 271
Modern Qur’An Interpretation 272
The Problem of Sunna 273
IjtihAd and IjmA‘ 274
A New KalAm? 275
Muhammad ‘AbdEh 275
Muhammad IqbAl 276
The Vitality of MEfCsm 280
Resources for Further Study 281
17 Islam in the Twenty-First Century 282
The Challenge of Pluralism 283
Twenty-First-Century WahhAbCsm 284
Islamic Liberalism 288
Islam in the West 290
Islamic Feminism 294
The Challenge of Islam 298
Glossary 299
Bibliography 309
Index 324
English
Herbert Berg, University of North Carolina Wilmington
"Designed as a student-friendly textbook, Brown explores Islam's origins, major features, and lasting influence. Brown, who has lived and taught in Egypt and Pakistan, offers both a sympathetic description and a critical analysis." (Islamic Horizons, November 2009)
