Islam

As the title suggests, the book under review examines different aspects of the Islamic faith. Included in this introductory, edited volume are 15 (short) essays divided into five chapters: An introduction to Islam; Origins that examines the Qur’an, Muhammad and Hadith, and Sunnah; Doctrine examines the Shari[ah, Islamic Philosophy, Sufism, Shi[ites, Shi[ism and Sunnis, Sunnism; Institutions examines the Mosque and Islamic Government; and Interactions examines Women and Islam, Islam and Judaism, Islam and Christianity and Islam in America.

The manuscript is well-conceived and covers a large terrain of thought, ideas and concepts. It is written as a social history rather than a cultural history, thus analysing Islam as ‘a system of religious beliefs’ (p. xiv). This conception is contrary to most introductory works on Islam but is one that works well in this particular case. Rather than striving to write a short volume on Islam as practised in various countries or contexts, this book looks at the evolution of Islam as a religion and important aspects of the faith as conceived by Muslims based on the sources. Moreover, the essays balance between the history of Islam and contemporary issues.

The essays are written in such a way that they proceed from a general overview to the more specific aspects of Islam, from the religious system and its history to the contemporary issues facing Islam and being Muslim. Each of the essays begins with a definition of the subject at hand along with an etymology of the important term(s). Moreover, many transliterated Arabic terms are found in each of the essays thus providing the student with an introduction to key terms that will prove valuable to students new to this field. Finally, many quotations from the Qur’an are cited throughout offering short captions of its centrality to Islam and the importance of qira’ah (recitation).