An Introduction to Islam for Jews

by Firestone, Reuven, PhD

• ISBN13: 9780827608641
• ISBN10: 0827608640
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-05-01
• Publisher: Jewish Pubn Society

Summary

Helping Jews understand Islam--a reasoned and candid view Muslim-Jewish relations in the United States, Israel, and Europe are tenuous. Jews and Muslims struggle to understand one another and know little about each other's traditions and beliefs. Firestone explains the remarkable similarities and profound differences between Judaism and Islam, the complex history of Jihad, the legal and religious positions of Jews in the world of Islam, how various expressions of Islam (Sunni, Shi'a, Sufi, Salafi, etc.) regard Jews, the range of Muslim views about Israel, and much more. He addresses these issues and others with candor and integrity, and he writes with language, symbols, and ideas that make sense to Jews. Exploring these subjects in today's vexed political climate is a delicate undertaking. Firestone draws on the research and writings of generations of Muslim, Jewish, and other scholars, as well as his own considerable expertise in this field. The book's tone is neither disparaging, apologetic, nor triumphal. Firestone provides many original sources in translation, as well as an appendix of additional key sources in context. Most importantly, this book is readable and reasoned, presenting to readers for the first time the complexity of Islam and its relationship toward Jews and Judaism.

Author Biography

Reuven Firestone is professor of Medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xvi
A Survey of Islamic History
Why an Introduction to Islam Specifically for Jews?	p. 3
Arabs and Israelites	p. 5
Pre-Islamic Origins	p. 10
The Emergence of Islam	p. 17
Muhammad and the Jews of Medina	p. 33
The Death of the Prophet and the Expansion of the Community	p. 43
The Conquests	p. 52
The Caliphal Dynasties	p. 60
The Decline of the Muslim World	p. 70
God, The Qur'an, and Islamic Law
God	p. 79
The Five Doctrines or "Pillars of Faith"	p. 85
The Evolution of a Formal Theology	p. 92
The Qur'an	p. 100
The Interpretive Tradition	p. 114
The Prophetic Record	p. 124
Islamic Law	p. 134
The Workings of Shari'a	p. 142
The Umma: Islam in Practice
The Umma and The Caliphate	p. 149
The Five Pillars of Islam	p. 157
A Sixth Pillar? Jihad	p. 176
The Range of Practice among Muslims	p. 184
Sufism	p. 191
The Shi'a	p. 199
Mosque and Clergy	p. 202
The Calendar	p. 205
The Muslim Life-Cycle	p. 210
Personal Observance	p. 225
Epilogue	p. 235
Endnotes	p. 240
Islam and Judaism: Some Related Religious Terminology	p. 253
Glossary	p. 254
Bibliography	p. 269
Scriptural Index: Verses from the Qur'an and the Bible	p. 273
Subject Index	p. 282
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