Islam

by Robinson, Neal

• ISBN13: 9780700711000
• ISBN10: 0700711007
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781136817809
• Additional ISBN(s): 9781136817809
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-11-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This user-friendly reference work provides an accessible introduction to Islam for the general reader and student alike. It presents a historical overview, a description of Islam as a living faith along with a discussion of the problems raised by Western perceptions of Islam. Including key dates and simple definitions, the book provides readers with explanations of technical matters such as the structure of Arabic names and the various ways of transliterating Arabic.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii
List of Maps and Diagrams	xvii
What do you Know about Islam?	1	(12)
News Coverage of Islam	1	(3)
A History of Misrepresentation	4	(4)
Continuing Obstacles to Understanding	8	(5)
Defining Islam	13	(4)
Islam in History	17	(23)
Introduction	17	(2)
The Mission of Muhammad	19	(1)
The First Four Caliphs	20	(2)
The Umayyads	22	(1)
The Abbasids	22	(1)
Islam in Spain	23	(3)
The Fatimids and Buyids	26	(1)
Great Seljuks, Rum Seljuks and Atabegs	27	(2)
The Mongols	29	(1)
The Ayyubids and Mamluks	30	(1)
The Timurids	31	(2)
The Ottomans	33	(2)
The Safavids and the Mughals	35	(1)
Islam in the Horn of Africa, East Africa, Nubia, the Funj and South Africa	36	(1)
Islam in West Africa	37	(1)
Islam in South-East Asia	38	(1)
Recapitulation: Four Successive Periods of Islamic History	39	(1)
Islam in the Modern World	40	(19)
Introduction	40	(1)
1699--1798 Decline & Reform: (a) The Decline of the Three Great Muslim Empires	41	(2)
1699--1798 Decline & Reform: (b) Early Attempts at Reform	43	(1)
1798--1922 European Domination: (a) The Demise of the Ottoman Empire	44	(2)
1798--1922 European Domination: (b) the Colonisation of the Muslim World	46	(1)
1798--1922 European Domination: (c) Muslim Responses to Colonialisation	47	(1)
1798--1922 European Domination: (d) the European Impact on Turkey and Iran	48	(1)
1922--1962 Decolonialisation and the Origins of Islamism	49	(2)
1962 to the Present: (a) Reasons for Islamic Resurgence	51	(4)
1962 to the Present: (b) Radical Islamism	55	(1)
1962 to the Present: (c) Islam versus Islamism?	56	(2)
1962 to the Present: (d) Genuine Revival or Force of Circumstances?	58	(1)
The Quran	59	(16)
Its Status	59	(1)
Its Preservation	60	(2)
The Chronology of the Revelations	62	(1)
The Message of the Quran	63	(3)
Quranic Interpretation	66	(2)
The Coherence of the Quran	68	(3)
The Quran in English	71	(4)
No God but God	75	(9)
Introduction	75	(1)
Allah in Pre-Islamic Arabia	75	(1)
The Witness of the Quran	76	(1)
Islamic Theology	77	(2)
Islamic Philosophy	79	(1)
Sufism	80	(2)
Mawdudi's Understanding of the First Half of the Shahada	82	(2)
Muhammad the Messenger of God	84	(12)
Introduction	84	(1)
Muhammad in the Quran	84	(2)
The Hadith	86	(2)
Modern Scepticism about the Hadiths	88	(2)
Traditional Biographies of the Prophet	90	(1)
Muhammad's Alleged Moral Failings	91	(2)
Muslim Veneration of Muhammad	93	(1)
Prophets, Messengers, Imams and Saints	94	(2)
Ritual Prayer	96	(15)
Introduction	96	(1)
Prayer in the Quran	96	(1)
The Prayer Times	97	(1)
The Call to Prayer	98	(1)
Preparation for Salat	99	(1)
Performance of Salat	100	(1)
Praying together, the Friday Congregational Prayer and the Mosque	101	(2)
Prayer on Special Occasions	103	(1)
The `Barelwi' Litany in Honour of the Prophet	103	(1)
The Origins of Salat	104	(2)
The Purpose and Significance of Ritual Prayer	106	(3)
Ritual Prayer in the Modern World	109	(2)
Zakat	111	(6)
Introduction	111	(1)
Zakat in the Quran	112	(1)
The Payment of Zakat	112	(2)
The Origins of Zakat	114	(1)
The Purpose and Significance of Zakat	114	(1)
Zakat in the Modern World	115	(2)
Ramadan	117	(10)
Introduction	117	(1)
Ramadan and Fasting in the Quran	117	(1)
The Observance of Ramadan	118	(3)
The Origins of Ramadan	121	(1)
The Purpose and Significance of Ramadan	122	(3)
Ramadan in the Modern World	125	(2)
The Pilgrimage	127	(22)
Introduction	127	(1)
The Kaaba and its Environs	127	(1)
The Pilgrimage During the Lifetime of the Prophet	128	(1)
Hajj and Umra in the Quran	129	(3)
Performing the Umra	132	(1)
Performing the Hajj	133	(3)
Visiting the Prophet's Mosque in Medina	136	(1)
The Origins of Hajj and Umra	137	(4)
The Purpose and Significance of the Muslim Hajj and Umra	141	(3)
Hajj and Umra in the Modern World	144	(5)
The Sharia	149	(14)
The Nature and Scope of Islamic Law	149	(1)
The Principal Sunni Law Schools	150	(5)
The Origins and Development of Twelver Shiite Jurisprudence	155	(2)
`Divinely-specified' Penalties	157	(3)
The Sharia in the Modern World	160	(3)
Denominations and Sects	163	(11)
Introduction	163	(1)
Twelver Shiism	164	(3)
Ismaili Shiism	167	(3)
Zaydism	170	(1)
Kharijism	171	(1)
Beyond the Pale of Islam	171	(3)
Appendix 1: The Arabic Language and Islamic Names	174	(6)
Arabic in Transliteration	174	(2)
Some Hints about the Arabic Language	176	(1)
Islamic Names	177	(3)
Appendix 2: The Islamic Calendar and Festivals	180	(5)
The Principle of the Lunar Calendar	180	(1)
The Muslim Year and Festivals	181	(1)
The Era of the Hijra: How to Convert Dates	182	(3)
Select Bibliography	185	(3)
Index	188