Read more
Richly illustrated by quotations and images from Muslim scripture, historical chronicles, artistic works, and theological and juridical treatises, this book provides the student reader with a comprehensive understanding of Islam's evolution from its inception in Arabia to the present day.
List of contents
Introduction 1. Arabia: The Cradle of Islam 2. Muhammad and the Beginnings of Islam: The Making of the Muslim Community 3. After Muhammad: The Righty Guided Caliphs and the Conquests 4. The Murder of 'Uthamn, the
Fitna Wars, and the Rise and Consolidation of the Umayyad Dynasty 5. The Principal Source of Islam: The Qur'an 6. The Prophetic
Hadíth and Sunna and the Emergence of the Shari'a 7. The Problem of the Just Ruler and the First Divisions 8. The 'Abbásid Revolution and Beyond 9. Islamic Scholarship Under the Umayyads and 'Abbásids: The Rise and Development of the Schools of Law 10. Islamic Scholarship Under the 'Abbásids: Theological Debates and Schools of Thought 11. Twelver Shi'ism and Zaydism 12. Shi'ism as a Revolutionary Movement: The Isma'ilis 13. Ascetic and Mystical Movement in Islam: Sufism 14. Intellectual Struggles in Premodern Islam: Philosophy Versus Theology 15. Transmission and Conservation of Knowledge:
'Ulamá',
Mádrasas, and Sufi Lodges 16. The Basic Beliefs and Practices of Islam: Islamic Life Cycle 17. Islamic Art and Religions Architecture (Mosque) 18. Women in Islamic Societies 19. Islam and the West 20. Islam in the Gunpowder Empires: The World of Islam Faces Modernity and European Colonialism 21. Renewal and Reform in Islam: The Emergence of Islamic Modernism and Reformism 22. Islam as a Political Force and Vehicle of Opposition 23. Islam Reinterpreted: Major Trends in Islamic Thought Today 24. The Ideology and Practice of Globalized Jihadism
Bibliography Index
About the author
Alexander Knysh is Professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Middle East Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and the Director of an Islamic Studies project at Saint Petersburg State University, Russian Federation.
Summary
Richly illustrated by quotations and images from Muslim scripture, historical chronicles, artistic works, and theological and juridical treatises, this book provides the student reader with a comprehensive understanding of Islam's evolution from its inception in Arabia to the present day.
