Introduction to Islam » (4th Edition)

Frederick Denny, Professor Emeritus (Ph.D., University of Chicago), is the editor of the University of South Carolina Press scholarly book series "Studies in Comparative Religion", which currently has ca. 35 titles published. He is the author of An Introduction to Islam (4th edition Prentice-Hall, 2010) and numerous articles on Islamic and Religious Studies topics. He co-authored (with John Corrigan, Carlos Eire, and Martin Jaffee) Jews, Christians, Muslims: A Comparative Introduction to Monotheistic Religions (Prentice-Hall: 1998). His long-term areas of interest have been Qur'anic recitation, comparative ritual, and Muslims and their communities in Egypt, Pakistan, Southeast Asia and North America. His recent and current research and writing have been principally on Islam and human rights, religion and ecology, religion-focused cartography, and Unitarian Universalist history and thought.

An Introduction to Islam, Fourth Edition, provides students with a thorough, unified and topical introduction to the global religious community of Islam. In addition, the author's extensive field work, experience, and scholarship combined with his engaging writing style and passion for the subject also sets his text apart.

An Introduction to Islam, places Islam within a cultural, political, social, and religious context, and examines its connections with Judeo-Christian morals. Its integration of the doctrinal and devotional elements of Islam enables readers to see how Muslims think and live — engendering understanding and breaking down stereotypes.

This text also reviews pre-Islamic history so readers can see how Islam developed historically.

Preface xi

A General Introduction to Islam's Basic Teachings and Practices 1

Part 1 Religion and Common Life in the Pre-Islamic Near East 5

Chapter 1 Early Civilizations and the Origins of Judaism and Christianity 7

Egypt the Land 7

Mesopotamia the Land 11

The Origins of Judaism 15

Abraham 15

Moses 18

Later Religious Development 19

The Prophets 20

From Ancient Israelite Religion to Judaism 22

Awaiting God's Messiah 23

Jesus of Nazareth 23

Paul 25

Christianity 26

Christianity and Judaism 27

Chapter 2 Pre-Islamic Arabia: Beliefs, Values, Way of Life 32

Pre-Islamic Arabia 32

Social Structure and Economy 34

Poetry 39

Pre-Islamic Religion 40

Part 2 The Coming of Islam: The Prophet, His People, and God's Religion 47

Chapter 3 Muhammad and the Early Muslim Community 49

Before Muhammad 49

Muhammad the Person 50

Muhammad the Prophet 53

The Qur'an 55

The First Muslims 56

The Development of Islam 57

The Qur'an's Divine Message 61

The Hijra 63

Muhammad's Later Life 69

Muhammad's Personal Life 71

Chapter 4 The Arab Conquests and Islamic Rule: The Struggle for a Unified Umma 74

Muhammad's Heirs 74

The Muslims' Foreign Conquests 75

Early Muslim Governments and the Spread of the Umma 78

Two Approaches to Politics and Rule 83

The Spread of the Islamic Empire 84

The Abbasids 87

Other Muslim Peoples 90

Islam's Achievements 94

Part 3 The Islamic Religious System 97

Chapter 5 The Basic Beliefs and Worship Practices of Islam 99

The Five Doctrines of Islamic Faith 99

The Five Acts of Worship 105

Purification 105

Ritual Impurity 107

The Pillars of Islam 110

Chapter 6 The Nature and Function ofthe Qur'an 130

Language, Format, and Chronology 130

Recitation and Ritual Observances 134

Contents and Nature of the Qur'an 140

Interpretation of the Qur'an 142

The "Inimitability" of the Qur'an 146

Chapter 7 The Prophet's Sunna as Preserved in the Hadith 150

Muhammad and Scripture 150

The Form of the Had?th 152

Major Collections of Had?th 156

The Prophet's and His Companions' Sunnas 159

Muhammad as an Ideal Human 160

Chapter 8 Muslim Creeds and Theologies: Their Purposes and Varieties 164

Theology 164

Islamic Theology 166

Theological Issues 167

The Place of Reason 170

The Mu'tazilite Rationalists 171

Mu'tazilite Thought 173

Three Muslim Creeds 180

Orthodox Kal?m and the Challenge of Philosophy 184

Chapter 9 Law and the State in Classical Islamic Formulations 187

Islam as a Way of Life 187

The Shari'a and Fiqh 187

The Qur'an and the Law 188

The Legal Scholars 191

Schools of Law 193

The Five Principles 194

Sunni Law Schools 195

Shi'iLaw Schools 197

Islamic Political Institutions: Forms, Functions, and Theories 198

Islamic Law and the State in the Present Era 207

Part 4 The Sufi Way of Mysticism and Fellowship 209

Chapter 10 Islamic Mysticism and the Disciplines of Esoteric Piety 211

Sufism 211

Asceticism in Early Islamic Contexts 217

Sufi Symbolism 221

Sufism as an Esoteric Discipline: The Tariqa or Way 223

Al-Junayd and Sober Sufism 225

Antinomian Sufism 227

Intoxicated Sufism; Al-Hallaj 228

States and Stations 231

Al-Ghazadli and the Reconciliation of Shari'aand Tariqa 232

Chapter 11 Masters and Disciples: The Forms and Functions of Sufi Orders 238

The Rise of Sufi Orders 238

Shaykhs and Faqirs: The Master-Disciple Relationship 239

The Qadiri Order: Islam's Major International Sufi Brotherhood 240

Other Classic Sufi Orders 242

Jalal al-Din al-Rumi and the Mawlawis 246

Rumi's Poetry 248

The Silsila or Spiritual Lineage 251

Dhikr and Sama': Remembrance and the Spiritual Concert 252

Sufi Theosophy: The Thought of Ibn 'Arabi 256

Part 5 Patterns of Islamic Personal and Communal Life 261

Chapter 12 The Islamic Life Cycle and the Family 263

Islamic Domestic Rites, Ceremonies, and Customs 263

Rites of Infancy and Childhood 264

Marriage (Nikah) 268

Divorce (Talaq) 273

Inheritance 274

Property 275

Interest 275

Family Life 276

Food and Eating Habits 278

Clothing, Ornamentation, and Toilet 280

Death Rituals 282

Mourning Customs 285

Chapter 13 Ideals and Realities of Islamic Community Life 289

The Closeness of the Community 289

The Mosque 290

The Marketplace 293

Public Behavior 294

Recreation 297

Official Islam 299

Popular Islam 301

The Veneration of Saints 301

Distinctive Shi'i Ritual Practices 307

Part 6 Islam in the Modern World 313

Chapter 14 Major Movements and Trends in Renewal and Reform 315

Three Phases of Islamic History 315

TheWahhabis 318

Other Reform Movements 321

Some Modernist Thinkers 324

Islam and Nationalism 330

Chapter 15 Three Forms of Islamic Revival: "Fundamentalism," Feminism, and Establishing the Umma in North America 341

Fundamentalism 342

Islam and the Status of Women 348

Islam and Muslims in North America 352

Chapter 16 Whither Islam and the Muslims? Progressive Muslims with a Vision of an "Islam without Borders" 365

Westoxication 366

Modernity and Westernization in the Post 9/11 World 367

Progressive Muslims 371

Progressive Assertiveness 373

An Iranian Shi'ite Muslim's Voice in Human Rights and Rational Discourse 374

Muslim Women Scholar-Activists 377

Conclusion 380

Suggestions for Further Reading 383

Glossary 402

Acknowledgments 410

Index 412