Authors: Malcolm Clark
ISBN-13: 9780764555039, ISBN-10: 0764555030
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
Date Published: April 2003
Edition: (Non-applicable)
Professor Malcolm Clark taught in the Department of Religion at Butler University for 30 years.
Many non-Muslims have no idea that Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews, and that Islam preaches compassion, charity, humility, and the brotherhood of man. And the similarities don’t end there. According to Islamic teaching, Muhammad founded Islam in 610 CE after the angel Gabriel appeared to him at Mecca and told him that God had entered him among the ranks of such great biblical prophets as Abraham, Moses, and Christ.
Whether you live or work alongside Muslims and want to relate to them better, or you simply want to gain a better understanding of the world’s second largest religion, Islam For Dummies can help you make sense of this religion and its appeal. From the Qur’an to Ramadan, this friendly guide introduces you to the origins, practices and beliefs of Islam, including:
Professor Malcolm Clark explores the roots of Islam, how it has developed over the centuries, and it’s long and complex relationship with Christianity. He helps puts Islam in perspective as a major cultural and geopolitical force. And he provided helpful insights into, among other things:
In these troubled times, it is important that we try to understand the belief systems of others, for through understanding comes peace. Islam For Dummies helps you build bridges of understanding between you and your neighbors in the global village.
Introduction | 1 | |
About This Book | 1 | |
Conventions Used in This Book | 1 | |
Foolish Assumptions | 3 | |
How This Book is Organized | 4 | |
Icons Used in This Book | 6 | |
Where to Go From Here | 6 | |
Part I | Understanding the Basics | 7 |
Chapter 1 | Approaching Islam | 9 |
Getting an Overview of Islamic Origins | 9 | |
Summarizing Islamic Beliefs | 10 | |
Dividing into Branches | 11 | |
Counting the Numbers | 11 | |
Locating Islam on the World Map | 12 | |
Chapter 2 | Tracing the Path of Islamic History | 15 |
The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs | 17 | |
The Golden Age | 24 | |
Bridging the Gap | 28 | |
Three Great Later Empires | 30 | |
Chapter 3 | Submitting to God | 37 |
Affirming the Unity of God: Tawhid | 38 | |
Clarifying the Terminology: Allah Equals God | 40 | |
Testifying to God's Supremacy | 41 | |
Defining the Attributes of God | 42 | |
Loving and Knowing God | 43 | |
Invoking the 99 Names of God | 44 | |
Chapter 4 | What Muslims Believe | 47 |
Stating the Five Essential Beliefs of Islam | 47 | |
Explaining the Faith to Non-Muslims | 55 | |
Expounding the Faith: Dealing with Difficult Faith Issues | 56 | |
Naming some theological issues | 58 | |
Rejecting Formal Creeds | 60 | |
Chapter 5 | Standing Before God: Heaven and Hell | 63 |
Understanding Other Beings beyond God and Humans | 64 | |
Going to Heaven or Hell: From Life to Death to Resurrection | 68 | |
Envisioning Heaven and Hell | 72 | |
Part II | Muhammad: The Man, the Book, and Rules of Law | 77 |
Chapter 6 | The Prophet: Muhammad | 79 |
Setting the Stage: Arabia before Muhammad | 80 | |
Telling the Story of Muhammad | 83 | |
Thinking about Muhammad Theologically | 91 | |
Relating Personally to Muhammad | 95 | |
Searching for the Historical Muhammad | 97 | |
Chapter 7 | The Book: The Qur'an | 99 |
Introducing the Qur'an | 100 | |
Hearing the Qur'an | 101 | |
Treating the Qur'an with Respect | 103 | |
Gathering and Organizing the Qur'an | 104 | |
The Style of the Qur'an | 108 | |
Interpreting the Qur'an | 112 | |
Using the Qur'an in Daily Life | 114 | |
Opening the Qur'an: The Fatiha | 116 | |
Chapter 8 | Islamic Tradition and Law | 119 |
Imitating Muhammad | 120 | |
Understanding God's Law | 124 | |
Part III | Becoming Familiar with Muslim Daily Life | 135 |
Chapter 9 | The Five Pillars of Worship: Foundations of Islam | 137 |
Purification: Getting Ready for Worship | 138 | |
The Shahada (First Pillar): Testifying | 139 | |
Salat (Second Pillar): Praying | 141 | |
Zakat (Third Pillar): Helping the Needy | 150 | |
Saum (Fourth Pillar): Reflecting and Fasting | 151 | |
Hajj (Fifth Pillar): Making the Pilgrimage to Mecca | 154 | |
Chapter 10 | Observing Other Religious Rituals and Customs | 161 |
Rituals Linked to the Yearly Calendar | 162 | |
Marking Life's Transitions | 168 | |
Observing Everyday Customs | 176 | |
Looking at Women's Rituals | 180 | |
Chapter 11 | Muslim Ethics: Living the Good Life | 181 |
Reviewing the Starting Points for Islamic Ethics | 182 | |
Applying Ethics to Practical Issues | 186 | |
Understanding Sexual Ethics | 186 | |
Outlining Ethics Regarding Marriage and Family | 189 | |
Part IV | Recognizing That All Muslims Aren't the Same | 197 |
Chapter 12 | Shi'ites | 199 |
Locating and Counting Shi'ite Muslims | 200 | |
Keeping the Faith in the Family | 200 | |
Reviewing Two Foundational Events of Shi'ism | 203 | |
Following the Line of the 12 Imams | 205 | |
Worshipping in Twelver Shi'ite Fashion | 208 | |
Thinking like Shi'ites | 210 | |
Interacting: Shi'ites, Sufis, and Sunnis | 213 | |
Chapter 13 | Sufis | 215 |
Searching for God | 216 | |
Believing in the Sufi Manner | 218 | |
Making a Contribution: Outstanding Individual Sufis | 219 | |
Organizing the Sufi Community | 223 | |
Acting in the Sufi Manner | 224 | |
Putting Faith into Verse: Sufi Literature | 227 | |
Establishing the Sufi Brotherhoods | 228 | |
Rejecting Sufism | 230 | |
Chapter 14 | Exploring Lesser-Known Sects Linked to Islam | 231 |
'Ibadis (the early Kharijites) | 232 | |
Zaydis (or Fiver Shi'ites) | 233 | |
Isma'ili (or Sevener Shi'ite) Groups | 233 | |
On the Fringes of Islam and Beyond | 236 | |
Chapter 15 | Islam in America | 243 |
Getting an Overview | 243 | |
Organizing the Muslim Community | 245 | |
Reestablishing a Black Muslim Community | 248 | |
Shi'ites in America | 253 | |
Sufis in America | 253 | |
Facing the Future as Muslim Americans | 254 | |
Part V | Considering Islam's Concept of Abrahamic Religions | 257 |
Chapter 16 | Seeking Common Roots: Abrahamic Religion and Beyond | 259 |
Belonging to the Same Family | 259 | |
Reading the Bible in the Qur'an | 262 | |
Muslims Facing Other Religions | 268 | |
Moving Toward Religious Dialogue | 270 | |
Chapter 17 | Seeking Common Ground | 273 |
Ascertaining Muslims' Concerns | 273 | |
Hearing American Concerns Regarding Muslims | 278 | |
Facing the Major Issues | 279 | |
Knowing What's Needed from the Muslim Side | 283 | |
Knowing What's Needed from the Western Side | 283 | |
Chapter 18 | Meeting the Challenge of Modernity | 285 |
Considering Islamic Democracy | 285 | |
Reclaiming Identity as an Islamic State | 286 | |
Forming a Shi'ite Islamic Republic | 289 | |
Reviewing the Globalization of Islamic Radicalism: bin Laden and Afghanistan | 292 | |
Part VI | The Part of Tens | 295 |
Chapter 19 | Ten Muslim Contributions to World Civilization | 297 |
Transmission of Greek Writings | 297 | |
Algebra and Mathematics | 298 | |
Arabic Numbers | 298 | |
Astronomy | 299 | |
Engineering and Technology | 300 | |
Medicine | 300 | |
Pharmacology | 301 | |
Physics, Specifically Optics | 301 | |
Architecture | 302 | |
Chapter 20 | Ten Noteworthy Muslims, Past and Present | 305 |
Taking a Long Trip: Ibn Battuta | 305 | |
Gathering it All Together: al-Tabari | 306 | |
Wielding the Sword of Saladin | 307 | |
Glorifying the King: Akbar | 308 | |
Thinking Deep Thoughts: Ibn Rushd | 309 | |
Creating the First Philosophy of History: Ibn Khaldun | 310 | |
Becoming a Hero of the Revolution: Ali Shariati | 310 | |
Building Great Mosques: Sinan | 311 | |
Winning the Nobel Prize: Naguib Mahfouz | 312 | |
Listening to Umm Kulthum | 313 | |
Chapter 21 | Ten Islamic Regions in the News Today | 315 |
Africa | 315 | |
South Asia | 317 | |
Southeast Asia and the Pacific | 319 | |
The Baltic States | 321 | |
Iraq | 322 | |
Lebanon | 323 | |
Palestine and Israel | 324 | |
The Former Soviet Union | 325 | |
Syria | 326 | |
Turkey | 326 | |
Part VII | Appendixes | 329 |
Appendix A | Counting the Years: The Muslim Calendar | 331 |
Appendix B | Glossary | 335 |
Appendix C | Resources: Digging Deeper | 343 |
Academic Resources | 343 | |
The Qur'an | 344 | |
Video Resources | 345 | |
Computer Software | 345 | |
Islam on the Web | 346 | |
And Finally ... | 347 | |
Index | 349 |