Religion Studies: Islam: Understanding Islam

Essentials of the Islamic Faith is a selection from some of the speeches M. Fethullah Glen has given to large audiences over a life-time of dedicated service. In these speeches, he explains the principal elements of Islamic belief - belief in the existence and Unity of God; in Resurrection and the Day of Judgment; in Divine Scriptures and other familiar themes of Islamic discourse. What is special and unique about the presentation of them in this book is that the author is constantly aware of the encroachment (and the seductive appeal) of cultural attitudes which are hostile not to Islam only but to any religious and contemplative way of life.

This concise revisionist account of the historical evolution of Islamic society goes beyond the caliph and the capital. The author abandons the historian's habit of viewing Islamic history from the centre, that is, focusing on the rise and fall of imperial dynasties. Instead, he derives a more accurate understanding of how and why Islam became - and continues to be - so rooted in the social structure of the vast majority of people who lived far from the political centre and did not see the caliphate as essential in their lives.

This book leads he reader into Islam by walking him or her through a mosque. It is a somewhat meandering tour, based on the principle that the immediate object or concept calls for attention and explication. Beginning with the minaret, and ending with the minbar (pulpit), it uses the structures of a mosque to wander through the rich and fascinating images, symbols and values of Islam. It begins with the tangible and quickly moves to the intangible and abstract, and back again. Social significance is not far behind an exploration of how Muslims use and grapple with the challenges of their faith and tradition. Each of the key structures of the mosque is used to explore other, seemingly unrelated, aspects of Islam. Thus, for examples, the minaret calls attention to the significance of height in Islamic architecture, but also to the presence of Islam among other religious traditions, the issue of music in Muslim society and the place of modern technology in Islamic rituals. The author has avoided the tendency to oversimplify the complex questions concerning religion in the modern world. Thus, in almost every case, the book explores and informs, but also grapples with the familiar and commonplace. This introduction is not simply an introductory gloss on Islam but, hopefully, a challenging encounter.

The Gulf War, the World Trade Center bombing, conflicts in Afghanistan, Algeria, and Bosnia--these crises have dominated the headlines and global politics. Yet few of us know anything about Islam, a religion with one billion followers worldwide. Now John L. Esposito offers a timely new editionof Islam: The Straight Path, his widely acclaimed guide to Islamic history, faith, culture, and politics.Esposito provides a succinct, up-to-date survey of the Islamic experience, an introduction to the faith, belief, and practice of Islam from its origins to the present. He traces the emergence of this dynamic faith and its impact on world history and he discusses the formation of Islamic beliefand practice in such areas as law, theology, philosophy, and mysticism. Equally important, Esposito provides much needed information on contemporary Islam. This third edition has been updated throughout and is enhanced by new material that more accurately reflects the true diversity of Muslimcultures. In particular, Esposito broadens the study of Islam beyond the Middle East with a new study of Pakistan as well as a new section on the Muslim presence in the US and the impact of such figures as Malcolm X, Warith uddin Muhammad, and Louis Farrakhan. In the final chapter, Espositodiscusses modern Muslim thinking on religious pluralism, democracy, and human rights.With years of teaching and travel in the Islamic world, Esposito offers an informed portrait of Muslim faith and thought. Lucidly written and expansive in scope, this new edition of a volume highly respected in the Islamic world provides keen insights into the world's second largestreligion.

Sinceits founding by Jacques Waardenburg in 1971, Religion and Reason has been a leading forum for contributions on theories, theoretical issues and agendas related to the phenomenon and the study of religion. Topics include (among others) category formation, comparison, ethnophilosophy, hermeneutics, methodology, myth, phenomenology, philosophy of science, scientific atheism, structuralism, and theories of religion. From time to time the series publishes volumes that map the state of the art and the history of the discipline.

For over four centuries the principal source of Christian European knowledge of Islam stemmed from a project sponsored by Peter the Venerable, ninth abbot of Cluny, in 1142. This consisted of Latin translations of five Arabic works, including the first translation of the Koran in a western language. Known as the Toledan Collection, it was eventually printed in 1543 with an introduction by Martin Luther. The abbot also completed a handbook of Islam beliefs and a major analytical and polemical work, Liber contra sectam Saracenorum; annotated editions of these texts are included in this book. Originally published in 1964. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

An introduction to the religious practices, celebrations, festivals, observances, beliefs, folklore, customs, and calendar system of the world's muslim communities, including an overview of islamic history and geography.