Islam: history, religion, and politics

Description

Many Paths to One God: Establishing the Ideals -- The Quran -- The Quran and Other Scriptures -- Themes of the Quran -- The Exemplary Life of Muhammad, Prophet of Islam: -- The Sunna -- The Early Muslim Community and the Pillars of Islam -- The Successors ("Caliphs") -- Early Communal Disputes -- Conclusion -- The Pursuit of Knowledge in the Service of God and Humanity: The Golden Age -- Institutions -- Law -- Political Structure -- Cultural Achievements -- Spirituality and the Mystical Tradition: Sufism -- Conclusion -- Division and Reorganization -- The Crusades and Other Disasters -- The Decline of the Abbasids and Rise of the Ottomans -- Persia: The Safavid Empire -- India and the Rise of the Mughals -- Understanding Developments in Islamic History -- Conclusion -- Colonialism and Reform -- Colonialism -- The Outcome of World War I -- The Effects of Colonialism and Themes of Islamic Reform -- Modern Iterations of Islamic Reform and New Challenges -- Islamist Approaches to Reform -- Conclusion: Mainstream Islamists and Radicals -- Contemporary Islam: The Challenges of Democratization and Complications of Global Politics -- Turkey -- Iran -- Pakistan, Afghanistan, and al-Qaeda -- Indonesia -- Tunisia and the Arab Spring -- What about Terrorism? ISIS, Boko Haram, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Hezbollah -- Conclusion: Asking the Right Questions.;"Now available in a fully revised and updated third edition, Islam: History, Religion and Politics, provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to the core teachings, historical development, and contemporary public struggles of Islam. Featuring a new chapter on the Arab Spring, this edition also includes up-to-date analysis of the civil wars in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, and a detailed study of the rise of modern terrorist groups Boko Haram and ISIS. This illuminating introduction spans Islamic history from the life of Muhammad and the birth of Islamic ideals, through Islam's phenomenal geographical expansion and cultural development, to the creation of modern states and Islam's role in today's global society. Written by a leading scholar of Islamic studies, the third edition of this well-respected introduction will continue to be an essential tool for anyone interested in better understanding the evolution of this influential and politically-charged world religion"--