Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization

The world's leading Islamicist offers a concise introduction to this rich and diverse tradition of 1.2 billion adherents.

In this informative and clear introduction to the world of Islam, Seyyed Hossein Nasr explores the following topics in depth:

•What Is Islam?

•The Doctrines and Beliefs of Islam

•Islamic Practices and Institutions

•The History of Islam

•Schools of Islamic Thought

•Islam in the Contemporary World

•Islam and Other Religions

•The Spiritual and Religious Significance of Islam

Publishers Weekly

Nasr, a professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University, is probably America's leading Islamicist, and he lives up to his reputation with this short yet comprehensive primer on Islam. Nasr presents the religion of more than a billion people today without prejudice or preference. In eight short chapters, he surveys all that can be described as "Islamic"-the theology, people, history, cultures and more. His descriptions of how Islam spread through black Africa and China are concise and clear. Although certain readers may prefer a book that speaks more directly to the concerns raised by the attacks of 9/11 or that addresses hot topics like the treatment of women under Islam, Nasr unapologetically lays out a classical and timeless text. He is at his most engaging when discussing Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, a topic that is usually underrepresented in similar books. Nasr also dives headfirst into Islam's more abstract and intellectual underpinnings, much to the satisfaction of the reader who seeks spiritual guidance in addition to education. "To understand Islam today," Nasr cautions, "it is first of all important to realize that the histories of different religions do not all follow the same trajectory." Readers who desire more than a simple current events profile, and who want to understand the core of the world's second-largest religion, will appreciate this introduction that manages to be sweeping in scope yet accessible in style. (Jan.) Forecast: The Islamic bookshelves are getting quite crowded these days, and America's rush to obtain a remedial education on Islam seems to have abated. That's a shame, because this book deserves a wider readership than it may get in today's glutted market. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the world's leading experts on Islamic thought and spirituality, is university professor of Islamic Studies at The George Washington University. The preeminent Sufi scholar in the United States, Nasr is the author of more than fifty other books, including The Heart of Islam and Islam. Born in Tehran, raised in the United States, and graduate of MIT and Harvard, Nasr is a well-known and highly respected intellectual figure in both the West and the Islamic world. He lives in Washington, D.C.