Muslim convert Christine Huda Dodge possesses a unique foot-in-each-world perspective on Islam. With her comprehension of Islam and her understanding of the kinds of questions and issues that perplex Westerners, she is the perfect guide to: The life of Muhammad the Prophet The QurÆan and the Sunnah The five pillars of practice Muslim daily life Women and Islam This guide is ideal for casual readers and students alike. Authoritative, accessible, detailed, and celebratory, it covers everything from basic beliefs and practices to the Islamic influences on Western civilization.
The concept of Jihad in Islam is misunderstood by a large number of people, who believe that the violent and oppressive actions of extremists as portrayed by some media is a representation of the teachings of Islam. In addition, numerous articles and books have been written in popular press that, through ignorance or prejudice, misconstrue verses of the Holy Quran and events from the life of the Holy Prophet(sa) of Islam to label such brutal actions, oppression and persecution as wholly Islamic. One such book came out in 2016 that presented the same age-old arguments against Islam and its concept of Jihad. This book Understanding Islam is a response to all such allegations against Jihad and presents the pristine beauty of Islam from the teachings of Holy Quran, the life of the Holy Prophet(sa) of Islam and the discourses of the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) of Qadian. It has been written jointly by members of the Review of Religions Research Canada, a group that inspires the youth towards studying the sciences of the Holy Quran.
Learn about the history and traditions of the Islamic faith in The Islam Book. Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Islam in this overview guide to the subject, brilliant for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Islam Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Islam, with: - Images of Islamic art, architecture, calligraphy, and historical artifacts - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts - A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout - Straightforward text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Islam Book is a comprehensive guide essential to understanding the world's fastest-growing religion - aimed at self-educators after a trustworthy account and religious studies students wanting to gain an overview. Here you'll find clear factual writing offering insight into terms like Sharia law, the Caliphate, and jihad; Sunni and Shia divisions; and Sufi poetry and music. Your Islam Questions, Simply Explained This essential guide to Islam covers every aspect of the Muslim faith and its history - from the life of the Prophet Muhammad and the teachings of the Koran to Islam in the 21st century. If you thought it was difficult to learn about one of the world's major religions, The Islam Book presents key information in an easy to follow layout. Find out about modern issues such as fundamentalism, the work of peaceful traditionalists, modernizers, and women's rights campaigners, as well as the central tenets of Islam, such as prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage. The Big Ideas Series With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Islam Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.
This book is designed to take people on the first steps in understanding Islam and the way that Muslims think and see the world. It grows out of extensive experience of teaching the course on which it is based.
A bold new conceptualization of Islam that reflects its contradictions and rich diversity What is Islam? How do we grasp a human and historical phenomenon characterized by such variety and contradiction? What is "Islamic" about Islamic philosophy or Islamic art? Should we speak of Islam or of islams? Should we distinguish the Islamic (the religious) from the Islamicate (the cultural)? Or should we abandon "Islamic" altogether as an analytical term? In What Is Islam?, Shahab Ahmed presents a bold new conceptualization of Islam that challenges dominant understandings grounded in the categories of "religion" and "culture" or those that privilege law and scripture. He argues that these modes of thinking obstruct us from understanding Islam, distorting it, diminishing it, and rendering it incoherent. What Is Islam? formulates a new conceptual language for analyzing Islam. It presents a new paradigm of how Muslims have historically understood divine revelation—one that enables us to understand how and why Muslims through history have embraced values such as exploration, ambiguity, aestheticization, polyvalence, and relativism, as well as practices such as figural art, music, and even wine drinking as Islamic. It also puts forward a new understanding of the historical constitution of Islamic law and its relationship to philosophical ethics and political theory. A book that is certain to provoke debate and significantly alter our understanding of Islam, What Is Islam? reveals how Muslims have historically conceived of and lived with Islam as norms and truths that are at once contradictory yet coherent.
In Understanding, Islam Dr. Dirks offers a timely and factually correct alternative to understanding Islam. It is written for the Western, and primarily Christian, reader. The primary focus of the Book is on what is termed Sunni Islam, i.e., the Islam practiced by approximately 85-90% of the self-professed Muslims in the world. The Book is unique in several respects. It treats Islam from its own point of view. It is written by a natural-born American for the Western reader, and thus may avoid some of the cultural overlay that accompanies some books on Islam written by other Muslim authors. The author is an American who has practiced Islam both while living in America and in the Middle East, thus offering a broader perspective than would have otherwise been possible. As a convert from Christianity to Islam, and as a former ordained minister within Christianity, the author does a very good job of expounding the commonalties and contrasts of Islam with Judaism and Christianity, while still avoiding the temptation to distort Islam by interpreting it from within a Judaeo-Christian perspective. The reader is introduced to Islam almost exclusively through the two primary sources of Islam, i.e., the Qur'an and the Sunnah, which are the only completely authoritative sources on Islam.
For years, international apologist Josh McDowell has been alert to the challenge of Islam—and how Muslims’ objections to Christianity can raise deep doubts in believers’ minds. His recent on-the-ground research with Muslims in the Middle East has crystallized into this practical resource focusing on Jesus and the gospel. Aided by Islam expert Jim Walker, McDowell lays out the evidence on the crucial issues: What kind of prophet was Jesus? Was he the Messiah? “Son of God”? “Son of Man”? What’s that about? How are God and Jesus related? Can they both be God? The gospel—how could God dishonor his Son by letting him die horribly? What good did his death do? Aren’t the Bible’s accounts of Jesus corrupt? With all this, as well as backgrounder appendixes on the basics, believers will have authoritative evidence from Scripture and history to intelligently deal with Muslims’ questions about and challenges to Christianity.
This book is a form of guidance for the Muslim youth of today, a guide for their everyday lives, as well as being a compilation of useful information related to the various forms of worship with informative explanations given in an understandable manner. It has been prepared with color illustrations about every stage of performing rituals of purification and daily prayers. Aiming to meet the practical needs of English-speaking readers for their daily worship, this guide is one that is essential for every young Muslim.
How to Understand Islam looks at Muslim religious experience as it rises out of practices required by the law or followed out of devotion. The book examines Muslim belief, religious observance, ethics, and mystical literature. It also outlines the history of Islam from its first appearance.
