An Introduction to Islam

A revised and updated edition of Waines' wide-ranging account of the history and theology of Islam.

David Waines (Author)

9780521539067, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 6 November 2003

398 pages, 22 b/w illus. 1 map
22.6 x 15 x 2.5 cm, 0.64 kg

"Western businessmen would be advised that 'You can't afford to leave on your next trip to a Muslim country without placing this book on your list of essentials to take along.'" Middle East Library Association Notes

This wide-ranging account of the history and theology of one of the world's most dynamic religions tells the story of Islamic beliefs and practices as they developed from the earliest times down to the present day. For this revised and updated second edition, David Waines has added a long section tackling head-on the issues arising from Islam's place in the changing world order at the turn of the new millennium. The wars in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Israel, and the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, have raised global awareness of Islam at a superficial level - but little has been written which considers Islamic political and military extremism in relation to mainstream Muslim history and theology. Coming at the end of a book which has explored the ideas and traditions of Islam in depth, this new section offers thought-provoking reflections on the place of religion in the current conflicts.

Introduction
Part I. Foundations: 1. 'There is no god but Allah …'
2. Tradition in the making
Part II. Islamic Teaching and Practice: 3. Divine will and the law
4. Theology: faith, justice, and last things
5. The way of the Sufi
6. The way of the Imams
Part III. Islam in the Modern World: 7. The heartlands and beyond
8. Issues in contemporary Islam
Excursus on Islamic origins
Glossary
Notes
Further reading
Index.

Subject Areas: Islamic studies [JFSR2], Theology [HRLB], History of religion [HRAX], Asian history [HBJF]