Islam: The Religion and the People

Front Cover
Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008 M08 19 - 256 pages

Praise for Bernard Lewis

"For newcomers to the subject[el]Bernard Lewis is the man."

TIME Magazine

“The doyen of Middle Eastern studies."

The New York Times

“No one writes about Muslim history with greater authority, or intelligence, or literary charm.”

British historian Hugh Trevor-Roper

“Bernard Lewis has no living rival in his field.”

Al Ahram, Cairo (the most influential Arab world newspaper)

"When it comes to Islamic studies, Bernard Lewis is the father of us all. With brilliance, integrity, and extraordinary mastery of languages and sources, he has led the way for[el]investigators seeking to understand the Muslim world."

National Review

"Bernard Lewis combines profound depth of scholarship with encyclopedic knowledge of the Middle East and, above all, readability."

Daily Telegraph (London)

"Lewis speaks with authority in prose marked by lucidity, elegance, wit and force."

Newsday (New York)

"Lewis' style is lucid, his approach, objective."

Philadelphia Inquirer

"Lewis writes with unsurpassed erudition and grace."

Washington Times

An objective, easy-to-read introduction to Islam by Bernard Lewis, one of the West’s leading experts on Islam

For many people, Islam remains a mystery. Here Bernard Lewis and Buntzie Ellis Churchill examine Islam: what its adherents believe and how their religion has shaped them, their rich and diverse cultures, and their politics over more than 14 centuries. Considered one of the West’s leading experts on Islam, Lewis, with Churchill, has written an illuminating introduction for those who want to understand the faith and the global challenges it confronts and presents. Whatever your political, personal, or religious views, this book will help you understand Islam’s reality.

Lewis and Churchill answer questions such as...

• How does Islam differ from Judaism and Christianity?

• What are the pillars of the Islamic faith?

• What does Islam really say about peace and jihad?

• How does the faith regard non-Muslims?

• What are the differences between Sunni and Shi’a?

• What does Islam teach about the position of women in society?

• What does Islam say about free enterprise and profit?

• What caused the rise of radical Islam?

• What are the problems facing Muslims in the U.S. and Europe and what are the challenges posed by those minorities?

 

Selected pages

Contents

1 The Faith and the Faithful
7
2 The Pillars of the Faith
13
3 Scripture Tradition and Law
25
4 The Mosque
39
5 Diversity and Tolerance
51
6 Sunni Shia and Others
61
7 Some History
71
8 Government and Opposition
81
11 Women in Islam
111
12 Dress
127
13 Language and Writing
137
14 War and Peace
145
15 Radical Islam
155
Conclusion
165
Some Practical Matters
169
Terms and Topics
179

9 The Wider World of Islam
91
10 Islam and the Economy
97
Index
225
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

19th century accepted According adopted advent of Islam Arabia Arabic script Arabic term Arabic word authority became belief Bernard Lewis caliphs Central Asia Chapter Christendom conquest course denote dervish dhimmi divine doctrine Egypt Europe European example faith Fatimid fatwa forbidden God’s Greek hadith headgear holy law ijtihad Imam important India infidel intentionally left blank Iran Iranian Iraq Islamic history Islamic Humor Islamic law Islamic world Isma‘ilis Jewish jihad jurists known Koran lands of Islam languages leaders literally major meaning Mecca Medina Middle East Middle Eastern modern mosque movements mufti Muhammad Muslim communities Muslim countries Muslim world Niqab Nizari non-Muslim North Africa notably Ottoman Empire Persian pilgrimage political practice prayer Prophet religion religious rule rulers Saudi sense Shari‘a Shi‘a slave social sometimes Sufi Sunni Syria tion tradition Turkey Turkish Turks unbelievers usage usually various Wahhabis West women worship

About the author (2008)

Bernard Lewis is Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Emeritus, at Princeton University. He is the author of the best-sellers What Went Wrong: Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response and The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror. He has performed the invaluable service of placing current events in the context of history. Lewis has advised policymakers in the U.S., UK, and the Middle East on the complex relationship between Islam and the West.

A number of his articles have been extraordinarily prescient. The Return of Islam was published 3 years before the Iranian revolution, and the award-winning The Roots of Muslim Rage anticipated 9/11 by a decade. His two dozen books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, including Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Indonesian.

His contribution to the understanding of history has been recognized by the 15 universities that have awarded him honorary doctorates.

Buntzie Ellis Churchill served for 23 years as President of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, hosting dozens of world leaders from Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher to Henry Kissinger and Colin Powell. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, she has served as a trustee of many non-profit organizations, including the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology and Drexel University. She has been awarded several honorary doctorates.

For a decade she hosted “WorldViews,” a daily radio show, interviewing experts on international issues

Bibliographic information

TitleIslam: The Religion and the People
AuthorsBernard Ellis Lewis, Buntzie Ellis Churchill
PublisherPearson Prentice Hall, 2008
ISBN0132716062, 9780132716062
Length256 pages
  
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