Hooray! You have added the first book to your bookshelf. Check it out now!
[−]
  • Search Digit-count Valid ISBN Invalid ISBN Valid Barcode Invalid Barcode
Blog this item

No god but God

The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

By Reza Aslan

(5)

| Paperback | 9780812971897

Like No god but God?
Join aNobii to see if your friends read it, and discover similar books!

Sign up for free

Book Description

Though it is the fastest growing religion in the world, Islam remains shrouded by ignorance and fear. What is the essence of this ancient faith? Is it a religion of peace or war? How does Allah differ from the God of Jews and Christians? Can an Islamic state be founded on democratic values such as pContinue

Though it is the fastest growing religion in the world, Islam remains shrouded by ignorance and fear. What is the essence of this ancient faith? Is it a religion of peace or war? How does Allah differ from the God of Jews and Christians? Can an Islamic state be founded on democratic values such as pluralism and human rights? A writer and scholar of comparative religions, Reza Aslan has earned international acclaim for the passion and clarity he has brought to these questions. In No god but God, challenging the “clash of civilizations” mentality that has distorted our view of Islam, Aslan explains this critical faith in all its complexity, beauty, and compassion.

Contrary to popular perception in the West, Islam is a religion firmly rooted in the prophetic traditions of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Aslan begins with a vivid account of the social and religious milieu in which the Prophet Muhammad lilved. The revelations that Muhammad received in Mecca and Medina, which were recorded in the Quran, became the foundation for a radically more egalitarian community, the likes of which had never been seen before.

Soon after his death, the Prophet’s successors set about the overwhelming task of defining and interpreting Muhammad’s message for future generations. Their efforts led to the development of a comprehensive code of conduct that was expected to regulate every aspect of the believer’s life. But this attempt only widened the chasm between orthodox Islam and its two major sects, Shiism and Sufism, both of which Aslan discusses in rich detail.

Finally, No god but God examines how, in the shadow of European colonialism, Muslims developed conflicting strategies to reconcile traditional Islamic values with the social and political realities of the modern world. With the emergence of the Islamic state in the twentieth century, this contest over the future of Islam has become a passionate, sometimes violent battle between those who seek to enforce a rigid and archaic legal code and those who struggle to harmonize the teachings of the Prophet with contemporary ideals of democracy and human rights. According to Reza Aslan, we are now living in the era of “the Islamic Reformation.” No god but God is a persuasive and elegantly written account of the roots of this reformation and the future of Islamic faith.


From the Hardcover edition.

Critics

  • Waiting for an Islamic Enlightenment

    No God But God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan 288pp, Heinemann, £17.99 Reza Aslan is an Iranian-American writer, a Shia by persuasion, and informs us in the prologue to his book that he will be denounced as an apostate by s ... (read full critics)

    guardian.co.uk published on Sat, 25 Sep 2010

  • No god but God

    Most people in the West took little interest in Islam until 9/11 and the subsequent spate of terrorist attacks. This, arguably, might be part of the problem. REZA ASLAN's NO GOD BUT GOD is a good place to start addressing this lack of understanding. ... (read full critics)

    asianreviewofbooks published on Thu, 2 Sep 2010

1 Review

Login or Sign Up to write a review

  • A history of Islam. I read 75% and its now under my bed. Here's a good bit from it: "[A.D. 624 was] an era in which religion and the state were one unified entity. With the exception of a few remarkable men and women, no Jew, Christian, Zoroastrian, or Muslim of this time would have considered his o ... (continue)

    A history of Islam. I read 75% and its now under my bed. Here's a good bit from it: "[A.D. 624 was] an era in which religion and the state were one unified entity. With the exception of a few remarkable men and women, no Jew, Christian, Zoroastrian, or Muslim of this time would have considered his or her religion to be rooted in the personal confessional experiences of individuals. Quite the contrary. Your religion was your ethnicity, your culture, and your social identity; it defined your politics, your economics, and your ethics. More than anything else, your religion was your citizenship."

    Is this helpful?

    Leebeck said on Feb 29, 2008 | Add your feedback

Book Details

  • Rating:
    (5)
    • 5 stars
    • 4 stars
    • 3 stars
    • 2 stars
    • 1 star
  • English Books
  • Paperback 336 Pages
  • ISBN-10: 0812971892
  • ISBN-13: 9780812971897
  • Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
  • Pub date: Jan 10, 2006
  • Also available as: Hardcover, Others and eBook
Improve data of this book

Prices Change currency & sellers

ISBN Edition List Sale Seller
9780812971897 Paperback $16.00 $11.52 bn.com
$16.00 $8.99 The Book Depository
Other editions →
Added to Shelf Added to Wish List

Inline Translation Mode

Left click to navigate, right click to translate.

inline translation guide

or close

Inline translation is not ready for this page yet.

Inline translation mode.

Share this page with your friends.

The viewport has not loaded.