The Handy Islam Answer Book

John Renard

Description

A western Islamic scholar demystifies and explains one of the world’s great religious traditions!

In an age of continued Middle East volatility, religious extremists, and terrorist threats, the mere mention of Islam and Muslims too often provokes misunderstanding and even rancor. Often overlooked are the important links between the Qur'an and the Bible. Also ignored are the significant historical overlap between Islamic interpretation of history with those of Christianity and Judaism. Islam is too often confusing and even opaque to those unfamiliar with it.

Truly a must-have reference for our changing and trying times, The Handy Islam Answer Book, is clearly and eloquently written by John Renard, Ph.D., a scholar of Islam with more than 40 years of research and teaching experience. This user-friendly guide answers nearly 800 questions and offers fun facts that cover Islamic history, religious practices, and Muslim cultural perspectives, including …

When did Islam begin?

Why is Mecca a holy city for Muslims?

Do Muslims worship Muhammad?

What was the fate of Medieval Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land?

What do Muslims mean by the term "Allah"?

What does the crescent moon and star symbol mean to Muslims?

What is the Muslim “call to prayer”? Is it similar to “church bells”?

Do Muslims believe that God “tests” people?

Does Muhammad play a role in Islamic spirituality in a manner similar to Jesus’ role in Christianity?

Is jihad a legal concept for Muslims?

Is it true that Muhammad both preached and engaged in military campaigns?

Do Muslims, Christians, and Jews worship the “same God”?

Why do Jews, Christians, and Muslims all claim parts of Israel/Palestine as “Holy Land”?

Why do some people, such as the Taliban, not want girls to get an education?

Does Islam require wearing face veils?

Is there any similarity between Muslim and Christian art?

Muslims are diverse, and they have a vast spectrum of views about Islam, and The Handy Islam Answer Book is a resource for reliable information about Islam and Muslims. This helpful books also provides a historic timeline, a glossary of commonly used terms, a genealogy from Adam to Muhammad and beyond, a calendar of major observances, an extensive index, and a bibliography help further exploration of one of the world’s great religions.

Sujets

• Islam
• History
• General
• Religion
• Theology
• General officer
• Questions and answers
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 19 janvier 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578595440
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

About the Author

Photo by Michael Harter.
John Renard received his doctorate in Islamic Studies from Harvard University s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations in 1978. Since then he has been teaching courses in Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism, religion and the arts, and comparative theology at the Department of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University. Earlier publications include All the King s Falcons: Rumi on Prophets and Revelation (SUNY, 1994); Seven Doors to Islam and Windows on the House of Islam (California, 1996, 1998); and Islam and the Heroic Image: Themes in Literature and the Visual Arts (Mercer, 1999), as well as volumes on Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism for Paulist Press s 101 Questions series. His most recent books are Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood (California, 2008), Tales of God s Friends: Islamic Hagiography in Translation (California, 2009), Islam and Christianity: Theological Themes in Comparative Perspective (California, 2011), Fighting Words: Religion, Violence, and the Interpretation of Sacred Texts (California, 2012), and Islamic Theological Themes: A Primary Source Reader (California, 2014).
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Contents
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
P HOTO C REDITS
I NTRODUCTION
AN OVERVIEW OF ISLAM
Origins and Early Expansion
Historical Context
Prophet and Early Community
Foundations of the Faith
Islam in the Century after Muhammad
ISLAM S GROWTH INTO A GLOBAL COMMUNITY
The Arabicate Sphere
The Persianate Sphere
The Turkic Sphere
The Sub-Saharan African Sphere
The Malay (or Southeast Asian) Sphere
Islam and Europe
The Broader Islamic Religious Landscape
Intersection of Theology and Politics: A Major Historical Example
POLITICS AND CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL AFFAIRS
Muslim Populations Today
Radical Political Activist and Religiously Idealist Factions
Islam and Violence
Islam and the Message of Peace
Religion and Politics
Concerns of Twenty-first Century Muslims
Islam and Conflict in the Middle East
The Perceived Conflict between Islam and the West
Islam in the United States
SACRED SOURCES AND THEIR INTERPRETATION
Quran: General Considerations and Background
Major Themes in the Quran
Interpreting the Sacred Scripture
Hadith: Traditions of and about Muhammad
Quran and Hadith in Islamic Life and Spirituality
ESSENTIAL BELIEFS
Unity and Diversity in a Global Community of Faith
Creed and Islamic Tradition
God, Revelation, and Prophets
Islamic Eschatological Themes
Spiritual Powers and Wonders
Fundamentals of Faith and Action
SYMBOLS, RITUALS, AND REGULAR OBSERVANCES
Signs and Symbols
Ordinary Ritual Practices
Sacred Time
Sacred Space
Seasonal, Functional, and Commemorative Observances
Rites of Passage
THEMES IN ISLAMIC SPIRITUALITY
Spirituality and Theological Anthropology
Spiritual Values and Everyday Life Experience
Spiritual Models and Exemplars
Prayer and Mysticism
Forgiveness, Hope, Community, and Service
AUTHORITY, LAW, AND ETHICS
Authority Roles and Structures of Leadership
Methods and Procedures in Sacred Law (Sharia)
Fundamental Ethical Principles
Biomedical and Reproductive Ethics and Legal Issues
Family Law and Ethical Issues
Human Rights and Social Justice
Law, Ethics, Violence, and Warfare
ISLAM AND OTHER FAITHS
Similarities among Faiths
Overlapping Claims to Sacred Real Estate
Inter-religious Encounters
Historical Muslim Attitudes toward Christians and Vice Versa
Moving Forward to Mutual Understanding
CULTURE AND RELIGION
Inculturation and Islamization
Gender, Family, Ethnicity
Christian-Muslim Cultural Conflict in History and Literature
Cultural Differences and Contemporary Muslim-Christian Misunderstanding
KNOWLEDGE, SCHOLARSHIP, AND THE ISLAMIC HUMANITIES
Learning and the Islamic Sense of History
Islam and Philosophy
Islam and Theology
Traditionalism, Reformers, Liberation Theology
Islamic Humanities and Inter-cultural Connections
Mystical Theology and Inter-religious Connections
AESTHETICS, LITERATURE, THE VISUAL AND SPATIAL ARTS
Aesthetics, Faith, and Creativity
Varieties of Islamic Literature: Prose
Varieties of Islamic Literature: Poetry
The Smaller Visual Arts
Islamic Religious Architecture

A PPENDIX A: M AJOR M USLIM D YNASTIES
A PPENDIX B: M AJOR C ULTURAL C ENTERS
A PPENDIX C: M AJOR S CHOOLS OF R ELIGIOUS L AW
A PPENDIX D: T EN C OMMANDMENTS AND I SLAMIC P ARALLELS
A PPENDIX E: M AJOR S UFI O RDERS
A PPENDIX F: R ELIGIOUS T EXTS ON V IOLENCE Q UIZ
F URTHER R EADING
G LOSSARY
T IMELINE
I NDEX
Acknowledgments
I owe special thanks to Jacob Van Sickle of Saint Louis University for invaluable editorial assistance in the completion of this book, and to Mary Ganser of Saint Louis University for editorial assistance in final proofreading. To David Oughton, I am grateful for generous permission to use several of his photographs, as so acknowledged in the captions. My thanks also to Roger J necke, publisher of VIP, for inviting me to do this book, and to Kevin Hile for his superb editorial management of the project. Thanks, also, to indexer Shoshana Hurwitz, Visible Ink Press proofers Larry Baker and Aarti Stephens, typesetter Marco Di Vita, and page and cover designer Mary Claire Krzewinski.
Portions of this work were previously published in 101 Questions and Answers on Islam by John Renard, published by Paulist Press, Mahwah, New Jersey. Copyright 1998 by John Renard. Used with permission of Paulist Press, Inc. ( www.paulistpress.com ).
Portions of this work were previously published in In the Footsteps of Muhammad: Understanding the Islamic Experience by John Renard, published by Paulist Press, Mahwah New Jersey. Copyright 1992 by John Renard. Used with permission of Paulist Press, Inc. ( www.paulistpress.com ).
Photo Credits
AryanSogd: p. 341 .
Bal ami: p. 26 .
Atilim Gunes Baydin: p. 47 .
James Dale: p. 24 .
David Edwards: p. 197 .
Ed Ford: p. 103 .
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom: p. 254 .
James Gordon from Los Angeles, California, USA: p. 283 .
Milpitas Graham: p. 83 .
Kevin Hile: pp. 245 , 302 .
Tony Hisgett: p. 91 .
Gunawan Kartapranata: p. 129 .
John N. D. Kelly: p. 36 .
Khalid78: p. 242 .
Firdaus Latif: p. 55 .
Munsha at al Akhdar lil Alwan: p. 41 .
Nmkuttiady: p. 273 .
David Oughton: pp. 97 , 229 .
Pew Research Center: p. 68 .
Toni Castillo Quero: p. 57 .
John Renard: p. 363 .
Sandstein: p. 49 .
Seeroos123BigBoy: p. 228 .
Selbymay: 94 .
David Shankbone from USA: p. 332 .
Andrew Shiva: 290 .
Shutterstock: pp. 2 , 4 , 6 , 13 , 16 , 20 , 22 , 43 , 63 , 69 , 71 , 73 , 75 , 76 , 89 , 93 , 95 , 99 , 102 , 109 , 112 , 113 , 116 , 127 , 137 , 148 , 149 , 153 , 155 , 157 , 160 , 164 , 167 , 168 , 172 , 173 , 176 , 177 , 179 , 182 , 183 , 186 , 190 , 198 , 202 , 203 , 205 , 208 , 214 , 216 , 225 , 226 , 233 , 235 , 237 , 258 , 260 , 262 , 264 , 280 , 287 , 288 , 292 , 294 , 299 , 304 , 3