Islam

A Short History

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Middle East Religions, Islam, History, Middle East
Cover of the book Islam by Karen Armstrong, Random House Publishing Group
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Karen Armstrong ISBN: 9780307431318
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group Publication: December 18, 2007
Imprint: Modern Library Language: English
Author: Karen Armstrong
ISBN: 9780307431318
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication: December 18, 2007
Imprint: Modern Library
Language: English

No religion in the modern world is as feared and misunderstood as Islam. It haunts the popular Western imagination as an extreme faith that promotes authoritarian government, female oppression, civil war, and terrorism. Karen Armstrong's short history offers a vital corrective to this narrow view. The distillation of years of thinking and writing about Islam, it demonstrates that the world's fastest-growing faith is a much richer and more complex phenomenon than its modern fundamentalist strain might suggest.

Islam: A Short History begins with the flight of Muhammad and his family from Medina in the seventh century and the subsequent founding of the first mosques. It recounts the origins of the split between Shii and Sunni Muslims, and the emergence of Sufi mysticism; the spread of Islam throughout North Africa, the Levant, and Asia; the shattering effect on the Muslim world of the Crusades; the flowering of imperial Islam in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries into the world's greatest and most sophisticated power; and the origins and impact of revolutionary Islam. It concludes with an assessment of Islam today and its challenges.

With this brilliant book, Karen Armstrong issues a forceful challenge to those who hold the view that the West and Islam are civilizations set on a collision course. It is also a model of authority, elegance, and economy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

No religion in the modern world is as feared and misunderstood as Islam. It haunts the popular Western imagination as an extreme faith that promotes authoritarian government, female oppression, civil war, and terrorism. Karen Armstrong's short history offers a vital corrective to this narrow view. The distillation of years of thinking and writing about Islam, it demonstrates that the world's fastest-growing faith is a much richer and more complex phenomenon than its modern fundamentalist strain might suggest.

Islam: A Short History begins with the flight of Muhammad and his family from Medina in the seventh century and the subsequent founding of the first mosques. It recounts the origins of the split between Shii and Sunni Muslims, and the emergence of Sufi mysticism; the spread of Islam throughout North Africa, the Levant, and Asia; the shattering effect on the Muslim world of the Crusades; the flowering of imperial Islam in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries into the world's greatest and most sophisticated power; and the origins and impact of revolutionary Islam. It concludes with an assessment of Islam today and its challenges.

With this brilliant book, Karen Armstrong issues a forceful challenge to those who hold the view that the West and Islam are civilizations set on a collision course. It is also a model of authority, elegance, and economy.

More books from Random House Publishing Group

Cover of the book Cheap Diamonds by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book Bearers of the Black Staff by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book Yom Kippur Murder by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book Shotgun Sorceress by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book Femmes Fatal by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book The Games That Changed the Game by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book What's Become of Her by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book The Grand Design by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book Madison and Jefferson by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book Mr. and Mr. Smith by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book Candy by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book Death Valley by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book Romeo and Juliet by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book Behind the Palace Doors by Karen Armstrong
Cover of the book The Tin Man by Karen Armstrong
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy