
Jihad
The Origin of Holy War in Islam
Reuven Firestone(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 18. April 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-0-19-515494-8 (ISBN)
Description
While there exists no evidence to date that the indigenous inhabitants of Arabia knew of holy war prior to Islam, holy war ideas and behaviors appear already among Muslims during the first generation. This book focuses on why and how such a seemingly radical development took place. Basing his hypothesis on evidence from the Qur'an and early Islamic literary sources, Firestone locates the origin of Islamic holy war and traces its evolution as a response to the changes affecting the new community of Muslims in its transition from ancient Arabian culture to the religious civilization of Islam.
Reviews / Votes
This study casts new light on the difficulties experienced by the new Muslims as they adjusted from revered customs to a divinely directed new allegiance. It will add to our understanding of the first decades of Islam and further explain why success grew out of apparent failure. Not least is shows the human realities that lie beneath the surface of the historical sources and how the demands of religious conviction could overcome even the most deep-rooted conservatism. * David Thomas, Reviews in Religion and Theology *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
346 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-515494-8 (9780195154948)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
About the Author
Reuven Firestone is Professor of Judaism and Islam and Director of the Graduate School of Judaic Studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
Reuven Firestone is Professor of Judaism and Islam and Director of the Graduate School of Judaic Studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
Author
Professor of Medieval Judaism and Islam; Director of the Graduate School of Judaic StudiesProfessor of Medieval Judaism and Islam; Director of the Graduate School of Judaic Studies, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles

