
Islam For Dummies
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Many non-Muslims have no idea that Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews, and that Islam preaches compassion, charity, humility, and the brotherhood of man. And the similarities don't end there. According to Islamic teaching, Muhammad founded Islam in 610 CE after the angel Gabriel appeared to him at Mecca and told him that God had entered him among the ranks of such great biblical prophets as Abraham, Moses, and Christ.
Whether you live or work alongside Muslims and want to relate to them better, or you simply want to gain a better understanding of the world's second largest religion, Islam For Dummies can help you make sense of this religion and its appeal, including:
* Muhammad, the man and the legend
* The Five Pillars of Wisdom
* The Five Essentials beliefs of Islam
* The different branches of Islam and Islamic sects
* The Qur'an and Islamic law
* Islam throughout history and its impact around the world
Professor Malcolm Clark explores the roots of Islam, how it has developed over the centuries, and it's long and complex relationship with Christianity. He helps puts Islam in perspective as a major cultural and geopolitical force. And he provided helpful insights into, among other things:
* Muhammad, the Qur'an and the ethical teachings of Islam
* Muslim worship, customs, and rituals surrounding birth, marriage, and death
* Shi'ites, Sunnis, Sufis, Druze, and other important Muslim groups
* Islam in relation to Judaism and Christianity
In these troubled times, it is important that we try to understand the belief systems of others, for through understanding comes peace. Islam For Dummies helps you build bridges of understanding between you and your neighbors in the global village.
P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, you're probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Islam For Dummies (9780764555039). The book you see here shouldn't be considered a new or updated product. But if you're in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. We're always writing about new topics! .
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Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- About This Book
- Conventions Used in This Book
- Foolish Assumptions
- How This Book is Organized
- Part 1: Understanding the Basics
- Part 2: Muhammad: The Man, the Book, and Rules of Law
- Part 3: Becoming Familiar with Muslim Daily Life
- Part 4: Recognizing That All Muslims Aren't the Same
- Part 5: Considering Islam's Concept of Abrahamic Religions
- Part 6: The Part of Tens
- Part 7: Appendixes
- Icons Used in This Book
- Where to Go From Here
- Part 1 Understanding the Basics
- Chapter 1 Approaching Islam
- Getting an Overview of Islamic Origins
- Summarizing Islamic Beliefs
- Dividing into Branches
- Counting the Numbers
- Locating Islam on the World Map
- Chapter 2 Tracing the Path of Islamic History
- The Four Rightly Guided Caliphs
- Choosing a successor: Abu Bakr (632-634)
- Expanding out of Arabia: `Umar (634-644)
- Gathering the Qur'an: `Uthman (644-656)
- Rebelling against `Ali (656-661)
- Expanding the state
- The Golden Age
- Umayyad rule (661-750)
- Abbasid rule (750-1258)
- Bridging the Gap
- Three Great Later Empires
- Ottoman Empire: The Turks
- Safavid Empire: The Iranians
- Mughal Empire: Islam in South Asia
- Chapter 3 Submitting to God
- Affirming the Unity of God: Tawhid
- Clarifying the Terminology: Allah Equals God
- Testifying to God's Supremacy
- Defining the Attributes of God
- Loving and Knowing God
- Invoking the 99 Names of God
- Dividing the names into categories
- Remembering the names
- Chapter 4 What Muslims Believe
- Stating the Five Essential Beliefs of Islam
- Believing in God
- Believing in God's angels
- Believing in God's books and in God's messengers
- Believing in the last day and the resurrection from the tomb
- Explaining the Faith to Non-Muslims
- Expounding the Faith: Dealing with Difficult Faith Issues
- Naming some theological issues
- Defining a true Muslim
- Relating faith to works
- Degrees of faith
- Anthropomorphizing God
- Created or eternal Qur'an
- Knowing what is good and evil
- Rejecting Formal Creeds
- Chapter 5 Standing Before God: Heaven and Hell
- Understanding Other Beings beyond God and Humans
- Gabriel and the other angels
- Aladdin's lamp and the jinn
- The Devil made me do it
- Going to Heaven or Hell: From Life to Death to Resurrection
- Dying and the grave
- The resurrection and the final judgment
- Facing the unresolved issues
- Envisioning Heaven and Hell
- Hell and its torments
- Heaven and its delights
- Women and the houris in heaven and hell
- Part 2 Muhammad: The Man, the Book, and Rules of Law
- Chapter 6 The Prophet: Muhammad
- Setting the Stage: Arabia before Muhammad
- Two key cities
- Outside the cities: The beduin
- Arabian religious practices
- Telling the Story of Muhammad
- Growing up
- Summoning the people of Mecca
- Facing opposition
- Establishing the community in Medina
- A chronology from 622 to 630
- Thinking about Muhammad Theologically
- Messenger, prophet, and seal of the prophets
- Comparing Muhammad with Jesus and Moses
- Living like the beautiful example
- Reviewing the miracles of Muhammad
- Exploring the sinlessness of Muhammad
- Respecting Muhammad as intercessor
- Relating Personally to Muhammad
- Naming Muhammad
- Exalting Muhammad in poetry
- Celebrating Muhammad's birthday
- Preserving the relics of Muhammad
- Viewing Muhammad as the light of the world and the pole of the universe
- Searching for the Historical Muhammad
- Traditional biographies
- Non-Muslim biographies
- Chapter 7 The Book: The Qur'an
- Introducing the Qur'an
- What is scripture?
- The basics of the Qur'an
- Hearing the Qur'an
- Treating the Qur'an with Respect
- Gathering and Organizing the Qur'an
- Putting the Qur'an into writing
- Pronouncing the Qur'an
- Organizing the Qur'an
- Compiling the Qur'an: The Muslim view
- Compiling the Qur'an: The view of non-Muslim scholars
- Compiling the Qur'an: A radical view
- The Style of the Qur'an
- The Qur'an as evocative speech
- The idiom of the Qur'an
- The inimitability of the Qur'an (i`jaz)
- Recurring thematic elements in the Qur'an
- The problem of shifting perspectives in the Qur'an
- Interpreting the Qur'an
- The process of interpreting the Qur'an
- Exoteric and esoteric interpretation
- The abrogated verses
- Using the Qur'an in Daily Life
- Educating through the Qur'an
- Reciting the Qur'an
- Reproducing the Qur'an: Calligraphy
- Opening the Qur'an: The Fatiha
- Chapter 8 Islamic Tradition and Law
- Imitating Muhammad
- Understanding the two parts of a hadith
- Uncovering the contents of a hadith
- Collecting the hadiths
- Reviewing the 40 traditions
- Evaluating the hadiths
- Using hadiths in more modern times
- Understanding God's Law
- Rooting out the four roots of law (usul al-fiqh)
- Getting legal: The Schools of law (madhhab)
- Making a decision
- Reforming the law
- Part 3 Becoming Familiar with Muslim Daily Life
- Chapter 9 The Five Pillars of Worship: Foundations of Islam
- Purification: Getting Ready for Worship
- Removing impurity
- Sources of impurity
- The Shahada (First Pillar): Testifying
- Salat (Second Pillar): Praying
- When to pray
- Where do Muslims pray?
- Calling to prayer (adhan)
- Doing the first rak`a (bowing)
- Adding additional rak`as and voluntary prayers
- Jum`a: Gathering for Friday congregational prayer
- The mosque (masjid)
- Zakat (Third Pillar): Helping the Needy
- Saum (Fourth Pillar): Reflecting and Fasting
- Dawn to dust
- A day in Ramadan
- The meaning of Saum during Ramadan
- `Id al-fitr (feast of the breaking of the fast)
- Hajj (Fifth Pillar): Making the Pilgrimage to Mecca
- The center of the earth
- The days of pilgrimage
- Making the side trip to Medina (al-ziyarah)
- Chapter 10 Observing Other Religious Rituals and Customs
- Rituals linked to the Yearly Calendar
- Celebrating Muhammad's birthday
- Typical elements in the celebration of the maulid
- Honoring the saints
- Reviewing other rituals
- Marking Life's Transitions
- Born yesterday
- Receiving a name
- Offering the sacrifice
- Circumcising (khitan)
- Coming of age
- Getting hitched
- Knocking on death's door
- Observing Everyday Customs
- Finding food for thought
- Dressing the part
- Minding your manners
- Looking at Women's Rituals
- Chapter 11 Muslim Ethics: Living the Good Life
- Reviewing the Starting Points for Islamic Ethics
- The principles of Islamic ethics
- Illustrative texts
- Sources for ethical guidance
- Dealing with sins, major and minor
- Applying Ethics to Practical Issues
- Understanding Sexual Ethics
- Outlining Ethics Regarding Marriage and Family
- The role of women
- Medical ethics
- Social and economic justice
- Political issues
- Other ethical issues
- Part 4 Recognizing That All Muslims Aren't the Same
- Chapter 12 Shi`ites
- Locating and Counting Shi`ite Muslims
- Keeping the Faith in the Family
- Designating `Ali as Muhammad's successor
- Shi`ite understanding of the imam
- Reviewing Two Foundational Events of Shi`ism
- The betrayal and martyrdom of `Ali
- The martyrdom of Husayn at Karbala
- Postscript: The march of the penitents
- Following the Line of the 12 Imams
- Shi`ism under the Umayyads
- Shi`ism under the Abbasids
- Iran becomes a Twelver Shi`ite state
- Worshipping in Twelver Shi`ite Fashion
- Remembering Husayn at `ashura'
- Making pilgrimage to the imams' tombs
- Some differences in Shi`ite rituals
- Thinking like Shi`ites
- Shi`ite religious law (shari`a)
- Shi`ite clergy: The mullas
- Shi`ite philosophers and theologians
- Interacting: Shi`ites, Sufis, and Sunnis
- Shi`ites and Sufis
- Shi`ites and Sunnis
- Chapter 13 Sufis
- Searching for God
- Sufism: An overview of its history
- Textual and historical foundations
- Believing in the Sufi Manner
- Making a Contribution: Outstanding Individual Sufis
- Organizing the Sufi Community
- Lodges
- The Sufi brotherhood
- Acting in the Sufi Manner
- Joining a Sufi brotherhood
- Following the rules of the brotherhood
- Remembering God: Dhikr
- Hearing God: Sama`
- Communal dhikr with sama`
- Putting Faith into Verse: Sufi Literature
- Establishing the Sufi Brotherhoods
- Rejecting Sufism
- Chapter 14 Exploring Lesser-Known Sects Linked to Islam
- `Ibadis (the early Kharijites)
- Zaydis (or Fiver Shi`ites)
- Isma`ili (or Sevener Shi`ite) Groups
- Qarmatians
- Nizaris
- Musta`li, Tayyibis, and Bohras are all the same - almost!
- On the Fringes of Islam and Beyond
- Druze
- `Alawis (Nusayris)
- Alevis
- Ahmadiyya
- Baha'is
- Chapter 15 Islam in America
- Getting an Overview
- Looking at Muslim origins in the United States
- Snapshot of American Muslims today
- Calculating the numbers
- Organizing the Muslim Community
- Building mosques (masjids)
- Establishing national Islamic organizations
- Reestablishing a Black Muslim Community
- Noble Drew Ali
- Wallace D. Fard
- Elijah Muhammad
- Malcolm X
- Warith Deen Mohammed
- Reviving the Nation of Islam
- Shi`ites in America
- Sufis in America
- Facing the Future as Muslim Americans
- Internal issues
- External issues
- Part 5 Considering Islam's Concept of Abrahamic Religions
- Chapter 16 Seeking Common Roots: Abrahamic Religion and Beyond
- Belonging to the Same Family
- Recognizing the same ancestor
- Worshipping the same God
- Sharing the same book
- Reviewing family relations
- Reading the Bible in the Qur'an
- Why the stories in the Qur'an differ from those in the Bible
- The Adam story
- Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, and Isaac
- Joseph: The "most beautiful of stories"
- The Moses story
- The death of Jesus
- Muhammad in the Bible
- Muslims Facing Other Religions
- Two early treaties
- Dhimmi (protected peoples)
- Moving Toward Religious Dialogue
- Principles of dialogue
- The future of inter-religious relations
- Chapter 17 Seeking Common Ground
- Ascertaining Muslims' Concerns
- Uncovering internal problems in the Muslim world
- Taking the pulse of the Muslim world
- Listing Muslim complaints against the West and possible Western responses
- Listing concerns of American Muslims
- Hearing American Concerns Regarding Muslims
- Facing the Major Issues
- Clash of civilizations
- Human rights
- Democracy and Islam
- Jihad
- Terrorism
- Knowing What's Needed from the Muslim Side
- Knowing What's Needed from the Western Side
- Chapter 18 Meeting the Challenge of Modernity
- Considering Islamic Democracy
- Reclaiming Identity as an Islamic State
- Naming the Islamists
- Leading the way: Three Islamist movements
- Identifying what separates Islamist reformers from Islamist radicals
- Forming a Shi`ite Islamic Republic
- Coming of the revolution: Khomeini
- Taking Iran in a new direction
- Facing the future
- Reviewing the Globalization of Islamic Radicalism: bin Laden and Afghanistan
- Afghanistan
- Bin Laden and al-Qaeda
- Part 6 The Part of Tens
- Chapter 19 Ten Muslim Contributions to World Civilization
- Transmission of Greek Writings
- Algebra and Mathematics
- Arabic Numbers
- Astronomy
- Engineering and Technology
- Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Physics, Specifically Optics
- Architecture
- Taj Mahal
- The Alhambra
- Chapter 20 Ten Noteworthy Muslims, Past and Present
- Taking a Long Trip: Ibn Battuta
- Gathering it All Together: al-Tabari
- Wielding the Sword of Saladin
- Glorifying the King: Akbar
- Thinking Deep Thoughts: Ibn Rushd
- Creating the First Philosophy of History: Ibn Khaldun
- Becoming a Hero of the Revolution: Ali Shariati
- Building Great Mosques: Sinan
- Winning the Nobel Prize: Naguib Mahfouz
- Listening to Umm Kulthum
- Chapter 21 Ten Islamic Regions in the News Today
- Africa
- Nigeria
- Sudan
- Tunisia
- South Asia
- Bangladesh
- India
- Kashmir
- Southeast Asia and the Pacific
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- The Balkan States
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Kosovo and Albania
- Iraq
- Lebanon
- Palestine and Israel
- The Former Soviet Union
- Syria
- Turkey
- Part 7 Appendixes
- Appendix A Counting the Years: The Muslim Calendar
- Appendix B Glossary
- Appendix C Resources: Digging Deeper
- Academic Resources
- The Qur'an
- Video Resources
- Computer Software
- Islam on the Web
- Islamic organizations
- Islamic publishers and retailers
- And Finally . . .
- Index
- EULA
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