Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices (The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices)

Andrew Rippin’s __Muslims__ is essential reading for students and scholars alike. This new edition has been comprehensively updated and for the first time features a companion website with extensive links to additional reading and resources to help deepen students’ understanding of the subject. __Muslims__ offers a survey of Islamic history and thought from the formative period of the religion to modern times. It examines the unique elements which have combined to form Islam, in particular the Qur’ān and the influence of Muhammad, and traces the ways in which these sources have interacted historically to create Muslim theology and law as well as the alternative visions of Islam found in Shi’ism and Sufi sm. Combining core source materials with coverage of current scholarship and of recent events in the Islamic world, Andrew Rippin introduces this hugely significant religion in a succinct, challenging and refreshing way. The improved and expanded fourth edition contains a new chapter on perceptions of Muslims today as well as a new series of text boxes to stimulate students’ thinking about essay topics and research projects. Using a distinctive critical approach that promotes engagement with key issues, from fundamentalism and women’s rights to problems of identity, Islamophobia and modernity, this text is ideal for today’s students. Andrew Rippin’s Muslims is essential reading for students and scholars alike. This new edition has been comprehensively updated and for the first time features a companion website with extensive links to additional reading and resources to help deepen students’ understanding of the subject. Muslims offers a survey of Islamic history and thought from the formative period of the religion to modern times. It examines the unique elements which have combined to form Islam, in particular the Qur’an and the influence of Muhammad, and traces the ways in which these sources have interacted historically to create Muslim theology and law as well as the alternative visions of Islam found in Shi’ism and Sufi sm. Combining core source materials with coverage of current scholarship and of recent events in the Islamic world, Andrew Rippin introduces this hugely significant religion in a succinct, challenging and refreshing way. The improved and expanded fourth edition contains a new chapter on perceptions of Muslims today as well as a new series of text boxes to stimulate students’ thinking about essay topics and research projects. Using a distinctive critical approach that promotes engagement with key issues, from fundamentalism and women’s rights to problems of identity, Islamophobia and modernity, this text is ideal for today’s students. Muslims:Their Religious Beliefs and Practices 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 List of illustrations 8 Preface to the fourth edition 9 Introduction 12 Part I: Formative elements of classical Islam 16 1 Prehistory 18 2 The Qur'ān 31 3 Muhammad 53 Part II: Emergence of Islamic identity 68 4 Political action and theory 70 5 Theological exposition 83 6 Legal developments 99 7 Ritual practice 115 Part III: Alternative visions of classical Islamic identity 130 8 The Shī'a 132 9 Sūfī devotion 147 Part IV: Consolidation of Islamic identity 162 10 Intellectual culture 164 11 Medieval visions of Islam 175 Part V: Modern visions of Islam 190 12 Describing modernity 192 13 Muhammad and modernity 216 14 The Qur'ān and modernity 246 15 Issues of identity: ritual and politics 274 Part VI: Re-visioning Islam 300 16 Women, intellectuals, and other challenges 302 17 Perceptions of Muslims in the twenty-first century 327 Glossary 342 References 348 General index 356 Index of Qur'ān citations 365 Offers a survey of Islamic history and thought from the formative period of the religion to modern times. It examines the unique elements which have combined to form Islam, in particular the Qur'an and the influence of Muhammad, and traces the ways in which these sources have interacted historically to create Muslim theology and law as well as the alternative visions of Islam found in Shi'ism and Sufism. --from publisher description This text provides a survey of Islamic history and thought, from its formative period to the present day. The book examines the elements which come together to form Islam and explores how its disciplines of theology and law have evolved. This edition also comments on 21st century developments affecting Muslims pt. 1. Formative elements of classical Islam pt. 2. Emergence of Islamic identity pt. 3. Alternate visions of classical Islamic identity pt. 4. Consolidation of Islamic identity pt. 5. Modern visions of Islam pt. 6. Re-visioning Islam.