These lapses will bother even progressive Muslims, but non-Muslim readers will find this a sufficiently quick introduction to a complex topic. A fascinating, accessible introduction to Islam from the author of the 1 New York Times bestseller Zealot Though. He states that Muhammad could not have been illiterate, making the Qur'anic revelation less miraculous that the egalitarian Medina Constitution-the symbol of Muhammad's great statesmanship-was actually revised in hindsight to hold such values and the death of the Prophet's grandson Husayn at the Karbala massacre was, post-death, recast as a gesture of martyrdom by Shi'ite Muslims and not a conscious, self-sacrificial decision by Husayn himself. Moreover, Aslan quietly challenges various 'myths' dear to the average Muslim. Unfortunately, charging through more than 1,400 years of Islamic history in 300 pages means that some nuances are lost. Aslan's brief but accurate analyses of polygyny (or polygamy), the veil, jihad and the devastating effect that European, particularly British, colonialism had on the Islamic world convey deep insight. No god but God: The Origins and Evolution of Islam by Reza Aslan 3.2 eBook 4.99 Paperback 9.99 eBook 4.99 View All Available Formats & Editions Instant Purchase Available on Compatible NOOK Devices and the free NOOK Apps. He astutely recognizes that the struggle between arch-conservative Wahhabi Islam and the innovative, reform-oriented Islam of the Prophet Muhammad are at war, dragging the United States and the West along.

Ijtihad - independent reasoning - is intrinsic to Islamic scholarship.Aslan, a professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Iowa and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, argues in this informative but uneven study that a reformation of Islam is already underway. A writer and scholar of comparative religions, Reza Aslan has earned international acclaim for the passion and clarity he has brought to these questions. Some readers will bristle to read this section, other may have their own interpretations. Before the prophetic visions, Muhammad was drawn to monotheistic thinkers, troubled about his wealth and privilege. They carry on, in the creative space between two wilfully ignorant civilisations.Īslan locates Islam in the historical landscape, unpicks myths and gives us a rounded Prophet, who was a man steeped in the influence of Christianity and Judaism. Ramadhan is labelled 'dangerous', denied a visa to take up a post in the US Aslan is branded a 'fundamentalist'. So much easier to do business with tyrants, autocrats and lackeys.

However, confused and solipsistic, the authorities in the US and UK cannot deal with audacious reformers whose intellect challenges their stereotypes and geopolitical games. Aslan is acutely perceptive when he writes that 11 September was as much a manifestation of this clash as a blow to the superpower.

No god but god by reza aslan