Islam in Historical Perspective

Alexander Knysh is Professor of Islamic Studies at the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan and Academic Project Director, at St. Petersburg State University, Russian Federation.

Authoritatively written and astutely arranged, Islam in Historical Perspective provides a comprehensive, historically contextualized narrative of the development of the Islamic tradition from its origin to the present day. Erik S. Ohlander, Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne, USAPraise for the first edition: An intellectually stimulating, lucidly written work with excellent discussion questions at the end of each chapter. I look forward to assigning the second edition to my students. Dr Younus Mirza, Allegheny College, USA

• Preface Acknowledgments Note on Transliteration and Dates1 Arabia: The Cradle of Islam2 Muhammad and the Beginnings of Islam: The Making of the Muslim Community3 After Muhammad: The Rightly Guided Caliphs and the Conquests4 The Murder of ‘Uthman, the Fitna Wars, and the Rise and Consolidation of the Umayyad Dynasty5 The Principal Source of Islam: The Qur’an6 The Prophetic Hadíth and Sunna and the Emergence of the Shari‘a7 The Problem of the Just Ruler and the First Divisions Within the Community8 The ‘Abbásid Revolution and Beyond9 Islamic Scholarship Under the ‘Abbásids: The Rise and Development of the Schools of Law10 Islamic Scholarship Under the ‘Abbásids: Theological Debates and Schools of Thought11 Twelver Shi‘ism and Zaydism12 Shi‘ism as a Revolutionary Movement: The Isma‘ilis13 Ascetic and Mystical Movement in Islam: Sufism14 Intellectual Struggles in Premodern Islam: Philosophy Versus Theology15 Transmission and Conservation of Knowledge: ‘Ulamá’ , Mádrasas, and Sufi Lodges16 The Basic Beliefs and Practices of Islam: Islamic Life Cycle17 Islamic Art and Religious Architecture (Mosque)18 Women in Islamic Societies19 Islam and the West20 Islam in the Gunpowder Empires: The World of Islam Faces Modernity and European Colonialism21 Renewal and Reform in Islam: The Emergence of Islamic Modernism and Reformism22 Islam as a Political Force and Vehicle of Opposition23 Islam Reinterpreted: Major Trends in Islamic Thought Today24 The Ideology and Practice of Globalized JihadismBibliography Index