East Baton Rouge Parish Library

The handy Islam answer book, John Renard, Ph.D

eng

Compiled by a scholar of Islam with more than 40 years of research and teaching experience, this engaging primer brings cross-cultural insights into a religion that many people do not comprehend, and even fear. The history, beliefs, symbols, rituals, art and literature, customs, leadership, traditions, ethnic diversity and so much more on Islam and Muslim culture are covered in this user-friendly guide

illustrations

no index present

non fiction

The handy Islam answer book

dictionaries

985318499

John Renard, Ph.D

Acknowledgments -- Photo credits -- Introduction -- An overview of Islam: Origins and early expansion; Historical context; Prophet and early community; Foundations of the faith; Islam in the century after Muhammad -- Islam's growth into a global community: The Arabicate sphere; The Persianate sphere; The Turkic sphere; The Sub-Saharan African sphere; The Malay (or Southeast Asian) sphere; Islam and Europe; The broader Islamic religious landscape; Intersection of theology and politics: a major historical example -- Politics and contemporary global affairs: Muslim populations today; Radical political activist and religiously idealist factions; Islam and violence; Islam and the message of peace; Religion and politics; Concerns of twenty-first century Muslims; Islam and conflict in the Middle East; The perceived conflict between 'Islam and the West'; Islam in the United States -- Sacred sources and their interpretation: Quran: general considerations and background; Major themes in the Quran; Interpreting the sacred scripture; Hadith: traditions of and about Muhammad; Quran and Hadith in Islamic life and spirituality -- Essential beliefs: Unity and diversity in a global community of faith; Creed and Islamic tradition; God, revelation, and prophets; Islamic eschatological themes; Spiritual powers and wonders; Fundamentals of faith and action --Symbols, rituals, and regular observances: Signs and symbols; Ordinary ritual practices; Sacred time; Sacred space; Seasonal, functional, and commemorative observances; Rites of passage -- Themes in Islamic spirituality: Spirituality and theological anthropology; Spiritual values and everyday life experience; Spiritual models and exemplars; Prayer and mysticism; Forgiveness, hope, community, and service -- Authority, law, and ethics: Authority roles and structures of leadership; Methods and procedures in sacred law (Sharia); Fundamental ethical principles; Biomedical and reproductive ethics and legal issues; Family law and ethical issues; Human rights and social justice; Law, ethics, violence, and warfare -- Islam and other faiths: Similarities among faiths; Overlapping Claims to sacred real estate; Inter-religious encounters; Historical Muslim attitudes toward Christians and vice versa; Moving forward to mutual understanding -- Culture and religion: Inculturation and Islamization; Gender, family, ethnicity; Christian-Muslim cultural conflict in history and literature; Cultural differences and contemporary Muslim-Christian misunderstanding -- Knowledge, scholarship, and the Islamic humanities: Learning and the Islamic sense of history; Islam and philosophy; Islam and theology; Traditionalism, reformers, liberation theology; Islamic humanities and inter-cultural connections; Mystical theology and inter-religious connections --Aesthetics, literature, the visual and spatial arts: Aesthetics, faith, and creativity; Varieties of Islamic literature: prose; Varieties of Islamic literature: poetry; The 'smaller' visual arts; Islamic religious architecture -- Appendix A. Major Muslim dynasties -- Appendix B. Major cultural centers -- Appendix C. Major schools of religious law -- Appendix D. Ten Commandments and Islamic parallels -- Appendix E. Major Sufi orders -- Appendix F. Religious texts on violence quiz -- Further reading -- Glossary -- Timeline