11. The collection of the Koran
Michael Cook
in The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
History tells us how God's speech came to be collected in the form we see it today. ‘The collection of the Koran’ examines gathering together of the Koranic text. The oldest securely dated ...
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5. Competing Approaches
Adam J. Silverstein
in Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction
Why are Islam, and Islamic history particularly, exempt from established rules of historical enquiry? How do the views of Muslim and non-Muslim historians compare? ‘Competing approaches’ ...
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14. Conclusion
Michael Cook
in The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
A scripture, or classic, acts as two things: a product of its own time and an authority in our time. The Conclusion asks: how well is the Koran equipped to be both of these things today? ...
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Conclusion
Adam J. Silverstein
in Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction
The Conclusion attempts to answer the main question posed by this VSI: why, despite sharing common roots in the Semitic monotheism of the Near East, do the West and Muslim societies seem to ...
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Conclusions
Nile Green
in Global Islam: A Very Short Introduction
“Conclusions” focuses on the past and future of global Islam, beginning with the move away from Sufi leadership and ending with today’s diverse and fragmentary representations of Islam. The ...
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3. Defending Islam from the secular world order
Nile Green
in Global Islam: A Very Short Introduction
Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, new hubs emerged in Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. “Defending Islam from the Secular World Order” compares the different approaches of ...
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3. The dissemination of the Koran
Michael Cook
in The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
With modernity came the ability to disseminate widely a scripture among those who believe in it. The most obvious change came with the invention of the printing press. ‘The dissemination of ...
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3. Divine unicity
Malise Ruthven
in Islam: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
There is one word that describes the main impulse of Islam: tawhid meaning making one, or, unicity. This word can be rephrased as to mean: there is no god but God. There is a paradox here, ...
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13. Doubts and puzzles
Michael Cook
in The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
There is a certain amount of obscurity in the text of the Koran. There are clusters of linguistic puzzles in it, and translations can do no more than gloss over or guess. ‘Doubts and ...
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4. From Islamic revolutions to the Internet
Nile Green
in Global Islam: A Very Short Introduction
“From Islamic Revolutions to the Internet” traces the development of global Islam from the Islamic Revolution in Iran and the war in Afghanistan to today, via the post-Soviet opening of ...
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3. Institutions
Adam J. Silverstein
in Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction
‘Institutions’ examines three institutions — the mosque, jihad, and the caliphate ℄ that have been common to all Muslim societies, while being different in practice in the various regions ...
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4. The interpretation of the Koran
Michael Cook
in The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
A culture can do a variety of things with a classic or sacred text. One of those things is to provide commentaries. ‘The interpretation of the Koran’ looks at the different ways that the ...
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Introduction
Nile Green
in Global Islam: A Very Short Introduction
What is global Islam, and where did it come from? The Introduction defines “global Islam” as the doctrines and practices promoted by transnational religious activists, organizations, and ...
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Introduction
Adam J. Silverstein
in Islamic History: A Very Short Introduction
There are three questions in the story of Islamic history. What happened? How do we know this? Why does it matter? The Introduction takes a brief look at the geography of Islam now and in ...
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2. Islam in the age of empire, steam, and print
Nile Green
in Global Islam: A Very Short Introduction
Where did global Islam come from? “Islam in the Age of Empire, Steam, and Print” looks at the period between 1870 and 1920, when the infrastructure of empire combined with technology to ...
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1. Islam, Muslims, and Islamism
Malise Ruthven
in Islam: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
Islam is the religion of about one-fifth of humanity. The terrorist attacks in September 2001 raised the profile of Islam throughout the world as a subject of analysis and discussion. ...
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10. The Koran as an object of dogma
Michael Cook
in The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
The tug-of-war between the two antithetical tendencies of imagining God in terms intelligible to humans and imagining him in sublime, transcendent terms is a strong one. ‘The Koran as an ...
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6. The Koran as codex
Michael Cook
in The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
There are many ways to present a text. This is influenced by culture and materials. ‘The Koran as codex’ examines how the Koran was first assembled and how it is presented today. The leaves ...
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7. The Koran as text
Michael Cook
in The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
The attitude of a culture towards faithful transmission need not be either uniform or constant. ‘The Koran as text’ considers how the Koran has been recorded and preserved. Muslims in the ...
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9. The Koran as truth
Michael Cook
in The Koran: A Very Short Introduction
The Koran presents God's speech as sacred and unfailingly true. These truths play a part in many aspects of Muslim literature and life, on both formal and informal levels. ‘The Koran as ...
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