ISLAM: Origins, Practices, Holy Texts, Sacred Persons, Sacred Places

Gordon provides an accessible, well-written and evenhanded introduction to Islam, one of the world's fastest-growing religions. In brief chapters, he discusses the rise of Islam; the centrality of its sacred text, the Qur'an; the importance of the Prophet Muhammad; the major developments of both Sunni and Shi'i Islam (including "sub-sects" of both traditions); the ethical principles and "Five Pillars" of the faith; the role of the mosque and of sacred sites such as Mecca; the concept of sacred time and the Islamic lunar calendar; Muslims' beliefs about death and the afterlife; and Islam in the modern world. Throughout, Gordon provides a balanced approach, noting, for example, that the Ayatollah Khomeini's 1990 fatwah against novelist Salman Rushdie was opposed by many Islamic scholars and that the religion is "far from monolithic" in its laws or practices. Each chapter closes with an excerpt from some primary source—for example, the opening verses of the Qur'an or an Urdu poem praising Muhammad—and then interprets that passage with a brief commentary. These bite-sized chunks of original source material go a long way toward helping readers become familiar with Islam's historical and literary traditions. The book is enhanced by well-chosen, full-color photographs and illustrations, which are so animated that they seem to invite readers to contemplate the interior of a mosque, or to participate in a schoolroom discussion with British Muslim girls. Overall, this is a handy, informed and attractive primer. (May)