Magic in Islam

Knight (Why I Am a Salafi) presents this work as a challenge to all kinds of preconceived notions: Islam as a stable and monolithic community, as depicted in the popular introductory genres; Islam as a faith determined only by the text of the Qur’an; Islam as a religious tradition fitting neatly into modern Western perceptions of the world. Instead, as Knight explores fascinating topics such as Muslim approaches to astrology, the existence of jinn, and the use of the Qur’an in healing charms (where it’s treated as a text containing magic independent of its meaning), he exposes the complexities of histories and cultures that underlie contemporary Islam and reveals how the legacy of strict categorization and simplification has left common understandings of Islam incomplete. His writing is lucid and perceptive, and his instincts for the arcane and interesting are unerring, making the text scholarly yet still accessible to the lay reader regardless of familiarity with Islam. Knight refers to this work as “his sandbox to play in,” and his pleasure in the topic shines through on every page, spreading his delight to the reader. (May)