The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World

Journalist Akyol (The Islamic Jesus) draws theological, philosophical, and cultural links between Islam and Judaism in this innovative study inspired by the prophet central to both faiths. Framing Moses, who is mentioned 137 times in the Quran, as the “historic precedent for Muhammad,” Akyol traces an “Judeo-Islamic” tradition that began in seventh-century Medina when Jews introduced monotheism to their polytheistic Arab neighbors, paving the way for their eventual acceptance of Islam. While tensions flared as the two faiths lived side-by-side, their traditions continued to enrich one another across history, according to Akyol. Examples include how Islamic theology (kalam) informed Jewish theological study in the eighth and ninth centuries and how some present-day Muslims draw on Jewish models for adapting certain religious practices to Western societies (certain Muslim communities in the U.K. have established sharia councils, “which clearly follow the example of the Halakhic courts called beth din”). The parallels Akyol draws fascinate, including a detailed dissection of how the two religions each experimented with “strict textualism” versus “rationalist” approaches in their codes of law. Elsewhere, Akyol examines how present-day Jews and Muslims living in Western societies might join together to protect shared religious practices, including kosher and halal animal slaughter and circumcision. It’s a thought-provoking challenge to those who see only deep divisions between the faiths. (Sept.)