The Fitzgeralds, a married couple and co-editors of the award-winning book Christian Spirit
, collaborate again in a collection of quotations from Islam's holy book, the Qur'an, and the hadith
, or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad passed down by Muslims in the centuries since his death. The book sets out to explore if these sources provide a basis for improving interfaith relations. The Fitzgeralds give the readers space to come to their own conclusions, not taking sides in their preface. Their selections of Qur'anic and hadith
passages show a unique sensitivity to and understanding of Islam. Accompanied by lovely photographs, some of which are from the co-editors' travels in the Islamic world, as well as reprints of Islamic art and illuminated Qur'ans, the titular "spirit" of Islam comes across as reflective, wise and bridge building. The introduction by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is dull, but it does not detract from the rest of the book. The Fitzgeralds have reorganized some of Islam's most sacred texts and art in an easy-to-understand format, not only underscoring the interfaith resources in Islam but the spiritual side of Islam as well. (May 31)
