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Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices
This concise and authoritative guide provides a complete survey of Islamic history and thought from its formative period to the present day. It examines the unique elements which have combined to form Islam, in particular the Qu'ran and the influence of Muhammad, and traces the ways in which these sources have interacted historically to create Muslim theology and law, as well as the alternative visions of Islam found in Shi'ism and Sufism.
Combining core source materials with coverage of current scholarship and of recent events in the Islamic world, Andrew Rippin introduces this hugely diverse and widespread religion in a succinct, challenging and refreshing way. Using a distinctive critical approach which promotes engagement with key issues, from fundamentalism and women's rights to problems of identity and modernity, it is ideal for students seeking to understand Muslims and their faith.
The improved and expanded third edition now contains brand new sections on twenty-first century developments, from the Taliban to Jihad and Al Qaeda, and includes updated references throughout.
Combining core source materials with coverage of current scholarship and of recent events in the Islamic world, Andrew Rippin introduces this hugely diverse and widespread religion in a succinct, challenging and refreshing way. Using a distinctive critical approach which promotes engagement with key issues, from fundamentalism and women's rights to problems of identity and modernity, it is ideal for students seeking to understand Muslims and their faith.
The improved and expanded third edition now contains brand new sections on twenty-first century developments, from the Taliban to Jihad and Al Qaeda, and includes updated references throughout.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 20, 2017
As an introductory anatomy of Islam, this book is hard to fault (I have the 3rd ed. 2005). It seems to cover everything one could wish to know. The author, Andrew Rippin, is a historian, and he writes judiciously and with detachment. On a topic about which there is currently so much contention, it is pleasant to read something that is so completely free of ulterior polemical agendas, as well as being thoroughly well informed.
The book is in 6 parts. Part I explains the centrality of Muhammad and the Qur'an. Part II looks at early governance of the Muslims in Arabia, at theology, at schools of law, and at ritual. Part III describes the religion of the Shi'a and the Sufis. Part IV introduces mediaeval Islam. Parts V and VI look at Islam and modernity, the philosophical challenges of feminism, diversity, secularism, humanism, and the internet. There is a useful glossary of terms.
There are two absolutes in Islam : the Qur'an is the unfiltered word of God, and Muhammad, as God's prophet, lived a perfect life. Islam based on these absolutes encounters (or even, it creates) many self-evident moral dilemmas in the modern world, but human ingenuity is boundless ; Rippin introduces a wide range of Islamic thinkers, from deeply conservative to radical to the point of heresy verging on apostasy. One can understand the tendency to strip Islam to its essentials, as does the Wahabi jurist Ibn Baz, declaring all who deviate from his absolutist stance to be unbelievers ; at least such a position has logical consistency within its terms of reference, but it's a divisive stance that doesn't win Islam any friends. Some extremists hold that to sin is unbelief, but others hold that as long as one believes then God may forgive sins at His discretion. Some thinkers seek to tweak the absolutes, such as one who opines that one should follow Muhammad in his capacity as prophet, but his example as amir (leader of the community) is to be regarded as a thing of the times and thus not binding on modern conduct (p. 217). A minority opinion is that Muhammad received God's revelation but transmitted it in his own words, thus explaining the apparent imperfections of the qur'anic text ; but most would argue that the text is miraculously perfect, and if it appears otherwise then that reflects the imperfection of human understanding, an argument devoid of evidence but difficult to refute. Islam has struggled with all the same issues as Christianity : free will vs predestination, the role of the state (specifically the Caliph vs the religious scholars), and the tension between reason and revelation. There's nothing new under the sun.
Islam is a practical religion, with less theology than Judaism or Christianity, and a greater emphasis on law. The 9th century jurist al-Shafi'i was the first to systematize the laws, making the sunna of Muhammad the authoritative source of law and setting down procedures of legal reasoning which eschewed arbitrary or personal deduction in formulating the law. Rippin remarks "It is not surprising to note that the books of hadith were all compiled after the time of al-Shafi'i when the need for these sources was crucial" (p.93) There are four schools of law in Sunni Islam, and they don't agree on everything, but if one says it is permissible to eat frogs and another says it's not then that's OK. Islamic jurisprudence in the early centuries of the second millennium represents a considerable human achievement (whatever we may think of shari'a today) and, at a time when the Roman laws of Justinian the Great had been lost to Western Europe for some centuries, I would venture that it must have given the Moors on the Iberian peninsula a considerable administrative advantage.
The accounts of Islam which you will see published by anti-islamic sources are basically caricatures that don't represent the multiplicity of Islamic practice and belief (the absolutist assertion that "there's no such thing as moderate Islam" always reminds me of the General Philip H Sheridan's apocryphal statement "The only good injun's a dead injun"). For a thorough, balanced, and informative account of Islam I strongly recommend this book.
The book is in 6 parts. Part I explains the centrality of Muhammad and the Qur'an. Part II looks at early governance of the Muslims in Arabia, at theology, at schools of law, and at ritual. Part III describes the religion of the Shi'a and the Sufis. Part IV introduces mediaeval Islam. Parts V and VI look at Islam and modernity, the philosophical challenges of feminism, diversity, secularism, humanism, and the internet. There is a useful glossary of terms.
There are two absolutes in Islam : the Qur'an is the unfiltered word of God, and Muhammad, as God's prophet, lived a perfect life. Islam based on these absolutes encounters (or even, it creates) many self-evident moral dilemmas in the modern world, but human ingenuity is boundless ; Rippin introduces a wide range of Islamic thinkers, from deeply conservative to radical to the point of heresy verging on apostasy. One can understand the tendency to strip Islam to its essentials, as does the Wahabi jurist Ibn Baz, declaring all who deviate from his absolutist stance to be unbelievers ; at least such a position has logical consistency within its terms of reference, but it's a divisive stance that doesn't win Islam any friends. Some extremists hold that to sin is unbelief, but others hold that as long as one believes then God may forgive sins at His discretion. Some thinkers seek to tweak the absolutes, such as one who opines that one should follow Muhammad in his capacity as prophet, but his example as amir (leader of the community) is to be regarded as a thing of the times and thus not binding on modern conduct (p. 217). A minority opinion is that Muhammad received God's revelation but transmitted it in his own words, thus explaining the apparent imperfections of the qur'anic text ; but most would argue that the text is miraculously perfect, and if it appears otherwise then that reflects the imperfection of human understanding, an argument devoid of evidence but difficult to refute. Islam has struggled with all the same issues as Christianity : free will vs predestination, the role of the state (specifically the Caliph vs the religious scholars), and the tension between reason and revelation. There's nothing new under the sun.
Islam is a practical religion, with less theology than Judaism or Christianity, and a greater emphasis on law. The 9th century jurist al-Shafi'i was the first to systematize the laws, making the sunna of Muhammad the authoritative source of law and setting down procedures of legal reasoning which eschewed arbitrary or personal deduction in formulating the law. Rippin remarks "It is not surprising to note that the books of hadith were all compiled after the time of al-Shafi'i when the need for these sources was crucial" (p.93) There are four schools of law in Sunni Islam, and they don't agree on everything, but if one says it is permissible to eat frogs and another says it's not then that's OK. Islamic jurisprudence in the early centuries of the second millennium represents a considerable human achievement (whatever we may think of shari'a today) and, at a time when the Roman laws of Justinian the Great had been lost to Western Europe for some centuries, I would venture that it must have given the Moors on the Iberian peninsula a considerable administrative advantage.
The accounts of Islam which you will see published by anti-islamic sources are basically caricatures that don't represent the multiplicity of Islamic practice and belief (the absolutist assertion that "there's no such thing as moderate Islam" always reminds me of the General Philip H Sheridan's apocryphal statement "The only good injun's a dead injun"). For a thorough, balanced, and informative account of Islam I strongly recommend this book.
April 18, 2007
This is an adequate textbook for a class an undergraduate class in Islam. The author's perspective is primarily doctrinal and historical. He does not deal with the actual ways Islam is practiced around the world. His expertise is in the interpretation of the Qur'an and this book shows his biases. The book would be very different were it written by an anthropologist. That said, I am impressed that he does not shy away from surveying the violent Islamist doctrines that have developed in the post-colonial Middle East. Too many other books on Islam produced by academics do not deal with the phenomenon and everything is peace, love and togetherness.
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May 9, 2025He leído este libro con toda la humildad (fresca y bonita y apetecible) de una persona que no sabía (casi) nada del islam. El tono es cuidadoso, en el sentido de que cuida mucho lo que dice, y medio distante: sin llegar a ser un catálogo de creencias o prácticas asépticas, aunque se aproxima, sí aburre bastante y no permite leer más de 20 páginas en una sentada (y porque te lo propones). De todas formas, a veces aprender de algo requiere esfuerzo, y no sólo mental sino de controlar tu desgana, y este esfuerzo valió la pena. Va conformándose una imagen de lo que es el islam en mi cabeza que me hace sentir más cómoda, intelectualmente, políticamente, socialmente. Basta de tanta ignorancia de nuestros vecinos del Mediterráneo, de los antepasados de la península, de la otra gran fe monodeísta. Basta. (Y lo digo a mi misma.)
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January 1, 2024School
October 29, 2015
This book was very informative. It explained a lot about the history of Islam, as well as different lines of development throughout it's history. It did use transliterated Arabic terms throughout the book, making it hard to follow at times, but this was overall a good thing since it used terms that the reader would find upon further study. It is also a little dry, but given that it is more of an academic book, that is to be expected and doesn't take away from the quality of the book.
October 18, 2015
3.5 stars. 4th edition. 2012. Good book for an overall view of the religious beliefs and practices of Islam. Because Rippin covers so many subjects, the book does not go in depth on topics; but he does introduce to reader to many subjects and scholars in the field of Islamic studies. The pre-Islamic section was good.
April 20, 2011
Yup, I read it cover to cover. It's a very good historically comprehensive book from the beginning of Islam to present day Islam. Modern Islam isn't covered as thoroughly as it could be, but overall the coverage is good. I feel very educated now on the history of Islam.
March 3, 2011
Read this for a Introduction to Islam class in college. very hard to follow. a lot of arabic that I never could understand or grasp.
March 1, 2015
Looks like a good researched book on Islam.Covers the periods of Prophet Muhammad and the contemporary Islamic society
March 7, 2016
Comprehensive but a rull toughie to actually plow through. Not bedtime reading, but a great textbook. Particularly good were the sections on Islam and modernity and Islam and feminism.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews