This introduction to Islam for Western readers explores the fundamental religious beliefs held by Muslims for nearly 1400 years. It covers the four dimensions of Islam - practice, faith, spirituality and the Islamic view of history, as outlined in the Hadith of Gabriel. Interweaving teachings from the Koran, the sayings of the Prophet, and the great authorities of the tradition, the book introduces the essentials of each dimension. It then goes on to describe how each has been manifest in Islamic institutions throughout the course of history.
Vision of Islam
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'This work is one of the most successful introductions to Islam for a Western audience.' --Sayyed Hossein Nasr, George Washington University
'This is a book that every introductory course on Islam should attempt to incorporate into its basic reading.' --William A. Graham, Center for Middle East Studies, Harvard University
'This is a book that every introductory course on Islam should attempt to incorporate into its basic reading.' --William A. Graham, Center for Middle East Studies, Harvard University
About the Author
William C. Chittick is currently Professor of Asian and Asian American Studies at Stony Brook University and the author of The Sufi Path of Knowledge and The Sufi Path of Love. Sachiko Muratan is a Professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Stony Brook University.
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First Sentence
A pillar is a support, something that holds up a structure. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
A pillar is a support, something that holds up a structure. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I think of myself as a Muslim, and I was born, raised and (initially) educated in a Muslim country where Islamic studies is a part of the curriculum -- however, this book provided me with an insight into Islam that I had never come across before. Its beauty lies in its attempt to present Islamic thought and understanding as the Islamic tradition itself has conceived -- the Islamic tradition of the past 14 centuries, and not just of recent theologians. The best aspect of the book is that it tries to present WHAT ISLAMIC CONCEPTS ARE, rather than why they are right (as some Muslims often try to show) or why they are not so right (as some non Muslims try to show). And it presents the concepts in a way that is comprehensible to the modern mind (with all its specific ways of looking at the world) but without taking away from Islam -- i.e. without CHANGING or HIDING those aspects of Islam that the modern mind might find displeasing.
Because of these reasons, I think the book is a must-read for anyone interested in Islam -- since it concentrates on HOW ISLAMIC SCHOLARS HAVE ELUCIDATED ON ISLAMIC CONCEPTS, without passing any kind of judgement on these concepts, it is extremely illuminating for the Muslim as well as the non Muslim trying to understand Islam -- the reader can pass his own judgement. It is for this reason that I have already bought/ recommended this book to many close Muslim friends/ family, and this is the one book that I plan to give all my non Muslim friends to read as well, just to make them understand my religion.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is one of the best books on Islam that I have ever read. Instead of looking at Islam from a Western perspective, it shows us how Muslims themselves look at Islam and the world. It was a beautiful exploration of one of the world's major religions. I recommend this book to anyone who would like to get beyond all the stereotypes about Islam
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I was introduced to this book by a friend of mine who was very impressed by the book. I was told by a few that this is one of the best books written on Islam and has some very original way of explaining Islamic principles, I must agree with this assessment. Authors do an excellent job in this book. One note though on their methodology. As I was reading the book, authors methodology and overall approach kept reminding me of books written by some great Persian/Shia scholars such as Muttahary and Tabatabai. When I looked into the background of the authors, as Murata gives an account of it in her excellent book" Tao of Islam" I discovered that they had spent many years in Iran studying Islam with great scholars such Corbin, Tabatabai who was a great mystic and philosopher, Ashtyani (The great sage of Mashhad) , Mr. Homai and many more. The influence of these great scholars is very evident in the work of these authors along with other authors such as the great scholar Mr. Corbin who mentions his great learning experience of Islam while studying in Iran with late Tabatabai. Many passages of this book written by Mr. chittic resembles so very closely the passages written by these great Iranian and Shia authors. The admiration of this book and its approach and method by so many would be a credit to those authors as well as Mr. Chittic and Murata. It is sad to see that many books remains unread and unknown by majority only on the ground of being written by a Shia. Fanaticism hearts first and foremost the fanatics themselves and as Koran puts it " We were not unjust to them, but rather they were unjust to themselves".
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Certainly ranks up there with the top three introductions to Islam
The Vision of Islam is a very thorough introduction to the faith and practise of Islam. The book is written in a more human and engaging style than many in its genre, and as the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Razwan Ul-haq
5.0 out of 5 stars
A terrific introduction to a controversial topic.
In the last decade Islam has become the most controversial and divisive of subjects. On the one hand we have the likes of Robert Spencer who insist upon portraying Muslims in the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Simon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond the basic primer
Highly recommended as something to take you beyond the basics.
It's not a 5 minute read and it does take some understanding. Read more
It's not a 5 minute read and it does take some understanding. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Peter Marney
5.0 out of 5 stars
the best book i have read on Islam
i thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I thank the authors for writting such a beautiful book. The language and concepts are very clear and well presented. Read more
Published 18 months ago by shama
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent read
an excellent book for muslims and non muslims alike to read. The authors have presented the religion in an unbiased way and with out being subjective. Read more
Published 19 months ago by sally
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good introduction to Islam
I found this book to be well researched, well written and easy to read. The writer is interested in the spritual side of Islam and this can be seen in this work. Read more
Published on 25 April 2008 by gnostic
5.0 out of 5 stars
simply amazing
If you want to know Islam from a profound perspective rather than amateur, then this is the book for you. I thought I knew Islam untill I opened this book. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2004 by James
5.0 out of 5 stars
awesom reading!
This is a must reading if you want to know about Islam! Unlike many other shallow books with stereotipical coverage on Islam, The Vision of Islam presents a conspicious picture of... Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2003 by James
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book on Islam for Western audience, I think
I've read this book and so far it's the best one that describes the way Islam is actually seen through Muslim eyes (by apparently non-Muslim authors!). Read more
Published on 14 May 2003 by Hafiz Ismail
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best introduction to Islam
Murata and Chittick approach Islam from the Muslim perspective through the Quran and Hadith (sayings of the Prophet). Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2000 by Diluare
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