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Islam: A Short History (Universal History)
 
 
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Islam: A Short History (Universal History) (Paperback)

by Karen Armstrong (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 200 pages
  • Publisher: Phoenix; New edition edition (3 Dec 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1842125834
  • ISBN-13: 978-1842125830
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.6 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 17,316 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #12 in  Books > History > Religious History > Islam
    #17 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam
    #56 in  Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
The picture of Islam as a violent, backward, and insular tradition should be laid to rest, says Karen Armstrong, bestselling author of Muhammad and A History of God. Delving deep into Islamic history, Armstrong sketches the arc of a story that begins with the stirring of revelation in an Arab businessman named Muhammad. His concern with the poor who were being left behind in the blush of his society's new prosperity sets the tone for the tale of a culture that values community as a manifestation of God. Muhammad's ideas catch fire, quickly blossoming into a political empire. As the empire expands and the once fractured Arabs subdue and overtake the vast Persian domain, the story of a community becomes a panoramic drama. With great dexterity, Armstrong narrates the Sunni-Shi'ite schism, the rise of Persian influence, the clashes with Western crusaders and Mongolian conquerors, and the spiritual explorations that traced the route to God. Armstrong brings us through the debacle of European colonialism right up to the present day, putting Islamic fundamentalism into context as part of a worldwide phenomenon. Islam: A Short History, like Bruce Lawrence's Shattering the Myth and Mark Huband's Warriors of the Prophet, introduces us to a faith that beckons like a minaret to those who dare to venture beyond the headlines. --Brian Bruya --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
In the public mind, Islam is a religion of extremes: it is the world's fastest growing faith; more than three-quarters of the world's refugees are Islamic; it has produced government by authoritarian monarchies in Saudi Arabia and ultra-republicans in Iran. Whether we are reading about civil war in Algeria or Afghanistan, the struggle for the soul of Turkey, or political turmoil in Pakistan or Malaysia, the Islamic context permeates all these situations. Karen Armstrong's elegant and concise book traces how Islam grew from the other religions of the book, Judaism and Christianity; introduces us to the character of Muhammed; and demonstrates that for much of its history, the religion has been a force for enlightenment that promoted liberties for women and allowed the arts and sciences to flourish. Islam shows how this progressive legacy is today often set aside as the faith struggles to come to terms with the economic and political weakness of most of its believers and with the forces of modernity itself.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Islam: A Short History (Universal History)
88% buy the item featured on this page:
Islam: A Short History (Universal History) 3.8 out of 5 stars (15)
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A History of God
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The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics)
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (9)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brief yet informative and very enjoyable!!, 30 Aug 2001
By A Customer
Islam is a religion of many cultures and traditions spread over more then 1400 years in time. And for an out sider (as I assume Karen to be), she seems to have a vast amount of knowledge on the subject.

The book is written in a very approachable manner and would be understandable to even the beginners. But having said that, there are so many details covered in this one book (even if as brief references) that I couldn't help but admire the effort put into her work. I started off not expecting too much (thinking I know it all any way), but ended up finding so much new stuff and refreshing what I knew before to be true. And the best thing was that it gives us a different prospective of things. It makes us think about things we usually take as a given (either for religious or social reasons), hence closing our minds to them. Also makes us think logically about historical facts we believe to be true but usually tend to look at them just from a religious view point and hence not being able to appreciate them to the full.

So all in all, I very much recommend this book to any one who would like to study the fastest growing religion in the world. It takes away a lot of stereo types about Islam (and made me want to further study a lot of personalities and events mentioned in this book.) and brings things into prospective.

Enjoy!!!

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42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Short, but detailed - sometimes too detailed, 13 May 2002
By Lendrick (London) - See all my reviews
At a little over 100 pages of core text (there is also a timeline and a glossary) this is as the title says a short history and as such good way of getting an overview of islamic history.

Armstrong writes well and for the most part mixes historical facts with he own interpretations in a way that is both informative and enightening....more support for some of here assertions in the form of quotations from the Koran would have helped.

At times there is just too much detail. Caliphs, Imans and other leaders come and go so quickly it becomes quite bewildering.

However the final section on Islam in the modern world is excellent, and should probably be compulsory reading for everyone!

I certainly felt I learnt about the essence of islam as well as the historical facts, and would recommend this to anyone want to know more about this religion.

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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Didactic insight on a vast topic, historical to contemporary, 9 Sep 2001
By A Customer
Karen Armstrong writes a fascinating insight on a subject that has historical, political and spiritual connotations on a world level today. From the cave of Hira where it was suggested the Prophet Muhammad first received the 'revelation' to Islamic 'fundamentalism' and the contentious role of the media, this publication provides a short, succinct comprehension into a faith generally misunderstood outside its own circles.

Chronologically developed the writer attempts to explore Islamic history and challenge misconceptions of its current climate.

The insight allows the reader an understanding into contemporary world issues on the faith through objective historical analysis. A must for one looking for an impassionate summation on the subject, as a lead to further research or alternatively for a genuine understanding of the religion and it's effect on the world.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars An antidote to prejudice or a justification of it?
I tend to the latter. As a summary of the history of Islam this is probably as good and as detailed as most people can digest. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Daphne

4.0 out of 5 stars Brief, concise & easy to read
Armstrong achieves a remarkable feat with her presentation of over 1400 years of Islamic history into a succinct and very readable mere 160 pages. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr T

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor, but not completely useless
This book is useful only as a short book with some general historical factual information, dates and the like. Read more
Published 21 months ago by P. Mills

4.0 out of 5 stars A good history book, but not a religious studies essential
I am doing an Open University religious studies course and wanted something to supplement the set text on Islam. Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2007 by M. J. Harris

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful, but not always accurate
This is a useful book for anyone who wants a concise introduction to Islam; it is well written, and for such a short book it covers a lot of ground. Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2006 by John Deighan

4.0 out of 5 stars The death of my prejudice
This little history of Islam by Karen Armstrong has quelled the fumes of rage and anger I have always felt towards what I thought to be an illogical, irrational and violance... Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2005 by Denis

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent In Places
This is a very readable book which I highly recomend to anyone who is intrested in but has little knowledge of the islamic world and its history. Read more
Published on 21 Aug 2005 by Adam Clarke

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good as a brief book on the history of Islam
In her book, A Brief History of Islam, Karen Armstrong, has covered the history of Islam briefly and brilliantly. Read more
Published on 18 April 2002 by akiwan@btinternet.com

4.0 out of 5 stars If you want History, not if you want to understand Islam
I learnt a lot, historically, from this book, although clearly passages have been borrowed from Karen's other books. Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2001 by Mr. Roger Eden

4.0 out of 5 stars A good start to learning about Islam
This is a very good book even if at times it does feel like a history textbook. If you want a learn about the origins of Islam than this is an excellent book to start with.
Published on 27 Sep 2001

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