The Islam Book

The Islam Book provides a comprehensive overview of the Muslim world. Coverage includes Muhammad's life, the origin of the Quran, the Hadith, and the Golden Age of Islam (756-1526). It also covers Islam in the modern world, covering such topics as education for women and Islam on the Internet. "The Quran is at the center of Islam, occupying for Muslims a position that is similar in significance to that of Jesus Christ for Christians." Muslims believe Muhammad to be "a messenger" not divine. He is looked to as the last prophet, superseding the teachings of Jesus and the Old Testament patriarchs. Despite the Quran's centrality, much of Muslim beliefs, practices, and laws come from the Hadith, or Muhammad's words and actions. The most basic Muslim belief element, known as the Shahada, is as follows: "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God..." Acceptance of this belief defines a person as part of the umma, "or the Islamic community." Muslim infants hear the Shahada at birth, and it appears on the flag of Saudi Arabia. Daily prayers made facing Mecca are an integral part of Muslim everyday life. Other vital elements in the Muslim faith are almsgiving, fasting, and the Haji, or the pilgrimage to Mecca. Two other guiding principles of Islamic law are halal ("food, products, or behavior that is permitted, or lawful") and haram ("food or behavior that is forbidden, or unlawful"). During what is known as the Golden Age of Islam (756-1526), Muslims made many lasting contributions in several fields, especially mathematics, medicine, and astronomy. Muslim scholars built upon and extended the scholarship of classical Greece by translating classical Greek works into Arabic. "When the first universities opened in the major European cities, a great part of their libraries consisted of Latin translations of Arabic texts from Cordoba" [Spain under Muslim rule]. Storytelling, both religious and secular, is an important aspect of history in Muslim countries. "Individuals known as qussa specialized in telling religious stories in the mosques." Secular storytellers, known as hakawati, "have come to be known outside the Muslim world" for the stories known in English as The Thousand and One Nights or Arabian Nights. Calligraphy, also both of a religious and secular nature, "is an enormously prestigious art in Islamic culture." Different styles of calligraphy developed to copy manuscripts of the Quran. "Calligraphy appeared on sacred and secular objects in almost every medium -- stones, stucco, ceramics, glass, jewelry, embroidery, carpets, woodcarving, and metalwork." Today, Islam is present in many parts of the world, with Indonesia having "the world's largest Muslim population" of 229 million. "Africa is home to almost one-third of the world's Muslims." Many live in northern Africa, while southern Africa is predominately Christian. Shai Islam is prominent in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Bahrain. Sunni Islam predominates in Turkey, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. While retaining its traditions, Islam has embraced modern technology. In 2019, "a Malaysian start-up" company introduced "SalamWeb, a new browser that is compliant with Islamic values." There are phone apps for "prayer time notifications" and to "indicate the direction of Mecca." Muslim halal tradition is part of modern industries such as travel and banking. "The halal travel industry caters to the desire for hotels serving halal food, gender-segregated pools, and no alcohol." The Quran prohibits loaning money at interest. Instead, "Islamic banks loan money to businesses in exchange for a share in profits. If the business defaults or does not earn a profit, the bank also does not benefit." According to a 2019 estimate, "the global halal market is expected to be worth $9.71 trillion by 2025." While technology has proven to be beneficial to the Muslim community, it has proven detrimental in some instances. "Militant Islamist groups continue to use online forums to attract recruits to their causes and to post propaganda videos featuring horrific killings...Social media has also increased the reach of controversial clerics, such as Saudi Arabian Muhammad Al Arefe, who has advocated violence against non-Muslims." All in all, this is an ideal introduction to Islam, especially for non-Muslims such as myself. It is highly recommended.

I'm a senior citizen who has purchased several of the DK Big Ideas Simply Explained books. It's my impression they are written and designed in a way comprehensible and engaging for readers as young as middle school students, but they are definitely excellent sources of clearly stated and interesting information for readers of all ages. I've already learned much from this particular title, as I have done from other titles in the series. The books' designs and layouts make them a pleasure to use. This book is excellent, as are others in the series. I will continue to buy these books to keep as reference sources in my home.

Don't consider this a book about Islam, think of it as an encyclopedia on Islam. It touches on just about every aspect you can come up with. Broken up into short (typically 2 page) chapters so you can grasp a little at a time. It provides an enormous amount of information and will leave you with a whole new understanding of the history, culture and goals of the Moslem world.

Interesting, lot of facts, expands one's knowledge about Islam, useful for youngsters as well those who want to add to what they know

Like other books in the "Big Ideas Simply Explained" series, I generally like this book but it needs some improvements for a few aspects. My biggest two constructive criticism will be: - infographics are not adjusted for the kindle version and it's extremely difficult to try to read them. - I understand that the book is written by a group of authors instead of an individual author, but I wish the final editing process was better for vetting some of the information and for presenting the information in both a consistent manner throughout the book and for presenting different aspects of certain issues. I was quite bothered by the fact that certain issues are presented in a matter-of-fact manner even though there are many disagreements surrounding them (and they could present different views without taking any position). But otherwise, this is a pretty nice book covering a large array of subjects around Islam, starting with the basics about Islam as a religion, the history of big Muslim figures and going all the way to Islam in today's world and some challenges in Muslim and non-Muslim countries regarding Islam (such as Islamophobia in the West and extremely restrictive interpretations of some religious rules in Saudi Arabia). It's a great introduction to the "big picture" surrounding Islam from religious, cultural, and political perspectives, for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. But if you are genuinely curious about certain issues, further and deeper reading will be required, and please keep in mind that for certain issues, the reality is a bit more complicated than what is presented in the book.

I just got this book so I could get an overview of Islam. It can be a difficult religion to understand what the heck is going on. Very well written and lots of useful information.

This book is so well done… the colors and images are a feast for the eyes and support the text beautifully. The text is well- researched and nicely organized.

Comes across as not preachy, just matter of fact. Lots left out, otherwise wouldn't fit I'm sure. Thank you Rageh Omaar