ABSTRACT

Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices offers a survey of Islamic history and thought from the formative period of the religion to the contemporary period. It examines the unique elements which have combined to form Islam, in particular, the Qurʾān and perceptions of the Prophet Muḥammad, and traces the ways in which these ideas have interacted to influence Islam’s path to the present. Combining core source materials with coverage of current scholarship and of recent events in the Islamic world, Bernheimer and Rippin introduce this hugely significant religion, including alternative visions of Islam found in Shi’ism and Sufism, in a succinct, challenging, and refreshing way. The improved and expanded fifth edition is updated throughout and includes new textboxes.

With detailed illustrations and a new companion website, Muslims is the ideal introduction for students who wish to explore the key issues of Muslims, from the Qurʾān to Islamic feminism, to issues of identity, Islamophobia, and modern visions of Islam.

chapter Intro|4 pages

Introduction

part I|2 pages

Formative elements of classical Islam

chapter 1|13 pages

Prehistory

chapter 2|21 pages

The Qurʾān

chapter 3|14 pages

Muḥammad

part II|2 pages

Emergence of Islamic identity

chapter 4|12 pages

Political action and theory

chapter 5|15 pages

Theological exposition

chapter 6|15 pages

Legal developments

chapter 7|16 pages

Ritual practice

part III|2 pages

Alternative visions of classical Islamic identity

chapter 8|14 pages

The Shīʿa

chapter 9|14 pages

Ṣūfī devotion

part IV|2 pages

Consolidation of Islamic identity

chapter 10|10 pages

Intellectual culture

chapter 11|16 pages

Medieval visions of Islam

part V|2 pages

Modern visions of Islam

chapter 12|23 pages

Describing modernity

chapter 13|27 pages

Muḥammad and modernity

chapter 14|26 pages

The Qurʾān and modernity

chapter 15|24 pages

Issues of identityRitual and politics

part VI|2 pages

Re-visioning Islam