No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam
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| Author | Reza Aslan |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Random House |
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Publication date
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March 15, 2005 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 310 pages |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 56367491 |
| 297 22 | |
| LC Class | BP161.3 .A79 2005 |
No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam is a 2005 non-fiction book written by Iranian-American Muslim scholar Reza Aslan. The book describes the history of Islam and argues for a liberal interpretation of the religion. It blames Western imperialism and self-serving misinterpretations of Islamic law by past scholars for the current controversies within Islam, challenging the "clash of civilizations" thesis.
According to conservative columnist Reihan Salam, the book has received a favorable response within the Muslim world.
Each chapter of the book covers a specific topic within Islam. For example, one chapter is entirely dedicated to the issue of jihad. Over all, the book covers the history of Islam from the point of view of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad as a social reformer struggling for egalitarianism between people. It argues that the Quran does not order the veiling of women and that the concept of jihad was intended to be solely defensive. Aslan focuses primarily on the early practices of Islam, but he also discusses life within the Abbasid Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and in the modern Muslim World.
One of the central themes is that an internal battle is currently taking place within Islam between individualistic reform ideals and the traditional authority of Muslim clerics. Aslan states that this situation is parallel to that of the 16th-century reformation in Christianity, which was as old as Islam currently is at that period. He writes,
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