A Muslim primer : beginner's guide to Islam / Ira G. Zepp ; foreword by Sayyid Muhammad Syeed.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zepp, Ira G.

Contributor:

Islamic Society of North America.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Islam.

Islam--Doctrines.

Physical Description:

xxxvii, 218 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Other Title:

Beginner's guide to Islam

Place of Publication:

Fayetteville : University of Arkansas Press, 2000.

Summary:

A Muslim Primer covers the basic beliefs of Islam and provides a reliable source of information for both lay and professional readers. First published in 1992, it has proven to be a valuable handbook for anyone attempting to better understand the religious tenets of a major portion of the world's population. This fundamental guide to Islam introduces the reader to the authority of the Quran, the life and prophethood of Muhammad, the Primacy of the Law in Muslim culture, the Five Pillars of Islam, and other fundamental principles of the religion. It also makes distinctions between Sunni and Shiite traditions and the Sufi mystical dimension of Islam.

Well-organized, visually appealing, and accurate, A Muslim Primer will prove essential to students of Islam, church and community study groups, and travelers, both tourists and business people.

Contents:

Introduction: Historical Context for Contemporary Interest in Islam xxxi

Part 1 The Desert is Fertile

Abraham: First Monotheist and Common Parent 3

From Animism to Allah: Pre-Islamic Arabia 7

Geography as Latent History 7

Religion in Pre-Islamic Arabia: "A Time of Ignorance" 10

Can Anything Good Come Out of Mecca? The Life of Muhammad 15

Muhammad's Youth 16

Recite! 18

Leader of Islam 20

The Expansion of Islam 25

Part 2 Essential Islam

Beliefs of Islam 31

The Oneness of God 31

Divinity of the Quran 41

Message of the Quran 47

Prophethood of Muhammad 48

The Wisdom of the Law 56

The Inevitability of the Last Judgment: "The Final Weighing of Deeds" 62

The Protection of the Angels 66

The Positive Nature of Human Beings 67

Ethics: Principles and Application 71

Some Specific Guidelines 72

The Five Pillars of Islam 79

Witness to the Faith (Shahadah) 79

Prayer (Salat) 80

Fasting (Sawm) 87

Almsgiving (Zakat) 89

Pilgrimage (Hajj) 90

Jihad: Striving, Struggle 95

The Muslim Wedding and Funeral 99

Divisions in Islam 105

Sunni and Shiite: How Will Leadership Be Determined? 105

The Sufi Dimension: From the Aridity of Orthodoxy to the Oasis of the Heart 115

Part 3 Some Current Issues

The Status of Women 125

The Quran and Women: Historical Context 126

The Quran and Women: Echo of Culture 127

Seclusion and the Veil 128

The Quran and Women: Challenge to Culture 129

Human Rights 133

Part 4 Islam's Gifts to the West

Art 141

Architecture 145

Sciences 151

Physics 153

Ibn al-Haytham 153

Mathematics 155

Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi 155

Medicine 157

Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Razi 157

Literature 159

Poetry 159

Prose 161

Philosophy 163

Abu Ali al Husayn ibn Sina 163

Abul Ibn Rushd 164

Part 5 Islam and Christianity

Jesus, Son of Mary 169

Virgin Birth 169

Jesus and the Gospel 170

Crucifixion 171

Jesus the Prophet 172

Bases for Dialogue 175

Differences 177

Similarities 179

What Christians Can Do to Better Understand Islam 183

What Muslims Can Do to Better Understand Christianity 185

Guidelines for Dialogue 187

Concluding Reflections

The Heart of Islam: Continuity, Certainty, and Balance 193

Continuity 193

Certainty 194

Balance 196

Islam's Calendar

Months in the Lunar Year 201

Islamic Festivals and Muslim Cultural Celebrations 201

Some Crucial Events in Islamic History 202

Moments in American Muslim History 202.

Notes:

Originally published: Westminster, Md. : Wakefield Editions, 1992.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [211]-213) and index.

ISBN:

1557285950

OCLC:

43632081