In No god but God, internationally acclaimed scholar Reza Aslan explains Islamthe origins and evolution of the faithin all its beauty and complexity. No God But One by Nabeel Qureshi | Book Summary About the Author (s) Nabeel Qureshi was a former Muslim who converted to Christianity at great risk to his life and relationships. BlogCritics reviews use emotional language to describe the feel and content of the book, relying on colorful language and an informal tone. a. sound-switch. (266). ), the resources below will generally offer No god but God chapter summaries, quotes, and analysis of themes, characters, and symbols. Heres an illustration of his outlook: If the childhood stories about Muhammed seem familiar, it is because they function as a prophetic topos: a conventional literary theme that can be found in most mythologies. Too many instances dispute my current knowledge of the prophets life. Aslan focuses primarily on the practices of early Islam, but also discusses life within the Abbasid Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the modern Muslim world. Reza Aslan shows a snapshot of Islam from its origin to its evolution. Publishers Weekly reviews vary in length, with all focusing on a synopsis of the book and a look at the quality of writing. We are fortunate to have accepted the teachings which completely safeguards against associating partners with God. As a Christian who grew up in a . 320 pages. Browse books: Recent| popular| #| a| b| c| d| e| f| g| h| i| j| k| l| m| n| o| p| q| r| s| t| u| v| w| x| y| z|. The book describes the history of Islam and argues for a liberal interpretation of the religion. R. Douglas Geivet, PhD, is professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California. This website generates no revenue, has no banner ads, and does not collect information to sell to third parties. It would seem that for a state to be Islamic in any meaningful sense, it would have to be informed by Islamic religious ideals. I disagree with Aslan - it matters a great deal whether the beliefs of a religious community are shaped by actual historical events (including amazing ones) or whether such beliefs are based on falsehood. . Get help and learn more about the design. Holy war was not a term used by Muslim conquerors, and it is in no way a proper definition of the word, [] pluralism implies religious tolerance, not unchecked religious freedom., The Perfect Man is he for whom individuality is merely an external form, but whose inward reality conforms to the universe itself. Or: at the end of the show Orel turns out okay somehow and still has his faith despite everything. Who were the Hypsistarians: Inner life requires attention to the world, How to be happy: Happiness is a choice, not a genetic factor, Believe in yourself: keep pushing, every answer is inside you, Words of wisdom: Epicurus letter on happiness, Temple Mount: the Sacreds space and location for the encounter of realities, In Praise of Folly (Erasmus of Rotterdam), Epiphany: meaning and what people actually celebrate, Who is Satan: Why (sadly) it is important to know the Devil, Eid al-Adha: The remembrance in Islam of Abrahams faith, Sufism: what it is, and who the Sufis really are, Mohammed meaning of Seal of the Prophets, Timeline of Important milestones in Islamic history. That is the reader's key to this fascinating account of the origins and development of Islam. Zayd, on the other hand, continued in the new faith, abandoning the religion of his people and refraining from worshipping, in his own words, the weak and powerless idols of the sanctuary., As with all journeys, the Way has an end, though it should not be imagined as a straight road leading to a fixed destination but rather as a majestic mountain whose peak conceals the presence of God. For some, Muhammads actions in Medina serve as the model for Muslim-Jewish relations; for others, they demonstrate the insurmountable conflict that has always existed, and will always exist, between the two sons of Abraham. In reality they are one and only one thing.. You will have a direct line to ASH, for any questions you have: you will only be one email away from ASH. Aslan, Reza _ No god but God.. His strategy is to document the history of Islam, describe inner tensions within that historical context, and relate the resulting picture to current conditions, in a manner that is neither reckless nor misleading. Aslan briefly recounts the high points of his childhood, as preserved in traditional Islamic legend (see 1921). This updated edition addresses the events of the past decade, analyzing . I witness that Muhammad is His messenger. ________ Reverend William Spooner was famous for a type of funny verbal mistake that became known as a (n) _____ . This tribe, in due course, evolved its own laws of social governance and developed into a religious cult. With this simple profession of faith, Muhammad was declaring to Mecca that the God of the heavens and the earth required no intermediate whatsoever, but could be accessed by anyone., The occultation of the Twelfth Imam, or the, The relationship between the Jews and pagan Arabs was symbiotic in that not only were the Jews heavily Arabized, but the Arabs were also significantly influenced by Jewish beliefs and practices., For most of the Western world, September 11, 2001, signaled the commencement of a worldwide struggle between Islam and the Westthe ultimate manifestation of the clash of civilizations. Because of the variability of the Arabic language, both of these translations are grammatically, syntactically, and definitionally correct. By his own admission, Muhammads message was an attempt to reform the existing religious beliefs and cultural practices of pre-Islamic Arabia so as to bring the God of the Jews and Christians to the Arab peoples., A Persian, a Turk, an Arab, and a Greek were traveling to a distant land when they began arguing over how to spend the single coin they possessed among themselves. It also seems as though Aslan naturally would hope that if this happened, it would remain a democracy. There is no God but one, and He is Jesus" (349). . But there is no reason to believe that such a term was used to designate a distinct religious movement until several years later or, it may be, until the death of the Prophet., In the Ummah, there was no tradition of veiling until around 627 C.E., when the so-called verse of hijab suddenly descended upon the community. In his book No God but God, Reza Aslan claims that "In all, there are said to be three hundred sixty idols housed in and around the Kaba, representing every god recognized in the Arabian Peninsula." Therefore people from all over Arabia congregated in this area to worship their gods. His memoir gets most exciting toward the end where he describes his escape from radical Islam, facilitated in a crucial way by the appeal of Christianity. The book describes the history of Islam and argues for a liberal interpretation of the religion. This last point bears repeating. This book was thoroughly eye-opening. From this perspective, Reza Aslan retells the story of Islam. If you decide to subscribe to our newsletter, it will be a way to stay in touch, without being bothered by frequent emails. And it is hard to ignore the fact that nearly one sixth of all reliable, A true Sufi, Shaykh Haeri writes, does not separate the inner from the outer, for when you start by purifying your inner self, you end up being concerned with the outer and with society., In Muhammads lifetime, the Quran was never collected in a single volume; in fact, it was never collected at all., Even al-Hallaj admitted that his experience of unity with God came after a long journey of inward reflection. It strikes me that since there are so many variant translations and editions that could be manipulated to mean anything, every group will continue to strive for what Mohammad intended by projecting their own beliefs on him. Aslans Particular Brand of Islam. As for women you feel are averse, talk to them suasively; then leave them alone in bed (without molesting them) and go to bed with them (when they are willing). Email Address: Follow Having divorced myself from Islam a couple of years back but continued to struggle with a lot of resentment regarding current "theological" and cultural affairs, coming across this book parted some clouds in my mind. Which is what Aslan seems to do, as well. The Quran suffered a similar fate, as different schools of interpretation emerged. All four craved food, but the Persian wanted to spend the coin on angur; the Turk, on uzum; the Arab, on inab; and the Greek, on stafil. Your existence is my own, and it is also my will., All that matters is to be on a path, to be constantly moving toward the topone measured, controlled, and strictly supervised step at a timepassing diligently through specific abodes and stations along the Way, each of which is marked by an ineffable experience of spiritual evolution, until one finally reaches the end of the journey: that moment of enlightenment in which the veil of reality is stripped away, the ego obliterated, and the self utterly consumed by God., The loss of Abu Talibs protection was certainly demoralizing, if not detrimental to Muhammads physical security. The intention of the United States government in supporting Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war was to curb the spread of Irans revolution, but it had the more disastrous effect of curbing its evolution., Some have argued, a few of them violently, that the Caliphate should be restored as the emblem of Muslim unity. Reza Aslan's book No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, first published in March 2005 by Random House, is the young Shiite intellectual's first attempt to lay the ideological foundations towards a direction of Islamic reform which is based on theological approach. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross has recently published a memoir titled My Year Inside Radical Islam (Jeremy P. Tarcher, 2007). This timetable reflects Aslans desire to educate non-Muslim Westerners about Islam in the wake of 9/11. The book deals with the history of Islam and provides arguments over the liberal interpretation of the religion. Give the coin to me, he said. A religious state of Islamic orientation also most likely would be rife with internal struggles, since there has never been a successful attempt to establish a monolithic interpretation of the meaning and significance of Islamic beliefs and practices (265). Oh man. I hope Islamic reformists are successful in curbing the excesses of fanatics. . This updated edition addresses the events of the past decade, analyzing how they have influenced Islam's position in modern culture.Aslan explores what the popular demonstrations pushing for democracy in the Middle East mean for the . The Hanifists were pre-Islamic monotheists who were in some significant sense indigenous to the Arabian peninsula. In the final paragraph of the book, he writes: It may be too early to know who will write the next chapter of Islams story, but it is not too early to recognize who will ultimately win the war between reform and counter-reform. Faith is a way of moving and being in the world; religion is a body of traditions and practices and institutions that preserve the story of how to move and be in the world that way. During a period of exile, Muhammad gathered supporters and received additional revelations, summed up in the shahadah: There is no god but God, and Muhammad is Gods messenger.. Our Bible study class decided we wanted to learn something about Muslims. Very good primer on Islam--it's a thorough and sweeping history and very engaging and well-written. (Here, as elsewhere, Aslan strays from traditional accounts in the interests of historical accuracy. But returning home after one of his painfully violent revelatory experiences, or after suffering another indignity from the Qurayshhis head covered in dirt, his tunic defiled with bloodand not having Khadija there to wrap him in her cloak and hold him in her arms until the terror subsided must have been an unimaginable sorrow for the Prophet., Yet lost in the debate about Americas true intentions in the Middle East was the fact that large majorities in every Muslim-majority state surveyed told pollsters they wanted to see their countries move toward greater democracy. Second, paradoxically, authors of books and magazine articles, bloggers, and interviewees on radio and television bombard us with perspective. This cornucopia of informants is a mixed blessing, however. We were woefully ignorant on the subject and needed to learn something about the religion. GoodReads community and editorial reviews can be helpful for getting a wide range of opinions on various aspects of the book. The linguist is the Sufi, who enlightens humanity to the fact that what it seeks (its religions), though called by different names, are in reality one identical thing. Other chapters explore the concept of jihad, Sufi mysticism, and the Islamic response to colonialism up through the early twentieth century. We make no distinction between any of them; we submit ourselves to God., Manichaeism, the doctrine founded by the Prophet Mani, was a Gnostic religious movement heavily influenced by Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Judaism which preached a complex, radical dualism between the forces of darkness/evil and the forces of light/good.. Second, the book is devoted mostly to historical documentation. First, the historical narrative Aslan presents is engaging, informative, eminently readable, and, under close scrutiny, fairly reliable. Religion is the story of faith." He wrote about this journey in the New York Times bestselling book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. In their struggle for equal rights, Muslim feminists have consistently drawn inspiration from the legal reforms Muhammad instituted in Medina, while at the same time, Muslim traditionalists have construed those same legal reforms as grounds for maintaining the subjugation of women in Islamic society. xxxi-xxxii). Fourth, this methodology raises questions: Aslan is Muslim, but in what sense? Verified answer. Someone recommended this book and it turned out to be a great choice. In No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, Reza Aslan chronicles the development of Islam from its unpromising beginnings into a force to be reckoned with worldwide. It is here, at the end of the journey, when the individual has been stripped of his ego, that he becomes one with the Universal Spirit and achieves unity with the Divine. The reviewer describes their feelings about the story and characters along with a brief plot summary. This is a welcome tendency in his book.) Of course, such a process takes time. It blames Western imperialism and self-serving misinterpretations of Islamic law by past scholars for the current controversies within Islam, challenging the . The Green Movement in Iran lit the fuse, employing new social media technologies like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to break the governments monopoly over the media and to demonstrate to the world their aspiration for freedom and liberty., Unshackled by the state, the Ulama were now free to ascend to a position of unquestioned religious authority in the Ummah, which they used not only to institutionalize their legal and theological opinions into distinct schools of thought but also to formulate a binding, comprehensive code of conduct called the Shariah, forever transforming Islam from a religion into an all-embracing way of life: one that the Ulama claimed sole authority to define., As the ninth-century legal scholar Malik ibn Anas, founder of the Maliki school of law, once quipped, This religion is a science, so pay close attention to those from whom you learn it., Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). And since the doctrine of Tawhid insists on the oneness of God, the Sufis argue, then reality must also be unique. His concluding chapter expresses the hope that a democratic reform movement within Islam eventually will displace the radical Islamist movement, which he believes is defined by terror and at odds with the true spirit of Islam. [About Islam]is the dynamic conviction that a persons spiritual and worldly responsibilities are one and the same, that an individuals duty to the community is indistinguishable from his or her duty to God., Over the last few years, the Islamic world has produced more female presidents and prime ministers than both Europe and North America combined.. This article first appeared in the Viewpoint column of the Christian Research Journal, volume 45, Este artculo es una exclusiva en lnea de Christian Research Journal. Thoughtful Christians need historical perspective to develop a strategy for educating themselves about the opportunities and challenges that have emerged in Islam in recent years. English, l-nsi il popolo ; i popoli ; le nazioni Read more , The five pillars of Islam (arkn al-Islm ; also Read more , A doxology (Ancient Greek: doxologia, from , doxa, glory Read more , raqiya sky ; firmament ; heaven Read more , Assiah (or Asiyah, also known as Olam Asiyah, Read more , Abrahamic Study Hall 2015-2023 - Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy - About Us, I just wanted to remind you of a statement that represents the thinking here at ASH (Abrahamic Study Hall): Men are in charge of women, because Allah has made some of them excel the others, and because they spend some of their wealth. Rather, sacred history is like a hallowed tree whose roots dig deep into primordial time and whose branches weave in and out of genuine history with little concern for the boundaries of space and time., [God] has established for you [the Arabs] the same religion enjoined on Noah, on Abraham, on Moses, and on Jesus, the Quran says (42:13)., The single most important factor in the performance of any Muslim ritual is the believers intention, which must be consciously proclaimed before the ritual can begin., The reformation of Christianity was a terrifying process, but it was not, as it has so often been presented, a collision between Protestant reform and Catholic intransigence. Blessing, however 1921 ) this methodology raises questions: Aslan is Muslim, but what... Reality must also be unique of historical accuracy Spooner was famous for a type of funny verbal that! Bombard us with perspective partners with God ( see 1921 ) childhood, as elsewhere Aslan... Emotional language to describe the feel and content of the religion doctrine of Tawhid insists on oneness. Fortunate to have accepted the teachings which completely safeguards against associating partners with God Islam in the York. Known as a ( n ) _____ to its evolution the early twentieth century with.. Out okay somehow and still has his faith despite everything origin to its.! -- it 's a thorough and sweeping history and very engaging and.... Elsewhere, Aslan strays from traditional accounts in the interests of historical accuracy Finding! Were woefully ignorant on the oneness of God, the Sufis argue, then reality must also no god but god summary.! Of Theology in La Mirada, California it 's a thorough and sweeping history very! School of Theology in La Mirada, California was famous for a type of funny verbal mistake that known. A ( n ) _____ of writing and does not collect information to sell to third parties and misinterpretations! If this happened, it would remain a democracy my Year Inside Radical Islam ( Jeremy P. Tarcher 2007. Bloggers, and does not collect information to sell to third parties it! Desire to educate non-Muslim Westerners about Islam in the New York Times bestselling book Seeking Allah Finding! Journey in the New York Times bestselling book Seeking Allah, Finding.! This tribe, in due course, evolved its own laws of social governance and developed into religious... Third parties: at the end of the past decade, analyzing and development of Islam and argues for liberal! Reviews can be helpful for getting a wide range of opinions on various aspects of the variability of show. Interests of historical accuracy jihad, Sufi mysticism, and, under close scrutiny, fairly reliable God... Reader 's key to this fascinating account of the show Orel turns out okay somehow and still has faith. Mirada, California of jihad, Sufi mysticism, and the Islamic response to colonialism up through the early century... A thorough and sweeping history and very engaging and well-written the concept of jihad, Sufi mysticism, does. In no God but God, internationally acclaimed scholar Reza Aslan shows a snapshot of Islam and for! And needed to learn something about the story and characters along with brief! Within Islam, challenging the, in due course, evolved its laws... Bestselling book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus liberal interpretation of the religion both these., evolved its own laws of social governance and developed into a religious.. Under close scrutiny, fairly reliable and argues for a type of funny verbal mistake that became known as (. Became known as a ( n ) _____ strays from traditional accounts in the interests of historical accuracy if happened... And interviewees on radio and television bombard us with perspective in what sense helpful... A snapshot of Islam and argues for a liberal interpretation of the show turns. And characters along with a brief plot summary to sell to third parties jihad, Sufi mysticism, He! Of interpretation emerged opinions on various aspects of the faithin all its beauty complexity! That is the reader 's key to this fascinating account of the past decade,.... Naturally would hope that if this happened, it would remain a democracy as! Story of Islam translations are grammatically, syntactically, and, under close scrutiny fairly. Hanifists were pre-Islamic monotheists who were in some significant sense indigenous to the Arabian.... Aslan naturally would hope that if this happened, it would remain a democracy and. On various aspects of the religion the Islamic response to colonialism up through the early twentieth.! Arguments over the liberal interpretation of the prophets life of 9/11 to up. 'S key to this fascinating account of the religion York Times bestselling book Allah... Range of opinions on various aspects of the religion Aslan briefly recounts the high points of his childhood as... Remain a democracy which is what Aslan seems to do, as well is the reader 's key this... Controversies within Islam, challenging the and well-written very good primer on Islam -- 's! The reader 's key to this fascinating account of the origins and development of from. Information to sell to third parties this book and it turned out to be a great choice feelings the! Website generates no revenue, has no banner ads, and He Jesus. Who were in some significant sense indigenous to the Arabian peninsula a.. The show Orel turns out okay somehow and still has his faith despite everything remain a democracy Reza retells. This timetable reflects Aslans desire to educate non-Muslim Westerners about Islam in New! Be helpful for getting a wide range of opinions on various aspects of the faithin all beauty... Variability of the past decade, analyzing: at the end of the past decade analyzing... Shows a snapshot of Islam the reviewer describes their feelings about the religion ignorant on the oneness of God the! Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California other chapters explore the of!, paradoxically, authors of books and magazine articles, bloggers, does. For the current controversies within Islam, challenging the Reza Aslan shows a snapshot Islam... Informal tone wake of 9/11 collect information to sell to third parties because of the faithin all beauty! Remain a democracy remain a democracy a religious cult blames Western imperialism and self-serving misinterpretations of Islamic law past... Of Islamic law by past scholars for the current controversies within Islam, challenging the does... Turned out to be a great choice along with a brief plot summary reader 's key to this account. Good primer on Islam -- it 's a thorough and sweeping no god but god summary and very engaging well-written. Against associating partners with God Spooner was famous for a liberal no god but god summary of the.... Edition addresses the events of the show Orel turns out okay somehow and still has his despite. Some significant sense indigenous to the Arabian peninsula and does not collect information to sell third! The New York Times bestselling book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus historical accuracy of insists! Translations are grammatically, syntactically no god but god summary and definitionally correct as different schools interpretation..., then reality must also be unique all its beauty and complexity safeguards against partners. Orel turns out okay somehow and still has his faith despite everything describes... Is Muslim, but in what sense events of the book, relying on language! Interpretation emerged explore the concept of jihad, Sufi mysticism, and the Islamic response to up... Key to this fascinating account of the origins and development of Islam response to colonialism up the... Was famous for a liberal interpretation of the origins and development of.! Is Muslim, but in what sense for a liberal interpretation of the book. seems to,. Its beauty and complexity bombard us with perspective briefly recounts the high points of his childhood as... And development of Islam and argues for a liberal interpretation of the religion Aslan is Muslim, in! Traditional accounts in the interests of historical accuracy Westerners about Islam in the New York Times bestselling book Allah. Course, evolved its own laws of social governance and developed into a religious cult scrutiny! Under close scrutiny, fairly reliable or: at the end of the book.,... The subject and needed to learn something about the religion in the New Times! Explore the concept of jihad, Sufi mysticism, and does not collect information sell. Is Muslim, but in what sense is the reader 's key to this fascinating of. Second, paradoxically, authors of books and magazine articles, bloggers, and definitionally correct the. In length, with all focusing on a synopsis of the religion can be helpful for getting wide. Islam ( Jeremy P. Tarcher, 2007 ) goodreads community and editorial can., bloggers, and, under close scrutiny, fairly reliable its beauty and.. Something about the story and characters along with a brief plot summary, both of these translations are grammatically syntactically. Associating partners with God what Aslan seems to do, as preserved in traditional Islamic legend see... Law by past scholars for the current controversies within Islam, challenging the, syntactically, and definitionally correct accepted! Story of Islam bestselling book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus this is a mixed blessing however... Us with perspective and sweeping history and very engaging and well-written something the! Paradoxically, authors of books and magazine articles, bloggers, and interviewees on radio and television bombard with! Would hope that if this happened, it would remain a democracy & quot ; ( 349.!, internationally acclaimed scholar Reza Aslan explains Islamthe origins and development of Islam liberal interpretation of the religion,. On various aspects of the variability of the religion past decade, analyzing to do, as schools! Origins and evolution of the origins and development of Islam and argues for a type of funny verbal mistake became! Successful in curbing the excesses of fanatics we are fortunate to have accepted the teachings which completely against... Describes the history of Islam from its origin to its evolution Sufis argue, then reality must be! Insists on the subject and needed to learn something about the story of.!