Customer Reviews

Arabs In History (University Library)

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This book covers the history of the Arabic world since pre Mohammed times to date. Of course, given the length of the book, you cannot expect a very detailed treatment nor an in depth analysis (the same author seems to offer them in other works). But as a concise and first-approach History is very useful. If you just need to get the facts, a road map and a sense of what has been the History of the Middle East, this is a very useful book. It is short, fast to read and opens up your appetite for more. It does not answer questions but it does something more important: it makes you ask lots of questions.

Bernard Lewis is probably one of the West's most recognizable and respected experts on the Middle East. Fluent in Arabic and having lived in various countries of the Middle East, he has written a plethora of books on this region for the western reader. THis is one of his more recent works, and provides a quick and digestable history of the Arab people; i.e. the people living in and around the Arabian peninsula

The book starts by examining the region before Islam. The pagan culture is examined, along with the local geography, climate, and economy. Next, the book shows how Islam came about thru Mohammed and his teachings, and how Islam came to be the predominant religion and social force in the region. The book then goes into the history of the Sunni-Shiite split, the growth of Islamic empires such as the Umayyads, Turks, etc. The book ends with the topic of Western influence in the region, and how this is affected by the Israel question and oil.

Overall, the book is fairly easy to read and serves as a good introduction to the region. It is suitable for students in college, high school, or adults, and can be picked up by anyone without prior knowledge of the region.

Bernard Lewis is one of the world's foremost scholars on Islamic history and the Middle East. He has written a multitude of books, some dealing with more specific aspects of the Muslim world and it's relations with the West. But here history is written in broad strokes, as Lewis covers Arabic history from pre-Islamic Arabia to the present day. If you are not familiar with the subject matter then this book will be an outstanding primer. But even those already knowledgable will appreciate Lewis' articulate and insightful analysis. Commerce, warfare, religion and the arts are all discussed, with particular attention paid to the grand achievements of the Ummayyad and Abbasid Calipahtes during Islam's "Golden Era".

The reviewer from Scotland that claims Lewis is a neo-con with a bias against his subject clearly has not read the book and has no idea what he is talking about. Lewis is a serious scholar who comes across as highly objective, discussing both the glories and failures in Arab history. He also is one of the few academics able to write in a pleasurable and easy to read style while still maintaining his scholarly credibility This book is a classic of non-fiction and I recommend it to everyone with an interest in history.

Lewis's book has been through many editions, and as a short intro to Arab history it is hard to beat. What would not be hard to beat would be the dreadful production values of this OUP paperback edition. It is printed on horrible paper, and the binding keeps falling off. Shame on Oxford UP for putting out such a good book in such a shoddy format.

After a short chapter entitled "Arabia before Islam," The Arabs in History is essentially a history of Arab Muslims from the time of Muhammad, through the hundreds of years of Islamic imperialism, to the short time of European dominance, to contemporary Islamic nationalism and resurgence.

While some will think the Lewis is a neocon who hates Muslims, others will protest that he downplays both the atrocities committed by Muslim rulers, and the humiliation forced on dhimmis down through the centuries (dhimmis were Christians and Jews who were subjugated, humiliated and forced to pay protection money just to save their lives). Either way, the book is a well written and highly informative treatment of a very complex subject by a world-renowned expert in Islamic history.

If you are like me and you have always wondered about the Arabs, "What crawled up their @$$ and died?", then this book is for you!
Dr. Lewis gets to the point: The Arabs blame others for their own self-made problems. It is a bold statement and like always, Dr. Lewis treads on the subject lightly.
The Arabs began as tribal groups showing close genealogical lineage to the Hebrews. The Arabs consolidated their identity with the advent of Mohammed and Islam. Under Mohammed and the first four "Rightly Guided Caliphs", the Arabs grew into a large land empire that created beautiful architecture, art, poetry, scholarly work, etc. However, the Arab empire contracted almost as soon as it expanded. The fifth Caliph was not as charismatic as the first four, which marks the decline of the power of the Caliph and of the Arabs.
The Arab aristocracy clung to power and wealth, where most of their fellow tribesman lived in abject poverty. Baghdad became the seat of the Caliphate and the center of Islamic learning. However, poor irrigation techniques dried up the once fertile crescent and the center of Islam moved to Cairo, which is its current home. Class disparities remain exactly the same.
The Arabs had been in decline since the death of the fourth Caliph, moved their capital twice, and had a brief revival of power and competency when they conquered and occupied Spain. The Alhambra at Grenada is a symbol of this triumph. This period, also led to the one and only Jewish golden age in Europe. The dhimmi laws, like all laws, where relaxed or not enforced at all. Jews were given high-ranking cavalry and administrative positions in Arab Muslim-controlled Spain. The Arabs were kicked out of Spain during Spain's reconquista and the Arabs regressed back to a state of hopeless poverty, powerlessness and backwardness.
The Turks eventually succeeded the Arabs in controlling the Caliphate. The Ottoman Turks controlled the land of the Middle East, where the Arabs resided and continued on with their decay. Dr. Lewis argues that the it was the backward, poor and deeply declining state of the Arabs that brought the Crusaders and the Mongol invaders. It has prefect logic: conquerers attempt to conquer vulnerable people and lands, not strong peoples who can defend their land. The occasional claim that the Arabs and the Caliphate went into decline because of a two-pronged attack by Crusaders and Mongols is refuted (I believe accurately) by Dr. Lewis in this book. Dr. Lewis argues that the institution of the Caliphate was already so weakened that by the time the invaders got there, they put a nail in the heart of something that was already dead. Dr. Lewis argues that the Arabs have themselves to blame for their own weaknesses and poverty during this time period.
When the Ottoman empire collapsed, the land of the Middle East came under the control of the British and the French empires. The Arabs appealed their case successfully to the Germans, who were anti-colonialist.
When the British and French empires collapsed, the Nazis (who were Arab allies) lost the war, the Arab states became independent, plus one Jewish state. The Arabs were humiliated that their own state of vulnerability, poverty, backwardness and decay could not only fend off European colonialists, but they could not even defeat a gang of "dirty miserable Jews". It was the ultimate shame and humiliation for the Arabs that they had become so weak and vulnerable that they couldn't even win against Jews. They have never gotten over this feeling of shame, which has boiled over into a wider Middle East conflict.
Dr. Lewis argues that the only solution to the greater Middle East problem will involve Arabs owning up to their own faults and stop blaming others for their problems. I would also like to add that the extreme victim mentality is a common attribute of aggressors. I believe that if you can remove the sense of extreme victimdom from the Arabs, then you will remove their aggression as well. I agree with Mr. Lewis that the first step to peace will involve Arabs taking responsibility for their own problems.

Bernard Lewis is arguably one the finest and thorough writers on Islamic history, society and political history. So no wonder that he wrote this book 50 years ago and since then it has remained in publication around the world.

This book is a compact history of the Arabs from pre-Islamic times till present. As most of the history of Arabs before Islam was only oral, few details have reached us. Most of the details, therefore, about Arabs, their culture, traditions, life and times, are of Islamic times. And Bernard Lewis recites his narration in a very non-emotional, matter-of-fact, running commentary style. This is an easy book to read and is fascinating though not detailed. Any book covering over 1500 years of History cannot be enough and Bernard never tries to make it such. He provides glimpses, quotes and general theme and attitude of the Arabs towards other Muslims and towards Christian, Jews and idol worshipers. Throughout the book we can sense his fascination with the nation called Arabs.

In all a wonderful, general history book on Arabs and Muslims.

very informative, but also incredibly dry until the final chapter in which everything comes together and the relevance of the information in the previous 9 chapters to the current relations between the West and Middle East is explained

Bernard Lewis here in this book which was written more than a half century ago, rides through the history of arabs very quickly like an express train.

The book is excellent for someone who wants to know about who & what are arabs & their history in a brief way, but for those who want more detailed backgrounds, this book wil only serve as an appetizer.

Many attack Bernard lewis for inaccuracies, some even were angered by a single line & called for him to check facts albeit the facts were unattainable as it was purely dogmatic belief, undoubtedly some are unjust, how can anyone write about who sits next to God & call it a fact? unless you believe that every word uttered in the old/new testament is asbolute truth & needs no further research to prove but then its called belief not facts.

Bernard lewis has his detractors as any serious scholar expects, this book here is not definitive but an interesting read for those blind on the subject.

This is a decent attempt to reveal the history of a very misunderstood place. Lewis, however, does little to destroy the misunderstanding...only presenting some facts with some questionable interpretations.