An Introduction to Islam, 3rd Edition [Paperback]

Frederick Mathewson Denny (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131835637 | ISBN-13: 978-0131835634 | Publication Date: March 5, 2005 | Edition: 3

The author's extensive field work, experience, and scholarship combined with his engaging writing style and passion for the subject sets this text apart. An Introduction to Islam, Third Edition, provides students with a thorough and unified topical introduction to the global religious community of Islam. It places Islam within a cultural, political, social, and religious context and examines its connections with Judeo-Christian morals. The text's integration of the doctrinal and devotional elements of Islam enables students to see how Muslims think and live—engendering understanding and breaking down stereotypes. An Introduction to Islam, Third Edition also reviews pre-Islamic history so students can see how Islam developed historically.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The author's extensive field work, experience, and scholarship combined with his engaging writing style and passion for the subject sets this text apart. An Introduction to Islam, Second Edition, provides students with a thorough and unified topical introduction to the global religious community of Islam. It places Islam within a cultural, political, social, and religious context and examines its connections with Judeo-Christian morals. The text's integration of the doctrinal and devotional elements of Islam enables students to see how Muslims think and live--engendering understanding and breaking down stereotypes. An Introduction to Islam, Second Edition also reviews pre-Islamic history so students can see how Islam developed historically. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

The book provides readers with a thorough and unified topical introduction to the global religious community of Islam. The book examines is connections with Judeo-Christian morals. The integration of the doctrinal and devotional elements of Islam enables readers to see how Muslims think and live. It also reviews pre-Islamic history so readers can see how Islam developed historically. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 3 edition (March 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131835637
• ISBN-13: 978-0131835634
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #302,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you want to learn about Islam?, January 22, 2002

By 

Jedidiah Palosaari "Not My Real Name" (Fes, Morocco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Introduction to Islam, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

Let's say you know nothing about Islam. But you want to learn everything about it that can be learned in one book, and in a readable format. Pick up Denny. He covers the full gamut of psychology, religion, history, sociology, and much more, in a way the layman can easily understand. There are times when he seems to accept a little too much the Muslim version of history without investigating it further, but in general he seems to respect Islamic beliefs and still maintain a historical critical perspective. Especially helpful is the background in Mesopotamian beliefs, Judaism, and Christianity provided before hand. It frames the Islamic movement historically, and also provides an easy etic segue for the typical Western reader. And while Denny goes into great detail on orthodox and folk Islam, he is to be additionally commended for the sections on Sufism, which often get short shrift in scholarly works on Islam.

The title is apt. After reading this, one will know Islam thoroughly at the introductory level.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mature Introduction to Islam, June 1, 2005

By 

William Garrison Jr. (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: An Introduction to Islam, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

"An Introduction to Islam" by Frederick Denny, First edition in 1985, Second edition in 1994 (paperback ISBN 0-02-328519-2), 405 pgs. Although a medium-size paperback, a book actually worthy of being called a college-level textbook. Chapter 1: Early Civilizations: Egypt & Mesopotamia; 2: The Jews (10 pages); 3: Christianity (8 pages); 4: Pre-Islamic Arabia - Beliefs (10 pgs); 5: Muhammad and the Early Muslim Community (20 pages); The Arab Conquest (20 pages); 7: The Basic Beliefs and Worship Practices of Islam (40 pages); 8: The Nature and Function of the Quran - format, recitation, nature, interpretation, the Inimitability (15 pgs); 9: The Prophets' Sunna as Preserved in the Hadith (10 pgs); 10: Muslim Creeds and Theologies - the place of reason, Mutazilited, three Muslim creeds, Kalam, the challenge of philosophy (20 pgs); 11: Law and the State in classical Islamic Formulations - Shari'a, Fiqh, schools of law, political institutions (10 pgs); 12: Sufi Way of Mysticism - tariqa, al-Junayd & sober Sufism, antinomian, intoxicated al-Hallaj, al-Ghazali (20 pgs); 13: Master and Disciples of Sufi orders - Shaykhs, Faqirs, Qadiri, Jalal al-Din al-Rumi, Mawlawis, Silsila, Dhikr, Sama, Ibn Arabi (15 pgs); 14: The Islamic Life Cyle and the Family - rites, ceremonies, customs, infancy, childhood, marriage, divorce, inheritance, property, interest, food, clothing, death rituals (20 pgs); 15: Ideals and realities of Islamic community life - the mosque, marketplace, public behavior, recreation, veneration of saints (20 pgs); 16: Islam in the Modern World - Wahhabis, Islam and nationalism (13 pgs), 17: Three forms of Islamic Revival - fundamentalism, feminism, the Umma in North America (10 pgs). Besides presenting Islamic views in the Middle East, it also covers the Far East, also. One of the more informative books of its era.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Admirable, December 21, 2005

By 

Dan (Flanders, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Islam, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

Denny does a great job of explaining what can be a very complex topic. I used this as a textbook for a history course, but it is still very readable for personal enjoyment. It is clear that Denny is very passionate about his work. Although the book is not a chronological history of Islam, the knowledge gained from it is useful when trying to understand that type of study.