Islam for Dummies [Paperback]

Malcolm Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 28, 2003

Many non-Muslims have no idea that Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews, and that Islam preaches compassion, charity, humility, and the brotherhood of man. And the similarities don’t end there. According to Islamic teaching, Muhammad founded Islam in 610 CE after the angel Gabriel appeared to him at Mecca and told him that God had entered him among the ranks of such great biblical prophets as Abraham, Moses, and Christ.

Whether you live or work alongside Muslims and want to relate to them better, or you simply want to gain a better understanding of the world’s second largest religion, Islam For Dummies can help you make sense of this religion and its appeal.  From the Qur’an to Ramadan, this friendly guide introduces you to the origins, practices and beliefs of Islam, including:

• Muhammad, the man and the legend
• The Five Pillars of Wisdom
• The Five Essentials beliefs of Islam
• The different branches of Islam and Islamic sects
• The Qur’an and Islamic law
• Islam throughout history and its impact around the world

Professor Malcolm Clark explores the roots of Islam, how it has developed over the centuries, and it’s long and complex relationship with Christianity. He helps puts Islam in perspective as a major cultural and geopolitical force. And he provided helpful insights into, among other things:

• Muhammad, the Qur’an and the ethical teachings of Islam
• Muslim worship, customs, and rituals surrounding birth, marriage, and death
• Shi’ites, Sunnis, Sufis, Druze, and other important Muslim groups
• Islam in relation to Judaism and Christianity

In these troubled times, it is important that we try to understand the belief systems of others, for through understanding comes peace. Islam For Dummies helps you build bridges of understanding between you and your neighbors in the global village.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Find out about customs, history, and Islamic law

From faith, prayer, and fasting to charity and pilgrimage, understand Muslim life

You don’t have to be Muslim to understand Islam. This friendly guide introduces you to the origins and practices of Islam, including the Five Pillars and life-cycle rituals. You’ll discover the significance of Muhammad and the Qur’an and meet the various Islamic sects. You’ll also see how Islam has adapted over time and read about current developments in the Islamic world.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

About the Author

Professor Malcolm Clark taught in the Department of Religion at Butler University for 30 years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (April 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764555030
• ISBN-13: 978-0764555039
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent content, horrible editing, April 28, 2006

By 

merzbow - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Islam for Dummies (Paperback)

I would have given this book 5 stars based on content, but I have to take off a star due to the absolutely horrible editing. The publisher should be ashamed - typos EVERYWHERE ('Google' is mispelled 'Goggle' multiple times), even a couple of garbled/transposed sentences (a section comparing and constrasting Sunnis, Shias, and Sufis is just incomprehensible due to transpositions).

But putting that aside, the author is extremely knowledgable and very fair, and not without a dry sense of humor (check out the section on the possibility of women's sexual pleasure in paradise). He's also a Christian. Personally, I think it's a good idea for these sorts of books to be written by those outside the faith; a believer can never be fully objective, by definition.

40 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars If by "dummies" you mean "college freshmen," then yes, this is for dummies., July 1, 2006

By 

Kurt Conner (South Hadley, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Islam for Dummies (Paperback)

I eagerly anticipated this book after finishing the delightful Judaism for Dummies. That book, written by two Jewish men, was funny, warm, and informative. It was full of helpful hints and personal anecdotes. I feel like I got not just the facts but also the flavor of certain aspects of Jewish culture.

This is not that book. This book, written by a Christian college professor, is academic and dry. The structure, with its long chapters, begs devoted study, not the kind of "when you can find the time" style that seems more suited to dummies like me. I was disappointed that it was written by a non-Muslim, as I could have grabbed any scholarly text just to learn the facts (my favorite part of Judaism for Dummies is how personal it was, and I really thought I would read stories about growing up Muslim and rites of passage and the little things that matter to a believer that a non-believer wouldn't immediately notice on his own). As this is my first serious study of the history and beliefs of Islam, I can't make any guesses on accuracy, but with this style of writing, I don't know that I'm going to be around to notice any major mistakes in the last third of the book.

I will probably finish the book because I'm stubborn, and I really am interested in knowing what Muslims believe, but I wish I had chosen a different book to start my study. Or maybe that I hadn't read an entertaining Dummies book before falling asleep on top of this one.

47 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Islam for all: Human Rights Perspective, December 12, 2003

By 

Maimul Khan (Davis, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Islam for Dummies (Paperback)

Prof. Warren Malcolm Clark did an excent job in explaining many fundamental doctrines, ideas, and rituals of Islam. [...] I have to say that Prof. Clark has created a unique approach to Islamic issues. He tried to avoid typical Western attitude toward Islam and Muslims. And he was quite successful in that. I am looking forward to meet him in person to congratulate him for his remarkable academic and popular contribution in an area of such a great importance.