Customer Reviews

Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World, Third Edition

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"A MUSLIM is one who believes that `there is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.' A Muslim worships one all-powerful and eternal deity, called Allah in Arabic, who revealed His will and His commandments to the prophet Muhammad of Mecca in the seventh century A.D. Those revelations are recorded in the Koran, the Holy Book of Islam."

Thomas Lippman provides an excellent introduction into the Islamic world. Lippman is neither a historian nor a religious expert, but a journalist. As a journalist, he is able to easily explain Islamic Culture, practices, and history to an audience completely unfamiliar to this subject. Lippman spent a great deal of time in various Islamic countries as a journalist, and gives an easy to understand introduction into various aspects of Islam: (1) Basic Beliefs and Practices, (2) The Prophet Muhammad (3) The Koran, (4) Law and Government in Islamic Countries, (5) The Advance of Islam, (6) Schism and Mysticism, and (7) The Islamic Community Today. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in knowing more about Islamic beliefs and or history.

I found this to be a very good and complete (not to mention enlightening) introduction to Islam, a monotheistic faith surprisingly similar to Judaism and Christianity in that the same god is worshipped, quite different from the polytheism of the Hindus where many gods are worshipped. Muslims only worship God and no other deities, saints, idols, or prophets. The Arabic name for God is "Allah" and the two are used interchangeably in this book, but it is explained that the proper English translation is "God," which would avoid the common misperception that Muslims worship a different god than Christians. The Holy Quran (or Koran) contains the word of God as transmitted through the 7th century prophet Muhammad (who is not worshipped as Christ is worshipped by Christians). The Quran is in many ways a continuation of the Old Testament and acknowledges many of the same events and stories (Adam/Eve, Abraham, Moses, Noah, etc.) although there are a few discrepancies such as whether Ismail or Isaac was to be sacrificed to God by Abraham. The concept of "separation of church and state" is, in theory at least, foreign to Muslims, where there is only the law of God. Muslims believe that God will judge us in the end and decide whether each of us will be granted a world of paradise or one of hell fire.

After explaining the five pillars of the faith, the life of the prophet Muhammad, and which actions are permitted, discouraged, and forbidden by the faith, the book goes on describe the many factions of the faith that have existed over time such as the Shiites (primarily from Iran) and the Muslim Brotherhood and includes a rather comprehensive history of the Muslim world from its inception in the early 7th century to modern day, depicting the many political and religious conflicts that have occurred in northern Africa, the Arabian peninsula, Persia and beyond, providing some additional appeal for history buffs (Mongols, Ottomans, Iran/Iraq war, West Bank, etc.). Today, the largest Muslim country is Indonesia with about 120M Muslims.

I listened to the unabridged audible.com recording of this book. The only drawback to the recording is that you may need to look up the spelling to some of the names and words you hear as many of them are Arabic and not very intuitive to figure out simply by listening (e.g. Quran, Sunnah, Hajj, etc.). I was pleased that the recording was unabridged (roughly 8 hours long) so that I wasn't missing anything from the printed book.

...I have been trying to understand the Islamic religion. I've read about half a dozen books on Islam over the last two weeks and discussed them with a friend who grew up in the Middle East. Lippman's book agreed almost 100% with my friend's experiences. The only differences stem from perspective: Lippman covers the entire Muslim world, while my friend's outlook was limited to one corner of that world.

It's been refreshing to verify that Islam is not a "terrorist relgion" as many people have once again been claiming, that in fact terrorist leaders have been perverting Islam to further their own agendas. (In this respect and many others, Islam is not so very different from Christianity or Judaism.)

This is the single most informative book on Islam that I have found. I beg all my fellow Americans to read this book and make themselves better informed before jumping on the "bomb-them-into-the-stone-age" bandwagon.

As an American Christian, I am perplexed by the behavior of people in other parts of the world; especially when they justify atrocities by quoting religious dogma. The terrorism coming out of the Middle East, where hundreds of innocent people may be murdered in the name of God, is incomprehensible to me.

At the same time, I am aware of my own history. There have been times when Christians burned heretics, hanged witches, and massacred whole populations in the name of the Lord. Christian nations have often enslaved people, persecuted unbelievers, and at times, engaged in genocide on a scale unheard of in any part of the non-Christian world.

These are my own observations. The author does not belabor the historical failings of Christian nations; but he does allude to the probability that the history of Islam is in many respects not very different from that of any other major religion. Religious teachings are often cited as justifications for acts that any right-minded person would recognize as self serving and despicable. This is true whether the person involved is Christian, Muslim, or Jew. When these things happen, they are the acts of individuals, groups of fanatics, and political leaders.

Judge the people who do these things, not their religion. The true message of Islam, like Christianity, is one of tolerance and compassion.

The author attempts to explain Islam, its history, its basic beliefs, how it has spread around the world, and what directions it might be taking in the future. His style is factual and objective. He does not condone or condemn Islam; he merely describes it.

Islam has about a billion followers. Despite the stereotypes, most of them are not Arabic. In fact, none of the five largest Islamic nations are Arabic, and two of them, Indonesia and Bangladesh, are not even Middle-Eastern. It is also worth noting that virtually every modern Islamic nation was, scarcely a generation ago, a part of some Western power's colonial empire. As such, they are all "third world" countries, and virtually all have fallen under some sort of despotic government. The instability of these governments and the social chaos we hear so much about in the news is, unfortunately, normal for countries in that situation, and has little to do with their religion.

However, Islam provides some destabilizing influences. For one thing, it teaches that citizens have a duty to oppose their governments if they feel that the government is opposing their religious beliefs. Moreover, Islam refuses to recognize the distinction between church and state. According to Islam, they are one and the same.

Furthermore, there is no official clergy in Islam. There is no formal structure; no recognized governing body. Supposedly, there is no need for such things. Everything is either in the Koran, or in the ancient traditions. In fact, for that reason, Islam is sometimes interpreted as teaching that there is no need for any national legislatures - God himself has already given us all the laws we need. But this idea originated over thirteen hundred years ago, in a small, isolated, pagan society. And while it was handed down directly from God, one might note that His messenger, Mohammed, was "not a man of letters" (i.e. he was illiterate), and he seems to have lived his entire life between just two cities in the western Arabian Desert. Let's just say that a few things have changed from that time and place.

After reading this book, I cannot say that I feel any better about the problems in the Middle East, but at least, I have a better understanding of how and why such mystifying acts and events can be taking place.

There have been contradictory statements about Islam, indicating a pervasive ignorance about Islam in the United States. This book is an introductory discussion of Islam that should begin to clear up this confusion.

Thomas Lippman has worked for many years throughout the Middle East so he has extensive experience with Islam. Lippman starts by pointing out that Islam has no hierarchic clergy, there is no priest between a Moslem and Allah.
Lippman describes the five duties of a Moslem: The shahada, the profession of faith. The ritual prayer, done five times a day, facing toward Mecca. Zakat, donation to charity. Fasting during Ramadan, and the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime.

Then Lippman talks about Mohammed, who is not a saint, but only a man who brought the final word of God to man. Lippman continues with a description of the Koran, believed by Moslems to be the literal word of God.

Lippman explains how Islamic government is not separate from Islam or the Koran.
Even though there should be no one between the common man and Allah, members of the ulama sometimes tried to color the Sharia with their own interpretation.

Non Moslems often take offense to the Islam's apparent attitude toward women.
The Koran grants women the same rights as men, although this is not always followed in practice.

Lippman shows how, like all things Islam began with certain beliefs, but gradually time and use changed the way Islam was practiced. Superstition and cultural ideas and tradition grew. Some people developed power and influence contrary to the sharia. Attitudes and prejudices grew. Islam stagnated. Groups worshipping the same allah, following the same sharia developed into factions fighting viciously amongst each other. These later developments are faults of men, not Islam. Too often the western world sees only the faults and fails to see the original Islam.

This book was used as part of a class about understanding the Islamic world. It is a great place to start if you would like to be introduced to the basic concepts of the religion and the history. It is perfect for the lay-person who knows little or nothing about Islam. There is little bias in the book, though sometimes you can feel Lippman's admiration of certain aspects and his disgust at others.

A reader of this book could not say that he or she was educated in Islam, but a reader of this book would know enough to understand other books and sources. It also may point readers toward other areas of interest to study.

I listened to this book in the Audible version. It was unabridged, but it appears to be based upon an earlier edition than is indicated in the Amazon link. The second edition is dated 1995, and the audible reading is dated 1991. It appears to end while Khomeini was newly in power, a leftist government ruled in Afghanistan (pre soviet invasion). Used book listings show the first printing as 1981. So be aware that the audio version is not current.

That said, it is a very enlightening, succinct view of the history of islamic people (the religion is islam, the people are muslims). It hints at the huge range of religious thought that has fallen within the description of "islamic" from mysticism to puritanism, from charismatic to impersonal, from predestination to free-will and good works, the whole gamut that one finds in religions that are as widely disseminated as Islam.

It also shows, in no uncertain terms, how the history of islam is built upon martial success. The Prophet himself was clearly a man of arms among other things, and that accounts for at least part of the unending strife that seems to characterize the history of islamic nations.

Finally, it is sobering to realize that a virulent strain of islam has become dominant on the world stage, and that this strain has tremendous appeal. It offers certainty, community, and history, all of which are threatened by modernity. And to the soldier, it offers the promise of literal salvation if he dies in arms.

I'm glad to have encountered this book now, but I recommend the printed rather than the recorded version.

There's a lot of money to be made these days publishing spurious "information" about Islam and Muhammad.

How good it is to see this dispassionate, factual, objective, and pre-9/11 book is still in print! I recommend it highly to those who've only read the sort of books coming from Robert Spencer or Serge Trifkovic which appeal to post-9/11 anxieties, fears, and prejudices against Islam, as well as to those who share my concern for the long-term effects of such propaganda.

Publsiher's Note: A little over thirteen centuries ago, the prophet Muhammad converted a few Arab desert tribes to the belief in a single god, Allah, thus founding the religion of Islam. Within a century, that belief had created one of history's mightiest empires - and today Islam continues to shape events around the globe. This comprehensive guide offers an informative and insightful introduction to Islam both as a religion and as a political-economic force. It tells the story of Muhammad - and the rise of Islam; outlines the sacred book, the Koran; explains "the five pillars of faith"; explores the interplay between religion and government; describes the differences that divide Islam; and, above all, shows the influence of Islam on world affairs. This SECOND revised edition provides crucial new material on the Islamic community today, including discussion of the Gulf War and the Salman Rushdie affair; the rise and ebb of fundamentalist fervor in Iran, Algeria, and elsewhere; and the relationships among different factions of the Islamic faith. There are also updated descriptions of internal politics in Syria, Egypt, Pakistan, and other Islamic nations. Complete with glossary, bibliography. and index.

I opted for the audio. If you know little or nothing about this religion of 900 million people, this is a good place to start. As a belief system, Islam & Christainity are not that different. But the differences between is illustrative & what I got out of this book.
The founder of Islam, Muhammed, is not worshipped as Jesus, the son of God is. He was a man, a warrior, a businessman, a father, husband & of course a prophet & dies as a man.
His life is to be emulated, not worshipped, for he had the faults that all men possess.
While Christainity is hierarchical, the pope & the bishops being very important, there is no similair structure in Islam. In Islam the Koran is the final arbiter. It is not as flexible as the Bible has been over the centuries, open to the interpretation as popular culture dictates.
Most important is the belief in separation of state & religion. It does not exist in Islam. The religion is part of the politics of the country. In many nations where Islam is the predominant faith, indeed it is the Koran, that becomes the final arbitor of foreign policy. Perhaps it is this last point that baffles & worries leaders of western civilization so much. I see a lot of hits on the reviews of this book before mine. There seems to be a lot of interest & thats a good thing.