God's Rule - Government and Islam: Six Centuries of Medieval Islamic Political Thought (Paperback)

~ (Author) "How did medieval Muslims think that humans had come to live under government?..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

The book combines erudition with analytical brilliance. The author knows how to make sense of things, highlight them, and put them in perspective. Readers should come away with a satisfying depth of understanding of the full range of medieval Islamic political thought. -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"This rich and wide-ranging book... is stimulating and provocative... [Crone's] lucid style aims to make a complex, ostensibly alien, tradition intelligible to the general reader as well as to the Islamic specialist." -- Times Literary Supplement

"The book is a masterpiece on the history of the tension existing between religion and politics." -- Peter von Sivers, Middle East Journal

"The author, a distinguished Islamic scholar, cuts through a welter of misconceptions." -- Robert Lebling, Saudi Aramco World

"Patricia Crone gracefully covers the first six centuries of Islamic political thought." -- Zouhair Ghazzal, Historian

"Students today... will benefit greatly from this welcome study of early Islamic political thought." -- Ronald J. Stansbury, Christian Scolar's Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 472 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (November 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231132913
• ISBN-13: 978-0231132916
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,889 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent showcase of immense mutability, July 7, 2005

By	Slacker79 "slacker79" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God's Rule - Government and Islam: Six Centuries of Medieval Islamic Political Thought (Hardcover)

This is a great treatment of Islamic political thought from the founding of Islam to the end of the medieval period. It is written with the standards of professional scholarship, with extensive documentation and references, and some interesting nuggets and arguments in the notes. However, I doubt this would limit the interest for a general audience, as the markings of scholarship are pretty unobtrusive.

Of course, one of the main reasons a general readership would care is to get some context and underpinnings for the political relationships that Westerners are becoming more and more interested in. _God's Rule_ does serve that purpose well. It also shows the dizzying variation in the political thought of various branches and sects of Islam. For theories of the obligations of the state; the proper legitimation of rulers; the relationship between state, society, and religion; the role of "civil disobedience" (to use an anachronistic term); the state and warfare; etc., Crone shows that Islam is incredibly mutable. That in itself is a valuable insight, as we think today about the possibilities for institutional change from autocracy in the Islamic world and the political arrangements that do exist.

Of course, the book is not written with an eye to current events, and it is also excellent as a treatment of the history of political thought in its own right. The time period covered includes an era in which an Islamic empire was the ascendant political unit in the world. More generally this is a large and politically important region of the world at the time. For these reasons its political thought compels our interest.

One minor complaint: I wish Crone had given more emphasis to the size of the various Islamic sects she surveys. Sometimes it is easy to forget that some of the individual communities covered were very small.

This would not make such a good introduction to the history of the Islamic world in general. _History of Islamic Societies_ by Ira Lapidus is a good place for something like that. But it would probably make an excellent 2nd or 3rd book for someone interested in Islamic history.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overview of Islamic political thought in the Middle Age, January 9, 2005

By	César González Rouco (Madrid, Madrid Spain) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: God's Rule - Government and Islam: Six Centuries of Medieval Islamic Political Thought (Hardcover)

It is difficult nowadays to get an objective, nuanced opinion on Islam, neither flattering nor biased against it. If I were to recommend a way to try and achieve that, I would suggest to read several good books on the matter, including this among them, which I read several months ago and found it very informative. However, I almost get lost from time to time with the name of so many different "groups" o "sensibilities" within early Islam. It also clarified to me why deciding who the right calipha was implied not only a political choice but also a religious one. Besides, I think that its review of the concept of jihad was balanced.

Other books that I would recommend to read would be the following: A) ASSESSMENTS OF ISLAM: 1) The best, impartial, wise: "Islam. History, present, future" by Hans Küng (written in German, already available in Spanish, English translation coming in 2007); 2) Moderate Islam at its best: "The Great Theft : Wrestling Islam from the Extremists" by Khaled M. Abou El Fadl; 3) Harsh but well argued: "Muslims in the West: Redefining the Separation of Church & State" by Sami Awad Aldeeb Abu-Sahliehand; and 4) Autobiography of a courageous woman: "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She is a controversial thinker with a very interesting life. B) HISTORY: 5) General: "The Venture of Islam", by Marshall G. S. Hodgson (nowadays a classic included in any bibliography on Islam); 6) Turks: "The Turks in World History" by Carter Vaughn Findley; and 7) Jihad: "Understanding Jihad" by David Cook (it also seems interesting although I have not read it yet: "Jihad in Islamic History: Doctrines and Practice" by Michael Bonner).

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview, perspectives, May 25, 2008

By	N. Gonzalez - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a great book for those already acquainted with early Islamic history. It provides a great overview and keen/fresh insights and perspectives from which to view the subject. Recommend it, particularly for grad students.