Reza Aslan, No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

30. Reza Aslan, No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

I adored this book. It's a non-fiction book detailing Islam as a religion; about half of it is devoted to an incredibly detailed description of life and culture in the Arabian peninsula immediately before and during Mohammad's life. The second half of the book lays out some of the most prominent evolutions of Islam since then, from the basic branches of Sunni, Shia, and Sufism, to more recent developments like Iran's Khomeinism to Saudi Arabia's Wahhabism.

This book was fantastic. It's perfect both for the reader who knows nothing about Islam and the educated reader. It contains so many details and interesting perspectives that I think there's something new for everyone to learn*, and yet it lays things out so clearly that it's also a great introduction. Aslan is a wonderful writer; despite it being a non-fiction book, it has a very conversational tone, which is totally engaging and enthralling. I have not read many non-fiction books that have sucked me in like this one.

Very, very highly recommended, and I'll be checking out Aslan's other book.


In particular, I spent a lot of time shrieking "Oh my God! Did you know this?!" during the section about Britain's role in the formation of Saudi Arabia.

Comments

[kizmet-42.livejournal.com]

Did the book cover much of the Christian church at that time?

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

No, not really. There was some discussion of what the Christian population in the Arabian peninsula in the 6th and 7th centuries AD believed, and how they influenced Mohammad, but their beliefs were pretty far from the standard Christian beliefs today, or what was at the time starting to be standardized in Byzantine (i.e., they didn't believe in the concept of the Trinity). That's very much a minor footnote in the book as a whole. I wouldn't pick up this book if you're looking for a history of the Christian church.

[kizmet-42.livejournal.com]

No so much of Christian history as a snapshot of Christian practice at the time. Thanks!

[coloronline.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Thanks for the review. Just posted a link to your post here:
Check out Color Me Brown Links
http://coloronline.blogspot.com/2009/09/color-me-brown-links.html

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link!