Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21995 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

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.

Customer Reviews

Good foundation
I think this book is a good foundation if you are interested in developing you knowledge of islam. it gives a good basic understanding to islamic history, culture and the religion as a whole. i have also read Catholicism for dummies and the bible for dummies and found that this book didn't have the same free-flowing nature to it. i also felt that the authors opinion leant slightly against islam on some issues and although anyone is welcome to their opinions i felt this shouldn't have come through in the text.

Thorough, readable, informative
With all that is happening in the world a good, readable and informative book on Islam is very welcome and the fact that it's written in the very successful "for Dummies" format helps to make it more accessible. There are many books about Islam on the market of course, pitched at various levels, and that means there are simpler ones than this out there as well as more detailed ones. However having looked at many of them I cannot recall one that balances readability and thoroughness as well as "Islam for Dummies", and I recommend it heartily for the general reader who wants more than the basic information.
I would have given it five stars but was disappointed to find several silly mistakes in dates, probably originating as typos - the sort of thing that really should have been picked up in the final checking before publication.

incorrect information, dont buy
I wouldn't recomend this book. I bought this to give it to my family so they would have a better understanding of the basics of Islam so I wanted to read it before I gave it to them. The book isn't written by a muslim its written by a christian priest who is a professor of religion. There is some incorrect info in various parts, one example is that the author says (in page 50)that satan was a fallen angel. In Islam, Satan isn't a fallen angel, Satan was never an angel he was a jinn who was so pious that he was allowed to be in the presence of angels in heaven. When Adam (as) was created and Allah (swt) ordered all the angels to prostrate to Adam, Satan refused because of his arrogance and Allah (swt) banished him from heaven.You can find this in the Quran in chapter 18 called "The Cave", verse 50. There are a few other bits of wrong information in other parts of the book.I dont understand why they got a priest to write about Islam. Just because you may have studied some world religions doesn't make you the most reliable source of information. Why? Because it's not the religion you love and practice. Why didn't they get a muslim scholar to do this? All I can say is if you are interested in learing about Islam be very careful where you get your information from as there are a lot of false sources out there and this is one of them.