There is much more to the Qur'an than the selective quotations favoured by Islamic fundamentalists. This book provides a student-friendly guide to the many ways in which the Qur'an can be read. Designed for both Muslims and Western non-Muslim students, it examines the Qur'an in Western scholarship as well as giving an overview of the rich interpretive traditions from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to the present day. This guide is a concise introduction to all aspects of the Qur'an: history, understanding and interpretation, providing:coverage of both pre-modern.

This book examines the link between Islamic thought/jurisprudence on the one hand and political action on the other. It shows how reformism is deeply rooted in Islamic tradition and how Sunni scholars have become activists for change in Saudi Arabia.

The terms ‘coexistence’, ‘partnership’, ‘citizenship’ and ‘globalization’ all have a profound impact on today’s decision makers and their policy formation, as well as on individuals. While these terms have been widely used all over the world, particularly in the West, in the construction of identity, they have been considered unworthy of a detailed analysis in the context of Muslim identity. Some scholars argue that Muslim-Christian relations are caught between advocates of homogenization, on the one hand, and supporters of self-affirmation on the other. While the former concept favours relativism, the latter is seen to encourage fanaticism. In addition, such scholars claim that the tension between Muslims and Christians is due to a complex history of rivalry and war, which has led to the issue of Muslims’ positive coexistence being elucidated from historical and sociological points of view. Given the paucity of literature regarding a faith-based study of Muslim coexistence, this book elaborates on the theological aspect of Muslims’ coexistence in non-Muslim lands, and raises a number of theological questions, arguments and counter-arguments pertinent to this issue. Is it permissible for Muslims to live in a non-Muslim country? Is it permissible for Muslims to acquire non-Muslim citizenship? What are the obstacles? How do Muslims perceive civic duties in non-Muslim countries? Are Muslims obliged to fulfil them? The book presents a number of scholarly discussions from past and contemporary sources, as well as international human rights treaties, which stress the significance of the much-overlooked factor of context.

Samira Haj conceptualizes Islam through a close reading of two Muslim reformers—Muhammad ibn 'Abdul Wahhab (1703–1787) and Muhammad 'Abduh (1849–1905)—each representative of a distinct trend, chronological as well as philosophical, in modern Islam. Their works are examined primarily through the prism of two conceptual questions: the idea of the modern and the formation of a Muslim subject. Approaching Islam through the works of these two Muslims, she illuminates aspects of Islamic modernity that have been obscured and problematizes assumptions founded on the oppositional dichotomies of modern/traditional, secular/sacred, and liberal/fundamentalist. The book explores the notions of the community-society and the subject's location within it to demonstrate how Muslims in different historical contexts responded differently to theological and practical questions. This knowledge will help us better understand the conflicts currently unfolding in parts of the Arab world.

A senior scholar of Islamic politics, providing a corrective to a dangerous gap in understanding, explores the true nature of contemporary Islamism and the essential ways in which it differs from the religious faith of Islam.

Salafism, comprised of fundamentalist Islamic movements whose adherents consider themselves the only “saved” sect of Islam, has been little studied, remains shrouded in misconceptions, and has provoked new interest as Salafists have recently staked a claim to power in some Arab states while spearheading battles against “infidel” Arab regimes during recent rebellions in the Arab world. Robert G. Rabil examines the emergence and development of Salafism into a prominent religious movement in Lebanon, including the ideological and sociopolitical foundation that led to the three different schools of Salafism in Lebanon: quietist Salafists, Haraki (active) Salafists; and Salafi Jihadists. Emphasizing their manhaj (methodology) toward politics, the author surveys Salafists’ ideological transformation from opponents to supporters of political engagement. Their antagonism to Hezbollah, which they denounce as the party of Satan, has risen exponentially following the party’s seizure of Beirut in 2008 and support of the tyrannical Syrian regime. Salafism in Lebanon also demonstrates how activists and jihadi Salafists, in response to the political weakness of Sunni leadership, have threatened regional and international security by endorsing violence and jihad. Drawing on field research trips, personal interviews, and Arabic primary sources, the book explores the relationship between the ideologies of the various schools of Salafism and their praxis in relation to Lebanese politics. The book should interest students and scholars of Islamic movements, international affairs, politics and religion, and radical groups and terrorism.

This book, although brief and simple, is a comprehensive and detailed exposition of the main articles of Faith and all the dos and don’ts of Islam. This booklet will serve as a guide to those parents whose children are reaching the age of maturity, as well as to those missionaries who bring someone into the fold of true Islam. It would show them the minimum that their wards should believe in and act upon the moment they become baligh or are converted.