Introducing Islam/ Shepard,William E.

1 Introduction: approaching the subject
Who represents Islam? 1
WlhU is Islam? 2
Is there a "true Islam"? 3
Empathetic umierstamling 3
Apologetics 5
Two problematic pairs 6
.From Orientalism to Islamic Studies 6
Tl)e role of the media 7
Issues of language and related matters 7
Dates 8
An introductory ouervicw ojTslam 8
PARTI
History of the coniiminity
2 On the eve of Islam: the Hellenistic-Iranian world
Tii'o "superpowers" 18
Religion in Inni; Zoroastrianism 19
Other Iranian religions 21
Byzantine Christianity 21
Other forms of Christianity 24
Jews 25
Philosophers and Gnostics 26
Tl)e Axial Age 28
3 The beginnings of Islam: Muslim history to about 700 ce
77jc Arabs before Islam 31
Uie career of the Prophet Muhammad 34
Confict and comjuest after Muhammad 38
Some scholarly reservations 42
4 Expansion and flowering; the history of Islam fiom about 700 to 17O0 ce
Use later Umayyad period 47
Tl:e early Abbasid period 48
Independent or autonomous realms 50
TIk' later Abbasid period 52
Tlse Crusades and their effects 52
The Mongol invasions and after 54
The three great empires: Ottomans, Safavids and Moghuls 57
Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia and Africa 60
PART II
Aspects of Islam
5 The Qur'an: God speaks
Wloat is the Qur'an? 65
Hie Qur'an in Muslim culture 68
Tlje main teachings of the Qur'an 70
Interpretation of the Qur'an 77
Modern critical approaches to the Qur'an 78
6 The Prophet Muhammad: "the best of ail creatures"
Muhammad is human, but special 84
Sunna and Hadith 85
How authentic are the Hadith? 88
Muhammad as intercessor and spiritual being 90
Modernist rieiw; Muhammad as hero 93
7 Rituals and ceremonies
Some basic distinctions and concerns 99
TIk Pillars 100
Other pilgrimages 113
TIk birthday oj the Prophet Muhammad (Mawlid al-Nabi} 113
Life cycle rituals 114
Sibha 116
Halnl food 116
8 Divisions in the umma: sects and political theory
Kbarijis 121
Shi'is 122
Stnnii$ 127
Persian and Greek contributions 130
9 Those who know: scholars and learning
Who are the 'ulama'? 134
TIk mosque 135
Education and learning 135
Tlje sciences and higher leuel teaching 137
'Ulama' and gouernment 141
10 To know God's will: Islamic law
Law: Shari'a and fiqh 146
H)e five Shari'a valuations 147
Usul al-fiqh, the roots ofjurisprttdence: the Stinni form 149
Sunni "schools" of jurisprudence, madhhabs 153
Usul al-fiqh; the Twelver Shi'iform 154
Muftis and farwas 155
A brief history of fiqh 157
TIh' Shari'a and popular appropriation 159
11 Theology and philosophy! "God talk", Muslim style
Tljeology (kalam, usul al-din) 163
Theological issues 165
Philosophy 169
Main teachings of the philosophers 170
12 Hie Sufi path to God: spiritual dimensions of Islam
Knowledge, love and remembrance of Cod 176
Tariqa, the path 177
The goal: fana' and baqa' 179
Walis Csai'nfs) 182
Sufism and Shari'a-mindedness 184
Historical outline 185
Poetry and theosophy 187
Some recent developments 190
13 A philosopher, a scholar-mystic and a reformer
Ibn Sina 194
Al'Ghazali 199
Ibn Taymiyya 202
14 Culture and countet'culcure
Visual arc 209
Architecture 214
Literature 217
Poetry 218 -
Prose 221
Music 222
PART III
Modern developments
15 Modern challenges; Western imperialism and Muslim response
European imperialism and colonialism 230
Modernization, Westernization, secularization 233
Tt}c challenge to Islam: "the great reversal" 233
Pre-modern rejorm 234
Responses to the challenge 235
Traditionalism 235
Islamic modernism 237
Secularism 241
Islamism 243
Resurgence of Islam 247
TJje special case of Israel and Palestine 249
Tile "Arab spring" 251
Post-Islamism? 252
16 Ideology' and politics in Turkey: secularist reform
Ottoman defeats and reforms 256
Ottoman "pan-Islamic" policy and claim to the caliphate 258
"Turkism" in the early tiventieth century 259
Nationalist and secularist republic established by Atatiirk 259
Partial retreat from secularism from about 1950 263
TJjc Nurcu and Giilcn movements 266
Alevi irvival 266
TIh' Turkish experience 267
17 Ideology and politics in Eg)'pt: between secularism and Islamism
TI)e beginnings of modernization and secularization 271
Muhammad Abduh and Islamic modernism 273
Nationalism and secularization in the early tivoitieth century 274
Tlx beginnings of Islamism: the Muslim Brothers 276
Revolution: support, control and repression 278
Resurgence of Islam 279
Tlx "Arab spring" in Egypt 283
18 Ideology and politics in Iran: from secularism to Islamic republic
TJjc Qajat's: religion, foreign interference, constitution 289
Jlje Pahlavis: Reza Shah and Iranian nationalism 293
Muhammad Reza Shah: White Reuolution 294
Islamic opposition and revolution 295
Islamic republic 297
After Khomeini 300
19 Ideology and politics in Indonesia: Islamic society or Islamic state?
Islaniization of Java, Sumatra and other islands 306
Dutch imperialism a)id continuing Islamization 309
Twentieth'century movements 310
Independence and the issue of an Islamic state 312
Tlje events of 1965 and Suhartos regime 314
Post'Suharto: elections; violent Islamism 316
20 Globalization: challenge and opportvmity
Globalization: meaning and examples 322
Global jihad 324
Why martyrdom operations? 329
Muslim diaspora in the West 331
Liberal/progressive Islam 335
21 Three cultural flashpoints: gender, democracy and human rights
Gender 343
Democracy 352
Human rights 357
Concluding problematic postscript: the myth of equality 364