The Formation of Islam
The Formation of Islam
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Jonathan Berkey's 2003 book surveys the religious history of the peoples of the Near East from roughly 600 to 1800 CE. The opening chapter examines the religious scene in the Near East in late antiquity, and the religious traditions which preceded Islam. Subsequent chapters investigate Islam's first century and the beginnings of its own traditions, the 'classical' period from the accession of the Abbasids to the rise of the Buyid amirs, and thereafter the emergence of new forms of Islam in the middle period. Throughout, close attention is paid to the experiences of Jews and Christians, as well as Muslims. The book stresses that Islam did not appear all at once, but emerged slowly, as part of a prolonged process whereby it was differentiated from other religious traditions and, indeed, that much that we take as characteristic of Islam is in fact the product of the medieval period.
- An accessible and comprehensive survey of the religious history of the Near East from 600 to 1800
- Covers both the formation of Islam, and its relationship to other religious traditions
- For students and general readers as a starting-point for further study
Reviews & endorsements
"Berkey provides a well-synthesized basis for the understanding of Islamic history on a broad basis. He has drawn on a significant range of scholarship and has provided extensive footnotes which will help students in their research work in secondary sources." Canadian Journal of History
"...a vital aid to academics and advanced students alike." American Historical Review
"A well-written and insightful presentation of Islam's historical development...Highly recommended." Choice
Product details
December 2002Paperback
9780521588133
301 pages
229 × 153 × 20 mm
0.438kg
3 maps
Available
Table of Contents
- Part I. The Near East before Islam:
- 1. Introduction
- 2. The religions of late antiquity
- 3. Arabia before Islam
- 4. The early seventh century
- Part II. The Emergence of Islam, 600–750:
- 5. Approaches and problems
- 6. The origins of the Muslim community
- 7. Early Islam in the Near East
- 8. The Umayyad period
- 9. The beginnings of sectarianism
- 10. The non-Muslims of early Islam
- 11. The 'Abbasid revolution
- Part III. The Consolidation of Islam, 750–1000:
- 12. Issues of Islamic identity
- 13. Religion and politics
- 14. Shi'ism
- 15. The formation of Sunni traditionalism
- 16. Asceticism and mysticism
- 17. The non-Muslim communities
- Part IV. Medieval Islam, 1000–1500:
- 18. The medieval Islamic Near East
- 19. A Sunni 'revival'?
- 20. Common patterns in social and political organization
- 21. Modes of justice
- 22. The transmission of religious knowledge
- 23. Sufism
- 24. Popular religion
- Epilogue:
- 25. From medieval to modern Islam.
