Islam: A Short Introduction (Oneworld Short Guides)

By Abdulkader Tayob

This book leads he reader into Islam by walking him or her through a mosque. It is a somewhat meandering tour, based on the principle that the immediate object or concept calls for attention and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1851681922
• ISBN13: 9781851681921
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.6" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

A great overview, profound in some places.

Abdulkader Tayob did a great job in writing a thoroughly comprehensive, but easy-going book introducing Islam. Not only does he cover the fundemental tenets of faith, and the '5 pillars', but he also covers many aspects of history, as well as more complex matters. All are developed through the metaphor of visiting a mosque and travelling to the different areas in progression. It is very well written and structured, and lucidly covers many of the differing viewpoints within Sunni Islam itself. The author takes pains to not have any bias, and just presents differing views with no conclusion drawn. It is good to see. It is a great little book, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Islam as the majority of us mainstream Sunni Muslims believe.

Islam: A Short Introduction

"Islam - A Short Introduction" In my perspective, "Islam - A Short Introduction" is a great and an informative non-fiction book written by Abdulkader Tayob. Obviously from the title of this book, the reader can tell that the information in this book is based on the religion "Islam". It is a much-needed, concise and innovative introduction to the Islamic religion. I think this is a good book because it is a somewhat meandering tour that leads the reader from Islamic history on towards the modern Islam. Secondly, it describes in detail some of the Islamic rituals and methods that all Muslims have to follow. Last but not least, this book supports its information by providing evidence straight from the Quranic verses. First of all, this is an interesting book because it is like a small tour that takes the reader right from the beginning of the religion Islam and all the way towards modernity in Islam. In the way, it talks about many of the important aspects of Islam, which all Muslims should be aware of. For example, "the call to prayer" is one of the important parts of Islam and thsi book explains its importance and significance. I liked the way this book provided a description about Call to Prayer because I remember that when I was young, I used to love hearing the Call of Prayer and watching believers making their way to the mosque, back in my country Pakistan. A statement taken from the book clearly indicates that this book has provided an excellent description about the importance of Call to Prayer: "The mosque may be a physical symbol of Islam, but the Call to Prayer is a ritual act which sets that symbol into motion by calling people together." (Pg. 3, 3rd paragraph)Furthermore, this book covers up other Islamic aspects such as prayer, worship, and pilgrimage. Also, to give this book an interesting touch, the author compares other religions such as Christianity and Judaism with Islam. Secondly, this book interests me or would interest any reader because it provides a great deal of information about some of the Islamic rituals and methods that all Muslims must or should try to follow. For example, the book states the major purification rituals in Islam, how to perform them, and their values according to Islam. Moreover, it also provides knowledge about acts that Muslims have to perform during their lifetime including at the stages of birth, puberty, marriage, and death. A statement from the book explains one of the Islamic rituals related to the birth of a child: "Ritually speaking, it is the responsibility of the parents to declare the Call to Prayer into the ears of the infant immediately after birth." (Pg. 45, 3rd paragraph)This statement and many others in the book prove that this book provides detailed and valuable information about the rituals of Islam. However, the content of this book could've improved if the author would've added some information about the five fundamental pillars of Islam and their importance. Afterall the five fun