Islam: The Straight Path

by John L. Esposito

Book Overview

This exceptionally successful survey text introduces the faith, belief, and practice of Islam from its earliest origins up to its contemporary resurgence. The author, an internationally renowned expert on Islam, traces the development of this dynamic faith and its impact on world history and politics, discussing the formation of Islamic belief and practice (in law, theology, and mysticism) and chronicling the struggle of Muslims to define and adhere...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195112342
• ISBN13: 9780195112344
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 9.2" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

Great Islam 101 Introductory Book

This is a scholarly written introductory book to anyone like me who is curious about Islam. The book can be generally broken down into four parts. The first part talks about the history of Islam. The second part talks about the belief and practice of this religion. I think for the readers out there who is looking for an in-depth treatment of Islam as a religion, this book is not the right book but it should be a good starting point. At least certain concepts such as 'jihad' and veiling are discussed in detail. The third and final sections of the book talks about the evolution of Islam through time till present day. Some aspects are rather repetitive (for example, the characteristics of ulama has been mentioned several times), but overall, you get to know the differences between Sunni and Shii, what internal struggles Islam is (or has been) going through, as well as how and why Islam is so tightly integrated to politics and life. Overall this is a readable (although it can be slightly dry sometimes) and reliable book. My only criticism is that, in the chapters where the modern Islam countries are discussed, for some reasons unknown, countries like Iraq, Syria and Palestine have been completely left out. This is quite a big omission as these countries have huge impact in the Middle East (and evolution of Islam in general).

Required reading

This book is for everyone that wants to learn about Islam and its diversity. There is no bias tainting this work, just sound scholalry research.

finally puts modern Islam into perspective

With Islam such a hot topic these days, I've been looking for a history of the religion and not so much the ranting criticism or apology of it that one sees everywhere. Esposito gives such a history and once you see the history, the modern Islamic resurgent movements make a lot more sense. Esposito begins with Muhammad and the Koran and travels through Islamic history, the Caliphates, the Empires, the Declines, and the renewals. All very fascinating. Most importantly, one learns of the diversity of belief in Islam. And we thought Christianity was divided. It finally clarified the current day Sunni/Shii feuds for me. My beef with Esposito though, is his occasional 'defenses' of Islam against what he calls modern media stereotypes of the religion (and this before 9/11). The book would have had a much more objective tone if he would have left that out and not pushed 'tolerance' of Islam by explaining away its bothersome aspects. Possibly, he if did not, the reader might come to conclusions that bother Esposito. I am one reader that may have come to different conclusions that Esposito intended. For instance, Esposito, argues that modern day fanatical, militant Islam is akin to David Koresh and abortion clinic bombers (i.e. fanatical, militant Christians). At one point in my life, I may have agreed out of ignorance. But the history of Islam as presented in this book does not seem to support that view. Elements of Islam have always had violent elements and I see no reason to see them as fringe and not mainstream. Modern day violence can be seen akin to the Ghazi's of pre-Ottoman Turkey: expanding the sphere of Islam in various means, the sword being one of them. The fact that modern day Islamic governments demand the death of individuals also lends support to the fact that Islamic violence is not limited to fringe movements. Besides the occassional plea for his pluralism, the book is worth the perspective gained from know the history of Islam.

Simply the best there is

What John Esposito doesn't know about Islam is probably either not worth knowing or of interest only to serious specialists in their esoteric debates. As a result, "Islam: The Straight Path" can be heartily recommended. Esposito introduces this religion, arguably the most important one for the West to understand at the present time, in plain and simple English. He outlines the history of the faith, from Muhammad through the early Caliphate and into the age of the great empires based on Islamic bedrock. He also explains the basic traditions and practices of Islam, while devoting considerable energy to explaining how the faith interacts with the modern world - an important concept for any serious study of religion. Unlike many introductory texts on Islam, Esposito does not trivialise certain points, such as the Shi'a tradition of succession to the prophet. Rather, he presents a balanced explanation of how the division between Sunni and Shi'a Islam came about - as well as demonstrating why the two groups are in fact much closer to each other than the media might try to claim. This is illustrative of his approach throughout this masterful work. Esposito comments early that he will avoid the diacritics so common in academic writing about Islam and the Arabic language. While this might dismay some specialists, it serves to "de-alienise" the concepts presented here - which is entirely the point. As a brief anecdote about the usefulness of this book, I first came across it on a booklist for a very introductory course on Islam I was taking. Since completing that course, I have moved into the field of Islamic Studies permanently and have never had this book out of my sight during research. Not only are Esposito's remarks on aspects of the faith very well-written, he also provides suggestions of other sources to consult. This book can be recommended to anyone keen to learn about Islam. Regardless of one's background knowledge or lack thereof, Esposito will prove a very useful addition to a bookshelf.

Best introduction to Islam

Most westerners equate Islam with terrorism. The reason is simple: Muslims rarely make the evening news unless engaged in hijackings, suicide bomb attacks or bloody confrontations with Israelis or with their co-religionists. In this 3rd edition of his book on Islam, John Esposito does much to correct this and other pervasive misconceptions surrounding this great world religion.Esposito traces the historical development of Islam from its genesis with Muhammad and the Quran, through the great ages of Islamic fluorescence and expansion-- the Umayyad (661-750) and Abbasid (750-1258) caliphates -- right up to the modern period, when "neorevivalists" struggled to reconcile the fundamental principles of Islam with secular and western-dominated contemporary life.Along the way, Esposito elaborates the basic tenets of Islam, describes the great Muslim thinkers and their ideas and explains clearly the basic interpretations and movements (e.g., Shiism, Sufism) which have animated the development of the Muslim religion over the centuries. He also describes the different turns Islam has taken in different political contexts (contrast secular Turkey with the theocracies of Saudi Arabia and the Sudan).The picture of Islam which emerges from Esposito's treatment is one of considerable complexity, yet always anchored in the fundamental principles adumbrated in the Quran. Islam: The Straight Path is perhaps the best introduction to Islamic belief and history in print. The 250 page text is accompanied by a bibliography and a helpful glossary. This book is highly recommended for students being introduced to Islam and its history and, indeed, for anyone interested in learning something of the world's second largest religion.