What the Classics Did for Islam

By Peter E. Pormann

Did you know that the Qur' n contains Greek stories? That medieval Muslims produced a rich literature on sexology that is based in part on Greek sources? Or that the Islamic Republic of Iran is partially modelled on Plato's Republic?

Muslim civilisation constantly engaged with the Graeco-Roman heritage in fascinating ways. This book shows how Islam was born in a Hellenised world and examines the profound engagement with classical art, philosophy, theology and science that resulted. The translation of key Greek texts into Arabic during the Abbasid caliphate influenced even the language's grammar and literature: courtiers recited Homer and one Ottoman sultan visited Troy to admire the graves of the heroes of the Iliad. Pormann shows how this legacy endures today, as classical scholarship shapes modern debates about the Qur' n among both modernists and fundamentalists. We can thus trace a line from Homer to al-Q ʿida.

Anybody interested in understanding the intellectually fruitful relationship between Islamic civilization and the classical inheritance of the Graeco-Roman world will find a treasure trove of insights in this erudite and wide-ranging account.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1509573526
• ISBN13: 9781509573523
• Release Date: December 2026
• Publisher: Polity Press
• Length: 224 Pages