Islam: A Thousand Years of Faith and Power (Yale Nota Bene)

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Bloom and Blair cover over one thousand years of human history in pages. They describe rather than analyse, outlining how Islam rose from its oasis base to an imperial religion.

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They show that Islam has adapted to different conditions. It has been used by the ruling class to consolidate power and as a means of expression by the oppressed. To the north and east were the two superpowers: He criticised the traditional polytheist religions, falling foul of tribal leaders, and was forced out with a small band of followers. They settled in Medina, miles north.

This was important in developing a cultural and linguistic bond between believers of all nationalities.

Islam shares many prophets with Judaism and Christianity: According to Islam, Muhammad was the last in the line of prophets and represents the perfection of the religion. Muhammad died suddenly on 8 June His death left open questions on the nature of the religion, and who would succeed him. The Sasanian empire crumbled. By the early eighth century, the Islamic empire stretched from North Africa to the Central Asian steppes and into Sind now Pakistan , an area larger than the empires of Persia, Alexander the Great or the Romans.

Islam : a thousand years of faith and power

Islam, however, was far from unified. Both the third and fourth caliphs, Uthman and Ali, were murdered by disaffected Muslims. Shiites argued that the caliph should be descended from Muhammad but differences developed within Shiism over who was the rightful seventh caliph. They remain the overwhelming majority today. Unlike the Shiites they did not endow the caliph with spiritual authority. By the eleventh century four dominant Sunni schools had emerged.

Caliphs increasingly held power as the heads of dynasties. If you have come to the conclusion that the Muslim Extremists are the only part of the religion you care to consider, or that the entire community of believers is suspect or worse, this is not the book that will confirm your opinions.

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Among my several disappointment with this book is the fact that every topic seems to result in a discussion of building and architecture. This make sense given the fact that the book is bound to the not presently available visuals of the TV broadcast, but leads a serious student with more questions than answers. Muhammad is the father of this religion and his life is dealt with in much less than a chapter. There are a few details about the almost immediate splintering of the religion, but this discussion is neither deep nor especially informative.

The religion he inspired no functions via interpretations and rulings contained in a variety of the sayings collected into the Koran. Very little of these books and the functions, characteristics and methods of Sharia law are discussed.

What we get is a series of travelogues, identifying places then or now ruled by various Islamic courts. Some loyal to a remote Caliphate, others beholding to only local authorities. There is almost no military history, very little about daily life for the people in the various locations and always more about buildings, mosques, colleges and palaces.

There are scatted and scant biographies of some local Pashas and Caliphs, a few writers or philosophers. Much beyond who had been playboys and which ones had been empire builders we get little. Between the lines we get glimpses of the internal struggles among the various Islamic political powers and would be powers.

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There is no analysis to explain why these struggles existed and which ones fit where in a modern rubric of fundamentalist, or tolerant. Please note that this history ends in the late 's. Europe as a continent is becoming dominant among the larger world of competing powers.

The various Islamic powers are or have peaked in their respective roles at the top of this competition. Where extremists exists they have no ability to project threats into the daily awareness of most Europeans, or the not yet independent United States. Ultimately what makes this book what it is; is that it was intended as a intro to Islamic Culture. It was not designed to discuss many of the things about which I had hoped to learn.

I cannot down star it for the fact that it is designed to be less than my needs. A Thousand Years of Faith and Power as a starting place. I caution that it is incomplete, selective and purpose built to highlight topics easily conveyed in video. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. View or edit your browsing history. Search WorldCat Find items in libraries near you. Advanced Search Find a Library. Your list has reached the maximum number of items. Please create a new list with a new name; move some items to a new or existing list; or delete some items.

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