No god but God

February 14, 2005
Aslan, a professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Iowa and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, argues in this informative but uneven study that a reformation of Islam is already underway. He astutely recognizes that the struggle between arch-conservative Wahhabi Islam and the innovative, reform-oriented Islam of the Prophet Muhammad are at war, dragging the United States and the West along. Aslan's brief but accurate analyses of polygyny (or polygamy), the veil, jihad and the devastating effect that European, particularly British, colonialism had on the Islamic world convey deep insight. Unfortunately, charging through more than 1,400 years of Islamic history in 300 pages means that some nuances are lost. Moreover, Aslan quietly challenges various "myths" dear to the average Muslim. He states that Muhammad could not have been illiterate, making the Qur'anic revelation less miraculous; that the egalitarian Medina Constitution—the symbol of Muhammad's great statesmanship—was actually revised in hindsight to hold such values; and the death of the Prophet's grandson Husayn at the Karbala massacre was, post-death, recast as a gesture of martyrdom by Shi'ite Muslims and not a conscious, self-sacrificial decision by Husayn himself. These lapses will bother even progressive Muslims, but non-Muslim readers will find this a sufficiently quick introduction to a complex topic. 5-city author tour.

April 18, 2011
Packing in a formidable amount of research, legend, and critical analysis, Aslan condenses his adult book of the same name to create a concise introduction to Islam. By breaking up chapters with clear subheadings, maintaining a conversational tone, and incorporating numerous anecdotes that both inform and entertain, Aslan makes 15 centuries of religious history digestible without oversimplifying complex material. Beginning with the economic, interreligious, and cultural context into which Muhammad was born, including the Jewish and Christian understandings of prophecy, Aslan focuses on Muhammad's early life, his growing awareness of his prophetic calling, and his Earthly ministry's focus on social justice, particularly for women and the poor. Aslan details the sociopolitical influences shaping Islam and the written Quran in the decades following Muhammad's death, then segues smoothly into relevant contemporary issues, such as the concept of jihad, the role of women in Islam, and ways in which recent technology has allowed for more diverse interpretations of the Quran. This welcome addition to Islamic studies provides a valuable context for reflection about the origins of issues facing Muslims and their neighbors today. Ages 12âup.

December 15, 2010

Aslan reworks his illuminating and readable No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam (2006) for a slightly younger audience with mixed success. The early chapters lay a strong foundation for understanding Islam's essential tenets and character. The author describes the early Arabic cultural and religious milieu, separates (scanty) fact from legend in tracing Muhammad's life and shows how Islam developed from a strong call for social and economic reform to a "revolutionary experiment" that profoundly and successfully challenged established traditions in every area of Arab society and government. Following that, though, the narrative fragments into a series of informative but less cogent essays on narrower topics, including the power struggle among Muhammad's successors, the true meaning of "jihad" (no, not "Holy War"), the strong links between Islam and Judaism and the status of women in Islam. Nonetheless, the author offers a rare and lucid vision of early Islam from the inside, capped with a heartening (for many Westerners) contention that modern Muslim radicalism isn't on the rise but actually in its dying throes. (source list) (Nonfiction. YA, adult)

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May 1, 2011

Gr 9 Up-Aslan looks at religion in pre-Islamic Arabia and describes the world into which Muhammad was born. The prophet's life and the history of the church through the end of the Caliphate are also covered. Additional chapters deal with more controversial issues: the meaning of jihad, Muslim-Jewish relations, and women in Islam. Finally, the author provides a brief look at the future of the religion. These last chapters do a good job of reconciling how the interpretation and translation of the Quran have caused confusion over Muhammad's original intent over time, thereby creating a religion that in some hands is peaceful and in others is violent. Aslan presents and advocates for a peaceful interpretation of the Quran. The book claims to be "based upon" No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam (Random, 2005). Since the author's copyright remains 2005, it appears that the book might be an abridgement rather than an adaptation of the original work. While not entirely new, and not written specifically with a teen audience in mind, this shortened version will be a useful addition.-Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014

A history of Islam told through an interpretive lens that fully acknowledges the impact 9/11 has had on American perceptions of Muslim faith.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2011
Grades 8-12 About half the size of Aslans 2005 adult title of the same name, this slimmer book nevertheless delves deeply into the history of Islam and the evolution of the religion. Starting with life and religion in pre-Islamic Arabia, this goes on to introduce Muhammad and the nascent emergence of a new religion. Though Aslans writing style is eminently readable, as he forges further into Islams history, a certain denseness is inevitable, especially when the text is filled with Arabic names and words (a glossary solves the latter problem, but it is hard to keep the cast straight at times). The original book had in its subtitle the Future of Islam, which this does not, but there is still information about the role of Islam in todays world, the womens movement, and the meaning of jihad. High-school students may prefer to read the adult version of this book, but this should still have strong appeal for those interested in religion in general and Islam in particular.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)