the oxford history of islam is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. while i am no content scholar of islam, i note that the few facts that i do know corresponded with the facts presented in this book. the text is written in a manner quite easy to read. frankly, i still have difficulty distinguishing islamic names. the thickened pages and the exquisite photography and separate sections describing history, religion, architecture ... make this book truly outstanding. i bought this at the used price. while i'm glad i did, knowing what i know today, i would have paid the full market price and been delighted!!! i recommend this book for anyone who wishes to better understand islam, scholars might be bored - familiar with the content and, it really is for the generalist. but, what a great book for the generalist!

the oxford history of islam is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. while i am no content scholar of islam, i note that the few facts that i do know corresponded with the facts presented in this book. the text is written in a manner quite easy to read. frankly, i still have difficulty distinguishing islamic names. the thickened pages and the exquisite photography and separate sections describing history, religion, architecture ... make this book truly outstanding. i bought this at the used price. while i'm glad i did, knowing what i know today, i would have paid the full market price and been delighted!!! i recommend this book for anyone who wishes to better understand islam, scholars might be bored - familiar with the content and, it really is for the generalist. but, what a great book for the generalist!

This history of Islam is a putative book for beginners and scholars alike. However, I doubt that absolute beginners will find the book useful. Too many times the authors barrage the reader with names of Islamic movements, terms, place-names, and people. Often they do this and fail to provide much needed explanatory background.
That being said, many of the chapters are excellently written and supremely informative. From the Prophet Muhammad and the early Caliphate, to Islam in the global world, almost every important topic is covered. The book is also extremely fair and balanced in its coverage. There is no Bernard Lewis venom, nor cheap apologetics toward Islamic societies.

I would recommend this to a novice with some background. A true beginner's book it is not, but a truly enlightening book it certainly is.

I was required to read this text as part of a college History of Islam course, one of several classes I've taken dealing with Islamic studies. The chapters have been prepared by various scholars and expositors and deal with the genesis of Islam through the turn of the last century (the text was published in 1999). The chapters are presented in an essay format and have a consistent feel throughout. Since the material was prepared by distinct authors, there's occasional beneficial overlap in which certain important personalities pop up again and again, lit up by slightly varying perspectives.

The authors do an excellent job of leading the reader-student through the early period of Islam, then through the various caliphal dynasties, and then through the distinct Islamic civilizations and the main empires (northern African/Arabian, Ottoman/Turkish, Safavid/Persian, and Mughal/Indian) through the Colonial into the post-Colonian/Modern period. In addition to covering the expected historical events and personalities, there are some great chapters on Islamic contributions to art, architecture and science.

A few of the chapters seemed to contain a bit of editorializing and some softening of negative aspects of Islamic history and the conduct of some Muslims, but the overall quality of the writing is excellent.

I won't be selling this text. I'm eager to hang onto it as a reference.

This is probably the best single work on Islam available, including material on its history, art, customs and impact worldwide. If one has limited time or interest in the subject, they could stick with this book alone and learn a great deal. The first half is superb as an introduction to the faith, particularly the chapter on Christianity. The authors do a fine job of weaving history and religious tradition together in their descriptions and accounts.

So why not five stars then? Unfortunately, things fall apart considerably in the second half. Chapters focus on the faith in different regions, which is fine, but here the authors move away from basic explanations and focus on material of interest to experts. We are not told, for instance, what factors made Islam a success or failure in parts of the Far East or Africa. How effective were Muslim missionaries in these areas? How does religious practice differ from place to place? This is an edited work, so the book's quality varies from chapter to chapter.

A great book about the history of Islam. A must buy for all people!

For the most part this book was quite balanced in its view of Islam. It is a large volume with lots of information. You won't read it in one setting. If you want to get an overview of Islam buy something else.

This book provides a balanced, insightful overview of Islamic culture and civilization. The book describes events leading from the foundation of Islam on the west side of the Arabian Peninsula up to events circa 1999.

The first half of the book deals mainly with describing early Islamic (mainly Arabic) culture, including the religion itself and artistic and scientific achievements. These chapters present a great overview of Islamic culture (although they are somewhat biased towards Arabic culture) that has given me a new appreciation for Islamic art and science. Most of these chapters are written for the general reader, but one chapter on Islamic philosophy is inaccessible to people without a formal education in Western philosophy.

The second half of the book deals with Islamic history. The emphasis is placed on the larger forces at work in Islamic history, such as expansion of the Arabic empire, the empire's fragmentation, the spread of Islam, the effects of colonization by Europe, and present-day nationalistic trends. This portion of the book has left me with a clear understanding of the greater forces at work in shaping the Islamic world today. In doing so, however, it is careful to neither praise nor condemn historical Muslim figures or Islam as a whole. Instead, it critically evaluates their actions.

Despite the grand overview of Islamic history presented in this book, it fails somewhat to make the history more tangible. By focusing on grander, abstract trends in Islamic history, too many details about the specific people involved and the specific events that influenced Islamic history are lost. Therefore, the reader may understand how the Islamic world has generally been shaped by history, but he or she may not understand who or what specifically triggered these events. Furthermore, the more abstract focus makes the book seem very dry.

The other problem I had with the book was its editing and organization. Each of the 15 chapters is written by different authors, so the book does not necessarily read coherently from one chapter to the next. Some terms and events (such as the concept of fiqh or Islamic reforms in China in the 18th and 19th centuries) are explained multiple times in different contexts with different terminology. Few maps are included, and these generally lack detail. Pictures are not necessarily laid out next to the texts that reference them. The book also lacks a glossary, which I needed while learning some of the Arabic terminology.

Despite these faults, this book is a good introduction to Islamic culture and history. Nonetheless, it is only an introduction; readers who want more details about specific events (such as, perhaps, the Iranian Revolution) will need to look elsewhere.

This book provides a balanced, insightful overview of Islamic culture and civilization. The book describes events leading from the foundation of Islam on the west side of the Arabian Peninsula up to events circa 1999.

The first half of the book deals mainly with describing early Islamic (mainly Arabic) culture, including the religion itself and artistic and scientific achievements. These chapters present a great overview of Islamic culture (although they are somewhat biased towards Arabic culture) that has given me a new appreciation for Islamic art and science. Most of these chapters are written for the general reader, but one chapter on Islamic philosophy is inaccessible to people without a formal education in Western philosophy.

The second half of the book deals with Islamic history. The emphasis is placed on the larger forces at work in Islamic history, such as expansion of the Arabic empire, the empire's fragmentation, the spread of Islam, the effects of colonization by Europe, and present-day nationalistic trends. This portion of the book has left me with a clear understanding of the greater forces at work in shaping the Islamic world today. In doing so, however, it is careful to neither praise nor condemn historical Muslim figures or Islam as a whole. Instead, it critically evaluates their actions.

Despite the grand overview of Islamic history presented in this book, it fails somewhat to make the history more tangible. By focusing on grander, abstract trends in Islamic history, too many details about the specific people involved and the specific events that influenced Islamic history are lost. Therefore, the reader may understand how the Islamic world has generally been shaped by history, but he or she may not understand who or what specifically triggered these events. Furthermore, the more abstract focus makes the book seem very dry.

The other problem I had with the book was its editing and organization. Each of the 15 chapters is written by different authors, so the book does not necessarily read coherently from one chapter to the next. Some terms and events (such as the concept of fiqh or Islamic reforms in China in the 18th and 19th centuries) are explained multiple times in different contexts with different terminology. Few maps are included, and these generally lack detail. Pictures are not necessarily laid out next to the texts that reference them. The book also lacks a glossary, which I needed while learning some of the Arabic terminology.

Despite these faults, this book is a good introduction to Islamic culture and history. Nonetheless, it is only an introduction; readers who want more details about specific events (such as, perhaps, the Iranian Revolution) will need to look elsewhere.

Read very closely:

If you want to study Islam's history and you don't have this book, then your missing one of the best...or should I say "the" best book on Islam's history. This book is worth much more than 50$. It discusses everything, from history to science, art to medicine, it is very well-written too.

And even if your just looking for basic history events, this book is still a must-have.

Occasionally people look at my bookshelves and think that there is some sort of unofficial Oxford Press day at Fr. Kurt's house. There is a good reason why so many of my books carry the indenture of Oxford University Press -- there is a general level of scholarly quality that such books rarely fall below.

The Oxford History of Islam

One such quality book is John Esposito's recent volume on the history of Islam. Published in 1999, this one might well have included the word Illustrated in the title, for it is lavishly illustrated throughout with pictures, photographs, maps, and drawings. It provides a wide-ranging and in-depth account of Islam. `Although Islam is the youngest of the major world religions, with 1.2 billion followers, Islam is the second largest and fastest-growing religion in the world. To speak of the world of Islam today is to refer not only to countries that stretch from North Africa to Southeast Asia but also to Muslim minority communities that exist across the globe. Thus, for example, Islam is the second or third largest religion in Europe and the Americas.'

This is an accessible volume -- technical terms have been kept to a minimum, and the writing is cast in a readable, narrative format. Yet this volume is still of good service to scholars and specialists, with indexing and chapter topics that are arranged conceptually as well as chronologically. Including both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars, the contributors are experts in different disciplines and come from a variety of national and religious backgrounds.

The first section of the book covers the beginnings of Islam: the development of faith and scripture in the Koran, community and institutional development, early personalities in Islam, and contributions to art and science. Included in this section is the early interactions of Christianity and Islam, which have provided in many ways the continuing framework of tension between the West and the Muslim world.

The second section of the book looks at the decline of Islam as an 'imperial' religion, and the splintering of the Muslim world into kingdoms, sultanates and smaller bodies inside other political structures -- these various groupings provided different bases for Islam, which in turn developed differing regional expressions in terms of practice and outlook.

The next sections address the developments of colonialism and the post-colonial problems and opportunities that face Islam, both in political and religious terms, as well as the relationship of Islam to the modern world both at it impacts Islam in countries officially Muslim as well as in more pluralistic nations. `At the dawn of the twenty-first century, Islam is indeed a global presence that blurs old distinctions between the Muslim world and the West. Islam is truly a world religion, necessitating coverage of both Islam and the West and Islam in the West.'

Tracing an early history of Islam presents many of the same problems encountered in doing such for any religion -- to what extent can the scholars remain objective? What does objectivity mean? To what extent can scriptural and traditional sources of stories be regarded as historically authoritative, and to what extent have details been changed to achieve other, more religious ends? Little is known (in the historically authoritative sense) about the Prophet Muhammad's early life. Apart from the Koran, most of the texts with historical information about Muhammad and the early years of Islam were recorded later, perhaps (like the New Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures) by people who chose to emphasise some items and overlook other details that do not conform with what modern scholars are hoping for in their research.

Well indexed, with timelines and other reference aids, this is a great volume for scholarly work as well as for interesting reading about this religion which impacts with great importance on the world scene. Many Christians tend to forget that Islam grows out the traditions of worship of the God of Abraham, the same God worshipped by Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.

This is a wonderful volume -- for the typical Western reader, if you were to only read one book on Islam, this would be it!

To cover such a broad sweep for this subject in one volume is asking too much, but this book does a credible job of doing so. However, I felt I was missing something because so much critical detail was missing, such as how was the spread of Islam accomplished (key "wars," battles, overall strategy, common set of tactics?), only passing references to some of the giants of history, Crusades - what six Crusades-They barely get a mention, etc. I decided that the purpose of the book was to summarize; and if I want more depth, get it elsewhere.

The one thing which did drive me nuts was both the lack of more maps to better show places discussed in the text, and the lack of detail on the maps which were present. Beautiful photographs, but totally inadequate maps.

Overall, great book to start trying to understand one of the world's great religions, especially after September 11. It gives the reader coverage of a broad scope of subjects which require some familiarity to understand Islam, even those some readers might otherwise skip. However, if you are really intersted, plan on going on to other sources.

To cover such a broad sweep for this subject in one volume is asking too much, but this book does a credible job of doing so. However, I felt I was missing something because so much critical detail was missing, such as how was the spread of Islam accomplished (key "wars," battles, overall strategy, common set of tactics?), only passing references to some of the giants of history, Crusades - what six Crusades-They barely get a mention, etc. I decided that the purpose of the book was to summarize; and if I want more depth, get it elsewhere.

The one thing which did drive me nuts was both the lack of more maps to better show places discussed in the text, and the lack of detail on the maps which were present. Beautiful photographs, but totally inadequate maps.

Overall, great book to start trying to understand one of the world's great religions, especially after September 11. It gives the reader coverage of a broad scope of subjects which require some familiarity to understand Islam, even those some readers might otherwise skip. However, if you are really intersted, plan on going on to other sources.

Dr. Esposito is very fair in his writing, which is why so many people have something to complain about; Esposito is not pro-Anybody, so he offends people who are. This is a good introduction to the history of Islamic Civilization. It's fair and balanced. The lay reader may have difficulty sometimes in separating politics and religion in the world of Islam, but it is equally difficult to separate politics and religion in Christianity and Judaism, even today in some places, and certainly hundreds of years ago. Religion and politics have always mixed until recently -- take the Crusades, the Roman Empire, the Spanish Inquisition, for a few examples. The Muslims may have taken over a huge part of the world, but this is no different from the Roman empire taking over a huge part of the world. The Muslims were generally tolerant rulers.

But it's perfectly true that in the West we haven't had a clear picture of Islamic civilization. Partly it is because of the language. Partly it is because new tall tales were built on old tall tales -- people have always made up nasty stories about their enemies. Even into the 20th century, textbooks on Islam didn't even have their terminology correct. There have been many recent objective scholarly studies on Islam and the way it spread, but one scholar writes that it is still common for people in the West to take it for granted that Islam is a violent religion of the sword. This book represents the newer, more objective studies that work from original research and do not just base the information on the old tall tales.

Stereotypes in the West about Islam are so ingrained that any attempt to set out the facts in a straightforward, unbaised manner, as this book does, are viewed as "whitewashing." The truth is that Islam has a better record than most in terms of religious tolerance. But we don't believe it. We think the Ottomans were intolerant and cruel, when in fact they were indifferent to local religions; they welcomed 50,000 Jews into the Ottoman Empire when Catholic Spain exiled them, and welcomed the Jews back to Jerusalem after the previous Christian rulers systematically banned them. The head of their army was traditionally Christian.

An example of this difficulty in seeing past the stereotypes is the reviewer who portrays Tamerlaine as the "greatest Muslim conqueror of all." How could this be when Tamerlaine didn't follow the strict rules of war that Islam requires? When he didn't attack to spread Islam, but for power? Tamerlaine attacked Muslims as well as non-Muslims and treated Muslims as atrociously as he treated anyone else. In the scope of the history of the Muslim world, Tamerlaine was a power-hungry attacker who destroyed what Muslims and others had built and whose brief empire disintegrated after he died. THAT is why he doesn't get much treatment in this book. He just wasn't all that important. But in the West, he is unjustifiably immortalized because of Christopher Marlowe's play, in which Tamerlaine's exploits are luridly detailed and his deeds are considered "Islamic" because he claimed to be Muslim. Being piqued about Tamerlaine not being discussed much is like being piqued because Hitler isn't discussed much in an entire history of Christianity.

Anyway, ...If you want a good, fair, readable history of the Islamic world, edited by a scholar who grew up Catholic but who has a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies, then get this book.

This book covers a lot of ground in showing the rich diversity of Islamic civilizations throughout history. Each chapter is written by a leading scholar in the field, and the illustrations go far in enhancing the pleasure of the text.

However, there were at least two areas that needed inclusion: literature and Sufism. Given what the authors chose to discuss, these are almost vital inclusions, especially the latter in a "History of Islam."

This is a beautiful book with a lot of lovely pictures and illustrations, and a great deal of useful and interesting information. I appreciated learning more about sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The chapter on the context between Aristotilian philosophy and Arabic theology was interesting. I also learned a lot from the chapter on Islam and Christianity, which generally seemed fairly balanced. This rather hefty volume helped fill a large hole in my historical knowledge, and I am sure I will continue to find it a useful resource.

I have two major complaints, however. First, I bought the book hoping to learn more about the history of Islam, the religion. While I appreciate the fact that the editor chose to tell us about art and law and economics too, it often seemed like the history of Islam, the religion, got drowned out the somewhat accidental details of Islam, the civilization.

In particular, I came to the text with questions such as, "How did Islam spread? What motivated those who spread it? How did the teachings and example Mohammed, in particular, affect human history?" These seem like reasonable questions to ask of an "Oxford History of Islam." But there was almost nothing about Mohammed in the book. (Fortunately, I had just read Maxime Rodinson's Mohammed, which is a good supplement to that portion of the book.) While the authors gave a great deal of information around the edges of other great expansionist periods in Islamic history, some kind of scholarly miopia seemed to prevent them from getting to the heart of the matter.

I wanted to know, for example, if the frequent claim that Indonesia became Muslim peacefully were true. Bruce Lawrence, in his chapter on Islam in Southeast Asia, hardly addressed the question of how the islands became Muslim, except, for example, in the following subordinate clause of one sentence: "Although the actual Islamic conquest of the Javanese kingdom of Majapahit took place in 1478, . . . "

That brings me to my second complaint. On page 352, there is a photo of a tomb, identified as that of Tamerlane. "His majestic blue-domed tomb epitomizes the splendor of Timurid architecture," the caption reads. When I read that, and leafed through the index for further references, I had to wonder: what kind of history of Islam is it that, in 750 pages, cannot find room for a single clear sentence about the greatest Muslim conquerer of all -- and less for his millions of victims? It is like writing a history of communism and only noting, in passing, that a fellow named Stalin inspired a new movement in socialist realist painting. (Granted, however, that the tyrants of yesteryear had much better taste in art.)

Similiarly, Lawrence seems to completely whitewash the thousand-year history of the Islamic assault on India, that Durant describes as "probably the bloodiest story in human history." Sultan Mahmud, the text merely notes, "not only pillaged and destroyed; he also built and rebuilt." (As, of course, did Stalin.)

It is said that history is written by the winners. The authors seem to want to prove that aphorism. Mohammed's own cruel career is glossed over a few pages. Tamerlane is memorialized with a pretty tomb, his victims ignored. Nehemia Levtizion seems to blame the Ethopians for putting up too good a fight, therefore bringing jihad down on themselves. (As opposed to other tribes that were simply swallowed.) Another writer calls the Medieval Europeans "xenophobic," and the European idea that Islam is violent is treated as a prejudice. Muslim armies had just conquered two thirds of the Christian world, launched attacks against Rome and Constantinople, and into France. If two out of three of your children had been kidnapped by a neighbor, would it be fair to call you "paranoid" if you locked your doors at night? (Or even in the day?) (See Jihad for more details.)

One author mentions an Islamic attrocity -- discreetly, so as not to embarrass anyone -- then marches on to the dogmatic but question-begging conclusion, "The contest is over political authority even when it is framed as a contest over religious truth." How, in a religion that does not distinguish between mosque and state, is one to tell the difference? And can we really generalize about what made Muslim conquerers tick in this way? From what sources?

Ira Lapidus is more frank, and suggests perhaps a bit more sympathy with the victims, in her description of the tyrannical Ottoman empire and its "divinely given mission to conquer the world." Again, I would have appreciated more details on exactly how the Ottomans formulated and explained their ideology, and how they related it to the Qu'ran and the career of Mohammed. But at least she does mention the "losers."

The book probably does deserve the five stars (...), in some respects. But I am getting tired of this habit of scholars whitewashing inhumanity and painting a pretty picture on top. I felt like giving it one star, in protest. But a lot of good scholarship and artistry went into the text as well, and it would be unfair not to acknowledge that.

Author, Jesus and the Religions of Man

I have come across many writings on Islam by people of the West. Very few of the Western writers have given Islam the credit that is due, for the contributions Islam has made to Knowledge and to the West. Kudos for Prof. Esposito and all the contributors to this work. May God Bless them for seeing the Truth the way it is, and not write with a motive to malign Islam unlike many people these days (especially in the Media) who have made it into a profession to discredit Islam.

Esposito produces an excellent readable history of Islam and its powerful impacts on Western Civilization. Espositio gathered a large number of scholars, each to produce a different chapter covering issues like math, philosophy, politics, etc. While no single volume could cover so vast a subject, the reader is left with what is almost certainly the best introduction to Islam.

While many people, unfortunately, have bought Karen Armstrong's Short History of Islam, this text is far superior in almost every way. Not only is it more thorough and better written, it also deals with Islam from within as well as from without. Islamic culture is examined not from the perspective of an outsider with rose colored glasses, but from several distinguished and Muslim and non-Muslim scholars with a firm background in the subject.

There is not doubt that no single volume could do all of Islamic history justice. However, this book with its rich photographs and strong prose, is probably as good an introduction as you could get under a single cover.

A huge and absolutely beautiful book, so sensitively illustrated that you'll spend hours combing the pictures before you even dip into the text. The many essays detail out the rise of Islam and its accompanying culture, and it's the first general survey I've seen to cover sub-Saharan Africa as well as Eurasia, the Far East, and the Indian sub-continent. As good as the text is, though--and as fun---it's those pictures that make this book superb. From lone minnerets on the Xinjiang plains to the gorgeous mud-brick mosques of Djenné, the architectural dictates of Islam have produced some of the most striking and functional buildings our species has ever come up with. It gives me a great sense of communion with the Moslem world, whatever our ideological differences. The pictures in this Oxford History are sensitive and at times poignant...a close-up of a gorgeous tiled pillar, with the tile flaking off with age, revealing superb brickwork underneath comes to mind.

Those who like me know little of the Moslem world will appreciate the very readable text, with its slightly shaming details (the Moslems came up with the idea of a Hospital/dispensary as an adjunct to the mosque.....and their brilliant textiles were carried off by returning crusaders who had little appreciation for how difficult they were to make!)

As a scholarly text, "The Oxford History of Islam" may indeed have some holes---I wouldn't know. But as an introduction to the addictive beauties of Islamic art, and as an overview of the Moslem explosion throughout the world (including some Eurasian places you've never heard of!) I can't think of a better selection than this. You'll never want to part with it.