No god but God (Updated Edition): The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

This book is all I was looking for. The evolution of Islam, from the end of caliphate to the formation of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the developement of law and theology, the Iran revolution and the role of Islam and Muslims in the nineteenth and twentieth century anti colonial movements, discovering heroes like Dr. Ali Shariati, Jamal al din al Afghani, Hasan al banna, Syed Qutb, Maulana Maududi (not my hero) and Syed Ahmed Khan and how their principles and ideas are leading modern Muslim societies. As far as origin is concerned, Reza Aslan present interesting view, earlier I was aware only about social and cultural dimension of daur e jahilliya, Reza is looking at the religions of daur e Jahilliya from paganism to Judaism, Christianity and hanifism (I read about them for very first time) and their intersection. Reza argued that Muslim countries sooner or later will develop into democracies which will ofcourse be different from American model and will be based upon the Medinian model and on the prophet Muhammad's principles of egalitarian society. Meanwhile Reza Aslan is my current favourite.

It doesn't matter whether you are muslim or non Muslim this book is for everyone who wants to know Islam. This book is very well written and researched, writer has written not from one point of view only. There are many references to other writers and books also at the end it depends on you how you understand this book. It will give you knowledge regarding Islam. A must read

In all sincerity, I don't know how to start up composing this review for this incredible book by this brilliant author who's nothing but a genius. I'm moved by this book and truly speaking this is an understatement. The book as it says dives into its origins and radiantly takes you in a deeply knowledgeable ride about the religion's evolution over a period of years. The book has examined so many topics that it made me fall in love with it as it unlocked my mind to think more and ask more and whatever I could ask for was covered in the next chapter which left me thoroughly captivated and awestruck. The book according to me should be read by everyone interested in history, Islam, global affairs and religion to better understand the complexity which has been broken down as simply as it could've been. The book takes one in a long and enlightening quest which feels genuinely worth as it departs the reader with an enlightened intellect. This book is everything I needed.

It is not prophets who create religions. Prophet are, above all, reformers who redefine and reinterpret the existing beliefs and practiced of their communities, providing fresh sets of symbols and metaphors with which succeeding generations can describe the nature of reality. Indeed, it is most often the prophet's successors who take upon themselves the responsibility of fashioning their Master's word and deeds into unified easily comprehensible religious systems. - Reza Aslan ------------------------------------------------- Hello there! I hope you are doing good. That's my views about this wonderfully written book on Islam. This book is multidimensional. It covers nearly all the aspects of Islam. * Like from its origins, and how it evolved and spread throughout the world. *The message which Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) preached throughout his Life i.e compassion, social and economic justice, egalitarianism. *And how this message is hijacked by the ulemas ( self proclaimed religious scholars ) and the best example of this is the 1979 Iranian revolution. *The difference between Shia's and Sunnis. *About the most mystic part of islam i.e Sufism. *And the various conflicts within islam. And the author rightly mentioned that whatever problems the Muslims are facing worldwide has to be resolved by themselves and the best way to reform is to reinterpret the Holy Qur'an again in the present context. After reading this book I can surely say that this book deserves to be read by every rational human irrespective of his/her religion. I hope you like this, Thanks for Reading, Jai Hind. With Regards, Yash Sharma For more information You can visit - Dontbignorant.in My Ratings : 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 ( 5/5 ) Table of contents :- --------------------- 1. The sanctuary in the desert(pre-islamic Arabia ) 2. The keeper of the keys(Muhammad in Medina ) 3. The city of the prophet(the first Muslims ) 4. Fight in the way of God(the meaning of jihad ) 5. The rightly guided ones(the successors to Muhammad ) 6. This religion is a science(the development of islamic theology and law ) 7. In the footsteps of martyrs( from shi'ism to khomeinism ) 8. Stain your prayer rug with wine(the sufi way ) 9. An Awakening in the East(the response to colonialism ) 10. Slouching towards Medina( the quest for islamic democracy) 11. Welcome to the Islamic Reformation ( the future of islam )

The book is a short introduction to everything about islam. Its history, evolution, development of its theology and philosophy, its response to major world events like mongol invasion to colonialism and potential future of the religion. Anyone who is interested in any specific topic in this book can further study about the field by reading books that are specified in the field like sufism or specific events of history. Overall it’s a gateway to everything about islam.

Its worth reading obviously.It cover Islam right from its inception to the 20th century.The arab tribes and geography before and after the birth of the Prophet.The family,the early Kaliphs ,what is hadith ,how has it reached us,it covers everything.The Shia and Sunni schism,its evolution to the current times,it has mentioned everything.What it fails to cover is how did Islam reach its commanding heighs,how did the Prophet actually come to becoming the messenger of god.Sometimes you feel like these issues aren’t covered comprehensively. But overall its absolutely worth reading. A strong recommendation.

Who should read the book : 1. Those who already have a basic understanding of Islamic theology and history 2. Those who want to understand the history of Arabia after the Prophet more from a Shiite's perspective 3. Those who want to comprehend the evolution of Shiite sect in Islam. 4. Those who want to have a taste of how a westernised secular scholar of religion writes on Islam. 5. Those who want to see the road through which Iran has reached where it is right now. Who shouldn't read the book : 1. Those who want the history to be elaborated rather than wrapped within few pages. 2. Those who are fundamentalist enough to not ready to lend an ear to a new opinion. 3. Those who are expecting that writer has written equally of past, present and future. No he hasn't. He has filled pages for the past sometimes unnecessarily whereas the content of present and future is almost negligible and devoid of serious discussion. . What the book covers: 1. Ethos of pre-islamic arabia. (Kaaba, clans and culture) 2. Biography of Prophet (pbuh) 3. Caliphate of Rightly Guided Caliphs (and the tussles in between them) 4. Caliphate and it's evolution and then conversion to monarchy 5. Karbala and evolution of Shiaism. 6. Ottoman Empire, Saudi Arabia and Colonialism in Islamic lands 7. Breeze of Reformation in muslim lands 8. Intended effect of internet on the Reformation

Does a great job of objectively telling the story from the historical perspective, using legitimate sources, and using context from that period in time to arrive at logical conclusions. I expected there to be some bias considering the author is a Muslim, but the good thing is, this book is not a better or worse experience depending on whether you are a muslim or not. In fact, it solidifies the theory of the quranic and biblical figures being social reformers at their core, which allows the reader to understand their impact on their society and our history.

Excelente libro para conocer más sobre el islam, escrito con claridad por un autor musulmán, aunque la conclusión final sea que el islam ha utilizado la violencia desde su inicio, contra ellos y contra los demás y que sus bases fundamentales son cuestionables (por decirlo de una manera suave).

This book really helped me understand what is happening in Islam. Every muslim should read it because it's a very good start for any healty debate about Islam.

Easy to read, complete, it explains how Islam was born, how it evolved, how it was divided in several branches, and how we got to today's situation and troubles. Plus: the author comes from an Islamic background (and is a Muslim himself), so we have an "inside" vision of the matter. Well worth the purchase.

Es interesante saber él origen y evolución a través del tiempo del Islam. Un pasado caótico lleno de violencia,sangre y mal interpretación y también ver su cambio ahora con las redes sociales.

Reza Aslan is brilliant. The book is clear, engaging, beautifully written and very readable. It's a great reference on Islam, works well as a one-stop introductory volume or as a nuanced, thought-provoking overview to combine with other texts. It's arranged in such a way that you can easily pick out chapters on particular issues, such as jihad, Islamic law, Sufism, and women. I particularly enjoyed his discussions of Muslim feminism and the 'Islamic Renaissance'. He is great at dismantling the common misconceptions in a matter-of-fact way while openly and honestly exploring some of the challenges faced by contemporary Muslim communities. This is the level of discussion that we don't see often enough in the press, and which Western societies desperately need if we are going to be able to build healthy relationships with Muslims in our own countries as well as abroad. After reading this I immediately ordered three more copies for my parents and friends.