Islam Paperback – February 1, 2003

No problem whatsoever.

Good and informative but however a little biased towards Islam.

The breadth and depth of Islam typically requires a lifetime of study to understand. For those of us unable to devote so much time to the subject, this book is defenitely the next best thing. Mr Farah has managed to distill a lifetime of travel and study in the Islamic world into a lucid, enlightening, and easy to read book.The main strength of the book might also be considered its main weakness: its breadth. Mr Farah gives us a survey of Islam in its entirety, including portions devoted to some of the more obscure offshoots of Islam. This is not Islam for Dummies. This is an in-depth and detailed study of Islam as a whole.I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

Abbreviated Review (#1):With the recent explosion of materials about Islam available on the market today what makes this book different from the rest or even worthwhile. Caesar Farah expresses clearly in this 7th edition his desire to retreat cleanly from what Edward Said called 'Orientialism'. I haven't read any of the earlier editions to know whether that theme is so heavily expounded upon as it is in this edition.Farah's retreat from 'Orientialism' begins with his sublime description of the prophet Mohammad, his character, his context and the beginnings of Islam. Indeed Farah pours his praise on the orphaned Mohammad, touts his success as a social, political and religious leader in the harsh context of pagan Arabia. How many times can an author use the word 'magnanimous in one chapter' (apparently quite a few), all to describe the qualities of Mohammad and the beginning's of Islam.This perfectionist take on Islam is the launching point for Farah's overall stated thesis which is that Islam in its earliest form is apparently free from contradiction, a liberation to its Arab context, honest at its core and a sincere expression of devotion to God and insistence on peace. Mohammad is free from any criticism and the criticism that is usually offered in regards to his life and time is quickly explained away through historical context.Farah then takes the road many other scholars do and submits that divisions within Islam were first political and only secondarily theological. This allows the message of Islam to maintain its purity. Farah explains skillfully the precepts of Islam sprinkling liberally passages from the Qur'an to support the description.The turning point in Islam, according to Farah, the manifestation of the Islam we see today is the result of a series of reformations beginning under the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia in the 18th century. For the last two-and-half centuries Islamic thinkers have struggled to reform what they saw as theological compromise in Islamic teachings. More recently, reformations have given way to revisions and different approaches to interpretation all of which make Islam the diverse, resilient, widespread force that it is today.A few notes: Farah uses a lot of transliterated Arabic words when describing Islamic terms but only introduces them once. The book is longer than most but is still easier to read straight through rather than selecting specific sections of interest (for those not familiar with Islamic ideas). Farah is extremely gracious towards Islam, facilitating a growing trend in inter-religious dialogue. Sadly, his final chapter is more of an opinion peace on the responsible part of the United States for instigating the radical Islam we see today.Additional Depth (#2):Farah went to great pains to absolve the founding of Islam of any fault. Having said that, Farah allowed the idea that Mohammad recorded Qur'anic passages in response to social questions. "Allah came to his rescue and obligingly caused the appropriate revelations to descend upon him as the occasion called for them (pg. 47)." This is perhaps the farthest Farah goes in lending a critical eye to early Islam.It appears that a second unstated goal of Farah is to battle what has been termed 'desert Islam'. Desert Islam is an Islam tied to the Arabian desert where Arabic is the only language able to grasp the ideas of Islam and where Arabs are given preference in Islamic authority over non-Arabs. In a way, it's a little racist. After Farah expounds on the wide philosophical and theological discourse within the spread of Islam he takes a look at its resilience around the world.Farah's argument is that Islam is not tied to the desert but has found a rapidly growing following in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. What is more useful is that Farah describes the history and flavor of these far flung Muslim societies. But yet in the end Farah returns to the desert to announce that the reform movements, the leading thinkers and the movers behind Islam's trajectory still come from the desert. Saudi money buys its way into Islamic foundations all over the world. The Al-Azhar University in Cairo was the birthplace of modern reforms and radical groups. Something still ties Islam to the desert, mostly likely Arabic and the profound respect for the Arabic Qur'an and its interpreters.Speaking of interpretation, there is no way to disregard the immense power interpretation has on the being of Islam. Farah states that Islam's only dogma, credited for its simplicity leading to broad appeal, is that "God is One". But how one interprets this one dogma has been the crux of Islam's divisions... yes, to include political factors. Besides the United States, Farah saves his sparse criticism for Turabi's influence on Sudanese political theology and Pakistan's political Islam.Farah doesn't give an answer to the 'true meaning of Islam' but admits that for Muslims it is very hard to ignore the obvious command in the Qur'an to adhere to individual and social Shari'a Law. Islam faces two challenges. The first is for Muslim's in non-Muslim countries seeking to apply their religious principles to daily life. The second struggle is the battle in Muslim countries to keep from secular take-over.Farah admits that Islam has its own internal divisions to deal with but holds that foreign intervention, the backlash to colonialism and contemporary politics and the ignorance of world super-powers are as much to blame for the confusion surrounding radical Islam. The appeal to Islam, to come to Islam's defense, will forever be present, whether with sincere motive or otherwise, within the Muslim ummah. The method of defense and the interpretation of defense will make all the difference.

What I like best about Caesar Farah's "Islam: Beliefs and Observances" is the variety of information provided on the different sects of Islam. The author interestingly enough, published the first edition of this book in 1967! The sixth edition contains its own forward by Farah, dated 1999. This updated edition does away with some of the errors included in previous editions, including the urban legend propagated by some Islamic proselytes that famed oceanographer Jaques Cousteau converted to Islam (he didn't--this was disproven in 1991--Cousteau passed away in 1997 and his funeral was held in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris).At 468 pages, this volume offers information on the time and place into which Muhammad was born, raised, married, had a family, came into his beliefs, and rose to found a religion and rule an empire. Farah offers the early history of the Islamic movement as driven by Muhammad, his struggles, his personal life, influences upon him. Farah is generally thorough in the space offered, but doesn't delve into some of the better known major controversy concerning the Quran's historicity (for more on this, please see "23 Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad" by Ali Dashti). He does however approach other subjects touchy to many Muslims, explaining the story of the so-called "Satanic Verses" originally included in the Quran and later expunged by Muhammad, though he fails to discuss the modern controversy caused by the well-known author of fiction, Salman Rushdie due to his work of fiction by the same name.Author Caesar Farah explains not only the basics such as what Muslims believe, who Muhammad was, etc., but also why there are different sects in Islam, how those sects came about, what they believe, why they strive against one another, and vital information concerning other prominent leaders of different Islamic movements through the ages. Among the various groups expounded upon are the Kharijites, Ismailis, Shia, Qarmatians, Assassins, Druze, Nusayris, Matawilah, Zaydis, Shiah extremists, Sunnism, as well as the various sources of Islamic power and the main schools of Islamic jurisprudence (legal precident). Too numerous to name here, concepts such as sunnah, Adat, Jihad, and a number of others are explained in detail, including common as well as radical interpretations. Farah offers an independant history for each, including names of prominent scholars and the dates of their founding.Farah also covers the span of knowledge from the formal (fundamentalist) to free thought (sufi). He explains the ultra conservative radical Wahhabism founded in 1744 by Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahab, its spread, and the challenge to modernists, rationalists and reformers. Pertinent to our times, Farah explains the "church and state" conflict in nations where the majority of the populace are Muslims, such as Turkey. He covers current trends to the date of publication (1999), and explains in an understandable way the modern conflicts that have arisen between Quranic literalists and modernists, covering issues such as women, technology, governmet in brief but succinct fashion. I liked the fact that Farah was not simply parroting generalities, but actually footnoted his sources throughout the book. He does a good job of explaining each topic in its historic and religious context, thankfully avoiding the tendancy of many authors on this subject to give short all-encomapssing explanations based upon their own personal belief.There is an excellent bibliography containing a variety of diverse sources, as well as a helpful glossary of common Islamic terms and an index. If you want just one book to understand the basis of Islamic thought and culture over time and in the present day, this is the book to read.