Knysh Alexander. Islam in Historical Perspective

2nd edition. — Routledge, 2017. — 549 p. — ISBN 978-1-138-19370-3.Islam in Historical Perspective provides readers with an introduction to Islam, Islamic history and societies with carefully selected historical and scriptural evidence that enables them to form a comprehensive and balanced vision of Islam’s rise and evolution across the centuries and up to the present day. Combining historical and chronological approaches, the book examines intellectual dialogues and socio-political struggles within the extraordinary rich Islamic tradition. Treating Islam as a social and political force, the book also addresses Muslim devotional practices, artistic creativity and the structures of everyday existence. Islam in Historical Perspective is designed to help readers to develop personal empathy for the subject by relating it to their own experiences and burning issues of today. It contains a wealth of historical anecdotes and quotations from original sources that are intended to emphasize its principal points in a memorable way. This new edition features a thoroughly revised and updated text, new illustrations, expanded study questions and chapter summaries.　Arabia: The Cradle of Islam
Muhammad and the Beginnings of Islam: The Making of the Muslim Community
After Muhammad: The Rightly Guided Caliphs and the Conquests
The Murder of ‘Uthman, the Fitna Wars, and the Rise and Consolidation of the Umayyad Dynasty
The Principal Source of Islam: The Qur’an
The Prophetic Hadíth and Sunna and the Emergence of the Shari‘a
The Problem of the Just Ruler and the First Divisions Within the Community
The ‘Abbásid Revolution and Beyond
Islamic Scholarship Under the ‘Abbásids: The Rise and Development of the Schools of Law
Islamic Scholarship Under the ‘Abbásids: Theological Debates and Schools of Thought
Twelver Shi‘ism and Zaydism
Shi‘ism as a Revolutionary Movement: The Isma‘ilis
Ascetic and Mystical Movement in Islam: Sufism
Intellectual Struggles in Premodern Islam: Philosophy Versus Theology
Transmission and Conservation of Knowledge: ‘Ulamá’, Mádrasas, and Sufi Lodges
The Basic Beliefs and Practices of Islam: Islamic Life Cycle
Islamic Art and Religious Architecture (Mosque)
Women in Islamic Societies
Islam and the West
Islam in the Gunpowder Empires: The World of Islam Faces Modernity and European Colonialism
Renewal and Reform in Islam: The Emergence of Islamic Modernism and Reformism
Islam as a Political Force and Vehicle of Opposition
Islam Reinterpreted: Major Trends in Islamic Thought Today
The Ideology and Practice of Globalized Jihadism