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The Everything Understanding Islam Book: A Complete and Easy to Read Guide to Muslim Beliefs, Practices, Traditions, and Culture (Everything Series) By Christine Huda Dodge ( Adams Media )
Release Date: 2003-04
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List Price: $14.95
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Product Description
As you’ve watched world events unfold in the news, you have probably seen and heard a great deal about the Islamic religion—much of which contains conflicting and confusing information. In an effort to explain this often misunderstood religion, The Everything® Understanding Islam Book covers everything from basic beliefs and practices to Islamic influence on Western civilization. The Everything® Understanding Islam Book provides you with a complete and easy-to-read introduction to Islam, including: ·The life of Muhammad the Prophet
·The Qur’an and the Sunnah
·The six articles of faith and other Muslim beliefs
·Islam’s relationship to other faiths
·The five pillars of practice
·Muslim daily life
·Women and Islam Author Christine Huda Dodge, a Muslim convert since 1989, possesses a unique, foot-in-each-world perspective on Islam. With her complete comprehension of Islam from a scholarly point of view and her understanding of the kind of questions and issues that perplex Westerners, she is the perfect guide. This book—ideal for casual readers, students, and scholars alike—is authoritative, accessible, detailed, and celebratory.
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 highly recommended
Some resources estimate Muslims as 1.8 billions( CIA fact book for 2006 say they are 1.6 billions)
This make it very important to know about islam
If you are a christian/jew it is mentioned in your book that you should follow the Last prophet,(see Muhammad in the bible a book or on youtube)
The book is good introduction.
You may find 2-3 things a little different and it is better to clarify it with a muslim scholar in an islamic center close to you) for example:
Islamic law on Homosexuality( their are 3 opinions of scholars not just killing them( also include a punishment to help them avoid it)
Again the book is good start
For more Information try The sealed nectar or
martin Lings(Muhammad).
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 Biased View of the Divisions/Deviations ( islamichistory )
Given that it is a very "basic" book about Islam, the chapter on the Internal Divisions and Deviations, frankly, are at best a reflection of the authors own prejudices without any substance or reference, and at worst the sectarian bias that Salafi/Wahabi (read Saudi Sponsored) mindset invokes and brainwashes many converts, and mocking the ritual practice of a certain group of "muslims" (and not deviants), in the authors own judgement.
For instance, on the shi'ites, referring to their Saints (imams) as in-fallibles, the author equates them to the Pope in the catholic church. Even worse, the description of the 'Tragedy of Karbala' commemorated by the shi'ites in Iraq and by shi'ites around the World, in the most in-sensitive manner. Such transposition of words from a Western tradition to Islam leaves a schasm rather than bridging an under-standing.
Given that the author accepted Islam - more should be expected from a perspective that has fully engaged all the perspectives in Islam, while reserving judgement for the discerned reader.
Traditional Sunni Islam, does not consider the shi'ites as Deviants. While realizing the areas of divergence, there is much in Common to bring about a perspective that offers much to celebrate and recognize.
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Grab this book first! ( salihahali )
Want to understand Islam? What are the "Five Pillars of Islam" and who was Muhammad? What is the Qur'an, "jihad", the status of Muslim women and the veil all about anyway? Do you cringe at the thought of dry textbooks, or yet another lifeless newspaper article about Islam?
Christine Huda Dodge takes on the tenacious challenge of presenting answers to these questions and more, blowing life and shape into the myriad of facets to this fascinating and yet pondersome religion, that finds itself at the front of current events, debate, and discussion.
Dodge presents a blend of easy, smooth reading, without a loss of intellect. From historical tradition, to modern culture and practice, her unbiased wit and lively writing style separate this title from the stack of other competing books of its genre.
A must for every modern library, The Everything Understanding Islam Book will leave you with a firm base of knowledge to better understand and form your own opinions on the debate, questions, common misconceptions, and current events of Islam in the world today.
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Terrific primer for Americans trying to figure it out
The reviewer who gave 2 stars doesn't even have the author's name correct. Disregard, and read this book yourselves!
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A Very Accessible Introduction to Islam the Religion ( gregorymcmahan )
I actually wanted to pick up a book on the history of Islam in order to refresh my memory, but after a little thought, considering the breadth of the subject matter, I chose this book instead.
I consider myself fortunate that I did choose this book. The author delivers everything stated in the title, plus gives the reader a little of the early history of Islam and some brief but concise and very relevant information on the major divisions of Islam today. From this book, I learned that not all Muslims share the same outlook or beliefs, much like Christians, and that deep philosophical and intellectual rifts exist within Islam. In essence, there are progressive and fundamentalist elements within the religion, just as there are in Christianity, and more important, there are sects possessing pseudo-Islamic elements, just as there are in Christianity. After reading this book, I actually came away thinking that both Islam and Christianity are more similar than different, with respect to the fact that the power structures in both are male-dominated and male interpreted, and also that although the religions both have benevolent overtones, their most zealous adherents clearly display malevolent tendencies.
Anyone, from kids to adults, can pick up this book and learn something. The book introduces a lot of terms, most likely in Arabic (romanized of course), but without a phonetic sounding of them I am afraid that I may be butchering the pronunciation of the terms when I say them in conversations with friends about Islam. My only real complaint with the text is that it does not give the reader much of the history of Islam, but then no book can provide one with a whole history of a world religion in a mere 250 pages.
The text is an excellent, non-partisan introduction to a world religion counting more than a billion followers. I heartily recommend it to those looking to learn more about Islam- its belief and its practices, but for those of you looking for books focusing on Islam in either a historical or geopolitical context, you will find this basic text unsatisfactory for your needs. I suggest you read something like Jihad vs. McWorld, or some other text along those lines such as the works of the late Edward Said.
Given the current world situation we all face today, this book should be required reading for everyone.
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