The Oxford History of Islam

Front Cover
John L. Esposito
Oxford University Press, USA, 1999 - History - 749 pages
Lavishly illustrated with over 300 pictures, including more than 200 in full color, The Oxford History of Islam offers the most wide-ranging and authoritative account available of the second largest--and fastest growing--religion in the world.John L. Esposito, Editor-in-Chief of the four-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, has gathered together sixteen leading scholars, both Muslim and non-Muslim, to examine the origins and historical development of Islam--its faith, community, institutions, sciences, and arts. Beginning in the pre-Islamic Arab world, the chapters range from the story of Muhammad and his Companions, to the development of Islamic religion and culture and the empires that grew from it, to the influence that Islam has on today's world. The book covers a wide array of subjects, casting light on topics such as the historical encounter of Islam and Christianity, the role of Islam in the Mughal and Ottoman empires, the growth of Islam in Southeast Asia, China, and Africa, the political, economic, and religious challenges of European imperialism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and Islamic communities in the modern Western world. In addition, the book offers excellent articles on Islamic religion, art and architecture, and sciences as well as bibliographies.Events in the contemporary world have led to an explosion of interest and scholarly work on Islam. Written for the general reader but also appealing to specialists, The Oxford History of Islam offers the best of that recent scholarship, presented in a readable style and complemented by a rich variety of illustrations.
 

Contents

Muhammad and the Caliphate
1
Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge
63
Law and Society
107
Science Medicine and Technology
155
Art and Architecture
215
Philosophy and Theology
269
Islam and Christendom
305
Sultanates and Gunpowder Empires
347
Foundations for Renewal and Reform
509
European Colonialism and the Emergence of Modern Muslim States
549
The Globalization of Islam
601
Contemporary Islam
643
Chronology
691
Select Bibliography
697
Contributors
708
Image Sources
710

The Eastward Journey of Muslim Kingship
395
Central Asia and China
433
Islam in Africa to 1800
475

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About the author (1999)

John L. Esposito is Professor of Religion and International Affairs and Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. A past president of the Middle East Studies Association, he is the author of numerous books on the Muslim world, including Islam: The Straight Path and The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? (both OUP). He lives in Washington, D.C.

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