Following Muhammad: rethinking Islam in the contemporary world

273 Pages·2010·2.604 MB·English

by  Ernst, Carl W

Following
Muhammad
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  &  
Carl W.Ernst and Bruce B.Lawrence,editors

Following
Muhammad
Rethinking Islam in the
Contemporary World
Carl W. Ernst
The University ofNorth Carolina Press
Chapel Hill & London
© 2003 Carl W.Ernst
Calligraphy © 2003 Rasheed Butt
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States ofAmerica
Designed by Richard Hendel
Set in Minion and Trajan types by Eric M.Brooks
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for
permanence and durability ofthe Committee on
Production Guidelines for Book Longevity
ofthe Council on Library Resources.
This book was published with the assistance ofthe
William R.Kenan Jr.Fund ofthe University ofNorth Carolina Press.
Frontispiece:
Illustration ofMecca from Dala’il al-Khayratofal-Jazuli
(The Ackland Art Museum,University ofNorth Carolina at Chapel Hill,
Ackland Fund,selected by The Ackland Associates)
Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ernst,Carl W.,1950–
Following Muhammad:rethinking Islam in the contemporary world/
Carl W.Ernst.
p.cm.—(Islamic civilization and Muslim networks)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
0-8078-2837-8 (cloth:alk.paper)
1.Islam—21st century. 2.Islam—Essence,genius,nature.
I.Title. II.Series.
161.3 .76 2003
303.48'21767101821—dc21 2003011162
07 06 05 04 03 5 4 3 2 1
To my students,
past and present,
and to the memory ofmy teacher,
Annemarie Schimmel
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Contents
Preface xiii
1.Islam in the Eyes ofthe West 1
Islam as Part ofthe Contemporary World 2
Anti-Islamic Attitudes from Medieval Times
to the Present 11
Avoiding Prejudice in Approaching Islam 28
2.Approaching Islam in Terms ofReligion 37
Islam and the Modern Concept ofReligion 38
Islam and the Historical Study ofReligion 47
Islam Defined by the State and by the Numbers 57
Islamic Religious Language 62
3.The Sacred Sources ofIslam 71
The Seal ofthe Prophets: The Prophet Muhammad 73
The Word ofGod: The Qur’an 93
4.Ethics and Life in the World 107
Islamic Religious Ethics 108
Greek Philosophy as a Source ofEthics 119
Islamic Ethics in the Colonial Age 127
The End ofthe Caliphate and the Concept ofthe
Islamic State 131
Examples ofIslam and the Modern State in Practice 136