Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

New book on the origins of Islam

Options
  • 30-08-2012 11:22am
    #1
    donaghs
    Registered Users Posts: 2,693 ✭✭✭


    Fascinating new book out recently on the origins of Islam. Not really a new idea as such, e.g. tracing origins of Christianity (Judaism, Paganism, etc) has been widely covered. But to bring a similar inquiring mind to Islam has become riskier in recent decades.
    This is the UK Guardian review: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/05/shadow-sword-islam-tom-holland-review?newsfeed=true

    The author is very familiar with that period and the region, great previous book on Ancient Rome, Greece and Persia.

    This book is literally overflowing with topics for discussion! I guess the main point of it though is the divergence between religious faith/dogma, and scholarly/intellectual inquiry.

    I considered posting this in History, book is about Islam and its origins, it had to be posted here.

    Fascinating how the main regional powers before the rise of Islam were Byzantium and Zoroastrian Persia, and the struggles between them.
    But the most interesting revelation in the book for me was that there was no written mention of the Qur'an in the period immediately following Muhammad, nor any commentary on it until the eighth century.
    Failed to load the poll.


Advertisement