Over the course of the last 1400 years; Islam has grown from a small band of followers on the Arabian peninsula into a global religion of over a billion believers. How did this happen? The usual answer is that Islam spread by the sword-believers waged jihad against rival tribes and kingdoms and forced them to convert. Lamin Sanneh argues that this is far from the whole story. Beyond Jihad examines the origin and evolution of the African pacifist tradition in Islam; beginning with an inquiry into the faith's origins and expansion in North Africa and its transmission across trans-Saharan trade routes to West Africa. The book focuses on the ways in which; without jihad; the religion spread and took hold; and what that tells us about the nature of religious and social change.At the heart of this process were clerics who used religious and legal scholarship to promote Islam. Once this clerical class emerged; it offered continuity and stability in the midst of political changes and cultural shifts; helping to inhibit the spread of radicalism; and subduing the urge to wage jihad. With its policy of religious and inter-ethnic accommodation; this pacifist tradition took Islam beyond traditional trade routes and kingdoms into remote districts of the Mali Empire; instilling a patient; Sufi-inspired; and jihad-negating impulse into religious life and practice. Islam was successful in Africa; Sanneh argues; not because of military might but because it was made African by Africans who adapted it to a variety of contexts.
#480950 in Books Thomas Dixon 2008-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 4.20 x .50 x 6.80l; .30 #File Name: 0199295514144 pagesScience and Religion
Review
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Serves Very Well as a Very Short IntroductionBy CamberWhile not perfect; this book serves as an excellent introduction to this subject. Dixon proves to be well informed of the issues and manages to cover quite a lot of ground; and he's also sufficiently fair and balanced in presenting the competing arguments.Perhaps the broadest lesson one can glean from the book is that science and religion have always had a messy multidimensional relationship; with many areas of potential agreement and disagreement. Part of the reason is that both science and religion are unavoidably framed in sociocultural and historical contexts; dialectically both affecting those contexts and being affected by them. Moreover; science and religion both have fuzzy boundaries; and both face many similar epistemic difficulties with respect to justifying their beliefs (despite the common but mistaken notion that science is purely objective whereas religion rests purely on faith and subjectivity).The book lays all of this out with the help of many examples; and thereby gives a sense of how complicated matters are; but doesn't provide any final answers. This gives the impression that some disagreement and tension will probably always exist between science and religion; despite whatever progress might be made in finding reconciliations. However; if one wishes to be optimistic; there is still the prospect of finding (creating?) more and more common ground between the two; possibly resulting in worldviews which increasingly draw on the strengths of both; and of course there's already much precedent for this.I say the book isn't perfect mainly because "religion" is mostly taken to mean Western monotheisms; especially Christianity; as Dixon acknowledges up front; I would have preferred to see Eastern views included as well; and I think that would have considerably reshaped the book. I also would have preferred a deeper treatment of the philosophical issues Dixon touches on; in exchange for a bit less time spent on detailing historical cases.But these "imperfections" are largely matters of (my) preference; and again the bottom line is that Dixon has done an excellent job of presenting this subject at an introductory level. I highly recommend the book; and those who enjoy it may want to move on to the extensive The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Science (Oxford Handbooks in Religion and Theology) edited by Philip Clayton.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Oxford Short Introductions are the bestBy Martin KatahnI have found the Oxford Short Introductions to be one of the most convenient sources of information on topics from pre-Socratic philosophy to quantum theory. In addition to their great educational value; the size and shape of the books enable me to fit one into the pocket of my cargo pants so that it can accompany me whenever I might need to wait for an appointment. All of my fifty or so short intros are well written and are a great way to become acquainted with areas you may have missed in a college education. (Or wish to become reacquainted with many years later.)0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A very easy read. A good introduction to the topicBy CustomerA very easy read. A good introduction to the topic. Would highly recommend as a precursor to a class that has to do with science and religion.
