Muslims, Their Beliefs and Practices By A. Rippin. (New York: Routledge, 2001. 346 pages.)

Abstract

Muslims, Their Beliefs and Practices is the revised 2nd edition of a previous work with the same title divided in two volumes: Vol. I, "The Formative Period," published in 1990, and vol. 11, "Contemporary Period," which appeared in 1993. The present issue, like the preceding one, is a synthesis of the development of Islam throughout its history, from the 7th to the 20th century, with an insight into the challenges of the future. The author makes a review of Muslims' perceptions of their religion as well as the scholarly activity - by Muslims and non Muslims - dedicated to it. This critical atti­tude distinguishes the book from other introductions to Islam. According to its bibliography, the book is addressed to an audience deemed reluctant as regards to languages other than English. Yet the style and content of the book make of it a complicated reading for a lay public who tries a first approach to Islam.
Muslims, Their Beliefs and Practices is organized in six parts, each one introduced by a list of the most significant dates for the subject matter in question. Practical examples excerpted from the sources or the author's per­sonal experience are used to illustrate his arguments. Notes appear at the end. Subsequently, the reader is provided with a glossary, a bibliography additional to that mentioned in the notes, a list of websites ofuse for students of Islam, a thematic index and finally, an index of Qur'anic citations.
Part I, "Formative Elements of Classical Islam," contains three chapters. Chapter 1, "Prehistory", covers the 6th century, a period in the history of Arabia on which research about the constituent elements of the new religion has focused. For his part, Rippin puts forward a gradual process from the 6th to the 8th centuries in the broader spatial context of the Near East as a more suitable model to understand the emergence of Islam. In Chapter 2, "The Qur'an," the author describes its form and content. Going further, he poses the questions of how, why and when the Qur'an became a text with the aspect it has today. Chapter 3, "Muhammad," discusses the problems of the historicity of the Prophet's biography as well as its significance.
Part II, "The Emergence of Islamic Identity," includes four chapters. Chapter 4, "Political action and theory," turns around three subjects: (a) the role ofreligion in the territorial expansion of the Arabs, (b) the role of poli­tics in the enunciation of the classical form oflslam, and (c) the final sepa­ration between both the religious and the political spheres with the emer­gence of the class of the religious scholars (ulama). The latter assumed the formulation of Islamic faith and law: a process analyzed in chapters 5, "Theological Exposition," and 6, "Legal Developments," respectively. His treatment of these aspects appears rather influenced by the writings of P. Crone, M. Hinds and N. Calder. Chapter 7 is dedicated to the description and interpretation oflslam's external face: "Ritual Practice." ...