Introducing Books
2 BOOKS ABOUT ISLAM FOR COMPLETE BEGINNERS
1. NO GOD BUT GOD BY REZA ASLAN
Aslan’s immensely readable introduction to Islam explains the religion’s origins and development through history. Yet it also discusses its future. Aslan considers what an Islamic Reformation might look like, given the widespread and heterogeneous nature of the religion today.
2. THE STORY OF REASON IN ISLAM BY SARI NUSSEIBEH
Nusseibeh introduces readers to the philosophical concept of reason, which he defines as “a methodological and systematic approach to analyzing problems.” He discusses the role that reason played in the early stages of Islam in particular. Then a narrative emerges: one that involves history and language but always revolves around reason, both its rises and its declines.
