On Understanding Islam (Janua Linguarum)

Contemporary history makes clear how radically important it has become for outsiders to know and understand the Islamic enterprise with much more profundity, accuracy, and sensitivity than has seemed necessary in the past. Similarly, Muslims should understand themselves in relation to the rest of the modern world, especially Christendom and the West. Historians of religion and scholars doing comparative studies can also profit from fresh perspectives on this newly dynamic community. As we all move into an increasingly interdependent world, scholarly contributions to knowledge are in order that at the same time, are contributions to mutual understanding. The merit of this book lies in its unique fusing of new scholarly precision in detail with large-scale interpretation.

The first two parts present interpretations of Islam considered as one of the monumental movements in human affairs, taking it in itself both at large and in detail. The next two parts deal with Islam in relation to other major human movements: Hindu India and Christendom and the West.

Each chapter is preceded by a personal introduction written by the author when he selected the studies published in this volume.