An Introduction to Islam for Jews

by Reuven Firestone

Muslim-Jewish relations in the United States, Israel, and Europe are tenuous. Jews and Muslims struggle to understand one another and know little about each other’s traditions and beliefs. Firestone explains the remarkable similarities and profound differences between Judaism and Islam, the complex history of Jihad, the legal and religious positions of Jews in the world of Islam, how various expressions of Islam (Sunni, Shia, Sufi, Salafi, etc.) regard Jews, the range of Muslim views about Israel, and much more. He addresses these issues and others with candor and integrity, and he writes with language, symbols, and ideas that make sense to Jews. Exploring these subjects in today’s vexed political climate is a delicate undertaking. Firestone draws on the research and writings of generations of Muslim, Jewish, and other scholars, as well as his own considerable expertise in this field. The book’s tone is neither disparaging, apologetic, nor triumphal. Firestone provides many original sources in translation, as well as an appendix of additional key sources in context. Most importantly, this book is readable and reasoned, presenting to readers for the first time the complexity of Islam and its relationship toward Jews and Judaism.

Genres: Islam, History, Religion, Judaica, Jewish, Judaism

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2008

Reviews

[C. Varn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firestone's book fills a niche in that covers both an introduction to Islamic religion and culture as well as comparative religious treatments on the relationship between people of the book. It is a fairly balanced tome that seeks to balance a deep sense of sympathy with Islamic religion and culture with an honest treatment of tensions between Islamic and Jewish cultures. Many will see this balance as either "white-washing" the history of Muslim-Jewish relations or a subtle undermining of the truth of either the Torah or the Qu'ran. In many more negative reviews, I have seen accusations that Firestone ignores the doctrine of tahrif, which Firestone does not name, but discuss. He also discusses counter-veiling tendencies in the Qu'ran and the Hadith as well as the ways the Hadith developed in more strict way it first appears in the Qu'ran, and that this actually does parallel, fairly directly, halakkah developments and the oral law in Judaism.

Indeed, Firestone makes it clear that distrust between Judaism and Islam goes both ways and has a long history. While it is true that Firestone does paint things sympathetically, he does not deny the particular tension between Jews and Muslims. Indeed, he points out that while Jewish and Islamic theology and approaches to religious law are actually more similar than either Jewish and Christian or Christian and Muslim relations, Islamic tradition has been more forgiving of Christians as people of the book than Jews, and has made less claims on its tradition beyond the Qu'rans particular reading of stories that also appear in the gospels, albiet in a profoundly different light in creedal Christian readings.

Firestone points out a lot of both the cultural and linguistic relationship to the Judaism in the Qu'ran and in Arabic culture at large. The clear relationship of Hebrew and Arabic as semitic languages, the mutual readings of the common tradition, and the overlapping and often competing cultural mileau is brought into focus. Historical development of Islam is discussed in some detail as are competing traditions of Shari'ia. The tensions of the "Jewish Golden Age" in Islamic Spain are brought out clearly as are the occasional backlashes against Jews in the pre-modern Muslim world. Firestone does mention that these were not as brutal or repressive as in Christian Europe nor were massacres of Jews as common as in pre-reformation Christian world or the early 20th century.

Firestone does shy away from discussing the tensions post-Zionism too directly, and this is small flaw in the book. The reversal of Muslim fortunes under modernity is discussed as is colonialism, but the establishment of Israel out of the British mandate is glossed over in a few sentences, and the profound distrust this creates on both sides of the divide is played down.

That caveat is an important one as is some of the historical tensions described within the Firestone's treatment. It strives to me honest and yet respectful of believers in all three of the largest "Abrahamic" faiths, and while I think it works, that is still going to be alienating to some.

[Andrea]

Some see the book as wonderful. Others as a whitewash of its subject. I have to agree with the latter. Of course this "historian" admits in the intro that his approach is to be "sympathetic to Islam. " So, no surprise.
This historian writes that despite lack of evidence, one can surmise that some Jews were in Muhammed's early armies. Despite lack of evidence?
Modernity, (with which Islam struggles--some would argue, it rejects--today) emerged in response to "natural developments that occurred in the West." Just how this happened, what is meant by modernity, and how it emerged from "natural" developments, he doesn't say. It has nothing to do w/ ancient roots of Western thought from Greece and Rome--roots including democracy, science, government by consent of the governed, and elevation of the individual over clan and tribe? Those things are key to modernity.
Author is at pains to find Judaic parallels to everything in Islam. So yes, places under Islamic law today practice stoning for some crimes. But wait, the Hebrew Bible prescribes stoning too! End of discussion. No mention that followers of the Bible haven't carried out stoning for millennia--if ever.
Rather than go on at length about this apology for the religion the book examines, I would suggest reading eminent scholars of Islam, such as Bernard Lewis (dean of them all), Martin Kramer, Efraim Karsh for an understanding of the past and therefore of the events of today's world.

[Michael Burnam-Fink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firestone's book is balanced, empathic and meticulously researched, so why the three stars? While I appreciate the deep historical grounding, and he examination of various hadithic traditions, the book fails to give a sense of what it is like to be a member of this dynamic, complex, conflicted religion. Modern Islam faces grand challenges in reconciling divinely inspired scripture with a pluralistic world, or integrating jihad (literally "the struggle", and not necessarily a military one) into ordinary life, and this book doesn't shed much light on those major problems. Even if such a task is beyond the scope of this book, I don't have a sense of what is essential about Islam. 90% of Judaism can be summed up in the story of Abraham and Isaac and the Exodus. I don't know what narratives are similarly grounding for Muslims.

Firestone is assiduously neutral, and obviously cares deeply about religion, but sometimes failing to express an opinion can be as bad as expressing the wrong one.

[דוד צייטלין]

This book is divided into 3 sections: Islamic history, theology, and practice. Jews living in the Hijaz influenced early Islamic teachings, which were drawn from their customs and the oral tradition. The conflict and enmity resulting from their rejection of Muhammad is recorded in the Qur'an and has shaped Muslim attitudes to Jews.

Firestone's comparisons to Judaism, especially in terms of religious customs and linguistic similarities, made the content more relatable. The author adopts a sympathetic view of Islam and, when addressing controversial topics such as honor killings, suicide bombings, and Jihad, he argues that these issues are either not core to Islam, are reflections of historical prejudices, or can be interpreted in ways that present a more moderate view.

[Craig Bolton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"This volume presumes some knowledge of interfaith studies, and, in that sense, some knowledge of how Judaism differs from Christianity, but it is not just for Jews. Instead, this volume is probably the best concise overview of Islam available in English. [return][return]While one may differ with the judgments of the author here and there, he is unfailingly balanced and at least references all major contrary opinions. One cannot do everything in roughly 250 pages [plus a glossary of Arabic terms, a bibliography for further reading, a table of biblical and koranic references and a good index], but this volume covers more territory better and more clearly than any other comparable volume. [return][return]The author is a scholar of the best sort and should be congratulated on his achievement."

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book! It wasn't always the easiest read but it was well worth it. The author did a great job at explaining Islam, while keeping the opinions very balanced. For instance, on things such as rights of women, he took care to point out the similiarities in traditional islam and orthodox judaism. The fact that this book was written for people with a Jewish perspective made much more of a difference than I thought it would. I really liked how he incorporated the two religion's histories.