Islam

by Huston Smith

Originally titled "The Religions of Man, " this completely revised and updated edition of Smith's masterpiece, now with an engaging new foreword, explores the essential elements and teachings of the world's predominant faiths, including:


Hinduism,


Buddhism,


Confucianism,


Taoism,


Islam,


Judaism,


Christianity,


and the native traditions of the Americas, Australia, Africa, and Oceania.
Emphasizing the inner -- rather than institutional -- dimensions of these religions, Smith devotes special attention to Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism, and the teachings of Jesus. He convincingly conveys the unique appeal and gifts of each of the traditions and reveals their hold on the human heart and imagination.

Genres: Religion, Islam, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Theology, Faith, History

112 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Smith was born in Suzhou, China to Methodist missionaries and spent his first 17 years there. He taught at the Universities of Colorado and Denver from 1944–1947, moving to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri for the next ten years, and then Professor of Philosophy at MIT from 1958–1973. While at MIT he participated in some of the experiments with entheogens that professor Timothy Leary conducted at Harvard University. He then moved to Syracuse University where he was Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion and Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Philosophy until his retirement in 1983 and current emeritus status. He now lives in the Berkeley, CA area where he is Visiting Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

During his career, Smith not only studied, but practiced Vedanta Hinduism, Zen Buddhism (studying under Goto Zuigan), and Sufism for over ten years each. He is a notable autodidact.

As a young man, Smith, of his own volition, after suddenly turning to mysticism, set out to meet with then-famous author Gerald Heard. Heard responded to Smith's letter, invited him to his Trabuco College (later donated as the Ramakrishna Monastery) in Southern California, and then sent him off to meet the legendary Aldous Huxley. So began Smith's experimentation with meditation, and association with the Vedanta Society in Saint Louis under the auspices of Swami Satprakashananda of the Ramakrishna order.

Via the connection with Heard and Huxley, Smith eventually experimented with Timothy Leary and others at the Center for Personality Research, of which Leary was Research Professor. The experience and history of the era are captured somewhat in Smith's book Cleansing the Doors of Perception. In this period, Smith joined in on the Harvard Project as well, an attempt to raise spiritual awareness through entheogenic plants.

He has been a friend of the XIVth Dalai Lama for more than forty years, and met and talked to some of the great figures of the century, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Thomas Merton.

He developed an interest in the Traditionalist School formulated by Rene Guenon and Ananda Coomaraswamy. This interest has become a continuing thread in all his writings.

In 1996, Bill Moyers devoted a 5-part PBS special to Smith's life and work, "The Wisdom of Faith with Huston Smith." Smith has produced three series for public television: "The Religions of Man," "The Search for America," and (with Arthur Compton) "Science and Human Responsibility." His films on Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Sufism have all won awards at international film festivals.

His latest DVD release is The Roots of Fundamentalism - A Conversation with Huston Smith and Phil Cousineau.

Reviews

[Bobby · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book reads like Huston Smith was taken hostage by Muslims and he wrote it while under the influence of Stockholm Syndrome. He makes only a couple passing references to Muhammad's multiple wives and no mention at all of Aisha, who married him when she was six (though the marriage was mercifully not consummated until she was nine.) The only mention of death by stoning being the punishment for adultery is in rebuttal to a supposed Western stereotype that Islam causes licentiousness. When he covers the rule that daughters inherit half of what their brothers inherit, it "seems just, in view of the fact that unlike sons, daughters would not assume financial responsibility for their households." Take that, feminists!

[Eric Villalobos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smith is trying to get his audience to have a general feel of Islam, and it's clear that he's writing to those westerners with a caricatured view of Islam. He spends a lot of time dispelling the stereotypes and myths associated with Islam, and, although I did find those sections enlightening and useful, I do agree that at certain points he can be a bit apologetic. I would recommend this as a very very quick introduction.

[Emily K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This feels like a weird book to give 5 stars to, but I really enjoyed it! It was understandable and eye opening for a non-Muslim, especially of the Western/European perspective. I wish I could give a copy to my dad lol.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because, once again, Islam is in every dialogue I have lately. I realized that, having been raised in the Catholic Church and having worked for a Jewish institution for six years, I know quite a bit about both faiths but nothing whatsoever about Islam. I wanted to know the basics and this concise introduction is informative and I learned a great deal in about 100 pages. I do admit when the author was introducing Sufis I got a bit lost but I am fascinated by this faith and am perplexed at how, like all religions, deeply it can be misinterpreted.

I recommend this book for any newbies to the subject who have a curiosity about the basics of the religion.

[Dan Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

“God who’s boundless love and joy
Are present everywhere;
He cannot come to visit you
unless you are not there”

I really liked this poem as it captures the essence (I think) of Islam. You must be outward, facing and loving in order to meet God. You should not be inward facing or he can not not find you.

I want to spend some time this year to get more familiar with major religions of the world. This was a great short read that introduced me to the basics of Islam. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a quick overview.

[Francisco Caçador · Rating 3 out of 5]

PT: Ilucidativo em relação aos aspetos filosóficos da religião, mas sinto que cai para o lado da defesa no que toca a assuntos práticos, e não oferece um criticismo imparcial e neutro ao Islão.

EN: It's enlightening as far as the philosophical side of the religion is concerned but when it comes to Islam "on the field", on a in-practice prespective it sounds defensive, apologectic and absolutely faila to deliver any unbiased criticism and observations.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book over the duration of a few sittings (bus rides). It's more of a pamphlet, than a book.

This was my introduction to Smith. I knew of him, as a copy of The World's Religions is bound to be found in most of the used book stores where I live.

At times, Huston writes eloquently and from a non-religious perspective, in regards to some of the doctrines and ideas of Islam. At other times, it seems he is clearly trying to write from the perspective of a practicing Muslim instead of overviewing the concepts. The chapters throughout the book often contain cited references from the Koran and scholarly sources.

The book gave me the impression that Smith had more sympathy towards the Sufis than some of the followers of mainstream Islam. ("Sufi"apparently translates to "wool"; those who supposedly rejected the growing "worldliness" of Islam, represented by the Caliphs and Sultans wearing silk, and instead chose to wear wool). The Sufis seem to be quite secretive and seclusive, as some of the mainstream sects of Islam view them with... skepticism, to say the least. Sufism comprising the more esoteric form of Islam, while mainstream Islam comprising an exoteric form. Or, as he points out, Sufis try to praise not the external shell of islam (moral imperatives, prescriptions), or the vessel of delivering water (analogy of his choice), but the internal meaning of Islam (becoming closer to God), or the water itself.

In current times, it seems any discussion of Islam is bound to be contentious or abrasive. In relation to contentious ideas, Smith does not address the concept of jihad in detail but points out the "Greater jihad" was/is intended to be intra-personal (the fight within; Lesser jihad being the external war). He also conscientiously ignores a detailed discussion of the divisions within Islam, although he does explain the notion of Sunni (translating to "Tradition") and Shia.

Smith is somewhat fair-minded in his comparisons to Christianity and other monotheistic religions. As a good piece of comparative religious work should do, he accedes (or concedes) religion-specific ideas which have difficulty in the modern world. For example, he explains how the Koran can give justification for polygamy (up to 4 wives), with caveats remaining around the notion of "equality" among wives (they must be equal among themselves).

This book was useful for some recommended readings at the back. It mostly regurgitated, albeit slightly poetically, the ideas I came across in high school courses.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Huston Smith has given us a great, concise guide to Islam. It clarified much for me, though I wonder what an orthodox Sunni (traditional) Muslim would think of the book. No doubt it contains some reductions for the sake of simplicity, but hopefully it is a good starting point.
Here are a few items that I found most helpful:
-Islam comes from the Arabic root s-l-m, from which we get Salam/Shalom. The original sense of the appellation "Islam" seems to have been "the peace that comes when one's life is surrendered to God" (2).
-As has often been noted, "Allah" simply means "God" in Arabic. But more specifically, the noun is definite: al ("the") Ilah ("God"). This gives rise to "the greatest phrase of the Arabic language...La ilaha illa 'llah! There is no god but God!" (11).
-By Smith's estimation, the Koran is to Islam what Jesus is to Christianity. The Koran is the fullest revelation of God this side of creation. Hence, it can't be translated. Muslims memorize large portions of it from childhood (a good challenge for Christians to emulate).
-Islam denies the doctrine of the Trinity. God is therefore the most unique individual, completely self-differentiated from the world. The Koran uses this to place stress on "the self's individuality" (41). Instead of God being social and having a complex but loving inner life (as in the three persons of the Trinity), God is the ultimate individual.
-Initially, Islam improved the living conditions of women "incalculably." By setting up the institution of marriage (in areas where Christianity and Judaism wasn't present), women became more than "chattel." Smith writes that modern extremes in veiling women and atrocities like FGM are "matters of local custom and are not religiously binding" (66).

Let me know if I'm mistaken, or if Smith has interpreted Islam incorrectly. As a final point, I see large points of departure between Christianity and Islam - especially it's reliance on our own actions to walk the straight-and-narrow path rather than a reliance on the costly grace offered to us in Jesus Christ. Yet I found this book a helpful introduction to a religion I should know more about, and which I hope to encounter in conversation with others.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quick read (a couple hours tops) which seeks to give an overview of Islam to a very specific audience: post-911 Americans.

I think it does a pretty good job, overall. I gave it three stars (and not more) simply because it is so basic in it's info. Great, and enlightening for sure, but I felt I had more questions when I finished than when I started. I also felt like, maybe, it wasn't telling the whole story (like it was selectively sharing info about the faith, trying to hit only the good stuff while trying to hard to avoid the unpopular stuff).

Recommended highly as a first step to learning about the faith..just don't expect too much and plan on looking for additional resoures when you're done.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a quest to better understand the religion of Islam, this book was recommended to me. It is, as the title says, a concise overview. The author does his best to present the religion in an easy to understand manner given the topic is complicated. As a Westerner I have trouble getting my arms around Islam as it seems to fit the Middle Eastern culture better even though it does extend to Africa and the Far East, too. The author clearly puts Islam in a favorable light given its radicalization by a minority.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huston Smith collaborated with PBS in the series "The Wisdom of Faith." Great summary that gives broad strokes about how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have the same root and explains where they split, their similarities and differences, and obstacles in understanding each other. I liked that it didn't get too philosophical, and I feel like I learned a lot in a short timeframe.

[Lane Willson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Huston Smith's work at explaining the world's religions, and those whose faith drawn to them. He is honest, willing to deal with both the uplifting and disturbing, without being judgmental. His book The World's Religion is a great resource.

[Senor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can Islam be presented in a way that does not express animosity toward the West?

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers a lot about Islam but I was still left with some questions. I would like to see a follow-up to an intro book.

[Casey Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and informative.