Introducing Islam

Introducing Graphic Guides

by Ziauddin Sardar, Zafar Abbas Malik (Illustrator), Richard Appignanesi (Editor)

Recounts the history of Islam from birth of Prophet Muhammad in the 6th century to its status as a global culture and political force today. Explains the nature and message of the Quar'an, outlines the basic features of Islamic law, and assesses the impact of colonialism on Muslim societies.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Islam, History, Graphic Novels, Philosophy, Comics

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 1994

About the author

Ziauddin Sardar has written or edited 45 books over a period of 30 years, many with his long-time co-author Merryl Wyn Davies. Recent titles include Balti Britain: a Journey Through the British Asian Experience (Granta, 2008); and How Do You Know: Reading Ziauddin Sardar on Islam, Science and Cultural Relations (Pluto, 2006). The first volume of his memoirs is Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim (Granta, 2006). His recent television work includes a 90-minute documentary for the BBC in 2006 called 'Battle for Islam'. Sardar's online work includes a year-long blog on the Qur'an published in 2008 by The Guardian newspaper.
Sardar is a Visiting Professor of Postcolonial Studies in the Department of Arts Policy and Management at City University London and is Editor of the forecasting and planning journal, Futures. He is also a member of the UK Commission on Equality and Human Rights. His journalism appears most often in The Guardian and The Observer, as well as the UK weekly magazine, New Statesman. In the 1980s, he was among the founders of Inquiry, a magazine of ideas and policy focusing on Muslim countries. His early career includes working as a science correspondent for Nature and New Scientist magazines and as a reporter for London Weekend Television.
>>(from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ziauddin... )<<
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*You can know more from his own site:
http://www.ziauddinsardar.com/Biograp...

Reviews

[Garcia Fernandes Pedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good introduction to Islam

I’ve grown up in a Christian majority country, and have held little contact to the Muslim World, as such many times I found myself on the wrong side of the steoritipes, surrounding the muslim world nowadays, but since 4-5 years ago, I’ve been meaning to change that and I’ve been making an effort to understand better the Muslim faith, and this book helped me to improve and further my views of the Muslim as well as to appreciate their faith better

[Syed Muhammad Danial · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good introducing the civilization of Islam from its earliest history towards the 21st century. The author also have a very good ways of commenting and analyzing various topics without being biased. It is a must read for anyone who wish to learn about Islam history and civilziation.

[Joseph Harriott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hoped this would help me understand and develop respect for this Abrahamic religion, but no, it just left me saddened. It seemed to me a very politically correct description, stripped of the insightful analysis that these Introducing books usually summarise so well, and that I was hoping for. (The things that worry me about Islam are discussed at http://muslimsagainstsharia.blogspot.com)

[Aamina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished! Took me a while. So I just found out who the author is and I'm not surprised to say I found this a little biased. What I loved about this book that it really is an introduction to islam, not that I need to read it or wholeheartedly believe everything it says as I am a practicing (hopefully) Muslim. I like that fact that the guide mentions the way Islam really is and was. It constantly mentions that Islam has been interpreted in many ways by Muslims and Non Muslims. It really does mention everything that you should know from what Muslims have achieved and how Islam started off.

The pictures didn't help, they put me off and were not very coherent. The attempt at being humorous was failing although I believe humour is needed in serious topics.

I like to read about Islam because I want to know what other people perceive, this does not change my views unless I know that what I'm reading is from an authentic source. Unfortunately this book can't and shouldn't be taken word for word. People make mistakes, I get that. And I'm thankful that the authors took time out to create this. May they be rewarded and see the fruits of their hard work.

[Zaghol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the 1 star review for this book. Obviously they have already hate Islam before reading this book but a good thing is they still tried to understanding Islam by reading this book (Every Muslim should do that). Unfortunately this book does not suit with their narrative, so they just call this book a lie.

From a Muslim's perspective, this book is not biased at all. The author took a neutral stance with his explanation for Shia and Wahabi. Maybe the anti-Shia & Wahabi will kind of hate that part of the content but I guess the author is targeting non-Muslim reader and he also briefly mentioned about the hundred years of feud between Muslim sectarian so they can just find other book to know more.

If you want to know the brief history of Islam since the birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) until today. This book is highly recommended.

[Bellatuscana Bellatuscana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overly political about how Islam has had the best of contributions and overly dismissive of the ways that it can be extremist and oppressive. Good at explaining parts of the religion, but I still feel like an outsider looking in rather than finding any way to connect to it emotionally or spiritually.

[Ahmed Atif Abrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found another intellectual of our time- Ziauddin Sardar. Zia's 'Mecca' has also caught my eyes, like many.
It's much concise and interesting a book, yet you dare not finish it at a stretch. Because some thoughts will definitely pause your mind for a while. Moreover, topics are often not connected that much. So it will be tough to relate sometimes.
Zia really spent long time on research I understand. And the illustration has too enriched the easily accessible book for both Muslims and non-Muslims.

[Jose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book to see where Sufism fits into islamic traditions. The book waxes a bit too poetic about islamic achievements in science and such by dismissing quite a few 'western' discoveries as plagiarisms -as if islamic thought hadn't borrowed -and heavily- from other civilizations. It also tows the accepted "colonialism is awful" political correctness yadda yadda . However, it DOES offer counterpoints and it is an excellent if very brief intro to the prophet Muhammad and his teachings , the evolution of islam, its disintegration into rival groups, the splendours of islamic civilization and its fall. It is necessarily brief and it skips some important episodes (Ottomans) It delves into its mystics, its debaters and also the interested forces that ossified modern Islam or abused it into forms of repression, misogyny and suppressed thought. Most importantly, it offers the reader a good primer on the authors and movements keen on recovering the multicultural, charismatic and essentially tolerant shape that this Faith had at the beginning.(according to the authors, i am no expert)


I understand the interest the authors put in showing islamic cultural achievement. But i think their point is to show how Islam is not contradictory with science and inquiry. Fair enough. However, i doubt Islam is the cause of it instead of just the prevalent Faith in times in which unification and power created the conditions that were the actual cause of the flowering of scientific inquiry. In my opinion, there is no islamic or christian science or logic, it is all part of reasoning. It could be said the impulse to know and to create a just society might very well benefit from a Faith just like Islam -at least it would seem that a community that shares a compassionate tolerant set of values and core beliefs will tend to be a successful one. That Islam can color or even trigger our notion of a fair economy or drive the desire of knowledge and stewardship is not out of the question despite its rare recent examples of just that. That islam is anything but an aspiration is just the sad fate. of all religions. Humans cannot expected to even remotely live up to their precepts. Certainly no benefits will be coming from an Islamic State or a modern day imposed Sharia and the book acknowledges as much.

[Andromeda · Rating 1 out of 5]

The authors of this book are dogmatic, fanatical, small-minded bigots, who ought not to have been engaged to do this work. Shame on the publisher who was obviously bending over backwards to the Islamists who were bent on falsifying history and spreading disinformation about their primitive creed that is responsible for many a carnage!

From the beginning, when the text began at page 4, one can patently see Sardar and Malik's nauseating sectarianism. If I had not paid for the book, I would have committed the repulsive book to the flames --- one of the principal reasons for my repugnance is it read like a text for the jihadist who is on his mission to purvey shameless canards to defraud simpletons. I did not pay to read baloney!

Historically, the book is a disgraceful failure: it contained an infinite number of unpardonable errors, and there were also an appalling number of falsehood and fictions concerning Muslims' so-called "achievements" in science and technology! Even a pre-schooler would have known what absurdity that assertion was.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to make a study of how bigots unashamedly lie in their throats!

[Justyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to agree with some of the reviews here, that in some places the narrative of this book feels biased. It doesn't happen very often, but it's there - the author cannot stop himself from being very subjective in his approach to certain historical events or characters. Nevertheless, this is a good introduction with lots of beginner info and we're also given some ideas for further reading. What I personally couldn't not notice is how in the chapter Women the author argues that there are many female scholars and generally Islamic leaders of the past have twisted the original Islamic thought in a way oppressive to women, but at the same time he mentions literally one (!) female name outside of this short chapter. Additionally, 95% of the book does not mention anything related to women in Islam, it's basically a very long list of historical figures, all of whom are only men. So, whatever feminist statements are made in the Women chapter (and however true they are) is in practice opposed throughout the rest of this small book. A bit contradictory, I'd say...

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great little primer on the history and teachings of Islam, which is something that I had been seeking for some time. This is part of a series of such books from Britain's Icon Books. It is very well illustrated (by Malik) with drawings derived from Islamic artistic and decorative traditions. The text is clear and concise, and it is a pretty quick read. Nevertheless, I spent a fair amount of time with it, reading some sections over several times. Despite the simplicity of the work, it is clear that Sardar is very knowledgeable and has much of value to impart to Western readers. It attempts to tell the story of a perfectly reasonable religious faith that has been unfairly villified in Europe and the USA, and the culture and knowledge that grew up in the wake of Muhammad. The author's view appears to be that of an educated and fairly liberal, but still devout, Muslim. This title is worth keeping around as a reference book.

[Raz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been an atheist for most of my adult life and I was catholic prior to that, so I'm coming at this subject with very little prior knowledge of Islam. I think this is a great little primer though, and it would have been really cool if books like this were made more readily available in schools - not just for Islam specifically, but non-Western cultures and concepts in general. I definitely feel like it'd do a lot to combat misinformation and prejudices to have this kind of stuff on an educational agenda.

It's obviously got a bias, but I think it wears that bias on its sleeve. 'Introducing Islam' is exactly what it says on the cover; a whole bunch of basic trivia about the background of Islam and the contributions that Muslim people have made to the world. It's not an impartial encyclopedia, but it's a good starting reference point and there's a bunch of things I've noted that interested me enough to want to follow up later down the track. Would recommend!

[Madison Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a decent read, but I did find some bias that you wouldn't necessarily get if you were taking a religious studies class, for example. Upon first glance, it looks like a fun design and aesthetically pleasing, but it actually becomes quite difficult to read with the vastly different fonts and page formats. I was also a little thrown off by the amount of basic grammar and sentence-level mistakes, such as misused words and spaces in between punctuation and the preceding word. It's the kind of thing I would expect from a Kindle Unlimited self-published book, so I was a bit disappointed in the lack of thorough editing.

[Qonita · Rating 4 out of 5]

basic understanding about islam and more about the philosophy behind it. concise and inspiring.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more a historical study than a look at religious practices (Eid is not mentioned once). It is anti-West but does not give enough credit to the ideas that came from further East, particularly in mathematics and thus creates an unbalanced picture.

And the big elephant in the room is there is no mention of the ghastliest thing the Islamic world taught the West - the enslavement of black Africans. Racism is not solely a Western ideology as anyone who has seen the treatment of migrant workers in the Arab world can testify.

I did like the section on women and the acknowledgement that as Islamic society and law developed, it was often at their expense. At the time of Muhammad, Muslim women did have one of the best legal positions in the world. But in the twentieth century a legal system in which they can be married for decades and only be entitled to three months maintenance on divorce or they can act as government ministers or judges but their testimony in a court is only worth half that of a man is not in keeping with the spirit behind the original message of Islam.

While this book is flawed it is right to highlight the contribution of many Muslim scholars to the foundations of our modern knowledge. Apart from medicine, which I was taught in history class at school, it is often overlooked. The interconnectedness of human societies needs to be recognised to move mankind forward.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the one hand this is an excellent primer into Islam, particularly as a culture. But unlike some other books in this series, such as the one on Hinduism, this specific guide is also a bit sycophantic and lacks a sense of objectivity. It often reads more as a boisterous piece of proselytizing literature than a broader look at the culture without too much dogma.

It also doesn't really tackle the schism in Islam and it actually contradicts itself in a few places. I believe this is because the author tried to please everyone - both those in the faith and those wishing to know more about it - than sticking to a more cohesive intent. In some glaring cases, the author even attacks 'plagiarism' of Islamic breakthroughs, but is not as even-handed in acknowledging older origins to ideas that Islam itself appropriated. Likewise, it really isn't objective about history. Reading this you'd believe the Islamic conquerors of the middle ages were peace-loving egalitarians, which is not true at all.

There are a few meagre attempts to point at philosophical differences in the faith, yet I got the feeling the author didn't even seem too certain about these moments. It may also be that additional content was edited in to balance the text a bit more.

Nonetheless, if Islam is a mystery to you, this is an informative read.

[Bianca Manea · Rating 3 out of 5]

ABC-ul islamului, cărțulia asta e menita sa faca o introducere accesibila si prietenoasa in viața profetului si in felul in care se manifesta cultura arabica prin intermediul științei, medicinei, matematicii, arhitecturii, filosofiei, teologiei, artei si literaturii islamice.
Autorii aduc in atenția cititorului nedreptatea cu care au fost tratați si uitați înțelepții musulmani de către lumea europeana in principal. Multe dintre reușitele lor au ajuns sa fie creditate europenilor, iar islamul sa fie incorect si brutal portretizat de către coloniști drept o cultura barbara, inferioara, murdara si necivilizata, prejudecată care persistă și azi in rândul ignoranților care nu se obosesc sa se informeze.
Desigur, contribuie si radicaliștii la aceasta convingere.
In schimb se vorbește foarte puțin despre felul in care a evoluat in ultimii 10-15 ani islamul si cum femeile sunt aduse la tăcere, cenzurate, oprimate si efectiv considerate ne-oameni. Mi-ar fi plăcut să fie aprofundat capitolul despre femei, dar fiind foarte succint, mi se reconfirma ca pana si autorii care trăiesc de fapt in Londra, tratează cu superficialitate si dezinteres acest subiect, la categoria “ș.a.m.d.”

[Plingsben · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to get a good understanding of Islam and it's long history than this is an excellent book that to be honest needs to be on school shelves. The portrayal of Muslims in american media is normally very poor, even UK TV news regulated by Ofcom has normally very biased coverage only covering terrorism and Islam related terror activities. This book acts to try and inform the reader but at the same time criticises the Islamic worlds current and present problems in a critical way.

At one point the book goes into the subject of originally Islamic inventions that western scholars nicked under their own name. The only thing that raised an eyebrow was the claim that Muslims originally invented paper. I have heard claims that paper was invented in China, I'll leave that one for debate.

[sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 / 5 Stars

I was originally leaning towards rating this book 3/5. The authors provide a concise explanation of the birth of Islam and the influence Islam has had on the world. I especially appreciated the information on Islamic art, mathematics, social sciences, etc. But, the last few pages on Women and Islam Today changed my mind. I think the author steers to an apologetic route when discussing Muslim women, which felt unnecessary and aims to pander to a Western/non-Muslim audience. Also, the addition of the photo of the World Trade Centre felt unnecessary, as the authors themselves say that this act did not represent Islam, so why include it in an Islamic guidebook? But, I understand this may be influenced by the time period when the book was written and published.

[Hariz S. H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cartoon is a bit irksome. Suddenly saying something with inadequate explanation. Overall it was pretty decent for introductory book. It served its purpose, but it would be more helpful to give some suggestion or guide for anyone to go deeper upon each subjects.

Since it touches aqidah, fiqh, tasawuf, sirath, kalam, hadith and many main branches of Islamic studies; for introductory books, no way it can present all the contrasting opinions for each field. So for anyone who want to read it, take note of this; you might need 1 or 2 more of similar theme like this book to get the right surface view of Islam.

[Jonathan Dyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting insight in to the beliefs and history of Islam

This book holds many refrences and as someone who knows verry little about Islam I feel this book  dose its job of allowing the reader a simplified account of Islamic history, while providing material to continue learning past this book.


I do get the impression certain parts are a little oversimplified and the book is filled with what is clearly the author's opinion and not facts.


As long as you're happy sifting through the clearly biased tone there is decent knowledge, I would recommend doing further reading before accepting what is written in this book though.

[Robin Bhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not entirely accurate.

For example, the book states that Abu al-Wafa developed trigonometry.
The truth: He did not create trigonometry from scratch. Early forms of trigonometric concepts already existed in ancient Babylonian and Indian mathematics.

Abu al-Wafa’s real contribution was in advancing and systematizing the field. He introduced functions like tangent (tan), secant (sec), and cosecant (csc), produced highly accurate tables, and formalized several important identities. Essentially, he refined and expanded the existing knowledge, helping shape trigonometry into a more modern and practical tool for astronomy and geometry.

[Anam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This the best book i've on islam. I myself was so ignorant before reading this book. I didn't know that muslim scholars are behind all the scientific, educational, economic, philosophical, geographical progress. This book wonderfully summarises about the religion its teachings and the progress which muslims made thousands of years ago and how Western Scholars and Colonialists copied them and earned all the credit and fame. Brilliant book it gives a compact understanding of islam back from the prophet's(pbuh) time until today.

[Chloe Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

British convert who appreciates the knowledge

As a British convert I am constantly hearing uneducated rude opinions regarding Islam and Muslims with absolutely no truth or fact behind them. It is so refreshing for me now after reading this incredibly engaging and interesting book as I can now respond with educated facts.

This book is not just for Muslims, I recommend to anyone who wants to further their worldly knowledge or comfort or understand a friend/family member who is Muslim. Have a read you will not regret it.

You’re an incredibly author Ziauddin Sardar.

[Harsh VS · Rating 3 out of 5]

The issue of women and other modern criticisms of Islam have been, it seems, passed on without being dealt in detail. Also, the section on science, technology specifically, and knowledge in general, seems like an eulogy piece without giving much credence to the fact that many of the discoveries/inventions mentioned had been the result of the continuous and mutual exchange with the other contemporary cultures and civilizations of Asia and Africa, and to a lesser extent Europe.
Yet, the book is very suited for the task it was meant to do- introduce Islam.

[Ezra Cortés · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ve en busca del conocimiento, aunque debas ir hasta China - Mahoma
Un resumen gráfico y directo de las generalidades del islam; su historia, sus principales conceptos, personajes y malentendidos que el público no musulmán tenemos.
Es un gran libro para abrirse la puerta a esta enorme cultura, o bien para comenzar a entenderla.
Las ilustraciones que cubren todas las páginas son a veces muy útiles o a veces solo roban espacio, pero para un lector joven o muy visual es un formato genial.
Recomendable y ligero, entretenido y muy interesante.

[Nahla · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice introduction. It starts from the religion it self mixed with history to history and discoveries. I wasn't a huge fan of the graphics unfortunately and some things seemed to be told in a too simple way. But it is suppose to be an introduction so they don't have time to dive into details, I understand. For a non Muslim who'd like to know more, that would be great. For a Muslim, it's maybe too simple and doesn't add a lot on the knowledge I already had.

[Jaakko Vasankari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so source critical but still credible guide

Very entertaining book. However some of the claims seem a rather exaggerated. For example one person to go through millions of potential statements is a very bold claim of you think that at the age of internet going through millions of web pages is almost impossible - 1000 years ago even more so. However the authors find their critical thinking on the later parts of the book.

[Susapien · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book lacks the critical evaluation of a religion, although we cannot expect more from an introductory book. However, the book is quite a good read for the one who is entirely new to the religion. It provides a brief overview, In this book, the way the author explains the achievement of Islamic Civilization in science and rationality made me think a lot on this. It would have been better if the author mentions the source of his claims.

[A.J. Garner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that people are hating on the pictures in a “Graphic Guide.” What did you expect?

I found this refreshing in our time and where I live. It is very positive towards the Islam religion and I am glad. I enjoyed the history for context.

I always feel like the last fifty pages of these feel rushed or out of steam. This was no different. I will continue buying these and passing on to friends.