Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World

Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks

by Carl W. Ernst

Avoiding the traps of sensational political exposes and specialized scholarly Orientalism, Carl Ernst introduces readers to the profound spiritual resources of Islam while clarifying diversity and debate within the tradition. Framing his argument in terms of religious studies, Ernst describes how Protestant definitions of religion and anti-Muslim prejudice have affected views of Islam in Europe and America. He also covers the contemporary importance of Islam in both its traditional settings and its new locations and provides a context for understanding extremist movements like fundamentalism. He concludes with an overview of critical debates on important contemporary issues such as gender and veiling, state politics, and science and religion.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Nonfiction, History, School, Middle East, Theology

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Carl W. Ernst is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Islamic studies at the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also the director of the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations.

Ernst received his A.B. in comparative religion at Stanford University in 1973, and his Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1981.

Ernst's recent book, Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World (UNC Press, 2003), has received several international awards, including the 2004 Bashrahil Prize for Outstanding Cultural Achievement.

Reviews

[Mohammed alkindy · Rating 1 out of 5]

being a muslim, reading Carl's book is a curiosity to know how others, non muslims write about islam. so far i find it a balance writing. with such clarity of explaining the many misconceptions about islam, i fail to understand how can any one coming across such book would give a blind eyes to its content especially if the author himself is not a muslim.

starting to see other aspects of the author, it is not clear to me the intentions, is it to show how human the prophet muhammad is or it is the hidden agenda. "a man who is attracted to women". in it face value yes, human nature for a man to be attracted to a woman. but from the content of the narration i could not see how that fit the purpose of the chapter.

i found using of the words like "standard edition of the Quran" is to some extend a misleading as there are no standard and non standard edition of the Quran. the author discussing the Quran variation does not give justice to the truth. claiming that he has learned and mastered Arabic language, the author should know better what these deviations are not deviations but rather "readings" and each meaning is supporting the main meaning.

as iam reading the book i am writing this review. it is a trap it seems. sound like a sugar coated pill. the author started to discuss issues and topics without references as if they are facts totally misleading the reader. it is another orientalist who the author himself is warning us about!!! it could have been easier for him just to state clearly his agenda instead of hard working trying to disguise himself to be an honest balanced writer.

being against the idea of negative colonialism attitude does not justify for the author present inaccurate fact about islam. i though like the author last words as he raised a question " who should interpret the meaning of ISLAM" unfortunately he did not get the right answer, muslims themselves got the right to interpret their own believe.

[Mohammad Mahdi Fallah · Rating 4 out of 5]

کارل ارنست از جمله اسلام شناسان شهیر آمریکایی است که دل در گروی تصوف ایرانی هم دارد. با کتاب اقتداء به محمد اولین بار در جستجویی در زمینه زبان دین برخوردم، جایی که ارنست را نظریه پردازی درباب زبان دین برشمرده بود که در آن، وی قائل به ساختار خطابی زبان دین شده بود. وقتی که فهمیدم کتاب ترجمه شده، با سرعت گرفتن و خوندم ولی دیدم که بسیار با آنچیزی که مدنظر بودم فاصله داشت. کتاب در حقیقت در زمینه تخصصی فلسفه زبان دین نیست؛ کتاب در واقع در فضای 11 سپتامبر آمریکایی و برای کاستن از موج اسلام هراسی نوشته شده و به صورتی ژورنالیستی سر خط مباحث اسلام را یک به یک بیان می‌کند و چنانچه روشن است، بسیار معدود وارد مباحث عمیق می‌شود. برای همین مثل کتاب‌های آشنایی با اسلام نصر، تقریباً تنها دستاوردی که افرادی که اسلامی را زیسته‌اند سامان‌بخشی به اندیشه‌ها و یافتن نسبت‌هایی از اعتقادات با تفکر غربی و مسیحی است.
ولی دو نکته در کتاب هست که عمیقاً شایسته توجه بودند: اول همین بخش اندکی بود که در آن ارنست، زبان دین را اساساً خطابی می‌دانست و معطوف به متقاعد کردن مخاطب و به تبع آن، متاثر از فضای ایدئولوژیک هر عصر. نکته دوم که به تبع ماهیت خطابی زبان دین قابل استخراج است، برداشتی است که چیستی دین نزد ارنست که در آن تصریح شده، دین اساساً دارای ذات نیست: دین در طول تاریخ آنچنان مقتضی عصر دچار دگرگونی می‌شود که سخت بتوان ذاتی را در پس پشت آن بازشناخت و قائل شدن به کنهی درپس این عوارض، چیزی جز یک مفهوم کلی نیست و لذا، تن به همه ویژگی‌های مفاهیم کلی و نزاع‌های حول آن می‌دهد. اگر کتاب همین دو موضوع را هم داشت باز می‌ارزد به خواندن کلش.

[Zahra Bazazan · Rating 5 out of 5]

و این کتاب، کتابی که برای غیرمسلمانان نوشته شده که با اسلام حقیقی آشنا شوند نه اسلامی که ساخته ی ذهن اروپایی ها و آمریکایی ها و نحوه ی عملکرد مسلمان نماها و دولت هاست،این کتاب در واقع کتابی است که هر مسلمانی حداقل یک بار باید آن را بخواند برای شناخت درست از دینش! این کتاب با دیدگاهی کاملا بی طرفانه نوشته شده و هدف نشان دادن اسلامی است که محمد(ص) رهبرش بود برای هدایت همه ی مردم جهان نه فقط گروهی از مردم!
اقتدا به محمد(ص) مانند رویت ماه است یعنی مسولیت کسانی است که خود را مسلمان می دانند...(از کتاب)

[Ali Rahnamae · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful source to become acquainted with the some very basic ideas of Islam. Also, the author illustrates why and how should the context and history on which Islam and Islamic laws have been emerged is taken into consideration. In this manner, he replies to some of the stereotypes about Islam and illuminates how Islamic fundamentalism has evolved as a reaction to European colonialism.
This is a relatively small book and hence, cannot go deep to the topics it covers. Furthermore, one. especially a Muslim who is struggling with some conflicting features between Islam and modernity, cannot relies on this text to find the answers for his problems for, these issues are current questions while the book mostly discusses the Islam from its birth through history.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ernst approaches Islam in a nontraditional way by looking at it through a historical lens. He seeks to create an understanding by covering the differences in sects and difference in the approaches to the practice of Islam that exist within the Islamic World and how each of these has led its adherents to follow Muhammad. Ernst hopes to humanize Muslims in the eyes of the west and wants his readers to understand that religion is not the primary motivating factor is Muslims lives, they are like any other human and other factors such as economic conditions, political access, languages, and ethnicities all play a part in how individuals Muslims live. He addresses issues such as religiosity, the development of Islamic law, and the spirituality of Islam

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview providing a brief historical look at Islam and a highly recommended introduction to its tenets and place in our world.

[Masoud Sadr]

ترجمه فارسی اش به قلم قاسم کاکایی را خواندم. عالی بود.

[Geoffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ernst had several goals when he set out writing Following Muhammad. I can't speak to how well he accomplishes all of them, because I am not a Muslim and because I had a surface-level understanding of Islam before reading it. But I do believe he smashed a major goal out of the park: He introduced me to the details of Islam – religious, cultural, and political – while showing me that the Muslim world has a lot of variety within it and a lot of competing claims to authority.

Despite its shortness, this book took a lot of my concentration to read. Ernst approaches Islam from many perspectives, some of which I have little background in (such as theology). I took the time to read these unfamiliar sections slowly, and the book has much deeper meaning to me because of that. Beyond introducing me to Islam, this book broadened my horizons in general, getting me to think about the nature of religion itself. I highly recommend anyone reading this book makes the effort to really digest and understand any parts they might find confusing, rather than just moving on; trust me, it's worth it.

Even with my limited prior knowledge, I know this book isn't perfect. Though Ernst is not a zealous defender of Islam against all criticism, I do think he's slightly biased in Islam's favor: there were a few times when I noticed a lampshade being hung over some of the more unsettling aspects of Islamic history and politics. But paradoxically, I would say the book as a whole is impartial. It is descriptive rather than prescriptive: it acknowledges and illustrates all the nuance among Islam's followers as to what "Islam" means, and it dives deep into major developments throughout Islam's history, seeking to explain how we got to where we are today.

Besides, we live in the era of social media, an era when the vast majority of non-Muslims are constantly exposed to the worst faces in the religion. I doubt anyone who reads this book these days will go in without preconceived notions. Following Muhammad fills in gaps in popular understanding, so it's not a problem that it doesn't give concessions to the "anti-Muslim" view of the world – most of us have seen that worldview hundreds of times.

Parts of this book, especially in the beginning, are written like an argument. I can see some western readers getting defensive over it (I myself did a few times). I encourage you to keep reading anyways – you don't need to see eye to eye with an author to learn from them. Even if you completely disagree with everything said in the first two chapters, there's still a lot I think you'd find interesting in the last three.

Nearly as relevant as when it was first written, I recommend Following Muhammad to every westerner with the time and drive to read for learning (Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike). This book has a lot of food for thought, and I'm thankful that I read it.

[Hasibur Abir · Rating 2 out of 5]

Extremely unattractive writing style.

[Obinpercussion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku bagus nih... Pendapat yang berimbang untuk semua orang yang terjangkit penyakit Islamphobia. Carl. W. Ernst cukup berhasil menjelaskan hubungan Islam dan Barat sejak dari masa kelahiran Islam, kolonialisme hingga masa sekarang. Penulis pun menyatakan ketidaksetujuannya jika sejarah Islam dihapuskan begitu saja dari pembentukan Eropa awal. Ibn Khaldun pun menulis, banyak juga orang-orang Kristen Eropa (suku Frank) yang tidak tahu tentang filsafat. Benturan peradaban sebetulnya bisa ditanggulangi dengan saling memahami juga saling belajar,.. dah..

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Read for class

This book takes a modern look at Islam by combining current thoughts, events, and cultures with an historical perspective.

This, along with the Lings book on Muhammad, make the perfect starting point for a study of Islam. Both are approachable texts and this one really helps a Western-Centric student begin to understand Island and what being a Muslim is really about.

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reads like Professor Ernst talks. Informative, a little bit defensive, sometimes 'off-topic', occasionally entertaining.

[Nawal]

"Seems Interesting"

[Craig Bolton]

Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks) by Carl W. Ernst (2004)

[Dza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't quite finish, but read enough to feel slightly more educated on Islam.

[Mobashwir · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is for beginners, not for intermediate/advanced learners of Islam, thats why I gave it only 3 stars.

[Jarl Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the later chapters skate a bit, but altogether this book was very helpful in helping me learn more about Islam.