The Complete Idiot's Guide to Islam, 3rd Edition: An In-Depth Look at One of the World s Most Important Religions

This book does a fantastic job of breaking down the basics of Islam. As someone who knew almost nothing substantial about the religion before reading the book, I feel like I have an intermediate grasp of the ideas of the faith, as well as the history and practices of the religion.I love this book so much that I have now gifted it several times. It does a great job of dispelling prominent myths about the religion, as well as breaking down the differences between the different sects (Sunni, Shia, etc.). The author writes from a Sunni perspective and is upfront about it from the start.Lastly, I've noticed several reviews mention that the book contains several negative portrayals of Christianity and Judaism. I didn't get this impression at all, and I'm not sure what they are referring to. In any case, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the basics of Islam.

Not really a fan of paperback books but this one changed me whole life!Although it is directed alot of attention (in my opinion too much attention) to the discussion of the difference between extremism and true islam, it still gave a good overview of the islam as a whole.For the aforementioned reasons I would recommend this book to people who are curious about islam/ contemplating conversion because it breaks things down to a very non-intimidating level.I would also recommend this book people who have stereotypes about what islam and muslims are all about based on 9/11 and taliban etc, etc. because the book really drives home the point that you cant blame the religion for the violent and hateful actions of individuals who CLAIM to be apart of that religion.

Islam, like most religions, is complex and open to interpretation. The author, Yahiya Emerick, was born into an American Christian family, and converted to Islam in 1989. Emerick tries to avoid controversy and tells the reader that Islam promotes religious tolerance. However, Islam has an image problem and I bought this book to get a better understanding of what the typical Muslim believes.As an outside observer there seem to be two Islams. There is the one that educated Western Muslims like the author promotes, this is a religion of peace, love, and forgiveness. In this respect, Islam does not seem that much different from Christianity and it is a religion that we in the West can feel comfortable with. Unfortunately, there is this other Islam represented by bearded zealots who share a world view not that much different from Adolf Hitler. These people are successfully spreading their message throughout the Middle East and North Africa. They want to kill heretics and apostates and impose Islamic law on non-believers. The Guide writes about the "nice" Islam and mostly ignores the other angry religion. As a result, the book glosses over or ignores a lot of controversial issues that most people in the West want to understand.Emerick claims that all religions have their bad apples and terrorists groups like those who attacked the mall in Nairobi, are not true Muslims. His view is that the extremists are a tiny minority and the majority of Muslims are good people who oppose violence. Hopefully he is correct, however you are not going to find a discussion on the causes of terrorism in this book.Emerick tells us that Islam is a tolerant religion. He uses the example of Muhammad, who practiced tolerance towards Jews and Christians in the 7th century. I recently spoke to a Christian from the Sudan who had a different perspective. Christians in the Middle East have had to cope with intolerance in recent years in countries like Lebanon and Egypt. Since 2003 the number of Christians in Iraq has fallen from 1.5 million to 250,000 and hundreds of churches have been destroyed. In the UK, a majority of Muslims told pollsters that it is acceptable to curb free speech to prevent their religion being criticized. Emerick does not address the issue of whether Islam is compatible with Western values and ignores the thorny subject of Shariah law which many Muslims in Europe want to introduce.Another controversial issue is the appropriateness of the veil and the need for women should cover their heads. Europe is debating whether to ban the veil in certain circumstances. According to the author, women need to cover their heads to dampen unwanted sexual advances from men. This seems a strange argument for anyone brought up in the West. Few women at Cairo University in the 1970s covered their heads or wore a veil, today the reverse is true. Emerick doesn't explain why attitudes have changed and why Muslims in countries like Egypt now appear to be more devout.I came away confused about the contradictions between Emerick's peaceful and reassuring Islam and the newspaper headlines we have become accustomed to reading. There are obviously different ways of interpreting Islam, Emerick presents a religion that we shouldn't be afraid of, I hope he is correct.

I read the other reviews of this book before getting it, and despite the "biased" and other such comments still felt there had to be something in here worth reading.I was not wrong.The author does honestly not do a good job of describing the differences or unique elements of Islam without providing a negative / almost bashing like tone toward both Christianity and Judaism. I think the points he makes are important but the tone and style does not help convey them.That said, once you get past the first few chapters this tone / issue is no longer and it's fair to say this book is packed with great detail and knowledge.I think this is a great read and if it were not for the tone in the start of the book it would be 5 stars.If you are looking for a great overview of all things islam this is as good a start as any.

I met quite a few people all at once that believed in Islam. They were all a big part of my life and I wanted to learn more about what they believed in. This was the perfect book to read for my experience. It was very informative and covered a lot of bases. It even got my friend's stamp of approval :)Good read, highly recommended to those who just want to understand where normal Muslim's are coming from and what fundamentals they understand as their faith. I'm sure it varies from person to person, but I really think this is one of the things Id start with for a good overview.

Very unsatisfied with the condition of this book. Several of the back blank pages and back book cover are entirely covered with writing. Throughout the book there are inked writing with opinions and comments on the books content. I don't want someone else's opinion in a book I own. I've never minded purchasing a book with underlined content. This particular book is not resale quality condition.

Great product, good description, good price.

I have a Christian background living in a Muslim. The book is written very sincerely with the ambition to have a full coverage of customs, background, and philosophies of Islam. And it succeeds. It relates to the other Abrahamic religions (Christianity and Judaism) in a knowledgeable and relevant way. A good read to understand Islam and the Muslim world and perspectives.

The book was delivered on time. The book covers topics on Islam quite well.

A good collection of topics for those who are unaware of islam.

As a recent revert I thought I'd try this book. It is set out in an easy to understand format. Would recommend anyone who doesn't know anything about Islam to get this. Covered most of the things I already know but good introductory into Islam ideas and ways.

I found It informatyive

Easy read, nicely laid out and fair. Very happy