Our distorted images of Islam do not do justice to the religion’s complexity, beauty, compassion and history, but Aslan’s book goes a long way towards replacing our current stereotypes with understanding and appreciation. Aslan’s book challenges the “clash of civilizations” between the West and Islam that is the focus of so many headlines. Instead, they are part of a rich and full cultural and religious history of the fastest growing religion today. But in the history of Islam that Aslan presents, these terms did not always conjure up images of suicide bombers and hostage takers. These are words that have fearsome meanings for most of us.

The struggle you face as a reader is confronting your fears when you see the seeds being sown centuries ago for problems that confront us today.įatwa.

And Aslan’s publications in The Nation, Slate, and The New York Times are proof of his journalistic skill. He weaves in Arabic text and terminology seamlessly and the names, places, and relationships that can often be confusing to a beginner are easy to follow in his capable hands. With an MFA in fiction from the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, educated in religion at Santa Clara University, Harvard University, and the University California-Santa Barbara, Aslan is gifted historian and storyteller. None of this is meant to criticize Aslan’s work. You face a struggle between the text, your personal opinions, and what little you know about Islam. You don’t read Reza Aslan’s new book No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam so much as interact with it. Every so often in this historical text, you catch a glimmer of something, like heat lightning in the distance, that makes you realize this isn’t just some boring old history book about ancient history. Even with the blanket, the mug of coffee, and the purring cat, cold shivers keep running through up your spine and the hairs stand up on your arms. The problem is that your comfortable reading keeps getting interrupted. A book you will learn from, absorb, and then put on the shelf. A very good book, that is certain, but one that affects you in the same way as reading about King Tut or learning about Leif Erickson. You think this is another history book, nothing more. You become engrossed in the book, reading about politics and power struggles, learning names you didn’t know before, reading about wars you’ve never heard of, really no different than you read about Oliver Cromwell in England or the Ming Dynasty in Asia or Alexander the Great’s conquests. But however you do it, you settle in for an education in history, to learn about a mysterious culture and religion. Maybe you’re at the library, students cramming for exams in the carrels next to you. Maybe the cat is curled at your feet, a cup of coffee by your arm, a blanket thrown across your legs. You settle in for a long historical read.

No god but god by reza aslan