The Understanding Islam Book - review

by Christine Huda Dodge

Excerpted by Dawn Joyce


This book from the EVERYTHING Series comprises the author’s honest answers, based on her experience and understanding, about what Islam is and what Muslims feel is important about their faith. It also reveals a deep respect for learning.

The traditional Islamic greeting is Assalaamu alaykum, which means ‘Peace be with you’, and the appropriate response is Wa’alaykum salaam or ‘And peace also with you’. Arabic is a naturally poetic language with a wealth of expressive power and those who master the art are highly regarded.

The prophet Abraham was known to have two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. Tradition holds that the Jewish people are the descendants of Isaac and the Arabs are the descendants of Ishmael. The prophet Muhammad revived the Abrahamic faith for Arab peoples in the seventh century. The three Abrahamic faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – share many of the same prophets, beliefs and historical accounts. Islam calls on people to engage in self evaluation, critically looking at each of the choices we make in life.

The Muslim empire had a vast influence on the development of the modern state, including the introduction of a postal system. The work of its scholars is reflected in the many English words that originated from the Arabic language. Some of these are algebra, almanac, atlas, cornea, monsoon, sofa, talc and zenith. In the Golden Age of Islamic civilisation, Muslims, Christians and Jews from all over the world came together to share knowledge, collaborate on research, discuss and debate. The scholarly work that was done at Islamic centres of learning helped to propel Europe out of the Dark Ages.

Seventy geographers worked together to produce the first map of the globe in 830. In the twelfth century, the Norman King of Sicily, Roger the Second, hired Al-Idrisi, a scholar from Cordoba, to produce a map of the world. Several of Al-Idrisi’s books were translated into Latin and his work spread rapidly through Europe. Christopher Columbus used a map that was derived from Al-Idrisi’s work in his explorations of the New World.

With the translation of Greek texts on medicine, the first modern hospital was created in Baghdad in 805. The Karouine University in Fez, Morocco, has the distinction of being the oldest university in the Western world that remains in use today. This centre of learning was founded by a Muslim woman, Fatima El-Fihria, in 859.

A Muslim woman retains her own family name upon marriage, rather than taking the name of her husband. This symbolic act emphasises that she remains her own person, with her own valid identity. Women are active in politics and education throughout the Muslim world. The Iranian parliament has more female members than the US senate. Muslim countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Turkey have had female prime ministers or presidents. In many Muslim countries, women make up the majority of college and graduate school students.

Today most Muslims recognise that reform is needed within the Muslim community. Such reform is based on several valuable and fundamental principles, including the concept of tawhid (unity), khilafa (trusteeship), ijtihad (reasoning), ijmah (consensus), shura (consultation) and istislah (public interest). Islam teaches that human beings have a special responsibility toward the earth and all things on it. It is a sad fact that most human beings, as the Qur’an remarks, ‘transgress beyond all bounds’.