Introducing Islam

The main objective of the book Introducing Islam was to introduce and map the birthplace and growth of Islam, as well as to inform the reader of Islam's status as a global culture and political force. My criticism as a reader would begin with the Prophet Mohammed's journey or Hijra to Makka and then to Madinah. Introducing Islam was indeed vague in stating the conditions of each of the two cities before and after the arrival, departure, and death of Mohammed. I believe that by comparing the economic state of each city before and after the growth of Islam would provide means by which to make an objective view of the influence of a religion on architecture, education, and the establishment of cultural norms within a society.

One critical facet of the growth of Islamic ideology is "The Hadith" or utterances of the Prophet Mohammed; because the Prophet was illiterate, his views on education are not made clear. An inference can be made that the Prophet's illiteracy greatly influenced how the Qur'an was formulated and then taught. An accurate assumption can also be made then the fundamental teachings of Islamic ideology to the people of Madinah and the surrounding cities were largely learned and established first through oral tradition. One question I pose is: If the Prophet Mohammed himself was indeed illiterate, who decided that the Qur'an would be recorded and recited in Classical Arabic? The use of Classical Arabic as a means to record the Prophet's Hadith in turn becomes a sacred language, but is not the colloquial language of the people. To understand why Classical Arabic was chosen would help bridge the gaps between divisions within Arabic speaking communities and especially among non-Arabic speakers.

The discovery of paper in China and its importation and use in Islamic societies changed the basic transmission of data and led to an economic burst through new business venues from the use of paper. Although the use of paper eventually spread the message of Islam, no negative effects or aftermath of the economic and intellectual bursts on Madinah and the surrounding cities are mentioned. The science of Hadith collection became integral to how Islamic principles were spread throughout cities. One would infer that initially Madinah was governed under a theocracy through Mohammed and his scribes. Under the government of theocracy, no comparison is made concerning internal feuds and division within Madinah; rather wars with other cities who did not like