Introducing Islam: A Graphic Guide

I’ve grown up in a Christian majority country, and have held little contact to the Muslim World, as such many times I found myself on the wrong side of the steoritipes, surrounding the muslim world nowadays, but since 4-5 years ago, I’ve been meaning to change that and I’ve been making an effort to understand better the Muslim faith, and this book helped me to improve and further my views of the Muslim as well as to appreciate their faith better

I have read a few books on the Islamic religion (The Qur’an and the politically incorrect guide to Islam and other texts) over the years. I am always looking for more information on the subject in hopes of understanding better what the actual truth is concerning this religion. I purchased this 176 page soft cover paperback (Introducing Islam: A graphic guide by Ziauddin Sardar and Zafar Abbas Malik) on Amazon for a bargain price.I have read other basic graphic guides from this publisher and found them to be surprisingly informative on a wide range of topics. This volume covers a lot of material, some of which I did not fully understand; nevertheless, it did approach the subject in a more objective and positive way than other books on Islam I have read in the past.This volume begins by explaining how Muhammad, according to the authors, “is the most influential man in history. But he is not an ordinary man. He is a Prophet-the last Prophet of God.” As an admitted religious skeptic (of ALL RELIGIONS) I could see where this book was going. This text explains the life of Muhammad and how the word of God, spoken to him in Arabic through the Archangel Gabriel revealed the essence of the Islamic faith. According to Muhammad, “Islam is the Qur’an.”This book also lists the many accomplishments in a wide variety of fields where the influence of Islam has created progress in the world. It also explains the misunderstanding in the west of many of the terms used in the Qur’an. It gives numerous explanations of what “Jihad” means, the spread of Islam in the world and the role women play in the Islamic religion.I did like this book but it also plays a rosy picture of Islam and fails to go into any detail about the present day violence which sometimes seems to be ignored by the main stream Islamic followers. If the picture portrayed in this volume is the REAL AND CORRECT interpretation of the religion of Islam than why does it seem that “Radical Islamic terrorists” are winning the propaganda war? Further, if the Qur'an is the true word of God, why are there so many different radical interpretations? Indeed, the truth is, whether it is the Bible, new and old testament, the Tore or the Qur'an they are all written by men supposedly inspired by some supreme being that can't be known, understood or seen.In any case, reading this volume will give anyone who is interested in the Islamic religion a different perspective than we see on the news these days. Just as their are moderate Christians, Jews and Muslims, in the same respect, there are radical Christians (Check the Crusades), Jews and Muslims.Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: The Samurai Soul: An old warrior’s poetic tribute).

The book I bought was exactly what I expected, it was well packed, and delivery was on time.

I found this book very interesting but a bit one-sided. Yes, Islam produced many brilliant authors, jurists and scientists, but the authors make it appear they were the first to do many things (e.g. Eratosthenes measured the circumference of the earth way before it was done by the Muslims) but that is not to take away from what Islamic science has contributed to the world. I do have to agree strongly with the section on Colonialism. European white men have been known to abuse and destroy other cultures throughout history (for the record I am a European white male).

Easy to read not biased and a good introduction. I like that they give you recommendations for each topic they cover for further reading.

This book has a topic that doesn't fit the format. The comics are not really as irrelevant or irreverent as they are in other parts of the series, and the book definitely adopts a moderate Sunnah interpretation of Islam. However, it actually avoids a lot of the content of the Hadith or the complicated structure of the Suras. There is a brief discussion of the highlights of Islamic civilization, and a simplified to the point of being problematic explanation of the relationship between classical Islam and the West. It does give a pretty digestible version of the history around the Prophet himself, but even things like the Shia-Sunnah debates are just not given enough time given the genre of the book. Still for a basic introduction, it works fairly well.

This book is physically very small with miniscule type. This was not mentioned in the description. I would never have bought it if I had known this. I can't tell if it is any good because I can't read it. This problem is totally unnecessary and is a reflection of a bad publisher.

Wanted a book about Islam, instead got a book about the achievements of the Arab world. A bit of a letdown, the theology is lacking, even if the history isn't.

This book is full of mistakes, biases, absurd conclusions, and gives in multiple places faulty depictions of history. The author doesn’t even attempts to give a honest and neutral description of the Islam. It basically portrays the west as diabolically evil and the Islamic world as the good and the righteous. Scientific contributions of the Islamic world are heavily overrated and sensitive, controversial subjects are purposely not fully addressed. Even more so, the author takes a lot of effort to avoid criticism. The book can only be described as a shameless propaganda. How it past any editorial review is beyond me. It needs heavy revisions to have any value.

Very Informative and thought provoking book. This is a book which creates Awareness .A must read for those who seek truth.

No problems. Thanks.

Very biased. Would recommend for Muslim readers

The book is fantastic! I loved reading about the history, achievements of Islamic world and challenges that Muslim Ummah is currently facing in the modern world.