No god but God : the origins, evolution and future of Islam

Abstract

No god but God: the origins, evolution, and future of Islam is a non-fiction book written by Iranian-American Muslim scholar Reza Aslan. The book describes the history of Islam and argues for a liberal interpretation of the religion. It blames Western imperialism and self-serving misinterpretations of Islamic law by past scholars for the current controversies within Islam, challenging the 'clash of civilizations' thesis. According to conservative columnist Reihan Salam, the book has received a favorable response within the Muslim world. Each chapter of the book covers a specific topic within Islam. The book covers the history of Islam from the point of view of the Islamic prophet Muhammad as a social reformer struggling for egalitarianism between people. It argues that the Koran does not order the veiling of women and that the concept of jihad was intended to be solely defensive. Aslan focuses primarily on the early practices of Islam, but he also discusses life within the Abbasid Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and in the modern Muslim World.