Name: No god but God
ISBN: 9781400062133

No god but God

Though it is the fastest growing religion in the world, Islam remains shrouded by ignorance and fear. What is the essence of this ancient faith? Is it a religion of peace or war? How does Allah differ from the God of Jews and Christians? Can an Islamic state be founded on democratic values such as pluralism and human rights? A writer and scholar of comparative religions, Reza Aslan has earned international acclaim for the passion and clarity he has brought to these questions. In No god but God, challenging the "clash of civilizations" mentality that has distorted our view of Islam, Aslan explains this critical faith in all its complexity, beauty, and compassion.Contrary to popular perception in the West, Islam is a religion firmly rooted in the prophetic traditions of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Aslan begins with a vivid account of the social and religious milieu in which the Prophet Muhammad lilved. The revelations that Muhammad received in Mecca and Medina, which were recorded in the Quran, became the foundation for a radically more egalitarian community, the likes of which had never been seen before.Soon after his death, the Prophet's successors set about the overwhelming task of defining and interpreting Muhammad's message for future generations. Their efforts led to the development of a comprehensive code of conduct that was expected to regulate every aspect of the believer's life.

What Hacker News says

ianyanuskoAug 2023

A trilogy of books from Reza Aslan: God: A Human History, Zealot, and No god but God.

These follow 1) the evolution of human conceptions of God, 2) the historical Jesus, and 3) the historical Muhammad, respectively. They're extremely accessible and have deeply influenced my thoughts on religion.

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nemosaltatMay 2023

After the Bible & The Quran, Reza Aslan’s “Zealot” (Christianity) & No god but God (Islam) provide some great historical context.

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kashifzaidi1Nov 2015

If you'd like to read how they are misinterpreting islam, here is the longer version in the book : http://www.amazon.com/No-god-but-God-Evolution/dp/1400062136

the gist is, They are interpreting things literally without any history and context of what a verse of Quran meant and revealed for, one would argue that should have been fine, but it isn't because it reduces islam to their interpretation.

Arabic is a very diverse language, with tens of meanings for a word (often contradictory) and which one you pick and choose depends upon what type of a person you are, if you are a hate mongering terrorist, you would find those meanings to justify your terror like isis is doing, if you are a peace loving feminist, you would find plenty to justify that (using the same verses). This would mean that their interpretation would depend alot on their socio economic status, the kind of society they live in, the world view they have etc.

People often judge islam by the norms of 6th century arabia, Islam has a evolutionary process in place called ijtihad, which the intolerant people don't seem to use. But if you would have to judge islam, you would have to either assume yourself to be in 6th century to see why they were relevant at that time, or to remove them so to understand the general direction islam gives.

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rdoubleFeb 2013

Eric Hoffer - The True Believer. Why people are seduced by mass movements, whether political or religious.

V.S. Naipaul - Among the Believers. A collection of vignettes about Islam in non-Arab countries.

Reza Aslan - No God But God, Beyond Fundamentalism. A non boring history of Islam. An explanation of the difference between jihadic and nationalistic movements in Islam.

Deer Hunting With Jesus - Joe Bageant. Why poor white Americans vote Republican.

Robert D. Kaplan - Imperial Grunts, Hog Pilots, Monsoon, Revenge of Geography. First two are a look into the current state of deployed US Military. Monsoon is about the importance of the Indian Ocean area, and Revenge of Geography is about the importance of geography in shaping geopolitics.

John McPhee - Annals of the Former World. History of North America from a geological perspective.

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alanlammimanJan 2022

I was reading about early Islam (Reza Aslan's 'no god but god'). It's not a rule that has aged well, but according to him the reasoning was that basically in pre-islamic arabia if you didn't have family support (e.g. widow, orphan), you'd have no livelihood, would end up borrowing money and then fall into slavery. In the absence of financial markets, bankruptcy laws, social safety net, free markets for labour/entrepreneurship, forbidding usury potentially made sense.

As an economist, I still think consumer lending (excluding consumer lending that is actually funding investment like mortgages and vehicle financing) in 2022 is pretty questionable and only economically logical in a minority of cases, and that it would make sense to restrict/regulate some of it more heavily.

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