In a series of essays devoted to key terms and ideas in Islam, Bravmann argues on the basis of pre-Islamic and early Islamic texts for an Arabian background to the rise of the religion. In pursuing a through philological examination of the evidence, Bravmann finds core values and ideas of Islam deeply embedded in ancient Arab linguistic expression. His work continues to provide a critical element in the debates about the emergence of Islam and cannot be ignored by anyone trying to assess the complex historiographical problems that surround the issue.

"In this comparative analysis of the significance of keeping and revealing secrets in early Islamic culture, Ruqayya Yasmine Khan draws from a broad range of Arabo-Islamic texts to map interconnections between concepts of secrecy and identity. In early Islamic discourse, Khan maintains, individual identity is integrally linked to a psychology of secrecy and revelation - a connection of even greater importance than what is being concealed or displayed. Khan further maintains that secrecy and identity demarcate boundaries for interpersonal relations when governed by the cultural norms of discretion espoused in these texts."--BOOK JACKET.

The Spirit of Islam is considered one of the best and most well-written sources of information on the life of Mohammed the prophet and the history of Islam. Consisting of two parts, "The Life and Ministry of the Prophet" and "The Spirit of Islam," the book contains the literary, cultural, social, political, and philosophical history of Islam. Originally, the book was a short work entitled "A Critical Examination of the Life and Teachings of Mohammad," but the author later revised the work into what it is today. SYED AMEER ALI (1849-1928) was an Indian Muslim who wrote several books about Islamic history and practice, as well as Islamic law. A respected jurist himself, and a descendant of Mohammad, Ali's words were extremely influential. He achieved honors in school, began a legal practice in Calcutta, and was one of the most accomplished Muslims of his time before he moved to London at age 20. When he returned to Calcutta in 1873, he continued his law practice, became a law professor at Calcutta University, and founded the Central National Mohammedan Association in 1877, a political organization central to promoting modern Muslim thought. Ali moved back to London in 1904, establishing the London Muslim League in 1908 and the first London mosque in 1910. Ali continued to write and make breakthroughs for Muslims until his death in 1928.

During the rise of Islam, Muslim fascination with Christian monastic life was articulated through a fluid, piety-centred movement. Bradley Bowman explores this confessional synthesis between like-minded religious groups in the medieval Near East. He argues that this potential ecumenism would have been based upon the sharing of core tenets concerning piety and righteous behaviour. Such fundamental attributes, long associated with monasticism in the East, likely served as a mutually inclusive common ground for Muslim and Christian communities of the period. This manifested itself in Muslim appreciation, interest and - at times - participation in Christian monastic life.

The Charismatic Community examines the rise and development of Shiite religious identity in early Islamic history, analyzing the complex historical and intellectual processes that shaped the sense of individual and communal religious vocation. The book reveals the profound and continually evolving connection between the spiritual ideals of the Shiite movement and the practical processes of community formation. Author Maria Massi Dakake traces the Quranic origins and early religious connotations of the concept of walayah and the role it played in shaping the sense of communal solidarity among followers of the first Shiite Imam, Ali b. Abi Talib. Dakake argues that walayah pertains not only to the charisma of the Shiite leadership and devotion to them, but also to solidarity and loyalty among the members of the community itself. She also looks at the ways in which doctrinal developments reflected and served the practical needs of the Shiite community, the establishment of identifiable boundaries and minimum requirements of communal membership, the meaning of women's affiliation and identification with the Shiite movement, and Shiite efforts to engender a more normative and less confrontational attitude toward the non-Shiite Muslim community.