Islam

By Frederick M. Denny. Harper Collins, 1987. 137 pp. List: $8.95; AET: $6 for one, $8.95 for two.

Reviewed by Greg Noakes

Introductory works on religion are seldom, if ever, complete. Any great religious tradition defies thorough examination and explanation at anything but considerable length. The nuances of its worldview, the complexity of its teachings, and the intricacy of its history must all be taken into account if one is to understand something of the faith and its adherents. Islam, obviously, is no exception. Yet Frederick Denny, in his book Islam, has chosen his ground well. His discussion, while taking account of the whole, focuses on a few important Islamic concepts and institutions, providing the reader with an overview that is at once informed and concise.

Denny stresses that Islam must be considered as both theoretical doctrine and as human practice; that is, as a set of ideas and ideals and as their actual manifestation. This ritual, practical component is important because, Denny argues, Islam is primarily an orthoprax. religion, as opposed to an orthodox religion. It focuses more attention on correct practice, law and liturgy than on correct philosophy. This is not to say, however, that "orthodoxy" is absent, or that Islam ignores issues of faith and theology.

Islam, like Judaism and unlike Christianity, exhibits a high degree of liturgical uniformity in a variety of geographical and cultural settings. Doctrine and belief are important, but faith must also be put into action.

In his book, Denny proposes a theoretical conception of Islam based on a triangle, with history, "religious way," and culture each constituting an angle. In different places and times the triangle has been drawn differently, reflecting the relative emphasis each of the three angles receives. In each instance, though, all three exist and support each other. To lose any of the angles would be to lose the whole triangle. Denny organizes his text upon this tripartite construction, expressed in terms of historical developments, the structures of Muslim life, and representative Muslim institutions.

His treatment of Islamic history focuses on the early years of the faith. He looks first at the period of jahiliya, or "age of ignorance, " which preceded the advent of Islam in the Arabian peninsula. The events of Muhammad's life and the details of his prophetic career are examined, in addition to the early caliphate and the rise of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. Denny also discusses the growth of Islam in its first centuries, including the long-standing notion that Islam was "spread by the sword."

The author's interest lies in initial developments in Islam rather than in its later variety. Thus much of Islam's "golden age" is absent, with centuries of Muslim history covered in a few brief sentences. Although Denny's survey of early developments is useful, it is clearly not his intention to provide a detailed chronology of events, and readers looking for a history of Islamic society had best turn elsewhere.

The exploration of "The Structures of Muslim Life" is the book's strongest section. What claims does Islam make about itself, the nature of God, and the human condition? Denny examines the notion of salvation, or more properly of "success" in this life and the next, which is the ultimate goal of all Muslims. He also lays out the basic tenets of the faith and discusses the "five pillars" of Islam: the shahada ("witnessing"), prayer, zakat ("alms"), the fast during the month of Ramadan, and the hajj to Mecca. Denny also takes up the concept of jihad, noting that, despite its use in the Western media to refer to "holy war," the term really refers to any exertion in the way of God, and that Muslims consider "the spiritual struggle each individual has with his or her own faith" to be the "greater jihad. "

The Qur'an, the sunna (or example) of the Prophet, and the sharia (Islamic law) are Denny's next three topics. He also looks at mystical expressions of Islam in his discussion of Sufism. He notes that the exoteric dimension of Islam, the sharia, and its esoteric dimension, Sufism, are in one sense in opposition to one another, providing the dynamic tension and contrast which make Islam such a vibrant religious tradition. Yet at another level these two tendencies fulfill different needs for both the individual and the society, and provide a necessary balance between sterile legalism and ecstatic mysticism.

Denny considers three of the major institutions of Muslim life in his discussion of Islamic culture. His thoughts on the Qur'an focus here not on the text itself, but rather on how it is received, experienced and applied by Muslims. Special attention is paid to the recitation of the Qur'an, particularly in an Indonesian context. These passages, the most lyrical in the book, give a sense of the power that the words and the sound of the Qur'an hold for Muslims.

Secondly, Denny looks at the tradition of marabouts or "saints" in popular Islam. The veneration of "holy men" demonstrates that local folk customs and cultures can coexist (at times uneasily) with a scripturalist, puritanical Islam. This regional syncretism, though often frowned upon as deviant, has allowed Islam to adapt to a variety of cultural traditions, from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe and the Far East, in addition to the Muslim heartland.

Third, the Muslim lifecycle of birth, naming, circumcision, marriage and death is considered. Though this cycle is near-universal, there is again a good deal of local adaptation, expressing the notion of diversity within unity that is a fundamental characteristic of Muslim society and culture.

The book's final section, "Islam in the Modem World," has to be regarded as a cursory overview. It concludes, however, with a very interesting discussion of "fundamentalism" that is of considerable value.

Frederick Denny has an impressive command of his material, writes clearly, and has a gift for focusing on the most important elements of his discussion while still retaining their context. While he occasionally compares and contrasts Islam with Judaism and Christianity, he does not try to reduce Islam into foreign terminology, but presents the religion in its own terms. Primarily intended for non-Muslims, Denny's Islam is sufficiently complex and elegantly argued to make Muslims re-examine some of their assumptions by presenting the faith from a different vantage point. The book serves as a fine first step for anyone interested in Islam and in Muslim society and culture.

Greg Noakes is the advertising director for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.