No god but God: The Origins and Evolution of Islam

Beautiful book. Truly written like a devotee and a must book for people of all religions to understand our brethren religions - so vital today due to the spreading hate poison. In fact found that I liked it more than Karen Armstrong's more academic work on the prophet, obviously as for Reza it's the religion he's born into and 'familiar waters' matter. Far superior book than Reza's zealot where he's not dorning the devotee hat well. Though Karen & Reza are comparative religion academics with a very balanced view on almost all religions, their pens are mightiest when on 'familiar grounds'. Karen's exceptional writing on eastern philosophy & her brilliant Budha puts her way ahead but Reza has done his share on two major religions Islam & Chritianity. Hats off to both whose efforts are at bringing together humans across sects.

It's a good attempt but a little unclear & confused but his take on interpretation of Quran is a good piece if anyone wants clear & objective read I suggest to read THE FIRST MUSLIM STORY OF MUHAMMAD BY LESLEY HAZELTON & ALSO A SHORT HISTORY OF SARACENS & SPIRIT OF ISLAM BOTH BY AMIR ALI

The subject "religion" as such is hard enough to explain - but Reza Aslan succeeds in explaining this topic and its issues in a very decent and matter of fact way - :-)

Easy to read, a well informed and concise history of the founding of Islam. This should be compulsory reading in schools- and Newsrooms- across North America.

Excellent. Beyond informative. Much recommended to those interested in exploring the origens and logic of Islam, independent from all the misconceptions.

In this book you read about history: facts, characters, cultures of the times, evolution of events and ideas. As a professor emeritus of LIU in New York, I enjoyed it very much and very seriously. My ignorance of Islam made me weak against bias and misinformation especially since the horrible attack of fanatic Muslims that infamous September 11, 2001.Ignorance can be poison. Coming from Spanish descent I have been exposed to this ignorance all my life. Ojalá it had not been that way! (Ojalá, a very common Spanish expression means "May Allah wish"). No mention was made of the several hundreds of years during which the Muslims (the Moors or Moros in Spanish) enriched the Spanish culture with art, education, architecture philosophy and even language, as ojalá . Most household articles have Muslim roots in Spanish. Several spectacular mosques were stolen and made into basilicas or churches that are now the pride of Spanish cities.. After hundreds of years as peaceful citizens they. were cruelly persecuted together with the Jews by the Catholic Monarchs starting in 1492. Queen Isabella, especially, intended to "purify" the Spanish Kingdom by making it all Catholic while Columbus, eager to please his royal patron, was torturing and killing the natives of "the New World" who did not "convert" to "the true faith." Reza Aslan, a serious historian, has reviewed hundreds of sources to learn the facts that he shares with his readers. it's like turning on the light of a room filled with gems and jewels.The book is easy to read, has a practical Glossary of Islamic terms and a good Index .It opens up a new vision of a culture that has had ups and downs, but is as rich and dignified, as human and contributing to our universal humanity.like any other respectable culture. It is a book to learn and enjoy coming out of the darkness of ignorance.

An easy to read book which will give you a deeper understanding of Islam and prophet Mohammad. Well researched and talks about modern issues with the perception of Islam around the world and why many of the perceptions about the religion are wrong. Also touches on Jihad and the role of women in Islam. Enjoyed the book and is a good read.This does not cover topics in much depth and I would recommend this book for people looking to get a basic understanding of how Islam was formed, the founding principles and the life of Prophet Mohammad.