Islam: A New Historical Introduction
Carole Hillenbrand
Carole Hillenbrand’s book offers a profound understanding of the history of Muslims and their faith, from the life of Muhammad to the religion practised by 1.6 billion people around the world today. Each of the eleven chapters explains a core aspect of the faith in historical perspective, allowing readers to gain a sensitive understanding of the essential tenets of the religion and of the many ways in which the present is shaped by the past. It is an ideal introductory text for courses in Middle Eastern studies, in religious studies, or on Islam and its history.
In 2005, Carole Hillenbrand was the first non-Muslim to be awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Islamic Studies, and in 2009 she received an OBE for Services to Higher Education. She is currently Professor Emerita in Islamic History at the University of Edinburgh and Professor of Islamic History at the University of St Andrews. She is the author of the internationally successful The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives.