Gathering Fragments

Christians and Muslims: Children of Abraham – Some Books for Digging Deeper July 17, 2011

In today’s sermon I continue my comments on how Christians should relate to people of other religions. I looked specifically at Islam. I’ll post both sermons in the next few days after a little editing. For now I’d like to suggest several books that I’ve found helpful in understanding Islam.

No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam, by by Reza Aslan, is a fascinating resource. Aslan traces the development of the religion from pre-Islamic Arabia through the present day, describing forces and movements that gave rise to current events. He identifies (and advocates for) a reformation presently roiling within the Muslim world. (on 7/14 I reviewed the book on Nebraska NPR’s All about Books.

The Heart of Islam: Enduring Values for Humanity, by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, gives a more structured look at the beliefs and practices of Muslims. There is, for example, a beautifully written and very moving chapter on the oneness of God and the inherent unity of creation, as well as commentary on love, justice and Shar’ia law.

I’m also reading Allah: A Christian Response, by Miroslav Volf.  This Christian theologian sets out to demonstrate that Christians and Muslims worship the same God and that, even given major differences, there are significant parallels between the two religions and much that they can share with each other.

If you’re interested in Sufism, The Sufi Book of Life: 99 Pathways of the Heart for the Modern Dervish, by Neil Douglas-Klotz, gives a Christian’s devotional venture into this approach to knowing God intimately.

And don’t miss The Essential Rumi or other collections of poems by Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi. Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic who lived in Konya, in modern day Turkey. His followers became the Mevlevi Sufi order, also known as Whirling Dervishes.