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A History of Medieval Islam 1st Edition

by John Joseph Saunders (Author)

4.4 17 ratings

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This is an introduction to the history of the Muslim East from the rise of Islam to the Mongol conquests. It explains and indicates the main trends of Islamic historical evolution during the Middle Ages, and will help the non-Orientalist to understand something of the relationship between Islam and Christendom in those centuries.

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`The author's approach is thoughtful and judicious, his style succinct and pleasant to read.' - Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society

About the Author

Saunders, John Joseph

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Routledge; 1st edition (November 2, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1138133159
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1138133150
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 16 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.56 x 8.5 inches

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John E. Greenbacker, Jr.

A magnificent tour through the most important centuries of Muslim ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2017

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A magnificent tour through the most important centuries of Muslim development, from the time of the prophet through 1200. A must read.

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Daniel

good

Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2019

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good as an introductory material

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JohnTruth

easily debunked, and very poor academics

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2016

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An impressive overview of Islam from its' CREATION BY MUHAMMAD to the Battle of Ain Jalut. HOWEVER, the author did not understand the HADITH/SUNNA of MUHAMMAD, Sharia, or the DOCTRINE OF ISLAM. ONE GLARING EXAMPLE TO PROVE the author completely MISUNDERSTOOD Islam, its'doctrine, Traditions, and the extraordinarily bloody history of Islam:
Page 35: Referring to Muhammad: '"...he never countenanced the forcible conversion of Christians or Jews, and laid it down as a principle that "there is no compulsion in religion, " in consequence of which Islam has been, on the whole, one of the most tolerant of creeds."' This is ludicrous, easily debunked, and very poor academics. The author did NOT understand NASKH (abrogation; a fundamental Islamic Quranic principle) or TAQIYYA (DECEPTION; a fundamental Quranic/ Allah Muhammad / Moslem) principle) in islam. Christians and Hindus, murdered by the millions by Moslems (in amounts far exceeding the Holocaust figures) deserve better accuracy and academics. As islam intends to genocide all Jews (by Doctrine), Jews will also want to get the accuracy right.
The author holds Medieval Islam in very high regard, almost completely excluding inclusion of the extensive UNprovoked wars, genocide, and crimes committed by Moslems.
In this book, Moslems and Jews get sympathy. Christians do not. I finished this book seriously wondering about the biases and background of the author.

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JR

A lot of history compressed into a single volume

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2013

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After reading A History of Medieval Islam I know much more about the subject. Although I read a lot of history, this book covers so many years and so many dynasties that at times fatigue would set in. There was not enough detail to make some epochs distinct from others. That is unavoidable in a single volume, and it did a good enough job as a survey to furnish me with ideas for further readings.

It feels a little dated as the author uses "race" as a descriptor: the Arab race, the Turkish race, etc. Not offensive, but you just don't see that kind of terminology in recent history books.

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Glenn McDorman

Nice introduction

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2002

Saunders has put together a nice introduction to the early history of the Islamic world. At two hundred pages it is longer than most authors of long works dedicate to this period, but still short enough so as not to overwhelm the reader with unfamiliar people and places. The best feature of Saunders treatment of this period is the manner in which he easily cuts through all the confusion of the many movements, particularly the various Shiite movements, to find the simplest way to explain them (and their importance). Saunders also raises the interesting point that the Arabs became the inheritors of Hellenism via Rome and Persia, although he does not examine this in much detail. Written in clear language, brief, concise, and efficient, this is a nice introduction to early Islamic society.

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Hume

Questionable title

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2008

Aren't the words "Medieval Islam" a redundancy? When has Islam ever NOT been "Medieval"? For example, if you want to study the history of the "Dark Ages", you could study 8th and 9th century Europe, OR you could look at any Arab country today that's guided by Islamic ideas.

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