A History of Islamic Societies

Rating:
Summary: The "World History" you never learned in highschool
Review: Lapidus' writing style is magnificent for a book of this depth (and length). Rather than writing dates and facts, he ties together the story of Islam with a scholar's perspective. He writes clearly, breaking up specific themes that require special consideration, and never hesitates to acknowledge when a specific topic is a subject of speculation or debate.

Lapidus does the religion justice in portraying it objectively; not as an evil or superior religion, but as a historical religion (with moments of beauty and depravity experienced by every faith) which served as scaffolding to a Middle Eastern empire, and continues to unite over a billion people throughout the world.

I remember learning "World History" in regards to the history of the Roman/European/North American events, but not once was the history of Africa (asides from light discussions on European colonialism), the Middle East and Asia discussed in highschool. It's unfortunate that most of us North Americans continue to learn absolutely nothing about the history of over half the world...

Rating:
Summary: Good Outline of the General History, but Very Biased
Review: The author gives a good outline of the history of Islam. His description, however, of the life of Muhammad and the life in Arabia fell short and was biased.

I would have liked Mr. Lapidus to further describe the way of life of the people of Arabia before the arrival of Islam. The book is not designed for the novice reader and assumes the reader would have background knowledge on the arrival of Islam and life in Mekkah, as well as the reasons and history of the tribal disputes.

I was shocked to hear Mr. Lapidus accuse Muhammad of murder!!! He wrote on page 28, "To carry out his mission, Muhammad went on to exile or execute the Jewish clans in Medina and to seize their property for his followers." This is clearly not true. I've studied Islam for many years and this is the only book I came across that portrays Muhammad as a cold-blooded killer!!!

In fact, most scholars on Islamic history would agree that Muhammad ruled justly among all religious groups. It was forbidden for Muslims to take property from others regardless of their religion. Under Islamic rule, non-Muslims had to pay "protection" tax in order to live in a Muslim city. If they decided to convert, they would no longer have to pay this tax. No person was ever forced to convert, it was by choice. Non-Muslims were allowed to keep all their property and practice their religions in their houses of worship. Pagans and idol worshipers, however, were forbidden. Muhammad also encouraged trading with Jews and set this example himself.

The fact that Islam spread so fast across much of the region in such little time is a result of the treatment of Muslims to non-Muslim. Muslim armies entering cities many times were greeted with joy. Muslim armies entering cities were forbidden to take revenge, damage property or kill the elderly, women, children, or even animals.

This book depicts the wrong picture of Islam.

I recommend this book to professors of Islamic studies and scholars of Islamic history to read what Islam is NOT, and to compare and contrast to more credible writings.

Rating:
Summary: The definitive one-volume treatment of Islamic Societies
Review: The back cover claims this to be an "[a]uthorative and comprehensive history of Islamic societies written for the general reader and student that will no doubt prove to be a classic work in its field." I am happy to report that claim to be justified.

In clear and accessible style for college-level reading, Lapidus covers the Arab-Turkish-Iranian core as well as the African, Indian, and Indonesian periphery of the Muslim world. He also touches on the ex-Soviet and Chinese Muslims. The differences in political and economic organization are highlighted and contrasted, the variations of Islamic belief are explored, and the challenges of modernity are addressed.

If you're looking for a chronicling of dynastic politics, military vicissitudes, and 'great man' theories of history, look elsewhere. If you want a comprehensive, balanced synthesis comparing Islamic societies for the last 1400 years, read this book.

After reading "A History of Islamic Societies", consider moving on to Marshall Hodgson's three-volume set "The Venture of Islam".

Rating:
Summary: The definitive one-volume treatment of Islamic Societies
Review: The back cover claims this to be an "[a]uthorative and comprehensive history of Islamic societies written for the general reader and student that will no doubt prove to be a classic work in its field." I am happy to report that claim to be justified.

In clear and accessible style for college-level reading, Lapidus covers the Arab-Turkish-Iranian core as well as the African, Indian, and Indonesian periphery of the Muslim world. He also touches on the ex-Soviet and Chinese Muslims. The differences in political and economic organization are highlighted and contrasted, the variations of Islamic belief are explored, and the challenges of modernity are addressed.

If you're looking for a chronicling of dynastic politics, military vicissitudes, and 'great man' theories of history, look elsewhere. If you want a comprehensive, balanced synthesis comparing Islamic societies for the last 1400 years, read this book.

After reading "A History of Islamic Societies", consider moving on to Marshall Hodgson's three-volume set "The Venture of Islam".

Rating:
Summary: from a student's perspective
Review: This book is definitely comprehensive, but that is also perhaps a negative trait. It is something that is good to use as a reference, or if you want information in a specific basic area. However, reading it can be rather tedious, as his style is very dry and boring. It does provide a good solid foundation in Islam, but only for someone who can stand it! If you have never read anthing on Islam and truly want to learn, but something by John Esposito, his writing is a little more accessible.

Rating:
Summary: NOT for beginners or the mildly apathetic
Review: This book is very comprehensive, which is either a blessing or curse depending on your background. As someone who knew nothing about Islam prior to reading this book, I was frequently overwhelmed by the mass of information that Lapidus has arranged. As you may notice by the sheer volume of this 970 page book, it is VERY wordy. Like most history texts, it is also very dry and devoid of emotion. The author does, however, provide a complex view of Islam that is fair and accurate.

Rating:
Summary: Detailed and Readable
Review: This is a classic work on the history of Islamic societies. I'm not a historian, but found the book very readable. Its 900+ pages present an in-depth analysis of the history of North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, leading up to the rise of Islam. Interestingly, Lapidus reveals the rise of Islam did not happen in a sudden, broad sweep, as I had been led to believe. Rather, Islam was adopted by Bedouins, merchants, etc. one tribe and village at a time. According to Lapidus, Islam has been marked with internal strife from the beginning when numerous civil wars over doctrine, leadership, and interpretation of the Prophet's message, led to the division of the faith into its Sunni and Shi'a sects. It is an incredible story that every westerner should read. The book covers the periods prior to Mohammed's revelations through the 20th century, and is divided into three parts:

The Origins of Islamic Civilization: 600 to 1200
The Worldwide diffusion of Islamic Societies
The Modern Transformation

As a Christian, I found the depiction of Christianity's role in the Middle East, especially in the early days of Islam, interesting. Lapidus is a noted scholar and has done us all a service by writing this book. I highly recommend it.


Rating:
Summary: Bold arguments suited for non-beginners
Review: This is no ordinary history facts-and-dates book for beginners. The rule is that you must have some general idea of the whole Islamic history, preferrably have read J.J. Saunder's 'The History of Medieval Islam.'

For those of you who have done your reading this is the perfect companion to test your arguments to the very limits. Some of Lapidus' arguments inconveniently disturb sacred faith of the pious, others might open up new horizon to the seculars, but mostly the arguments offer relevant issues never before thought correlated.

Buy it, read it, and love it. But don't hesitate to throw it out of the window when it gets too obstructing. Just pick it up the next day and read it some more, only then you'll appreciate what Prof. Lapidus has done for us. It easily become a classic in a short while.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Comprehensive Resource
Review: This work is an excellent overview of Islamic societies. Also, it is highly readable for a history book. Of course, it can get dull at times just as all really detailed history books must, but this work remains highly lucid throughout. The strongest breakthrough of this book concerns its treatment of the Arabization of Middle East and the developement of what we know as the modern Arab identity. However, to typify in a few sentence as book of this scope is impossible. Once you read it, you will find yourself going it back to it again and again for reference and for understanding modern events.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Comprehensive Resource
Review: This work is an excellent overview of Islamic societies. Also, it is highly readable for a history book. Of course, it can get dull at times just as all really detailed history books must, but this work remains highly lucid throughout. The strongest breakthrough of this book concerns its treatment of the Arabization of Middle East and the developement of what we know as the modern Arab identity. However, to typify in a few sentence as book of this scope is impossible. Once you read it, you will find yourself going it back to it again and again for reference and for understanding modern events.