Understanding Islam

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Summary: THE MOST IMPORTANT ISLAMIC WORK OF THE MODERN AGE
Review: Although i have my doubts about Schuon as a person and as a sufi..especially considering his absurd behaviour in later life(Allahualim),this book is an indespensible companion to anyone serious about learning islam.it is a book which one will constantly refer to..as the points it makes,become clearer over time and experince..the greatness of schuons work is that his ideas are from the realm of experience not philosophy..you can only feel what he writes about,or only understand it having experinced it.
The downside to schuon is that his work is too involved at the level of the intellect(even though he refers to it as the divine intellect) and can consume you in a world of concepts...at a certain point one will have to abandon such a mentally overwhelming approach and adopt simplicity.
Whilst all orthodox paths may be valid as schuon states..he tried to reconcile too many opposing streams of divine influence and became exactly the kind of victim he was so opposed to?
very valuable as mentioned,but donttake everything as gospel..even though its intitial brilliance will dazzle you.!

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Summary: a book you will appreciate more over the years
Review: I'll start with saying I read this book over a two-year period. Even though it's short, it's a hard read. At the time I don't think I saw why this book was so important. I now look back on my life and as a religious studies major in college, more than five years after starting my reading of it, I find many reasons to appreciate it. As a Muslim living in a Christian world to say the least it's hard (as any of the Muslim readers will know). I've had extensive theological conversations with Christians who have tried -and will doubtlessly always try- to convert me. The best arguments I've found to explain to them, from their point of view, why I could never be a Christian is Schuon's arguments in this book. Without a doubt, he has the clearest arguments to make and I do not think these arguments are obvious upon a first read. They are very strong and clear, but his manner of expression is very hard to follow especially for those who know nothing of his approach. I'll give my favorite example to better illustrate my point. The very first sentence in the book goes something like "Islam is the meeting of Man as such, and God as such." This is basically to tackle the Christian belief that we are all inherently sinful and therefore need God to crucify Himself for our sins. We then choose Him as our savior from sins and our imperfection becomes perfect hence, we become worthy of a relationship with Him. Schoun explains with this one sentence that we, as Muslims, do not believe in an inherent sinful nature or that we are not fit 'as such' to face God 'as such'. Islam is perfecting the eternal relationship we have with God, which is a relationship of worship. We, as humans, are not unfit to worship Him directly. On the contrary that is EXACTLY why we are made the way we are. Not only are we able to worship God the way we are, but also we worship GOD. God as the Eternal, Perfect, Compassionate Being with his 99 sacred names as He is. Neither our inherent nature nor God's inherent nature is denied when we worship Him, rather both are fully expressed. I recommend this book for Muslims who want to argue their religion better and need to appreciate it for the absolute beauty it holds. There are points Muslims might not like, myself included, such as a subtle argument for hell not being eternal. However, overall this book is exceptional. I recommend it for Christians also, if they HONESTLY want to know why Muslims think what we do. However, you need a solid understanding of Islam before reading this book. The book that gives more Islamic information and makes Schuon's very arguments in simpler form is "Ideals and Realities of Islam." by Sayyed Hussian Nasr. Read that one too, it helps in the overall understanding of Islam. Peace all, and may we all one day understand true internal peace, and accept the world's differences 'as such' :)

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Summary: Excellent Introduction to the Essence of Islam
Review: Jay Kinney, in "Whole Earth Review," wrote of this work:
"Frithjof Schuon's Understanding Islam...delves into the depths of Islam... Schuon does not hesitate to draw parallels between Islam and other faiths, particularly Hinduism. He also takes the reader into the esoteric (or inner) essence of Islam, where traditions and laws are given unexpected twists. If you have ever had any doubts about Islam being a satisfying framework for intellectual inquiry, this book should lay them to rest."

This book presupposes a basic familiarity with Islam. Rather than being an encyclopedic source of information, it offers keys to elucidating the universal symbolism of Divine Reality as manifested within the Islamic revelation. At the same time, it gives excellent comparisons between different world religions viewed in their essentiality. Highly recommended for serious readers.

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Summary: A Deep And Profound Work
Review: Schuon's introduction to understanding Islam opens up many doors for the contemplative. It asks difficult questions, questions which have puzzeled philosophers and theologians for ages, and then he answers them with astoundingly simple sentence long answers which not only satisfy the reader's curiosity, but also display that the author is completely familiar with his subject. I can honestly say that I learned more from Schuon's astute analysis and elucidation of the philosophy of Islam than I did from any of the "authorities" speaking for Islam in the West today.