Reflecting recent global developments, the second edition of this illuminating introduction to Islamic history expands its coverage of the Qur’an, Sufism, and Muslim views on human rights, including the rights of women.

An essential introductory text for the study of the Qur’an, its content, and its place in Muslim society.

The Beginnings of Islamic Law is a major and innovative contribution to our understanding of the historical unfolding of Islamic law. Scrutinizing its historical contexts, the book proposes that Islamic law is a continuous intermingling of innovation and tradition.

Securing Knowledge is the first full English translation of al-Khatib al-Baghdadi’s (d. 463 AH/1071 CE) Taqyid al-‘Ilm. Written in the fifth century AH/eleventh century CE, Taqyid al-‘Ilm is the last extant work that directly addresses early Muslim debates over Hadith.

Veiled, secluded, submissive, oppressed—the "odalisque" image has held sway over Western representations of Muslim women since the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. Yet during medieval and Renaissance times, European writers portrayed Muslim women in exactly the opposite way, as forceful queens of wanton and intimidating sexuality.