Includes bibliographical references (p. [316]-321) and index.

Introduction : approaching the subject -- History of the community -- On the eve of Islam : the Hellenistic-Iranian world -- Arabia : Muhammad and history of Islam to about 700 CE -- Expansion and flowering : history of Islam from about 700 to 1700 CE -- Aspects of Islam -- The Qurʼan -- The prophet Muhammad : "the best of all creation" -- Rituals and celebrations -- Divisions in the umma : sects, political theory -- Those who know : scholars and learning -- To know God's will : Islamic law -- Theology and philosophy -- The path to God : Sufism and wisdom -- Three major figures : a philosopher, a scholar-mystic, and a reformer -- Culture and counter-culture : literature and other arts -- Modern developments -- Modern challenges : Western imperialism and Muslim response -- Turkey : secularist reform -- Ideology and politics in Egypt : between secularism and Islamism -- Ideology and politics in Iran : from secularism to Islamic revolution -- Indonesia : Islamic society or Islamic state? -- Globalization.