Islam: An Introduction

The question of a human's relationship with the Divine is one that is eternal, revelatory and profoundly nuanced. It is one that blends tradition, culture, history, social context and human intelligence in the ongoing search for God through the path of love and worship - the path of Islam.

From Key concepts of the perception of "salam" to jihad of the soul, Islam: An Introduction journeys through some of the most fundamental concerns of spirituality and practice of one of the world's most fascinating and misunderstood religions, offering a succinct response to complex ideas with expert navigation and sensitivity.

About The Author

Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford (Oriental Institute, St Antony's College) and also teaches at the Oxford Faculty of Theology. He is a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, (Qatar); Senior Research Fellow at Doshisha University (Kyoto, Japan) and Director of the Research Centre of Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) (Doha, Qatar). He holds an MA in Philosophy and French literature and a PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Geneva. In Cairo, Egypt he received one-on-one intensive training in classic Islamic scholarship from Al-Azhar University scholars (ijazat – authorization to teach - in seven disciplines).

Through his writings and lectures, Tariq Ramadan has contributed to the debate on the issues of Muslims in the West and Islamic revival in the Muslim majority countries. He is active at academic and grassroots levels, lecturing extensively throughout the world on theology, ethics, social justice, ecology and interfaith as well as intercultural dialogue. He is President of the European think tank: European Muslim Network (EMN) in Brussels. Latest books: “Au péril des idées “ (French) with Edgar Morin, Presses du Châtelet (March 2014); “Islam and the Arab Awakening” OUP (September 2012); “The Arab Awakening: Islam and the New Middle East” Penguin (April 2012); “The Quest for Meaning, Developing a Philosophy of Pluralism” Penguin (2010); “What I believe” OUP USA (2009); “Radical Reform, Islamic Ethics and Liberation” OUP USA (2008).