Who Is Allah? (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks) - Softcover

Bruce B. Lawrence, a leading scholar of Islam, is the author or editor of many books, including The Qur'an: A Biography and Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden. He is Nancy and Jeffrey Marcus Professor of the Humanities and Professor of Islamic Studies Emeritus at Duke University.

This very original and rewarding book on Islam's core tenet--the belief in the unity and unicity of God--emphasizes the holistic nature of Islam as a lived religion. Lawrence addresses the intellectual and experiential dimensions of faith and brings together the insider and outsider dimensions of the study of religions. One of the key authorities in both Islamic and religious studies, he draws on his rich experience as a veteran teacher to offer different angles on the Muslim experience of the transcendent in the past and present.--Carool Kersten, author of Cosmopolitans and Heretics
Uniquely focused on the theme of Allah, which serves as a vehicle to examine the many dimensions of Muslim understandings of and engagements with Allah, Lawrence demonstrates a respectful recognition of Islamic perspectives while maintaining a secular approach that does not reduce the question to simple social, psychological, economic, or political causes. A fresh take for both general readers and students of Islam and Muslim cultures learning in secular or Islamic classrooms.--Peter Gottschalk, author of Religion, Science, and Empire
The anticipation evoked by the title 'Who Is Allah?' is divinely gratified by this innovative and engaging approach to hinting at the unknowable. In his masterfully concise book, Bruce B. Lawrence navigates vast epochs of history and traverses a multitude of cultures, weaving threads of traditions and disciplines into a guide for a brief yet intimate encounter with the infinity of the Divine. This labor of love is an eloquent and erudite inquiry that is compassionate yet candid and keenly probing. The mystery of this fast and vast quest for Allah is that it manages to say so much with superb clarity and wit.--Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, author of What Is an American Muslim?
Lawrence dares to imagine the unimaginable: refusing the cliches, he locates plurality inside Muslims' own engagement with Allah, identifies Islam as the 'conduit for Allah,' and expands our lens to identify how conversations about Allah are relevant not only for Muslims, but indeed for the whole of humanity. An absolute masterpiece, and a must read for everyone who wishes to understand Islam, Muslims, and Allah.--Omid Safi, author of Memories of Muhammad