Tolerance and Coercion in Islam: Interfaith Relations in the Muslim Tradition

by Yohanan Friedmann

Overview

Since the beginning of its history, Islam has encountered other religious communities both in Arabia and in the territories conquered during its expansion. Muslims faced other religions from the position of a ruling power and were therefore able to determine the nature of that relationship in accordance with their world-view and beliefs. Yohanan Friedmann's original and erudite study examines questions of religious tolerance as they appear in the Quran and in the prophetic tradition, and analyses the principle that Islam is exalted above all religions, discussing the ways in which this principle was reflected in various legal pronouncements. The book also considers the various interpretations of the Quranic verse according to which 'No compulsion is there in religion', noting that, despite the apparent meaning of this verse, Islamic law allowed the practice of religious coercion against Manichaeans and Arab idolators, as well as against women and children in certain circumstances.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521827034
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/27/2003
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.42(w) x 9.29(h) x 0.87(d)

About the Author

Yohanan Friedmann is Max Shloessinger Professor of Islamic Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His publications include Prophecy Continuous: Aspects of Ahmadi Religious Thought and its Medieval Background (2002).

Table of Contents

Preface; Introduction; 1. Religious diversity and hierarchy of religions; 2. Classification of unbelievers; 3. Is there no compulsion in religion?; 4. Apostasy; 5. Interfaith marriages; 6. Concluding observations; Selected bibliography; Indexes.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"...wholeheartedly recommended to all those with an interest in religious history and the formation of the Islamic tradition." Folklore Bulletin

"...a tour de force..." Middle East Quarterly

Editorial Reviews

"...wholeheartedly recommended to all those with an interest in religious history and the formation of the Islamic tradition." Folklore Bulletin

"...a tour de force..." Middle East Quarterly

From the Publisher