John Tolan, "Islam: A New History from Muhammad to the Present" (Princeton UP, 2025)

Dec 15, 2025

John Tolan, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Nantes and expert in Islamic history, dives into his new book, exploring Islam's rich tapestry from its origins to the present. He challenges conventional narratives, emphasizing Islam's diversity amidst legal, mystical, and civic tensions. Tolan discusses the impactful roles of figures like Rabia al-Adawiyya and Ibn Battuta, the complexities of interfaith relations, and critiques modern Arab nationalism. He also hints at his next project, examining the interconnections between anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

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INSIGHT

Islam Evolved After The Prophet

Early Islamic symbols and institutions developed gradually after Muhammad's death and were shaped by Umayyad political needs.
The Umayyads used Islam to create social hierarchies and justify rule over a mostly non-Muslim empire.

INSIGHT

'Believer' Had A Broader Early Meaning

Fred Donner's approach treats the Quran as the earliest written source and reads 'believer' broadly across communities.
Early followers may have included Jews, Christians, and others who accepted a shared prophetic tradition.

INSIGHT

Multiple Legitimate Islams Coexisted

Islam has always contained multiple legitimate orientations: legalist, mystical (Sufi), and political/imperial expressions.
Contemporary fundamentalists claim exclusivity, but historical practice shows persistent diversity and contestation.

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A concise new narrative history of Islam that draws on the transformative insights of recent research to emphasize the diversity and dynamism of the tradition. Today’s Muslim world has been experiencing upheaval: legalists and mystics engage in intense debates, radical groups invoke Sharia, Muslim immigrants in the West face prejudice and discrimination, and Muslim feminists advocate new interpretations of the Koran. At the same time, Islam is mischaracterized as unitary and unchanging by people ranging from right-wing Western politicians claiming that Islam is incompatible with democracy to conservative Muslims dreaming of returning to the golden age of the prophet.

Against this contentious backdrop, this book provides a timely new history of the religion in all its astonishing richness and diversity as it has been practiced by Muslims around the world, from seventh-century Mecca to today. Most popular histories of Islam continue to repeat conventional pietistic accounts. In contrast, John Tolan draws on decades of new historical research that has transformed knowledge of the origins and development of the Muslim faith. He shows how the youngest of the three great monotheisms arose in close contact with Jewish, Christian, and other religious traditions in a mixture of cultures, including Arab, Greek, Persian, and Turkish; how Islam spread across an enormous territory encompassing hundreds of languages and cultures; how Muslims have forged widely different beliefs and practices over fourteen centuries; and how Islamic history provides crucial context for understanding contemporary debates in the Muslim world. At a time when much talk about Islam is filled with misunderstanding, stereotypes, and bias, this book provides a fresh and lucid portrait of the continuous and ongoing transformations of a religion of tremendous variety and complexity.

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