New Books in Islamic Studies

A major new history of Saudi Arabia, from its eighteenth-century origins to the present day Saudi Arabia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, a major player on the international stage and the site of Islam’s two holiest cities. It is also one of the world’s only absolute monarchies. How did Saudi Arabia get to where it is today? In Saudi Arabia: A Modern History (Yale UP, 2025), David Commins narrates the full history of Saudi Arabia from oasis emirate to present-day attempts to leap to a post-petroleum economy. Moving through the ages, Commins traces how the Saud dynasty’s reliance on sectarianism, foreign expertise, and petroleum to stabilize power has unintentionally spawned secular and religious movements seeking accountability and justice. He incorporates the experiences of activists, women, religious minorities, Bedouin, and expatriate workers as the country transformed from subsistence agrarian life to urban consumer society. This is a perceptive portrait of Saudi Arabia’s complex and evolving story—and a country that is all too easily misunderstood. David Commins is the Benjamin Rush Chair in the Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor of history at Dickinson College. He is the author of Islam in Saudi Arabia, The Gulf States, and The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

US-born Protestant evangelicalism has gone global to an extent of which many of us might be unaware. Soul by Soul: The Evangelical Mission to Spread the Gospel to Muslims (Columbia Global Reports, 2024) tells the story of Americans’ colossal mobilization to proclaim Christianity “to the ends of the Earth,” a movement that triumphed in the Global South, challenged the Vatican, then turned east in full force after 9/11 to spread the Gospel among Muslims. When the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq set off a wave of anti-American attacks and made the field too dangerous for US missionaries, thousands of disciples, particularly from Latin America, were mobilized to finish the task. In Soul by Soul, journalist Adriana Carranca follows the pilgrimage of a missionary family from Brazil as they move to Afghanistan. Carranca brings us on a harrowing journey through the underground passages of the global evangelical movement as it clashes with the full force of militant Islamic groups in the Middle East and South Asia, where contemporary religious wars are being fought, soul by soul. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

Focusing on Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) – one of the foremost scholars and authorities in the Muslim world who is central to the Islamic intellectual tradition – this book embarks on a study of doubt (shakk) and certainty (yaqīn) in his epistemology. Ghazālī’s Epistemology: A Critical Study of Doubt and Certainty (Routledge, 2024) looks at Ghazālī’s attitude to philosophical demonstration and Sufism as a means to certainty. In early scholarship surrounding Ghazālī, he has often been blamed as the one who single-handedly offered the death-blow to philosophy in the Muslim world. In much of contemporary scholarship, Ghazālī is understood to prefer philosophy as the ultimate means to certainty, granting Sufism a secondary status. Hence, much of previous scholarship has either focused on Ghazālī as a Sufi or as a philosopher; this book takes a parallel approach, and acknowledges each discipline in its right place. It analyses Ghazālī’s approach to acquiring certainty, his methodological scepticism, his foundationalism, his attitude to authoritative instruction (taʿlim), and the place of philosophical demonstration and Sufism in his epistemology. Offering a systematic and comprehensive approach to Ghazālī’s epistemology, this book is a valuable resource for scholars of Islamic philosophy and Sufism in particular, and for educated readers of Islamic studies in general. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

Isabel Toral and Beatrice Gruendler dive into the rich history of 'Kalīla and Dimna,' exploring its evolution from Sanskrit to Arabic and beyond. Gruendler, a Professor of Arabic, and Toral, a cultural historian, discuss how the text has shaped Arabic literature and its adaptations across cultures. They highlight the role of digital tools in analyzing manuscript variations, emphasizing the concept of 'mouvance' and the creative agency of copyists. The conversation reveals the challenges of introducing these literary classics in academic discourse and the collaborative efforts to document and preserve this literary heritage.

Murad Idris, an Assistant Professor of Political Theory at the University of Virginia, delves into the complex interplay of war and peace across Western and Islamic thought. He examines how peace is often intertwined with violence, challenging traditional notions of 'violent peace.' Idris reveals how influential philosophers like Plato and Al-Farabi shaped these ideas, and discusses the implications of weaponizing peace in contemporary contexts. His insights provoke reflection on the political and moral dimensions of peace, urging a reevaluation of historical narratives and ideologies.

Ankur Barua, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, explores Hindu-Muslim dynamics in Bengal. He discusses how histories of amicability and antipathy shape contemporary identities, countering the notion of unbroken hostilities. The podcast dives into the literary contributions of Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam, highlighting their visions of cultural unity and religious humanism. Barua elaborates on socio-political influences transforming these relationships over centuries, revealing a rich tapestry of coexistence that challenges simplistic narratives.

Chiara Formichi, an Associate Professor in Southeast Asian Studies at Cornell University and author of "Islam and Asia: A History," discusses the need to rethink the historical narrative of Islam in Asia. She emphasizes the importance of local contexts and the rich cultural dynamics of regions like Kashmir and Indonesia. Formichi also shares insights on her personal experiences along the Silk Road, critiques the polarization between Islamic and Asian studies, and highlights the complexities of conversion and cultural exchange throughout the region's history.

Ian Johnson, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, dives into the religious landscape of China post-Mao. He explores the impressive resurgence of faiths like Taoism, Buddhism, and Christianity amidst a backdrop of political repression and materialism. Johnson discusses the challenges of religious authenticity and identity, highlighting the role of rituals in everyday life. Reflecting on the complexities of modern faith, he emphasizes how these spiritual practices shape social values and community identity in contemporary China.

Amir Hussain, a Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University, passionately addresses misconceptions about Islam and its relationship with Christianity. He discusses common values both faiths share, such as a belief in one God and commitment to peace and justice. Hussain highlights the importance of interfaith dialogue, especially in light of rising Islamophobia, advocating for understanding and compassion to bridge cultural divides. He shares personal stories that underscore the need for connection and reconciliation in diverse communities.

After Revelation: The Rabbinic Past in the Medieval Islamic World offers a dynamic new perspective on medieval Jewish legal thought and its integration in the wider Islamic world. Here, Marc D. Herman demonstrates that Jews were fully conversant in their contemporaries' ideas about revelation, law, and legal interpretation. Bookended by the two luminaries of medieval Judaism--Saadia Gaon and Moses Maimonides--After Revelation analyzes the legal theory that medieval Jews produced in Islamic lands, mostly in Arabic, and reveals previously unrecognized commonalities between Jewish and Islamic constructions of religious law. Herman tackles one of the central doctrines of post-biblical Judaism: that God had supplemented the written Hebrew Bible with an Oral Torah. Tracing this idea from Baghdad to Córdoba to Cairo, he shows that the Oral Torah took many new forms in the medieval Islamic world. After Revelation makes plain that medieval Judaism took the shapes that it did largely because of contact with Islam. You can pre-order this book now, and it will be published on August 5, 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies