Islam: Origins · Practices · Holy Texts ·
Sacred Persons · Sacred Places

Matthew S. Gordon
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. 112 pages.

In his book Islam: Practices · Holy Texts · Sacred Persons · Sacred Places,
Matthew Gordon discusses the divinely revealed nature of Islam through
texts, persons, times, and places. His book is a welcome addition to a new
wave of introductory books written by western scholars who seek to present
Islam objectively to western readers. The book’s main argument is that, like
other monotheistic religions, Islam is based on a set of divine beliefs that
revolve exclusively around perceiving God through His many signs. These
manifestations of God are evident in the religious texts, persons, times, and
places that have figured in Islam since its inception. At the same time,
Gordon argues that the Islamic tradition “is far from monolithic and is the
product of many centuries of scholarship and internal debate” (p. 67). The
target audience of this book is general readers and beginners in the field who
are looking for a handy textbook on the subject. 

This slim book is divided into nine chapters, each of which ends with
a commentary on a selected text that elucidates the theme discussed, and
includes a glossary, bibliography, and an index. Its style is clear and sim-
ple. As the most important source of Islam’s genealogy, the Qur’an plays a
major role in this study. In the first chapter, Gordon offers a brief historical
review of Islam’s religious and political development. By presenting differ-
ent Islamic dynasties that ruled various parts of the world, the author
reveals how Islam reached non-Arab peoples, which explains the fact that
the majority of today’s Muslims live in Southeast Asia rather than the
Middle East. 

In the second chapter, the author discusses the axis around which the set
of Islamic beliefs and practices revolves. Gordon rightly argues that the
divinely revealed nature of Islam stems absolutely from God’s pivotal place
in Islam. Specifically, he claims that “[t]he relationship between Muslims
and God is informed by three principles that derive directly from the Quran”
(p. 24): the “divine unity of God (tawhid),” “prophecy (nubuwwa),” and the
“last days (maad).” At the same time, Gordon highlights the differences
between Sunni and Shi`i Islam and also refers to two other principles that
are exclusive to the Shi`i tradition: imamate and divine justice. Gordon’s dis-
cussion of Sufism takes up a considerable part of this chapter because, for

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122 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 23:1

him, Sufism genuinely exemplifies “the quest for a heightened spiritual
awareness of the divine” (p. 29). 

The author’s examination of the Qur’an and the prophetic tradition, as
well as their divine significance, is the main theme of the third chapter.
Specifically, he provides insight into questions of their structure and tex-
tual organization. Interestingly, Gordon devotes the selected commentary
of this chapter to showing the differences and similarities between Islam
and other monotheistic religions. The book’s fourth chapter deals with
sacred persons in Islam, of whom Muslims regard Prophet Muhammad as
the most important, because God sent down His last divine message
through him. 

However, due to various political and religious developments after the
Prophet’s death, new holy personalities, particularly in Shi`i Islam,
emerged. Thus, the Shi`is created the concept of the imamate that is cen-
tered on a holy leader known as the Imam. Shi`is (particularly Twelvers)
also created the notion of the “hidden Imam,” a messianic figure who will
return to lead the Islamic community before the Day of Judgment. Gordon
portrays sainthood as another sacred aspect, the significance of which rests
on the “saint’s piety and moral standing or upon his or her ability to trans-
form the physical world (for example, through healing) or to summon the
natural elements” (p. 56 f). 

In the fifth chapter, Gordon examines Islamic law and its development
from the inception of Islam until modern times. He divides the law into two
main categories: sets of beliefs and rituals that arrange the relationship
between God and humans, and practices that order the Muslims’ ethical con-
duct. The Islamic tradition, Gordon emphasizes, is the outcome of many
centuries of scholarship and internal debates. He rightly introduces jihad as
a good example of a contested issue that figures in modern Islamic religious
and political discourse.

The sixth chapter deals with sacred places and their religious and cul-
tural functions. Providing the historical background, Gordon highlights
three Islamic communal institutions: the mosque and its components, the
madrasah, and the khanaqa. These places serve as both sites of worship and
scholarship and, in addition, function as spaces of social activity. The sev-
enth chapter examines Islam’s sacred rites and celebratory occasions.
Gordon divides these practices into two main categories: the ritual duties
prescribed by the five pillars and the communal practices by which Muslims
celebrate important events in their religious history, and the “rites of pas-
sage” that signify different stages of the believer’s life until his or her death.



At the same time, Gordon highlights Shi`i practices and how they are dis-
tinctive from those of Sunnis. 

Gordon dedicates the eighth chapter to dealing with death and the
afterlife from an Islamic perspective. He emphasizes that the Qur’an offers
more “description of heaven and hell than do other scriptures” (p. 93).
These Qur’anic presentations emphasize that divine judgment is inevitable.
In the last chapter, Gordon deals with the contemporary sociopolitical
concerns that Islam confronts. Accounting for the rise of Islamic
reformist movements, he offers a fair historical background in which he
emphasizes the role of western colonialism in these religio-political
developments. 

Although this book shows the author’s lucid knowledge of Islamic reli-
gious thought, it has, however, two main limitations. First, the presentations
of the themes addressed could be more balanced. Specifically, at times the
reader is under the impression that certain topics are discussed in detail,
whereas others need to be fleshed out. For instance, in the second chapter
Gordon devotes more space to Sufism than to Islam’s principles of faith.
Second, since this brief book is thematically oriented, the reader who does
not have a background in Islamic history will find the chronological arrange-
ment of the addressed themes difficult and sometimes confusing.
Nevertheless, this book offers a positive framework within which western
readers can understand Islam the way Muslims see it. No doubt, this effort
will encourage mutual understanding between different religions and opin-
ions in this critical time.

Abd al-Rahman Tayyara
Professor of Arabic, Department of Middle Easten Studies

New York University, New York City, New York

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