"Introductory courses in Islam in universities and colleges often concentrate on the development of Islamic institutions in the classical period. Before embarking on such a course, would-be students would benefit from (1) a discussion of the problems raised by Western perceptions of Islam; (2) a brief panoramic account of Islamic history down to the present; (3) a sympathetic description of Islam as a living faith. All three are provided in this work.

General readers, and those who have already embarked on the study of Islam, require a reference work which furnishes them with technical matters such as the structure of Arabic names and the various ways of transliterating Arabic. Their needs are also catered to here."--BOOK JACKET.