No God But God

The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam

by Reza Aslan

(Arrow Books)

336pp
ISBN 1400062136

No God But God provides far more than a history of Islam. It also provides us with an interpretation of Islam from a sophisticated and liberal point of view: an Islam very different to one that many of us recognize from our time in the Middle East. It’s an interpretation that many Muslims will take issue with. Rezan himself states that:

“There are those who will call it [the book] apostasty, but that is not troubling. No one speaks for God, not even the prophets (who speak about God).”

The first part of this book starts off with the origins of Islam, from pre-Mohammed times. The book is fascinating from the start, and in the first section of every chapter Reza writes using the present tense, as if the events were unfolding around us.

However, he also uses the events to offer an alternative interpretation to fundamentalist Muslim belief. One particular focus is on women. After detailing the rights Mohammed gave women, he points out that Mohammed only ever commanded his own wives to wear a veil. This in itself, Reza argues, was because his house was a communal area, and suspicion could not fall on his wife. This, he believes, cannot be used as an excuse by men to order women to wear the veil. Ultimately, Reza believes, whether a woman chooses to wear a veil or not is up to the woman and not, as has been the case historically, men.

Reza also pours scorn on both the hadith* concerning women and the interpretation of what was said in the Qu’ran regarding women. Some of these hadiths, such as forcing women to be taught by male teachers, were in direct violation of the Qu’ran. Others, such as segregated prayers and stoning adulterers, certainly went against the spirit of the Qu’ran and Mohammed’s teachings and actions.

Although Reza doesn’t specifically state it, the implication is that Islam, after Mohammed’s death, was hijacked. Many of the hadith which formed Islam, and which are of course justified by the claim that they originated from Mohammed, actually served to bring Islam back to the customs and beliefs that existed before Mohammed’s revelations.

Reza also believes that the Qu’ran must be seen as being rooted in the era of Mohammed’s time. To make Islam relevant to today, he believes, requires a different interpretation from the past:

“The notion that historical context should play no role in the interpretation of the Qu’ran – that what applied to Mohammed’s community applies to all Muslim communities for all time – is simple an untenable position in every sense.”

Having dealt with the origins of Islam, Reza goes on to explore the conflict between the rationalists and the traditionalists, and some of the many different traditions and beliefs of Islam.

He believes that all these different traditions should be tolerated within a pluralistic Islam. He shares with us his horror of the many religious leaders who believe that all who disagree with those leaders’ own personal interpretations of Islam are heretics. Perhaps most astonishingly, he believes that the Qu’ran’s toleration of alternative religions should be extended from the religions of the Book (Christianity and Judaism) to all polytheistic religions.

The ultimate thesis of this book is that Islam is not at war with Christianity or other religions, but at war with itself. In the context of this war, Reza makes his stand here with his definition of Islam as a tolerant, pluralistic religion, which can exist and support a modern democratic society where human rights are prioritized.

This book, which was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, is extremely well written, and maintains interest with ease. It’s also had a profound effect on my view of Islam. Having read it, I feel both a greater understanding and a greater sympathy for Islam. While not every controversial topic has been covered, it clarified a number of issues for me. It’s also a book which will provoke strong emotions among Muslims. Some will find its approach inspiring. Others, however, will want to burn this book as heresy.

*The Hadith are Islamic traditions relating to the words and actions of Mohammed. The relative authority of a Hadith is based on the strength of its link to Mohammed.

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