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Table of Contents:

I. Preface
II. Acknowledgments
III. In the Beginning
1: Prophet Muhammad and the Birth of Islam
2: The spread of Islam
3: Islam in Andalusia
IV. The religion of Islam
1: The Qur'an
2: The three fundamental unities of Islam: God, Humankind, and Religion
3: Bearing witness to the one and only God (shehada)
4: Religious tax (zakat)
5: Fasting during Ramadan (siyam)
6: The pilgrimage (hajj)
7: Prayers (salat)
V. Islamic Law-The Sharia
VI. Schools of thought in Islam
1: The Sunni and the Shia
2: Sunni jurisprudence
3: Sufism
VII. The social system and morality of Islam
1: Equality
2: Individual Responsibility
3: Forbearance and forgiveness
4: Women in Islam
5: The Islamic calendar
VIII. Economic aspects of Islam
1: Legitimacy of profit
2: Fulfillment of obligations
3: Role of work
4.: Property
5: Contracts
6: Modern legal systems
IX.
Islamic Civilization: an overview

1: Knowledge and education
2: The sciences
3: Trade and Commerce as a cultural vehicle
4: Architecture and music
5: Islamic Fundamentalism
X. The Present and the future
XI. About the Author

The Middle East Institute would like to thank Xenel Industries Ltd. of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Alireza family for their generous support in the design and maintenance of this web site. We also thank the author, Professor M. Cherif Bassiouni, who graciously authorized the electronic publication of his book in order to further our mission of improving American understanding of the culture of the Middle East.

http://www.mideasti.org/indepth/islam/introislam.htm