This valuable introductory guide provides a complete and lively summary of islam, one of the most worldly of the great religions, in which the quest for spiritual fulfillment is inevitably bound up with political aspirat...This valuable introductory guide provides a complete and lively summary of islam, one of the most worldly of the great religions, in which the quest for spiritual fulfillment is inevitably bound up with political aspirations. Malise Ruthven presents a full overview of the religion in its historical fiction, geographic, and social settings.