Speculating upon an Iranian-American writer Reza Aslan, it is particularly about his “No god but God” that deserves to be thoroughly addressed within these turbulent times. Throughout the book, the author fully grasps all the controversies that may potentially arise due to pulling deep into the very core of this piece of research. In the prologue, Aslan appeals to readers by positioning himself as the one that the masses will most likely be ambiguous about. In other words, he thinks that he may either be labelled as apostle or an apologist among the public. Yet, after a thorough consideration, one can assume that a high probability of the audience being at loggerheads over the major role that Aslan predisposes himself to play does not bother the author at all. For the writer, personally, “ there is no higher calling than to defend one’s faith, especially from ignorance and hate” (Aslan, 2006. P. 18). The focus here lies in arguing that the book itself conveys a truly unique message, which consists in intending readers to never comprise one’s deeply-seated beliefs. Aslan makes it certain that “No god but God” should be viewed as an insightful reflection upon why there is a dire need for fundamental reformation in Islam.
Moving through the given book, one cannot but encounter the fact that Westerners emerge to be its target audience. It is important to highlight the fact that Aslan puts a lot of effort into intending to reinterpret the attitude towards America’s ideology, strongly associated with sharing a hypothesis that misunderstanding cultural differences can pose many challenges. Obviously, the book runs over America’s occupation of Iraq, qualifying this event as some sort of “liberation”. This is not to say that an Iranian-American author elaborates on revolutionary new approach to re-envisioning the bad image of Islam; in any way, the manner in which he outlines hot-button contemporary issues in Islam does set him as a writer apart. It is not an exaggeration to say that Aslan should predominantly be seen as putting an emphasis on a more nuanced perspective of Islam, which in turn contributes to calling into question that dogmatic Islamists hold the water in all respects. It can be said with an absolute certainty that “No god but God” sharply diverges from the bulk of up-to-date surveys on Orthodox teaching; and responding adequately to the major points that the book actually goes for requires conceiving of the author as a true moderate in his dominant views. Surely, by presenting an in-depth, and, namely, fresh view of Islam, Aslan makes his international bestseller maximally appropriate for western elites seeking to study Islam from a different perspective.
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As the book unfurls, it is imperative to understand that the author’s take on early Islam seems to be extremely literalist. The picture gravitates towards unearthing an ideal Prophet along with his two-fold successors. “No god but God” centres around a harsh reality that Muslims face after Muhammad’s death. Specifically speaking, the book outlines concerns the Prophet’s death raises in respect of the leadership of Islam. Significantly, the author brings into sharp focus the occurrence of Shiite and Sunni sects, albeit with greater emphasis on whether Muhammad’s son-n-law Ali did have the right to occupy the caliphate. Of course, he could be identified as a truly strong leader; notwithstanding this, his heirs were perceived as much less credible due to a high probability of being easily manipulated.
Contemplating upon the Shia sects, it appears to be certain that basic esoteric principles they rely on greatly differ from Islamic ideology. In regard to Shia mythology, it has proven successful for changing a bid for caliphate by Ali’s son and his further death into some sort of martyrdom. Significantly, Hussain’s death continues to be commemorated up to these days, and self-flagellation as well as blood-spilling emerges to be an integral part of this annual ceremony. According to Aslan, it is high time to abstain from the aforementioned religious ritual. In his view, this popular practice does not make sense, and, therefore, needs to be eradicated once and for all time. Instead of self-flagellation, the author suggests that it would be a good idea to donate blood to health care institutions. One cannot but give the writer credit for providing a highly conscious idea, which, contradicts basic convictions established by the Shia clergy.
Peering deep into “No god but God”, it becomes evident that the author underestimates, to a great extent, the impact that both the societal and economic downturn spirals in the peninsula have made in constituting the religion’s founding moment. In fact, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had little to do with the trading elites; for all that, it has been hypothesized that he might pursue a career in trading, and commerce occurs as a central theme in the only written part of the holy book extant throughout Muhammad’s lifetime. Supposedly, owing to an increased focus on commerce in Qur’an, Islam turned into a dominant religion for the lower echelons of merchants and traders. For underprivileged masses, Muhammad has been strongly associated with the merchant, and, for many, life itself is referred to as a deal that, on the one hand, can bring about the large benefits, whereas, on the other, substantial losses. The average Muslim explicates Qur’an as a scriptural foundation of religion, in which selling one’s soul to the Prophet qualifies as a number-one priority in life. From the perspective of Muslims, making a deal with Allah is considered as a chance of further entering the Islamic paradise.
Following September 11 attacks, an internationally renowned writer Reza Aslan publicly declares America’s ideology to be wrong. In “No god but God”, which is “above all else, an argument for reform” (Aslan, 2006, p. 18), an Iranian-American writer designs an unbiased approach to gain a full understanding of the origins, evolution, and future of Islam. To elaborate on the “argument for reform”, the author provides a general overview of Islamic history. The passage uses relatively simple language, and it is probably owing to this, that both readers with no background knowledge and those not lacking sophisticated knowledge will most likely find the book extremely valuable. Pioneering new routes in what Qur’an says, the author endows the audience with an opportunity to witness a multitude of intricacies of Islam; and sinking into some of Qur’an’s verses, Aslan manages to reveal essential contradictions that occur when people lack a sense of history. While shedding the light to the evolution of Islam, the writer tends to utilize Christianity in order to create links with Western readers; this in turn increases the odds of getting to know a profoundly-complex framework of the Islamic religion.
Aslan advances an argument that numerous sources of power within Muslim-majority communities can be seen as adopting the newest media technologies. Many of today’s dissident preachers set up authority structures, which have much in common with the official ones. More importantly, however, the author maintains the idea that it is about Jihadists with their immoral principles that propagate the use of the latest modes of communication. Consequently, he intends Muslim societies to rethink their stances towards digital technologies, respectively. As Aslan argues, “ it will take many more to cleanse Islam of its new false idols — bigotry and” (2006, p. 318). Yet, on the reverse side, he does believe that Muslims are at the critical moment to overcome the misconceptions about what Qur’an puts the first.
Speaking about Aslan’s “No god but God”, one cannot help but become aware that the author here draws special attention to a dire need for putting an end to faulty beliefs among the masses. To put it another way, the writer sharpens his focus on methodically challenging traditional concepts that the bulk of Muslims stick to. For instance, one of his central arguments rests upon the fact that it is particularly about people who created Islam. As a result, the excursus that Aslan takes into the origins of Islam helps ascertain that underplaying the role that historical context played “is simply an untenable position in every sense” (2006, p. 207). On the whole, the book “No god but God” deserves a strong recommendation due to encapsulating many aspects of 21st century Muslim culture. Of all the aspects, however, it is worth emphasizing the one that covers the irrelevance of deeply-rooted Islamic dogmas to the modern-day society. Apparently, Aslan posits his idea of the writer as creator of an unprecedented sentiment towards one of the largest religions in the world. He narrows attention on to a single focus – a reformation in Islam. Notably, he promotes the concept of moderate Islam, soberly understanding that an Islamic reformation itself is far from being an easy task. In “No god But God”, Muslim scholar Reza Aslan takes a stand for reform by describing it as a battle between a person and the institution; and although there can be a lot of thorns to face in the way of an Islamic reformation, “the tide of reform cannot be stopped” (Aslan, 2006, p. 318).
References
Aslan, R. (2006). No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam. London: Random House.
