W. Montgomery Watt

"There are no official creeds in Islam comparable to the Apostles' creed and the Nicene creed in Christianity. In mainstream Sunnite Islam, however, there is broad agreement about the chief doctrines, and over the centuries these have been expressed in creeds by individuals and groups, some of which have been widely recognised and used for instruction." "These creeds are basic material for the study of Islamic religion, and a selection is given here in translation, together with a historical introduction, explanatory notes, and a single Shi'ite creed to show the contrast."--BOOK JACKET.

This book explores the myths and misperceptions that have underpinned Muslim-Christian relations throughout history, and which endure to the current day. William Montgomery Watt describes how the myths originated and developed, and argues that both Muslims and Christians need to have a more accurate knowledge and positive appreciation of the other religion. Chapters discuss the Qurʹanic perception of Christianity, attitudes to Greek philosophy and the relationship between Islam and Christianity in medieval Europe. Written by one of the leading authorities on Islam in the West, Muslim-Christian Encounters remains a relevant and vivid study and will be of particular value to students of Islam, religious history and sociology.

A biography of the founder of Islam dealing with the life of the man and the religion and civilization he shaped.

A clear picture of the main lines of philosophical development from the death of Muhammad in 632, to 950.

The period of Muslim occupation in Spain represents the only significant contact Islam and Europe were ever to have on European soil. In this important as well as fascinating study, the author traces Islam's influence upon Spain -- and European civilization -- from the collapse of the Visigoths in the eighth century to the fall of Granada in the fifteenth, and considers Spain's importance as a part of the Islamic empire. Particular attention is given to the golden period of economic and political stability achieved under the Umayyads. Without losing themselves in detail and without sacrificing complexity, the authors discuss the political, social and economic continuity in Islamic Spain, or al-Andalus, in light of its cultural and intellectual effects upon the rest of Europe. Medieval Christianity found models of scholarship in the Islamic philosophers and adapted the idea of holy war to its own purposes; while the final reunification of Spain under the aegis of the Reconquista played a significant role in bringing Europe out of the Middle Ages.

"This is the standard general account in English of Islamic philosophy and theology. It takes the reader from the religio-political sects of the Kharijites and the Shiites through to the assimilation of Greek thought in the medieval period, and onto the early modern period. Watt concludes with an analysis of Western influences on modern Islamic theology."--Publisher's description.