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  1. Introduction
  2.  
  3. Sunni Islam is the dominant division of the global Muslim community, and throughout history it has made up a substantial majority (85 to 90 percent) of that community. In the early centuries, Sunni Islam developed distinctive legal institutions and theological discourses, as well as a form of government called the caliphate (Ar. khilafa).
  4.  
  5. General Overviews
  6.  
  7. Readers of typical college-level textbooks on Islam will not necessarily find many index entries on the subject of Sunnism, as compared with standard sectarian divisions (e.g., Wahhabism, Kharijites, and the varied Shiʿite divisions.) But because 85 to 90 percent of Muslims are Sunni, at least in a general sense, such texts are usually written with reference to a generic Sunni viewpoint. The following titles cover a wide range of topics, with varying ways of presenting them. The earliest textbooks in the listing (Cragg 2000, Gibb 1962, Nasr 2000, and Rahman 1979) are several decades old, but they endure as solid, balanced treatments (some with updates). A succeeding generation of scholars (Denny 2005, Endress 2002, Esposito 2005, and Rippin 2005), have been influenced by the earlier texts, but often with added attention to religious studies theory and methodology, as well as Islam as practiced by Muslims in diverse cultures, both past and present. Textbooks by rising scholars (e.g., Berkey 2003) often look at traditional sources through the lenses of fresh discourses.
  8.  
  9. Berkey, Jonathan P. The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600–1800. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
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  11. A sophisticated, accessible survey that presents clear analyses of how Sunnis have historically related to each other, as well as to Shiʿite and other minorities in the Muslim world.
  12. Berkey, Jonathan P. The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600–1800. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003.
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  14. Cragg, Kenneth. The Call of the Minaret. 3d ed. Oxford: Oneworld, 2000.
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  16. First published by Oxford University Press in 1956, this classic work by a distinguished Christian cleric interprets Islam for non-Muslims in a most respectful and compassionate manner.
  17. Cragg, Kenneth. The Call of the Minaret. 3d ed. Oxford: Oneworld, 2000.
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  19. Denny, Frederick Mathewson. An Introduction to Islam. 3d ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
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  21. Explores Islam and Muslims across the tradition's rich and varied doctrinal, devotional, cultural, geographical, and historical dimensions.
  22. Denny, Frederick Mathewson. An Introduction to Islam. 3d ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
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  24. Endress, Gerhard. Islam: An Historical Introduction. 2d ed. Translated by Carole Hillenbrand. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002.
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  26. A solid survey guided by sophisticated historiography. Includes an appendix on languages, names, and the Muslim calendar, as well as a very extensive bibliography organized under many specific headings.
  27. Endress, Gerhard. Islam: An Historical Introduction. 2d ed. Translated by Carole Hillenbrand. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002.
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  29. Esposito, John L. Islam: The Straight Path. 3d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
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  31. A highly regarded textbook by a leading Islamic studies scholar. The book effectively addresses the basic topics necessary for a comprehensive introduction to Islam and its religious practices down through history, as well as providing a useful guide to Islam in the modern era. The third edition brings readers up to date on post-9/11 issues and developments in the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds.
  32. Esposito, John L. Islam: The Straight Path. 3d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
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  34. Gibb, H. A. R. Mohammedanism: An Historical Survey. 2d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1962.
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  36. This is a standard work of modern Islamic studies in the West, notable for its economy and keen insight. Although Muslims do not approve of using the Prophet's name in a title in this way, it does reflect Sunni dominance with profound adherence to the Prophet's Sunna as well as the Qurʾan.
  37. Gibb, H. A. R. Mohammedanism: An Historical Survey. 2d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1962.
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  39. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Ideals and Realities of Islam. Rev. ed. Chicago: Kazi Publications, 2000.
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  41. First published in 1966, this book by one of the world's leading Shiʿite scholars presents Islam from the inside. It is an engaging, balanced discourse, with an illuminating final chapter comparing Sunnism and Shiʿism (including the latter's varieties).
  42. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Ideals and Realities of Islam. Rev. ed. Chicago: Kazi Publications, 2000.
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  44. Rahman, Fazlur. Islam. 2d ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979.
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  46. An authoritative and absorbing advanced-level survey by a leading Sunni Muslim intellectual of the 20th century. A primary source, not just a textbook.
  47. Rahman, Fazlur. Islam. 2d ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1979.
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  49. Rippin, Andrew. Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. 3d ed. London: Routledge, 2005.
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  51. A rich historical survey, technically sophisticated yet very accessible and absorbing.
  52. Rippin, Andrew. Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. 3d ed. London: Routledge, 2005.
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  54. Reference Works
  55.  
  56. There are many reference works in English with useful information on Sunni Islam. Such information is not always listed under topics using the term Sunni, but practiceand experience help open up that wide world as the reader's knowledge and understanding of it develop. The Encyclopaedia of Islam (Bearman, et al. 1954–2008) has, for five decades, been the gold standard for advanced technical treatments of the entire range of topics pertaining to the subject. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World (Esposito 1995) is a reference work of equally high quality. Hughes 1935, Glassé 2001, and Nanji 1996 are reliable and easily accessible shorter works. Smart and Denny 2007 provides excellent cartography, illustrations, and basic historical and descriptive text on a wide range of Islamic topics. Kennedy 2002 provides a first-rate, closely focused cartographic treatment of Islamic history and the complex developments and changes that occurred over time in major regions. Weekes 1984 provides maps showing locations and statistical charts with populations of Muslim ethnic groups around the world. Winter 2008 is a trustworthy and readable guide to some very complex and advanced theological discourses.
  57.  
  58. Bearman, P. J., Thiery Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. J. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs, eds. Encyclopaedia of Islam. New ed. 12 vols. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill. 1954–2008.
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  60. This masterful project provides high- quality coverage of all aspects of Islamic religion, history, culture, literature, biography and civilization. Articles are arranged by their topics' vernacular terms, which are often in Arabic transliteration (e.g. ʿilm al-kalām for “theology,” and ijtihad for “independent legal reasoning”). The Latin transliterations can vary slightly from typical English practice, so that German and French readers may know the correct pronunciation.
  61. Bearman, P. J., Thiery Bianquis, C. E. Bosworth, E. J. van Donzel and W. P. Heinrichs, eds. Encyclopaedia of Islam. New ed. 12 vols. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill. 1954–2008.
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  63. Esposito, John L., ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World. 4 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
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  65. This is a superb, accessible reference work on a wide variety of subjects, many of which pertain to Sunni Islam in its myriad expressions.
  66. Esposito, John L., ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World. 4 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
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  68. Glassé, Cyril. The New Encyclopedia of Islam. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press, 2001.
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  70. Originally published in 1989 by Harper Collins as The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, this reference work is comprehensive, soundly researched, and very convenient to use as a desktop tool for quick factual checks and reviews (as well as the spelling of terms and names).
  71. Glassé, Cyril. The New Encyclopedia of Islam. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press, 2001.
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  73. Hughes, Thomas Patrick. A Dictionary of Islam. London: W. H. Allen, 1935.
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  75. Originally published in 1885, this even-handed reference work contains a complete translation of the Qurʾan, with a table of three different chronological orderings of the suras. While it is old, it is still quite useful and intriguing.
  76. Hughes, Thomas Patrick. A Dictionary of Islam. London: W. H. Allen, 1935.
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  78. Kennedy, Hugh. An Historical Atlas of Islam—Atlas historique de l'Islam. 2d, rev. ed. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2002.
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  80. Contains superb cartography with clear and balanced topical and historical organization across the centuries, from the Atlantic coast to the Southeast Asian Archipelago.
  81. Kennedy, Hugh. An Historical Atlas of Islam—Atlas historique de l'Islam. 2d, rev. ed. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2002.
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  83. Nanji, Azim A., ed. The Muslim Almanac: A Reference Work on the History, Faith, Culture, and Peoples of Islam. Detroit: Gale, 1996.
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  85. A comprehensive, accessible, and balanced work, with contributions by leading scholars in Islamic studies. Includes solid coverage of both Sunni and Shiʿi Islam.
  86. Nanji, Azim A., ed. The Muslim Almanac: A Reference Work on the History, Faith, Culture, and Peoples of Islam. Detroit: Gale, 1996.
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  88. Smart, Ninian, and Frederick M. Denny, eds. Atlas of the World's Religions. 2d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
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  90. Contains numerous cartographic spreads with text and sidebars on Sunnis as well as Shiʿites through history and around the world.
  91. Smart, Ninian, and Frederick M. Denny, eds. Atlas of the World's Religions. 2d ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
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  93. Weekes, Richard V., ed. Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey. 2 vols. 2d. ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984.
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  95. Authoritative, wide-ranging, and deeply absorbing. This is an indispensable companion for the comparative study of diverse Muslim cultures and societies, written by highly respected specialists from around the world.
  96. Weekes, Richard V., ed. Muslim Peoples: A World Ethnographic Survey. 2 vols. 2d. ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984.
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  98. Winter, Tim, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
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  100. Includes substantial chapters on both Sunni and Shiʿite thought, pertaining to such interrelated topics as philosophy (falsafa), ethics, theology, cosmology, worship, jurisprudence, Sufi mysticism, and eschatology. Features useful “Further Reading” sections following each chapter.
  101. Winter, Tim, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Classical Islamic Theology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
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  103. Bibliographies
  104.  
  105. Online bibliographic searches can be both convenient and rewarding. Oxford Islamic Studies Online is an excellent choice, especially for beginners. Another useful site is Rizwi's Bibliography for Medieval Islam, with extensive lists under various headings. There are also excellent print bibliographies, including some older ones that are still quite useful. Adams 1965 continues to be informative and interesting, particularly for beginners. Islamic Foundation 1980–1996 provides basic bibliographic information, but not annotations. Endress 2002 closely pairs an extensive bibliography and text. Sauvaget 1965, meanwhile, is still valuable for earlier scholarship.
  106.  
  107. Adams, Charles J. “Islām.” In A Reader's Guide to the Great Religions. 2d ed. Edited by Charles J. Adams, 407–475. New York: Free Press, 1965.
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  109. This is a comprehensive treatment, with valuable annotations and discussions. A second edition appeared in 1977.
  110. Adams, Charles J. “Islām.” In A Reader's Guide to the Great Religions. 2d ed. Edited by Charles J. Adams, 407–475. New York: Free Press, 1965.
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  112. Bleaney, C. Heather, and Susan Sinclair, eds. Index Islamicus. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2007.
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  114. This indispensable bibliographic resource indexes literature and other materials on Islam, the Middle East, and the Muslim world. It is compiled by the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and is available in print, online, and on CD-ROM.
  115. Bleaney, C. Heather, and Susan Sinclair, eds. Index Islamicus. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2007.
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  117. Endress, Gerhard. Islam: An Historical Introduction. 2d ed. Translated by Carole Hillenbrand. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002.
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  119. A solid survey guided by sophisticated historiography. Includes an appendix on languages, names, and the Muslim calendar, as well as a very extensive bibliography. Cited in Textbooks because of its extensive annotated bibliography (pp. 213–293), it merits listing in this section as a major contribution in itself.
  120. Endress, Gerhard. Islam: An Historical Introduction. 2d ed. Translated by Carole Hillenbrand. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002.
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  122. Islamic Foundation. Index of Islamic Literature. Leicester, UK: Islamic Foundation, 1980–1996.
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  124. A quarterly publication, found principally in research libraries. Since 1996 published as a supplement to the Muslim World Book Review.
  125. Islamic Foundation. Index of Islamic Literature. Leicester, UK: Islamic Foundation, 1980–1996.
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  127. Oxford Islamic Studies Online.
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  129. A very useful and accessible guide for people who are just beginning to learn about Islam and need basic definitions and information. In addition, this digital reference tool is very handy for more seasoned specialists, who can access a wide range of reference materials published by Oxford University Press.
  130. Oxford Islamic Studies Online.
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  132. Rizwi's Bibliography for Medieval Islam.
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  134. A very accessible online bibliography with sections on journals, Islamic history, Islamic thought, and Islamic institutions. Ample but not excessive entries featuring books and articles by major scholars down to the present day. Includes book reviews as well.
  135. Rizwi's Bibliography for Medieval Islam.
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  137. Sauvaget, Jean. Introduction to the History of the Muslim East: A Bibliographical Guide. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1965.
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  139. An indispensable resource, first published in Paris in 1943 and organized into three general sections: Sources of Muslim History (critical editions of original language works); Tools of Research and General Works; and Historical Bibliography. It was later replaced by Claude Cahen's 1982 Introduction à l‘histoire du monde musulman médiéval, VIIe-XVe siècle: Méthodologie et éléments de bibliographie (Paris: Librairie d'Amerique et d'Orient).
  140. Sauvaget, Jean. Introduction to the History of the Muslim East: A Bibliographical Guide. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1965.
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  142. Journals
  143.  
  144. There are numerous excellent journals on Islam, some that feature articles and reviews across a broad spectrum of topics and historical periods, others with a more narrow range. There are also quality journals that have area studies foci, such as the Middle or Near East, Asia, and Africa. Some of these address ancient or medieval periods, while others focus on the modern era. The first subhead in this section covers journals centered in Islamic studies; the second includes journals on area studies and historical periods, although these titles also often publish articles, discussions, and reviews on significant subjects pertaining more generally to Islam and Muslims.
  145.  
  146. Journals that Focus Principally on Islam-related Topics.
  147.  
  148. Der Islam is an advanced-level journal with a broad range. Islamic Studies reflects progressive Muslim academic tendencies in Pakistan. The Journal of Islamic Studies is multidisciplinary. The Muslim World specializes in Christian Muslim relations. Revue des études islamiques is an indispensable resource for tracing the rise of modern, scientifically minded, Islamic studies. Studia Islamica is a French journal focused on the Mediterranean and Southwest Asia. Die Welt des Islams addresses the modern Muslim world post-1800.
  149.  
  150. Der Islam: Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur des islamischen Orients.
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  152. A prestigious German journal, founded in 1910 by the great German scholar Carl Heinrich Becker, who contributed significantly to making Islamic studies a field of historical and cultural research at a high scientific level. Research articles address a wide range of topics relating to Islam and the Muslim world in premodern and modern times. Articles are published in German, English, and French.
  153. Der Islam: Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur des islamischen Orients.
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  155. Islamic Studies.
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  157. An excellent English language journal published by the Islamic Research Institute in Islamabad, Pakistan, since 1962. It addresses, by means of research articles, notes, comments, and review articles, a wide range of subjects concerning Islam and Muslims in all periods and regions and across many disciplines, including law, political science, philosophy, religion, sociology, culture, civilization, language, and history.
  158. Islamic Studies.
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  160. Journal of Islamic Studies.
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  162. Published by the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, this is a multidisciplinary periodical that covers a wide range of subjects in all historical periods and global regions, including geography, law, economics, anthropology, literature, religion, philosophy, international relations, environmental and developmental issues, and ethics.
  163. Journal of Islamic Studies.
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  165. The Muslim World.
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  167. Since its establishment in 1911, this journal has been an important forum for articles and reviews on a wide range of topics relating to its mission as a “journal devoted to the study of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations.” It has been published by Hartford Seminary since 1938 and is sponsored by the Duncan Black McDonald Center, which has a highly respected Islamic studies faculty and curriculum.
  168. The Muslim World.
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  170. Revue des études islamiques.
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  172. A French language journal that has been a leader in the field of Islamic studies since its founding in Paris in 1927 under the great Islamic studies scholar Louis Massignon. Although this journal ceased publication with the 1993–94 volume, it continues to provide essential guidance and information on a wide range of topics during an era that saw highly sophisticated historical-critical scholarship come of age in Islamic studies, including the earlier founding of Der Islam by Heinrich Becker.
  173. Revue des études islamiques.
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  175. Studia islamica.
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  177. Established in 1953, this prestigious French-language journal from Paris addresses subjects in all historical periods but focuses on the Muslim regions around the Mediterranean Sea and southwest Asia. It publishes articles (in English and French) in the fields of history, religion, law, literature and language. Articles are available in many libraries through JSTOR.
  178. Studia islamica.
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  180. Die Welt des Islams: International Journal for the Study of Modern Islam.
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  182. A highly regarded journal that publishes articles (in French, German, and English) on modern Muslim history and culture from the end of the eighteenth century to the present, with special attention given to the literature of this period. In addition to well-researched articles on a wide range of topics, the journal features extensive reviews of newly published scholarship.
  183. Die Welt des Islams: International Journal for the Study of Modern Islam.
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  185. Journals that Have Regional and Historical-Period Foci
  186.  
  187. Arabica covers modern Arab societies from a wide range of disciplines. The British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies is multidisciplinary and balanced between modern social discourses and more traditional scholarship. The Bulletin of the School of Oriental and North African Studies is one of the world's best periodicals covering Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The International Journal of Middle East Studies focuses on political, sociological, and cultural studies. The Journal of the American Oriental Society covers all of the religions, cultures, languages, and literatures of Asia. The Journal of Near Eastern Studies is particularly noted for its focus on the ancient world, its languages and literatures, and archaeology. The Journal of Semitic Studies has a tradition of emphasis on languages and literatures of the ancient and medieval periods. The Middle East Journal is strong on political, economic, cultural, and ethnic topics.
  188.  
  189. Arabica: Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies/Revue d‘études arabes et islamiques.
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  191. This respected journal is highly useful for its presentation of probing studies of topics relating to the language, literature, history, civilization and subcultures of the Arab world. It particularly emphasizes multidisciplinary approaches (e.g., anthropology, ethnology, religion and theology, sociology, political science. literary criticism, history) and contemporary problems with respect to Arab societies. Articles and reviews are frequently on Islam-related topics.
  192. Arabica: Journal of Arabic and Islamic Studies/Revue d‘études arabes et islamiques.
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  194. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies.
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  196. Published for the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (widely known as BRISMES). As its website declares, the editors “aim to maintain a balance in the Journal's coverage between the modern social sciences and the more traditional disciplines associated with Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies.” Coverage of the Middle East includes topics from late classical antiquity and the rise of Islam to modern times. The journal publishes a very range of articles and reviews (including reference and bibliographical works) on the language, literature, history, politics, economics, anthropology, sociology, geography, and religions and cultures of the region.
  197. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies.
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  199. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies.
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  201. Truly, as it states in its pages, this is “the leading interdisciplinary journal on Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.” Sponsored and staffed by the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, the journal publishes articles, reviews, and notes of the highest quality, addressing the languages, cultures, and civilizations of the covered regions, from ancient times to the present.
  202. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies.
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  204. International Journal of Middle East Studies.
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  206. Published by the Middle East Studies Association of North America (often abbreviated as MESA and pronounced like the Spanish word mesa.). The journal publishes articles, reviews and “quick studies” pertaining to the region encompassing the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Israel, Transoxiana, and Muslim South Asia from the 7th century to the present. Articles on specific Islamic topics appear frequently, as do articles on regional political, anthropological, sociological, and cultural topics that often include significant data and discourses relating to Islam and Muslims.
  207. International Journal of Middle East Studies.
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  209. Journal of the American Oriental Society.
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  211. A highly respected journal published by the American Oriental Society, which was founded in 1842. This journal focuses on the languages and literatures of Asia across a wide spectrum of scholarly disciplines and discourses, including philology, literary and textual criticism, paleography, epigraphy, linguistics, biography, archaeology, and, in its own words, “the history of the intellectual and imaginative aspects of Oriental civilization, especially of philosophy, religion, folklore and art.” Excellent articles and reviews pertaining to Islamic studies regularly appear in the journal.
  212. Journal of the American Oriental Society.
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  214. Journal of Near Eastern Studies.
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  216. Published since 1941 by the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago, this journal covers the Near East from ancient times before the coming of Islam down to World War I, with topics relating to archaeology, art, history, languages, literatures, religions, and cultures. It often carries significant articles on Islam-related subjects.
  217. Journal of Near Eastern Studies.
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  219. Journal of Semitic Studies.
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  221. A leading international journal that publishes articles and reviews on the languages and literatures of the Near and Middle East in the ancient and medieval periods. It focuses on particular texts or authors in Semitic languages or on linguistics and philology. The journal also makes a special effort to publish articles and items of interest to specialists in the main Semitic languages and in both biblical studies and Islamic studies.
  222. Journal of Semitic Studies.
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  224. The Middle East Journal.
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  226. Published by the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C., and addresses topics concerning contemporary political and economic development, cultural heritages, and ethnic as well as religious diversity. Articles are often related to Islam and Muslims. The regions addressed extend from Morocco to Pakistan, including Central Asia. The journal strives to present original research and analysis, using sound sources and data. An enormously useful Chronology, organized by subject and country, has been maintained continuously since 1947, when the journal was launched.
  227. The Middle East Journal.
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  229. The Sunni Caliphate
  230.  
  231. Arnold 1924 is a classic Western study of the caliphate. Gibb 1937 and Gibb 1939 provide a perfect introduction for the beginning scholar, to be followed by reading al-Mawardi 1996. Masud 2008 brings the subject into the present. Kennedy 2005 both entertains and educates the reader. Crone 2004 is both demanding and definitive, whereas Crone and Hinds 1986 skillfully provide a condensed account. Madelung 1997 provides a new theory of earliest Muslim rule, whereas Afsaruddin 2002 takes on central issues concerning legitimacy.
  232.  
  233. Afsaruddin, Asma. Excellence and Precedence: Medieval Islamic Discourse on Legitimate Leadership. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill. 2002.
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  235. Addresses the earliest authoritative elements in the formation of concepts of legitimate leadership of the Muslim community. The first four leaders after the Prophet Muhammad, known as the “Rightly Guided Caliphs,” provided many examples of morally upright leadership that were then handed down in literary form and widely discussed for their exemplary qualities.
  236. Afsaruddin, Asma. Excellence and Precedence: Medieval Islamic Discourse on Legitimate Leadership. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill. 2002.
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  238. Arnold, Thomas W. The Caliphate. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.
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  240. A standard work of earlier modern scholarship, now out of date but still useful because of its accessibility to beginning students, with basic facts, concepts, and historical developments laid out clearly and simply. A second edition, updated by Sylvia Haim, came out in 1965.
  241. Arnold, Thomas W. The Caliphate. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924.
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  243. Crone, Patricia. God's Rule: Government and Islam: Six Centuries of Medieval Islamic Political Thought. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
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  245. A comprehensive, sophisticated treatment of the subject across the entire landscape of Muslim religion, state, and society during the classical periods of Islam (down to 1258). Includes an extensive bibliography of original classical texts, translations, and modern scholarship.
  246. Crone, Patricia. God's Rule: Government and Islam: Six Centuries of Medieval Islamic Political Thought. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
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  248. Crone, Patricia, and Martin Hinds. God's Caliph: Religious Authority in the First Centuries of Islam. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
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  250. A brief but remarkably comprehensive account, with an extensive bibliography of classical sources as well as advanced modern scholarship.
  251. Crone, Patricia, and Martin Hinds. God's Caliph: Religious Authority in the First Centuries of Islam. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1986.
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  253. Gibb, Hamilton A. R. “Al-Mawardi's Theory of the Khilafah.” Islamic Culture 11, no. 3 (1937): 291–302.
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  255. As with Gibb 1939, this is a clear, concise, and sound account.
  256. Gibb, Hamilton A. R. “Al-Mawardi's Theory of the Khilafah.” Islamic Culture 11, no. 3 (1937): 291–302.
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  258. Gibb, Hamilton A. R. “Some Considerations on the Sunni Theory of the Caliphate.” Archives d'Histoire du Droit Oriental 3 (1939): 401–410.
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  260. A clear and concise account. Both of the Gibb articles listed here were republished in 1962 in the author's collection Studies on the Civilization of Islam, edited by Stanford J. Shaw and William R. Polk.
  261. Gibb, Hamilton A. R. “Some Considerations on the Sunni Theory of the Caliphate.” Archives d'Histoire du Droit Oriental 3 (1939): 401–410.
  262. Find this resource:
  263. Kennedy, Hugh. When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: the Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2005.
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  265. A lively and fascinating account of the rise and impacts of the Abbasid Caliphate and the development of Baghdad as a center of world power and culture. This is a popular book based on sound original sources and up-to-date scholarship. First published in the United Kingdom in 2004, under the title The Court of the Caliphs.
  266. Kennedy, Hugh. When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: the Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2005.
  267. Find this resource:
  268. Madelung, Wilferd. The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
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  270. This widely discussed book by a major scholar is a reinterpretation of early Islamic history that analyzes the conflict that erupted after the Prophet Muhammad's death concerning who should control the Muslim community and how it should be done.
  271. Madelung, Wilferd. The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
  272. Find this resource:
  273. Masud, Muhammad Khalid. “The Changing Concepts of Caliphate: Social Construction of Shariʿa and the Question of Ethics.” In New Directions in Islamic Thought: Exploring Reform and Muslim Tradition. Edited by Kari Vogt, Lena Larsen, and Christian Moe, 187–205. London: I.B. Tauris, 2008.
  274. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  275. Treats both classical principles and concepts—and the ways in which they have been interpreted for Muslims in the modern era.
  276. Masud, Muhammad Khalid. “The Changing Concepts of Caliphate: Social Construction of Shariʿa and the Question of Ethics.” In New Directions in Islamic Thought: Exploring Reform and Muslim Tradition. Edited by Kari Vogt, Lena Larsen, and Christian Moe, 187–205. London: I.B. Tauris, 2008.
  277. Find this resource:
  278. al-Mawardi, ʿAli ibn Muhammad. The Ordinances of Government: a Translation of Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya wʾal-Wilayat al-Diniyya. Translated by Wafaa H. Wahba. London: Garnet, 1996.
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  280. Perhaps the most influential treatiseon the nature and necessity of the Sunni Caliphate in a Shiʿi-dominated Abbasid regime in the 11th century CE. The book is both diplomatic and forthright. It is succinctly summarized in the first Gibb article.
  281. al-Mawardi, ʿAli ibn Muhammad. The Ordinances of Government: a Translation of Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya wʾal-Wilayat al-Diniyya. Translated by Wafaa H. Wahba. London: Garnet, 1996.
  282. Find this resource:
  283. The Sunna And Sunni Islam: Consensus (Ijmaʿ)And Independent Decision Making (Ijtihad)
  284.  
  285. Although the idea of the caliphate is chiefly political, it also has a religious dimension as guardian of the Sharia, the Islamic system of law, based on the divinely revealed Qurʾan and the Sunna, the “custom/way of acting” of the Holy Prophet during his mission. The Sunna, transmitted in thousands of traditions—known in Arabic as hadiths— reported what Muhammad said and did on numerous occasions. They were gradually collected into several written collections, the two most respected being those of al-Bukhari and Muslim. The Sunnis came to formally refer to themselves as ahl al-sunna wʾal-jamaʿa (the People of the Prophetic Sunna and the Community). Sunni Islam places the greatest trust in the “consensus” of its legal scholars, known as ijmaʿ. This powerful concept is based on a revered tradition of the Prophet, in which he stated: “My People will never agree together on an error.” That hadith is central to Sunni Islam's legal decision making.
  286.  
  287. Hadith Collections
  288.  
  289. Among the following citations are several important collections of hadiths (traditions, reports) translated into English from the original Arabic. Wensinck 1960 is a balanced selection; Khan 1975 translates a single, but important, Sunni collection; Ali 1988 and al-Baghawi 1964–1966 are widely used in English-speaking Muslim regions such as India and Pakistan.
  290.  
  291. Ali, Maulana Muhammad. A Manual of Hadith. Preface by C. E. Bosworth. New York: Olive Branch Press, 1988.
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  293. Includes English translations with facing Arabic text, as well as ample notes and commentary. Relevant Qurʾanic passages begin each topical section. First published in Lahore decades earlier. Based on the canonical collection of al-Bukhari.
  294. Ali, Maulana Muhammad. A Manual of Hadith. Preface by C. E. Bosworth. New York: Olive Branch Press, 1988.
  295. Find this resource:
  296. al-Baghawi, Husayn. Mishkāt al-Masābīh. 4 vols. English translation by James Robson. Expanded by Wali al-Din al-Khatib al-Tibrizi. Lahore, Pakistan: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1964–1966.
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  298. A vast collection of hadith reports on a comprehensive range of topics taken from standard Sunni collections. Title translates as “The niche for lamps.”
  299. al-Baghawi, Husayn. Mishkāt al-Masābīh. 4 vols. English translation by James Robson. Expanded by Wali al-Din al-Khatib al-Tibrizi. Lahore, Pakistan: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1964–1966.
  300. Find this resource:
  301. Khan, Muhammad Zafrulla. Gardens of the Righteous: Riyadh as-Salihin of Imam Nawawi. London: Curzon Press, 1975.
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  303. The first Western-language translation of this widely used hadith collection by a leading Sunni Shafiʾi legal scholar from Syria, Muhyi ad-Din Abu Zakariyya' Yahya b. Sharaf an-Nawawi (1233–78).
  304. Khan, Muhammad Zafrulla. Gardens of the Righteous: Riyadh as-Salihin of Imam Nawawi. London: Curzon Press, 1975.
  305. Find this resource:
  306. Wensinck, Arent Jan. A Handbook of Early Muhammadan Tradition: Alphabetically Arranged. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 1960.
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  308. A useful guide. It is almost necessary to know Arabic to gain full use, because the entries are keyed to standard Arabic texts (fortunately, in Latin alphabet transliteration.) First published in 1927.
  309. Wensinck, Arent Jan. A Handbook of Early Muhammadan Tradition: Alphabetically Arranged. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 1960.
  310. Find this resource:
  311. Islamic Jurisprudence
  312.  
  313. This is a highly technical field, but its profundity can be appreciated by the beginning scholar through Kamali 2003, Hallaq 1986, and Hallaq 1999, as well as the translation, commentary, and notes in Khadduri 1961, which presents a major medieval Sunni legal treatise.
  314.  
  315. Hallaq, Wael B. “On the Authoritativeness of Sunni Consensus” International Journal of Middle East Studies 18, no. 4 (1986): 427–454.
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  317. An informative and discerning survey of this central feature of Sunni jurisprudence. Republished in 1994 in the author's collection of scholarly articles, Law and Legal Theory in Classical and Medieval Islam (Aldershot, UK: Variorum).
  318. Hallaq, Wael B. “On the Authoritativeness of Sunni Consensus” International Journal of Middle East Studies 18, no. 4 (1986): 427–454.
  319. Find this resource:
  320. Hallaq, Wael B. A History of Islamic Legal Theories: An Introduction to Sunnī Usûl al-Fiqh. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
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  322. Usul al-Fiqh means “Roots, or basic principles of Islamic Jurisprudence.” There are four roots in Sunni fiqh: the Qurʾan, the Sunna, analogical reasoning (qiyas), and consensus (ijmaʿ), all of which are clearly surveyed by Hallaq.
  323. Hallaq, Wael B. A History of Islamic Legal Theories: An Introduction to Sunnī Usûl al-Fiqh. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
  324. Find this resource:
  325. Kamali, Mohammad Hashim. Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence. 3d ed. Cambridge, UK: Islamic Texts Society, 2003.
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  327. A comprehensive and technically detailed, yet highly accessible, textbook by a distinguished Malaysian Sunni legal scholar.
  328. Kamali, Mohammad Hashim. Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence. 3d ed. Cambridge, UK: Islamic Texts Society, 2003.
  329. Find this resource:
  330. Khadduri, Majid, trans. Islamic Jurisprudence: Shāfiʿīʾs Risāla. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1961.
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  332. This clear, scholarly translation of the central legal treatise (rasala)in the formation of Sunni Islam “provides access to a document important not only to a legal but also to a humanistic understanding of Muslim culture and ethos,” as the volume's dust jacket correctly asserts.
  333. Khadduri, Majid, trans. Islamic Jurisprudence: Shāfiʿīʾs Risāla. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1961.
  334. Find this resource:
  335. The Authority of Tradition Literature
  336.  
  337. Brown 2007 examines the two most highly respected Sunni collections, whereas Juynboll 1969 addresses issues of authenticity.
  338.  
  339. Brown, Jonathan. The Canonization of al-Bukhārī and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunnī Ḥadīth Canon. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2007.
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  341. An advanced technical treatment of this centrally important subject in the evolution of Sunni principles and practices.
  342. Brown, Jonathan. The Canonization of al-Bukhārī and Muslim: The Formation and Function of the Sunnī Ḥadīth Canon. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 2007.
  343. Find this resource:
  344. Juynboll, G. H. The Authenticity of the Tradition Literature. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 1969.
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  346. A significant examination of Muslim responses to modern Western historical-critical scholarship on traditional Muslim hadith literature.
  347. Juynboll, G. H. The Authenticity of the Tradition Literature. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill, 1969.
  348. Find this resource:
  349. Sunni Religious, Social, And Cultural Life And Thought
  350.  
  351. Although Sunni beliefs, traditions, and practices developed gradually over a considerable period of time, they united an increasingly enormous and diverse population of Muslims in ways that have enabled Sunnis to be dominant down to the present in most of the Muslim world. Muslim personal identity is closely related to Muslim communal awareness and group identity. Following are some useful works that define, explore, and illustrate Sunni Muslim ways of personal, communal, spiritual-devotional, social, institutional, cultural, political, and intellectual life. al-Ghazali 1953 is, for most Muslims, a cornerstone of Islamic faith and practice. Jackson 2006 provides a “Who's Who” of influential Muslims. Watt 1973 lays out Sunni Islam's eventual dominance. Arnold 1935 address Islam's “mission”-based spread. Katz 2007 tells us about Muslims' great love for Muhammad. Lapidus 2002 provides a view of the diversity and range of Muslim societies. ʿAbduh 1966 is the work of an influential early modernist theologian. Rahman 2000 refutes rigid Muslim fundamentalisms. Bowen and Early 2002 expose us to delightful contemporary Muslim diversity.
  352.  
  353. ʿAbduh, Muhammad. The Theology of Unity. Translated by trans. by Ishaq Musaʾad and Kenneth Cragg. London: Allen & Unwin, 1966.
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  355. Originally published in Arabic in Egypt in 1897, this work (Risālat al-Tawhīd) is a major contribution to the development of modern Sunni theological discourse.
  356. ʿAbduh, Muhammad. The Theology of Unity. Translated by trans. by Ishaq Musaʾad and Kenneth Cragg. London: Allen & Unwin, 1966.
  357. Find this resource:
  358. Arnold, Thomas W. The Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith. 3d ed. London: Luzac & Company, 1935.
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  360. This absorbing work traces the spread of Islam as a “missionary religion” throughout the Afro-Eurasian Oikumene. Although dated, it clearly describes the great scope and diversity of Muslim missions over the centuries, most of which were Sunni. First edition was published in 1896, the second in 1913.
  361. Arnold, Thomas W. The Preaching of Islam: A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith. 3d ed. London: Luzac & Company, 1935.
  362. Find this resource:
  363. Bowen, Donna Lee, and Evelyn A. Early, eds. Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East. 2d ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002.
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  365. Vibrant and absorbing stories, poems, and essays by and about Muslim men and women from Iran and Afghanistan in the east to Morocco in the west in the present era.
  366. Bowen, Donna Lee, and Evelyn A. Early, eds. Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East. 2d ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002.
  367. Find this resource:
  368. al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid Muhammad. The Faith and Practice of al-Ghazali. Translated by W. Montgomery Watt. London: Allen & Unwin, 1953.
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  370. This book contains English translations of two important, if relatively brief, works by the greatest Sunni religious and theological thinker of all time: Deliverance from Error (al-Munqidh min ad-Dalāl) and The Beginning of Guidance (Ihyāʾ ʿUlūm ad-Dīn). The latter is effectively an introduction to al-Ghazali's great masterpiece, The Revival of the Religious Sciences. He died in 1111 CE and is widely regarded as the greatest Muslim after Muhammad. Reprinted in 2004.
  371. al-Ghazali, Abu Hamid Muhammad. The Faith and Practice of al-Ghazali. Translated by W. Montgomery Watt. London: Allen & Unwin, 1953.
  372. Find this resource:
  373. Jackson, Roy. Fifty Key Figures in Islam. London: Routledge, 2006.
  374. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  375. A balanced overview of influential Muslims, many of Sunni persuasion, down through the centuries. Includes a list of major works and further readings, a useful glossary, and a detailed index.
  376. Jackson, Roy. Fifty Key Figures in Islam. London: Routledge, 2006.
  377. Find this resource:
  378. Katz, Marion Holmes. The Birth of the Prophet Muhammad: Devotional Piety in Sunni Islam. London: Routledge, 2007.
  379. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  380. A detailed historical study of how Sunnis have celebrated the Prophet's birthday (mawlid), a practice dating to the 400s AH in Sunni majority Egypt west to Tunisia under the Ismaʿili Shiʿite Fatimid dynasty (969–1171 CE).
  381. Katz, Marion Holmes. The Birth of the Prophet Muhammad: Devotional Piety in Sunni Islam. London: Routledge, 2007.
  382. Find this resource:
  383. Lapidus, Ira M. A History of Islamic Societies. 2d ed. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2002.
  384. Save Citation »Export Citation »E-mail Citation »
  385. An extensive, absorbingly detailed thousand-page treatment of largely Sunni subcommunities in Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt and North Africa, East Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Central and Inner Asia, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Southeast Asia.
  386. Lapidus, Ira M. A History of Islamic Societies. 2d ed. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2002.
  387. Find this resource:
  388. Rahman, Fazlur. Revival and Reform in Islam: A Study of Islamic Fundamentalism. Edited by Ebrahim Moosa. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2000.
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  390. This posthumously published work by a leading modern Sunni thinker (d. 1988) provides an argument in favor of “reinterpretation, innovation and reform” in preserving Islam as a “dynamic faith” not imprisoned in a static, unchanging tradition of fundamentalist authoritarianism.
  391. Rahman, Fazlur. Revival and Reform in Islam: A Study of Islamic Fundamentalism. Edited by Ebrahim Moosa. Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2000.
  392. Find this resource:
  393. Watt, W. Montgomery. The Formative Period of Islamic Thought. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1973.
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  395. A masterful survey of early Muslim subcommunities and religious parties, the “attraction of reasoning” among philosophically inclined believers, diverse theological discourses with their advocates and rivals, Sunni and Shiʿite polarities, and the eventual “Triumph of Sunnism (850–945).”
  396. Watt, W. Montgomery. The Formative Period of Islamic Thought. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1973.
  397. Find this resource:
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