Classical Islam

This definitive sourcebook presents more than sixty authoritative new translations of key Islamic texts. Edited and translated by three leading specialists, Classical Islam features eight thematically-linked sections covering the Qur'ān and its interpretation, the life of Muhammad, hadīth, law, theology, mysticism and Islamic history. The new edition has been expanded to cover a fuller range of material illustrating the growth of Islamic thought from its seventh-century origins through to the end of the medieval period. It includes illustrations, a glossary, extensive bibliography and explanatory prefaces for each text. Classical Islam is an essential resource for the study of early and medieval Islam and its legacy.

Norman Calder, who died in 1998, was Senior Lecturer in Arabic at the University of Manchester, UK. His Studies in Early Muslim Jurisprudence and numerous articles have had a lasting impact on the study of Islamic law.

Jawid Mojaddedi is Associate Professor of Religion at Rutgers University, USA. He received the Lois Roth Prize for translations of Rumi’s Masnavi and is author of The Biographical Tradition in Sufism (RoutledgeCurzon 2001).

Andrew Rippin is Professor of Islamic History at the University of Victoria, Canada, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. His books include Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices (4th edition, Routledge 2011).