student of Islam.
Though unabashedly Christian, Daniel Ali and Robert
Spencer have chosen to treat this world religion and its
believers with the respect they are due. First, Muslims are
recognized as persons who truly want to please God by
submitting to Him, and their commitment and sincerity are
respectfully presented. Second, a great wealth of
information from Islamic sources — the Koran,
Muhammad’s Tradition (the Hadith), and the opinions of
Islamic scholars — is presented and discussed extensively,
with source citations provided so that the reader can
personally examine the texts. And third, they take the claims
of Islam seriously, as is proper for a religion which has
changed the lives of hundreds of millions over thirteen
centuries and across many cultures. Islam claims a divine
origin for its revelation, so its texts must be read from the
point of view of such a high claim.
This respectful attitude towards Islam involves a
process of serious, careful attention to the data of Islamic
revelation. However, the authors also note the difficulties,
tensions, and contradictions within the Islamic literature
precisely because they take it so seriously. Daniel Ali had to
face these difficulties personally — though once a believing
Muslim, the tensions he began to see within Islam became
such a weighty challenge that he was moved to increase his
study of Islamic texts until he eventually came to accept that
Jesus Christ is the true Son of God and Lord of all.
Having heard Mr. Ali speak many times, I am again