The Challenge of Islam: The Prophetic Tradition

The Prophetic Tradition: The Challenge of Islam is an enlightening set of lectures given by Norman O. Brown during the 1980s, exploring a wide-ranging array of topics concerning Islam. Brown reveals the overlooked relationship between Islam and early Christianity, exploring Islam€s relation to, and revision of, the Christian tradition, the literary innovation of the Qu€ran, the nature of revolutionary and political Islam, and the vision of a world civilization.

Throughout these lectures, which are remarkably pertinent today, Brown seeks to educate the reader on misunderstood areas of Islam, including the split between the Sunni and Shi€ite sects and Islam€s exemplification of the broad themes of art and imagination in human life. The author€s world-historical perspective of religion and tradition gives readers a crucial alternative to the divisive €œclash of civilizations€ view that paints Islam as at odds with the West. He exposes the unifying strands between Islam and early Judeo-Christian doctrine, showing that Islam is in fact a genuine part of €œWestern€ tradition, and more importantly, part of a global tradition that embraces us all.