Islam - A Short History

Islam is a uniquely political religion. Unlike other faiths, which seek transcendence and postpone justice to the next world, Islam’s highest aim is to construct a fair society in this world.

Muslims thus look to their own history, above all the example of Muhammad’s life, as well as their own deeds to experience the divine. But the idea that a just society would inevitably be favored by God didn’t last into the modern age. After the Islamic world was conquered by European empires, Muslims began asking themselves what had gone wrong. Ever since, they have attempted to square their faith with a modernity defined by nationalism, secularization and the legacies of colonialism.