A grand tour of some of the most influential thinkers and enduring practices of Islam, exploring ideas about language that continue to shape scholarship, life, and art.

While Islam is almost as varied as its nearly two billion adherents, most Muslims embrace the truth of divine revelation and the Quran as God’s word. This belief in a “speaking God,” one who communicates sublime words to humans, has left its mark everywhere on the Muslim world, including in its philosophies, arts, and cultural achievements.

In this new introduction to Islam, author Cyrus Ali Zargar takes a unique approach by exploring how the power of words has profoundly shaped Muslims’ lives across centuries and continents. From talismans to Quranic calligraphy and the powers of prayer with the poet Rumi to the interpretation of dreams with Sufi philosopher Ibn Arabi, readers will come away with a deep appreciation for Islam and its practices.