No God but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

Aslan rejects many of the traditions surrounding Muhammad. Analyze the sources he uses to reconstruct the “real” Muhammad. What criteria does he use to accept or reject these traditions?

Aslan knows that some Muslims will see his ideas about Islam as heresy or “apostasy.” What rhetorical strategies does he adopt to overcome that criticism?

What differences between Muhammad’s message and later Islam does Aslan identify? Does he see these as healthy developments, an undermining of Muhammad’s message, or something else entirely?

Aslan asserts that “it is not prophets who create religions” (17). What does he mean by this statement? How does he support it in the case of Muhammad?

Aslan calls Islam a “magnificent but misunderstood faith” when explaining why he wrote this book (xx). What rhetorical strategies does he employ to convince non-Muslim readers to appreciate Islam?

Analyze the examples that Aslan gives of how Western intervention in the Muslim world prompted the growth of more extreme Islamic ideologies. Do they follow a consistent pattern? Is the Western world to blame for the rise of Islamic fundamentalism?

Aslan says in Chapter 10 that pluralism, not secularism, is the basis of democracy. Why does he think pluralism is necessary for democracy to succeed? What does he do in the book to demonstrate that Islam is compatible with pluralism?

Aslan draws on his Shi’a Iranian heritage at several points to write this book. How much of a difference does that make to his argument? Would his argument have to be modified if, for example, a Sunni Egyptian wrote this book?