Green River LibGuides: Islam and Muslim Americans: Islam 101

Islam, an Introduction

Islam 101

Gathering the Basics

The library's reference collection is a great place to look for background information. There are many books and ebooks in this collection to consider, and the database, Gale Ebooks, linked below, is a great place to start.

Using Gale Ebooks to Find Background Information

Islam: Islam in the Americas
From the Encyclopedia of Religion
Islam
From the Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices
An Introduction to Islam
From Islam.org, search by topic to learn about the teachings and practices of Islam.

Find Additional Introductory Films

Islam - A Bill Moyers Film
Streaming on Films on Demand. Watch the entire hour-long film or view segments. Citation and transcripts are available.
America's First Muslims
A 45-minute documentary streaming on Films on Demand. View the entire film or view by listed segments.
Beliefs and Cultures: Faces of Islam
Streaming on Films on Demand
Examining Islam
Streaming on Films on Demand
Tomorrow's Islam
Streaming on Films on Demand
Journeys into Islamic Africa
Streaming on Films on Demand
Examining Islam
Streaming on Films on Demand
Tomorrow's Islam
Streaming on Films on Demand

Sacred Text

The Qur'an is the main religious text of Islam. Linked below are some sources about the Qur'an (also spelled Koran), as well as a link to the text online.

Islamic Heritage Project
"A digital collection of Islamic manuscripts, published texts, and maps from across Harvard's libraries and museums."
Islamic Manuscripts - Cambridge Digital Library
A collection of online manuscripts in the Cambridge University collection.
Qur'an
An article about the faith, scripture, and Muslim society from the Oxford Islamic Studies Online website.
The Qur'an - BBC Religion Series
An article about the Qur'an, including audio recordings
Qur'an - Saved Search in Gale Ebook
The results of this search show various background articles from the database Gale Ebooks
Qur‘an
From the book: Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God
The Qur’an
A module from Khan Academy
Religion: The Koran (Qur’an)
An article about the Qur'an and Islam from the Jewish Virtual Library
TED Talks: On reading the Koran
A TEDxRainier talk by Lesley Hazleton

Reading the Qur'an Online

Quran Explorer
Arabic and English translation provided, as well as info about the app and other options resources.
Clear Quran - English Translation
ClearQuran translation is clear, pure, and easy to understand. Click Download to access via various app stores.

The Prophet Muhammed

The prophet of Islam is Muhammad, regarded by Muslims as the prophet bringing God's complete to the people. Read articles about him and his role in the faith using the links below.

Muhammad
An article from Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices
Muhammad
Historic World Leaders
Muhammad [570–632]
An article from the Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa

Streaming Films

Search for films in the library's database Films on Demand, or try some of the links below.

Muhammad: The Voice of God
Streaming on Films on Demand
The Role of the Prophet Muhammad
Streaming on Films on Demand
The Life of Mohammed
A segment from the film "Three Pillars: Confucius, Jesus, and Mohammed" Streaming on Films on Demand
Muhammad
a segment about the prophet from the larger film called "Islam: Surrender to God—Let’s Look at World Religions" - streaming on Films on Demand
Misconceptions of Islam and Muslim life - a playlist
A playlist of 10 TED Talks about the Muslim faith and traditions