THE WORLD OF ISLAM

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27688, 18 June 1955, Page 3

THE WORLD OF ISLAM

Islam. By Alfred Guillaume. Penguin Books. 208 pp. The recent emergence of new Mohammedan States such as Pakistan and La by a, the unresolved conflict between Israel and the Arab countries, the revolution m Egypt, and a growing awareness of the strategic importance of the lands of the Near and Middle East, have combined to arouse public interest m the West in the world of Islam. It is essential that the demand for information should be met by works composed by well-read experts and not by popular, superficial travelogues which mislead and distort. i£f^ ould , be best to get a reputable Mohammedan theologian to explain the teachings and practices of his religion, but failing this, a scholarly European Arabist is obviously the most satisfactory choice.

Dr. Guillaume, who holds the chair of Arabic at London University, has be .®h ln terpreting the Mohammedan fa.th to the Christian West for more than 30 years; he has edited “The Legacy of Islam,” an admirable collection of essays by different hands, and his masterly introduction to the study of * hadith” or Mohammedan tradition has become a classic. It is therefore not surprising that he has produced a thoroughly competent, reliable, objective and readable account of the religion which commands the allegiance of more than 300,000,000 people from Morocco to the Philippines. After sketching the historical background (sixth and seventh century Arabia) and the life of Muhammad, he provides chapters on the Quran (Koran), the Tradition, the beets and Mohammedan philosophy and mysticism, and concludes with a most illuminating and instructive survey of “Islam Today.” As a kind of appendix, Dr. Guillaume gives a useful comparison of Christian and Muslim beliefs by indicating what portions of the Apostles’ Creed would be accepted and what rejected by a pious follower of the Prophet. The extent to which the two faiths overlap is remarkable: they begin to part, as it were, over the Trinity, for Mohammed was an almost fanatical Unitarian, and we can underwhy to the Christens of the Middle Ages, Islam was a heresy rather than a new religion. A glosS3ry and an annotated list of books for further reading add to the value of this excellent little volume. To this list might have been added Dr. Montgomery Watt s “Mohammed in Mecca” (Oxford, 1953), a brilliant picture of tfie political, social and economic milieu of the Prophet. CHILDREN AND THEIR FOOD Eat, Drink and Grow Clever. By A B Cunning, M.B. Faber. 89 pp. Anyone who thinks that the Victorian tradition of uplifting stories for children is dead should read this book. ‘‘Eat, Drink and Grow Clever” is in direct descent from the more improving literary productions of the nineteenth century. Here are the inquiring and most righteous little ones, the good and all wise mamma who imparts information at the least provocation, and who showers complacency and pity upon poor ignorant children who do not know any better. The author’s intention is excellent. She is attempting a book on the fundamentals of nutrition for children; apart from a bias in favour of salty drinks her material is unexceptionable. Unfortunately she chooses to present it by telling the story of the horrid little Watts children, who are model prigs, talking as no children ever talk and behaving like little angels. They joyfully drink up their oatmeal and salt, meekly eat three pieces of wholemeal bread before they have anything else, eschew sweets fdr raw carrot, and never want ice-cream. They are full of patronising pity for the wretched Elsie, who never eats raw salads and likes white bread. Unfortunately, the atmosphere of. the book is such that any normal child reader will probably end up on the side of Elsie. This ’s a pity, because the author is writing something worthwhile. Even so, she makes some very doubtful statements. To suggest that mental backwardness can be remedied by the right food, and particularly saline drinks, seems questionable. Her equation of f he reject rate for Boer War recruits, pnd the introduction of white flour is a piece of reasoning which makes no attempt to eliminate other related factors. Lastly. Dr. Cunning should remember that it is also essential that food should taste well. Eating is not just a moral duty, and cannot be taught as such.

MONEY BRIDGE (Eyre and Spottiswoode. 258 pp.) by Edward is described by the publisher as the first post-graduate book on Contract Bridge.” It is expressly written about rubber, rather than tournament, bridge, which the author believes to be a superior game. Mr Mayer, who has for 20 years been acknowledged to be one of the first dozen players in Europe, exhorts his readers not to believe in, or talk about, luck. If you regularly lose, you are not the unlucKiest player at the table: he is your partner.” In his book he leads the reader through first principles on to advanced tactics, harping always on the importance of timing and devoting two chanters-to the theory and practice of leads. He appears to be opposed to all svstems and conventions. An original and opinionated writer, he will often provoke disagreement, but his hard-hit-ting book cannot fail to stimulate renewed interest in the strategy of the game.