With 1.7 billion adherents, Islam is the world's secondlargest faith, yet it remains an enigma to most outsiders, and Muslims themselves hold a vast spectrum of views about their religion. John Renard, a scholar of Islam for over 40 years, adopts an engaging question-and-answer format here to describe the history, beliefs, symbols, rituals, customs, and organization of Islam, and explains the significance of Muhammad, the Qur'an, the Five Pillars, Islamic law, and the most prominent sects. Renard also details Islam's connections to Christianity and Judaism, and the book includes an extensive glossary and timeline of Muslim history.