What the Classics Did for Islam - by Peter E Pormann (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Did you know that the Qur'ân contains Greek stories? That medieval Muslims produced a rich literature on sexology that is based in part on Greek sources? Or that the Islamic Republic of Iran is partially modelled on Plato's Republic?

Muslim civilisation constantly engaged with the Graeco-Roman heritage in fascinating ways. This book shows how Islam was born in a Hellenised world and examines the profound engagement with classical art, philosophy, theology and science that resulted. The translation of key Greek texts into Arabic during the Abbasid caliphate influenced even the language's grammar and literature: courtiers recited Homer and one Ottoman sultan visited Troy to admire the graves of the heroes of the Iliad. Pormann shows how this legacy endures today, as classical scholarship shapes modern debates about the Qur'ân among both modernists and fundamentalists. We can thus trace a line from Homer to al-Qâʿida.

Anybody interested in understanding the intellectually fruitful relationship between Islamic civilization and the classical inheritance of the Graeco-Roman world will find a treasure trove of insights in this erudite and wide-ranging account.

Review Quotes

"A pacy and engaging account of the relationship between Classics and the Islamic world packed with great anecdotes and fascinating information. A tour de force."
Peter Adamson, presenter of the podcast History of Philosophy without Any Gaps

"This is an excellent book, clearly written and full of interesting (and amusing) anecdotes, which embraces the whole history of Islam. It will appeal to younger readers as well as a wider public interested in the topic."
Charles Burnett, Warburg Institute, University of London

About the Author

Peter E. Pormann is Professor of Classics and Graeco-Arabic Studies at the University of Manchester. His previous books include The Cambridge Companion to Hippocrates; Hippocratic Commentaries in the Greek, Latin, Syriac and Arabic Traditions; The Syriac Galen Palimpsest; and, with Peter Adamson, The Philosophical Works of al-Kindî.